PhotographyBanzai.com

The work my uncle and I have done has started to come to fruition. This calendar that I put together from our photos (about half are my uncle’s) turned out pretty nice! CafePress seems to have nice high quality printers to output something like this. Their manufacturing costs are not priced that high either, so I can offer it for $20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOgCbx7r3EE Arizona Mile Markers Calendar …and the Wonders in between… This calendar is a collection of photos with coordinates. It’s a fun way to enjoy your yearly calendar with the game aspect of finding each location the pictures were shot at. EDIT: I removed the links because Cafepress eventually deleted the designs without my input. 

I noticed that the Youtube user Jetdaisuke posted a video about buying not one, but two Pentax Q cameras… While he is Japanese, he has English subtitles on most of his newer videos. If the subtitle (CC) button doesn’t show up, go directly to Youtube instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQAIQKWsjs Pretty interesting. I never would have imagined seeing someone buy two of them considering their target market. However, I will admit their size is great for the sake of mobility. I’ll also say I thought in the past of attaching a camera to the top of my DSLR for recording video. In his case he is taking time lapse and video.

I noticed one of my Twitter friends post a link to this contest at OhSoPoshPhotography dot com. The website's contest page. Which brings me to something I’ve noticed lately. Large companies and websites like B&H, Adorama, Camera Rumors, Think Tank bags, Pentax Forums, and many others seem inclined to have contests that require some type of viral social media aspect to them. For example, many say something like “Like our page on Facebook and follow us on twitter to enter the contest.” I’ll admit on occasion I do “enter” the contests as I’m technically doing right now with this contest! This contest I linked said you could post to your blog which is a refreshing addition compared to the other contests that just want you to follow their equivalent of product news feeds, so I’m doing that in the form of an opinion article. It isn’t a bad idea from a promotion standpoint for anyone with the funds to sponsor a contest. I just might try something similar in the future. Oh, if I do...

Time for another opinion article. This time I’m looking at the viability of mirrorless cameras. In particular, one of the most interesting out there at the moment. This is an opinion article because I haven’t used the camera. I’m basing my words from reviews I’ve seen as well as the general specifications. All camera images are stock photos from Sony’s press department.  The Sony NEX-7 isn’t your normal mirrorless camera. It has a professional look to it, reminiscent of the Pentax K-7/K-5 series of cameras I currently use. It even uses magnesium alloy for the casing like they have. I like the look and the size (8% narrower, 31% shorter, 41% thinner). The camera looks to have a nice control layout. You can have aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all accessible with semi-dedicated controls. This sounds like a key feature and should make photographing with the camera a breeze. I would have liked more dedicated buttons in general though. I’ll give them a +1 for the dedicated v...

Impress Japan had an interview with many of the Japanese camera manufacturers and I thought I’d talk about that with some opinion included. My news and opinion in video format on Youtube : The full interview in Japanese: https://www.impressjapan.jp/pr/monitor/1112_dcm/271201_free.pdf Companies in the interview: Pentax, Ricoh, Canon Fujifilm, Nikon, Sigma, and Sony. Points of interest: Olympus: Eventual E-5 SLR replacement. Canon: Interested in small cameras, but not necessarily ones with interchangeable lenses. Has a focus on sensor sensitivity rather than mega-pixels (just look at the 1D X with its 18MP). Sigma: DP series additions coming. Mirror-less format lenses coming. Sony: Smaller e-mount lenses to better fit their mirror-less cameras. Talk of electronic shutters. Nikon: Replacements for the D3 and D700 coming. Compacts should have a focus on ergonomics and control to have more benefit over cell phone cameras. Fujifilm: Focus on high-end compacts like the x100 and x10. Impr...

Even at first look before the acquisition, Ricoh and Pentax seemed pretty similar. They both released cameras that were smaller than the class norm. that also included quality materials like magnesium alloy and an overall solid feel. More specifically, cameras like the GR Digital and the Pentax K-7/K-5 series. In their fight to gain and keep market share they sometimes have gone outside the box in ways that just didn’t make much sense. Look for used Ricoh GXR equipment on eBay or KEH . As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases. The Ricoh GXR system is one such camera to go far out of the box. It’s not an interchangeable lens system and it’s not a fixed lens camera like their GR Digital. The body that houses the grip, controls, LCD, and battery is one unit. The other half of the camera gets mounted inside. This has the lens, sensor, and processing electronics. On first…and second… glance the system doesn’t make much sense. It is expensive because to use ...

The Pentax K-r was discontinued recently, but before it goes off into the camera abyss of retired models… It is currently being offered at Walmart.com in a large number of colors they didn’t have in the USA before. Walmart's website Right now they have blue, brown, gold, green, dark blue, pink, purple, silver, and yellow. So what would a guy like with cameras like the black semi-pro K-5 and K-7 care about these cameras for? Covert-ops of course! I mentioned in a post about a hockey game I went to where they said on their site that no “professional” cameras were allowed after saying that no lens 3 inches or longer can be used. Putting a limit on lens size is understandable, but saying professional with such ambiguity is really getting out there. While I’m incapable at the moment, I could see eventually getting a colorful SLR for the purpose of using it in situations where the stigma against cameras strong. Imaging being confronted about your “pro” camera only to find out it is a b...

I made a parody TV advertisement commercial for Pentax DSLR cameras. Why? I thought up the idea a few days ago and though it would be fun to make. Titled: “PENTAX CM もじり ペンタックス・コマーシャル” Check it out on Youtube ( watch it in 720p ): 冗談、けどPENTAXは素敵なカメラ物ですね。　www ビデオの日本語が悪い、ごめんなさい。 This is a parody video “CM” commercial with Pentax as the subject. My initial idea was a lot more involved, but this idea came after and was a lot more manageable yet accomplished the same thing for the most part. Text and voice from the video: Pentax system: ペンタックスシステム Digital SLR: デジタル一眼レフ prime lens: 首相レンズ (wrong Japanese) Transforming system: 変換システム Weather resistant: 耐候性システム Rugged system: 堅牢なシステム Shake resistant: 抵抗性の振る Wonderful system: 素晴らしいシステム Small system: 小さいシステム Special system: 特殊なシステム Historic system: 歴史的なシステム Portable system: ポータブルシステム Convenient system: 便利なシステム Cosplay: コスプレ All of the video and sound was made by me. Video source: Pentax K-7 and K-5, intentionally blown out in post processing ...

I’m part of a local photographer group on Facebook and someone offered up the possibility of being in a gallery. I thought I might as well come up with an idea and see if the results were worth printing. Here is the description: “The idea is cell phone pictures, printed, matted and framed in recycled frames… Think sustainability. Go to goodwill, salvation army, or even reuse old frames around your house or grandparent’s house. We suggest going through Wallblank.com to print, as we may set up a matte cutting station for a couple bucks.” First off, I had two camera options. A HTC HD2 I bought used from eBay for when I was using T-Mobile. My other option was a Samsung Intercept for Virgin Mobile that I use with my current plan. The HD2 has a higher mega-pixel camera and the built-in camera app allows for control of ISO as well as features like a timer.  I have an Otterbox case for the HD2, so I thought I might as well go all out and modify the case to shoot when it is attached to the ...

The K-5 has all of the benefits in ergonomics of the K-7, but with the imaging sensor advances Sony brought to the table. While I was reluctant to pick up a K-5 when I did due to the price premium it held for a long time, I eventually bit the bullet and bought one locally at a good price My video review on the camera. Get a used Pentax K-5 through my links: B&H , KEH , eBay , Amazon , and Walmart . As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! History: While the K-7 was being developed in between the Hoya acquisition, the K-5 was a full Hoya/Pentax product. It is unclear whether Hoya put any input in on the K-5, but the results probably speak for themselves. The K-5 is a revisionary upgrade with focused improvements on image quality and camera speed more than anything else. It was moved closer to the high level APS-C cameras such as the Canon 7D, or even some full frame cameras in a few technical aspects like dynamic range. Personal appeal: While the cameras loo...

If you have visited my site before, you probably noticed that most of my advanced equipment is from Pentax. I like a lot about it, but there are some negatives to using them over the big two brands that currently dominate the market. First is lesser support from 3rd parties (Please someone make a P-TTL wireless flash trigger system that can do FP sync) and the second is lack of places to try and/or buy gear locally. I’m lucky enough to have a place locally (Camera Craft) that offers a full range of gear if I want to see something in person, but that isn’t the case in many other areas of the world. To see if the second problem is really as wide spread as people on the Internet say it is, I thought it would be fun to assemble a map of locations that offer up Pentax equipment. I made a posting on Pentax Forums asking for help assembling a collaborative Google Map that will show as many places to buy Pentax DSLRs and lenses locally. Well it can be any Pentax camera equipment, but pref...

A few years and over 22,000 actuations later, I put some time into reviewing the Pentax K-7 here on my website. Check it out! Youtube overview video (21 minutes): History: The K-7 came out in 2009 as the successor to the K20D, being the third body in the semi-professional digital format from Pentax. It had quite a few improvements I’ll go over later, but kept some key components such as the 14.6 mega-pixel imaging sensor from Samsung. This was the one short deviation from Sony sensors that Pentax did and they have since returned to Sony for the K-5. The K-7 was a return to the classic SLR design aesthetic of older Pentax cameras from the 80’s with a look similar to the LX (especially when it had the add-on hand grip attached). The K-7 brought together that modern yet retro design and incremental technical improvements into an appealing overall package.  Personal appeal: The K-7 has been one of those cameras that really hit a nerve with me. My only long term DSLR experience up until...