Joe Farace
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The March Of Digital Time; The Death Of Photo CD?
Digital Innovations
Joe Farace • Jul 01, 2008 • 0 comments

"I have lost friends, some by death...others through sheer inability to cross the street."--Virginia Woolf

Robert Waxman Camera in Denver made my first Kodak Photo CD on July 7, 1992. That's a long time ago in digital years, which are a lot like "dog years." Back then Photo CD was a simple, inexpensive way for photographers to...
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The Olympus E-5; Welcome To Four Thirds Heaven
Pro-Quality Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • Feb 01, 2011 • 2 comments

When it was launched in October 2007, the E-3 broke new ground. It wasn’t a me-too SLR; it carried the Four Thirds format into new directions that were uniquely Olympus.
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The Original Lensbaby
Having Fun With Distortion And Soft Focus
Accessories, Test Reports
Joe Farace • Apr 01, 2005 • Published: Mar 22, 2005 • 0 comments

Photos © 2004, Joe Farace, All Rights Reserved

The Original Lensbaby is a flexible camera lens that creates an image that has an area of sharp--or not--focus that's surrounded by a graduated blur. This mostly plastic lens is available in different camera mounts and brings the "Holga look" (see What's a Holga Anyway? sidebar) to single...
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The Pentax K-01: It’s A Hybrid But Not A Prius
Compact Digital Cameras, Equipment Reviews
Joe Farace • Jan 24, 2013 • Published: Dec 01, 2012 • 1 comments
The Pentax K-01 belongs to a class of cameras generally known as “mirrorless”—Pentax calls it a hybrid—that combine large LCD screens with interchangeable lenses and more often than not a retro look. Marc Newson, the Australian industrial designer who crafted the Pentax K-01, works in a style called biomorphism that uses smooth flowing lines, translucency, and an absence of sharp edges. The camera is available in black, white, or Newson’s signature yellow with the designer’s logo on the bottom.
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The Pentax K-5: It’s A Matter Of Tradition
Pro-Quality Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • Nov 11, 2011 • Published: Oct 01, 2011 • 1 comments
Pentax has a long history of innovation as well as a rabid fan base that loves the company’s tradition of optical excellence and originality. In fact, this fan base is the reason I’m writing this review. If you’re not already a Pentaxian you probably didn’t know that Pentax (derived from PENTAprism refleX) built the first camera to incorporate a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror system in 1957 and went on to introduce the first TTL metering system in 1964. While late to the digital SLR game, when they finally arrived it was with a series of entry-level cameras that delivered impressive image quality at affordable prices. Over time they’ve dipped their toes into the semipro market and the K-5 is the latest model with professional aspirations yet it retains all the quirky uniqueness that all Pentax cameras have and that endears them to so many photographers.
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The Pentax K-x; What’s Black And White And Red And Blue All Over?
Amateur Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • May 01, 2010 • 0 comments

The awkwardly named yet highly competent K-x is another entry-level D-SLR from Pentax (www.pentaximaging.com) that combines impressive for-the-money 12.4-megapixel resolution with copious amounts of style. The K-x is available in your choice of white or black as well as special, limited edition red and navy versions, all with a body price...
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The Pentax K100D; Image Stabilization & Millions Of Lenses In An Affordable D-SLR
Pro-Quality Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • Oct 01, 2006 • 0 comments

Lots of people don't know that Pentax built the first Japanese-made Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. In 1952 the Asahi Optical Company of Japan created the Pentax (PENTAprism refleX) line of cameras and were the first to incorporate a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror system into a camera they called the Asahiflex I. This camera featured a cloth curtain focal plane...
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The Pentax K10D; The Digital K-Mount World Expands
Pro-Quality Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • Aug 01, 2007 • 0 comments

The Pentax K100D is an awesome camera for the price and works with all the 24 million Pentax lenses made since 1964. Now Pentax Imaging is "kicking it up a notch" with the K10D, a more serious, even professional, D-SLR as evidenced by its stainless-steel chassis. The camera is weather-resistant with 72 seals, including shutter release and all switches, levers, and...
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The Pentax K2000; A Great Entry-Level D-SLR
Amateur Digital SLRs
Joe Farace • Nov 01, 2009 • 2 comments

Beginning with the launch of the Asahiflex I in 1952, Pentax (PENTAprism refleX) was the first SLR that incorporated a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror.
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The Phase One 645DF; Medium Format Muscle
Medium & Large Format Systems
Joe Farace • Feb 01, 2011 • 0 comments

Now I know how my erstwhile colleagues at our sister publication Motor Trend feel when they test drive a $1,770,000 Bugatti Veyron.
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