How to use backwards compatable lenses

Greetings from Tokyo,

 

While traveling to Japan my camera was taken from my checked luggage in LAX (a lesson learned,

thankfully I have insurance). I found a used K100D kit for a very reasonable price. The camera will serve

me for the time, but will probably purchase a K10D very soon. While I am in Tokyo I was considering

purchasing a few prime lenses. However, I have a number of K-mount M and A lenses at home, as well as

a number of old (but very nice) screw-mount lenses with the correct converters and was wondering how

usable these will be.

 

My question: How difficult is it to use these older lenses? Of course I know that they won't magically

become autofocus, but I don't want to have to stop down to meter. I can't quite figure out what I need to

do from the manual, so any assistance would be much appreciated. I imagine that the K-mount A lenses

will work just fine with the auto-metering, however what about the K-mount M lenses and the screw-

mount?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

jason

Jason ,

 

I have a lot of K SMC-M lenses which I still use with my LX , MX and other older bodies as

well as on my MZ-S and *ist D without any difficulty .

 

With the 'D' there is a setting in one of the custom menus to enable the use of manual

lenses ( something like 'F stop other than A' needs to be selected , from memory ) , you

also set the 'green button' function to control shutter speed .

 

You can then use the camera in either metered manual or aperture priority with these

lenses ( screw mounts with adaptors may need to be stopped down - not sure) .

 

I tend to select the aperture I want to shoot at and when I press the green button the

camera chooses an appropriate shutter speed . This is quick and easy .

 

Alternatively , you can work in manual mode , holding the power on control into the DOF

preview position which also enables the meter in the viewfinder . It is a bit tricky to do

both at once , but you can then adjust shutter speed and aperture to obtain correct

exposure .

 

The viewfinders on the autofocus cameras are nowhere near as good as the old split image

screens on the likes of the LX for manual focussing , but fortunately the autofocus system

'beeps' to confirm when a manual focus lens is in sharp focus .

 

derek.

There's an easier method as the DOF switch. At the back of the body is the AEL button, conveniently located near your right thumb. Push that, the camera stops down for an instant and gives you the correct speed. M42 lenses you have to use in M-position, so you lose the automatic diafragma. Of my collection of M42 lenses I in fact only use the pre-set ones on my istDs, but then in automatic mode.

First you need to set the customer function that allows lenses to be used off the A position.

 

With screwmount lenses you can simply use aperture priority mode. With K/M lenses you will need to work in M mode, and can either hit the AE Lock button to automatically set shutter speed, or you can use the DoF preview to get a metering readout. Av mode will work wide-open only with K/M lenses (It won't even stop down the lens, so setting another aperture is irrelevant).

 

Metering modes are selectable, with Centre-weighted and spot modes.

 

Note that if you take an A or later lens off of the A position, it functions like a K/M lens.

Thank you all for your answers. If I understand correctly, the M lenses will need to be

stopped down before metering, and this can be done in either Av or M mode, by pushing the

DOF or the AEL button. I am less clear about screwmount lenses; I understand that they will

need to be stopped down manually before metering and exposure, is this correct?

 

best regards,

 

jason

K/M lenses are stopdown in M mode, or wide open in Av mode (No stop-down metering in Av). Screwmount lenses work just like K/M lenses in M mode, except you don't get full-aperture focusing, and lenses with the auto-aperture pin need to be set to M on the A/M switch. The bonus is you get full aperture priority in Av mode (As lens stop-down is uncoupled from the body so the fact the body doesn't stop the lens down is moot)