Pointers for a new DSLR (K100D) owner

[jjwoolls]

So, for years I have been wanting to upgrade from my point and shoot to a

DSLR. The entire time I have been looking at the Nikon systems (I wanted entry

level and they seemed to have everything I wanted at a reasonable price), but

when it came time to buy I decided to do a little research. The more research I

did, the more i liked the Pentax K100D. It has almost all the features I wanted

for a very reasonable price. I think the 2 biggest selling points for me were

the Shake Reduction and the backwards compatibility of lenses. That and I am

somewhat of a nonconformist and Pentax seems to have more of an underground

following.

Now that I have made the purchase I have some questions about other things I

will need.

1.) I know I need memory cards. I have two 512mb cards from my point and shoot

and they will get me through for a minute, but I am getting ready to take a trip

to China and I want to get some larger cards. Does the speed of the card matter?

I have done a lot of research on the net. I have been to Pentax's website and

read the manuals(Camera is still in transit) and all they say is to use SD

cards. Some sites have told me that cameras do not write fast enough to warrant

a high speed card, others have said that high speed cards make a big difference.

If anyone knows more, I would appreciate the input. Also, does brand matter? Is

there a difference in quality?

 

2.) I bought the kit that came with the 18-55mm lens because many people said

that it was a very decent lens, but one of the things that intrigued me about

the K100D was the compatibility with older lenses. I know that I could probably

shoot for months with the kit lens and have great fun and create some beautiful

photographs but I was wanting to experiment and have fun with my new camera so I

have picked up some lenses on eBay for very reasonable prices. I have the Pentax

28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/2.0 and the Vivitar 85-205mm f/3.8. Are there any other

lenses that I should be on the lookout for? I am looking for bargains, down the

road I will make bigger investments if the photography bug really catches me.

 

3.) I think I want to get a tripod because I am interested in doing some night

photography. I will be doing a lot of walking though, so I do not want anything

too big. Is there anything in particular to look for in a tripod?

 

4.) Is there anything that I should know? Honestly I have never used an SLR and

everything that I know comes from my Point and Shoot and research on the net.

 

5.) Thanks for any help and/or information.

[sfcole]

Here's something you might consider for a big trip: go to the Pentax website and download

the update so you can use the new high-capacity cards. I think you can use an 8 gb card.

 

For a tripod, probably most come with pan heads. Most people, including me, prefer ball

heads. Much more useful for photography (as opposed to videography).

 

You might want to consider getting the 50-200 zoom. It's a good and very small lens.

Enjoy

[michael_kuhne]

The 28mm, I assume, is a manual focus only lens?? Which model? If it is an "A" model having an "A" on the aperture ring, you will have more convenient control. Using manual focus is a good thing to learn. It teaches your eye to focus the camera, and when auto focus is used, to monitor what it is doing, because no autofocus is always perfect, always focusing on what you want it to.

 

The 50mm is a good move for low light with its f/2 wider aperture capablity. This will let in more light to give you higher shutter speed in dimmer light, perhaps enough so you can hand hold the camera without blur from your own slight body movement, especially with SR.

 

If you use a tripod instead of SR, you may want to use the mirror lockup feature, with the self timer set on 2 seconds, with lower shutter speeds. This is an advantage for sharpness when shutter speeds drop low, say between 1/4 and 1/60th second, to prevent vibrations from the mirror movement, which may degrade image quality.

 

You will also learn how to use aperture to control depth of field. A wider aperture (smaller number) reduces depth of field so the foreground and background are not in focus- which makes your subject stand out more. A smaller aperture (larger number) increases depth of field so more of the picture will be sharp. To preview the DOF for the setting you have, to get the effect you want, there is a DOF preview control on your camera. Normally, the lens aperture stays wide open, regardless of your setting, until the moment you release the shutter, so you can look through the viewfinder and have enough light to see clearly. The DOF preview temporarily closes the lens down to your setting, to show you in the viewfinder what will be sharp.

 

Only the most expensive Nikon cameras have mirror lockup and a DOF preview. Mirror lockup is listed in the specs of the $1,000 Nikon D80, but it only has it for cleaning the sensor, not for shooting purposes. To get that with Nikon, you have to go to the more expensive D200 or higher.

 

You will also learn how to use the metering, including the spot meter for reading different areas of your scene to bias the exposure for the effect you want. You can also use the spot meter in the manual shooting mode, and the Pentax Hyper Manual metering system- by touching the AE lock button, which will instantly set proper exposure to give you your reading. Only Pentax has this instant set system for manual mode shooting.

 

Only the most expensive Canon SLR cameras have a true spot meter at all.

 

Mirror lockup, DOF preview, and a true spot meter are advanced, professional style features. The entire line of Pentax DSLR cameras comes equipped with the above and other advanced features, so even the least model can serve effectively as a backup model, even for a professional photographer.

 

You will also learn how to use shutter speed to freeze action or blur it to show motion.

 

Enjoy!

 

Mike

[mountainvisions]

Welcome to Pentax...

<P>

1) Card speed. To a point card speed is highly important. Most SLR's have a big buffer and fast transfers. However, if the transfer rate of the camera is only 40X putting a 150X card in it doesn't matter. That said, card readers also use the speed of the card and your future camera might be faster. So what I'm saying, by the fastest cards you can afford. I personally use Transcend 150X (2GB) and Sandisk Extreme II (i think these are 80X) and III.

<P>

Also, the camera doesn't write directly to the card, it writes to the buffer then the buffer clears to the card. So your burst rate is pretty well fixed (say with the K10D it's 12 raw) but how fast you can start a second full burst is dependent on the card.

<P>

 

3) Yes, get a tripod even a small light flimsy tripod will boost your image quality. You will actually get better results with the kit lens on a steady tripod using mirror lockup/self timer and/or cable release then you will with a much better lens hand held.

<P>

However, anything that you can brace your camera on and use the mirror lockup (MLU) and the self timer (eliminates motion from the shutter press) will work.

<P>

I would highly recommend getting the "Ultra Pod II". Being an avid backpacker I carry this thing everywhere I take any camera (slr or compact) and it works. I also leave it in my camera bag when in cities and such because it can (with a little rigging) be turned into essentially a full size tripod. For instance, veclro it to a fence, put it on top of a trash can, a parked car, some steps, a light post, and anything else you can think of. In the mountains I can rig it to a tree, a trekking pole, or an ice axe among other things.

<P>

For a travel tripod, I actually use those cheap aluminum Vivitar deals you find at fine retailers like Walmart/Target/Kmart. it's small light and cheap. And even if not ideal much steadier then hand holding. I wouldn't try to do long night exposures on it but for basic daylight or twilight shooting (1 second or faster shutter speeds) it works just fine.

<P>

For photo specific trips, I have no choice but to carry my Bogen 3221 but at 9lbs it's not something I take for casual photo treks.

<P>

Some shots taken with the ultra pod:

<P>

 

<a title="Stoking The Fire At Stoney Pond." href=" ><img src="http://static.flickr.com/190/466337794_297ef0ce8d_d.jpg" border="0"/></a>

<P>

<a title="October in The Adirondacks" href=" ><img src="http://static.flickr.com/128/380122253_eef8751b44_d.jpg" border="0"/></a>

<P>

<a title="In The Mountains of NH, Men are made." href=" ><img src="http://static.flickr.com/154/379808269_fc843134e1_d.jpg" border="0"/></a>

<P>

<a title="Arlington National Cemetary" href=" ><img src="http://static.flickr.com/184/376256968_c994de2da7_d.jpg" border="0"/></a>

<P>

 

<a title="Mid Hudson Bridge At Sunset" href=" ><img src="http://static.flickr.com/175/482283601_9be765de5b_d.jpg" border="0"/></a>

[mountainvisions]

Links to the ultra pod II:

<P>

<IMG SRC="http://www.pedcopods.com/up2lrg.jpg" WIDTH="480" HEIGHT="480" BORDER="0" ALT="Ultra Pod">

<P>

<IMG SRC="http://www.pedcopods.com/ultra01.jpg" WIDTH="480" HEIGHT="640" BORDER="0" ALT="Ultra Pod">

[personalphotos]

Welcome to the 'underground' world of Pentax! I thought that was a humourous way to look at this brand. It's hard to add much more to the great advice you've already been given but I have a couple other suggestions. If your night shots are going to be long the mirror lock up is great to reduce shake and another item possibly worth considering is a cable release. Relatively cheap, small and allows you to lock the shutter open for as long as you like. Plus eliminates any shake from you touching the camera. I picked up one from Ebay (check item 170107933983). Possibly an auto focus ("A") longer zoom? It could be handy when you have less time to set up a shot. There are some 'decent' Sigma 70-210 UC zooms out there selling for around $60-70 or a Pentax 70-200 AF (170108462749). The 50-200 DA is much better but it depends on your budget. The DA may make the most sense because how often will you get this opportunity and if the 'bug' doesn't hit you (I bet it will) you can always resell it. Lastly make sure you have a 'rocket blower' to remove dust from the sensor. You may encounter sensor dust even if you're careful when changing lenses. A super soft lens cleaning brush to remove something more stubborn would also be handy. Get some advice from your local camera specialty shop on that. But be very careful with that sensor and don't touch it with anything unless you absolutely have to.

[andrewg_ny]

See <A href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00L3GY>this thread</A> from yesterday on memory cards. I generally stick with 2GB cards for better compatibility with various devices and to avoid putting all my eggs in one basket. The smaller sizes are OK if you're shooting JPEG but will fill up way too fast with RAW.

<P>Tripod - I travel with ultrapod as well. Crappy plastic compared to a *real* tripod but small and light enough that you won't leave it behind. For full size tripods, I use a Manfrotto with a compact ball head so that the camera can easily be aimed and fixed with a single knob. Also, the legs can be spread and center column reversed if you wanted to shoot very near the ground--can be useful for macro photography or unusual angles. Any tripod will improve your photography and make your lenses look better though.

 

<P>You will also want at least one extra set of decent rechargeable batteries. I see lots of people talking about Eneloops and such, but I've had good experience with my DS2 using readily available Energizer 2500 MAh. It is possible that with SR, etc. that the K100D is hungrier however.

 

<P>-Andrew

[mountainvisions]

Andrew,

 

Looks like we use virtually the same setup. Ultra Pod II plus a Manfroto/Bogen with a ball head or the another 4 way head.

 

I can't say enough about the ultrapod compared to a no tripod at all. And it has gotten me shots otherwise missed.

 

I'll add one thing to the batteries. I would buy a few sets of the lithium AA's (energizer). With the ist D I was getting about 800+ shots per 4 batteries. While they are more expensive and less environmentally responsible they offer better reaction and work till the very end at high capacity. They work in cold, they weigh less (not sure if they weigh much less then NiMh) and they eliminate the need to waste time charging.

 

I pretty much stopped using NiMh batteries a few years ago (before I got my DSLR) because they were awful. The voltage is just too low to begin with to power some devices optimally.

[jjwoolls]

Ok, I really appreciate the quick and complete responses I have received thus far. However this has led me to the point where I will ask some more questions.

 

Scott:

Much Appreciated. The high capacity cards are an interesting option and I may switch to them one day, but I think for now I will stick with the 2GB cards. It seems that I can get 2 2gig cards for less than the price of one 4G card and the thought of having several different cards appeals to me. I was unaware that the ball head tripods are better for photography. I am glad that you pointed that out and I will be sure to look for that. In fact, I think I will get the little ultrapod 2 for now. I am going to be doing a lot of walking and portability and versatility are appealing now. I will probably be getting a good tripod later...... but for now that will do. you also mentioned the 50-200mm Zoom. I see that there is a good rebate on them from Pentax right now, so it seems like a good option to me. Someone later mentions that if i do not get into this I can always resell it on eBay. Seems reasonable to me. Thanks for the info.

 

Mike:

The Lens is an "A" model, which gives both the option of manual and auto control of the aperture, correct? (I am learning as I go here)Haha, if these aren't the lenses I need they were only 10 bucks a piece so it is a relatively cheap lesson learned.

As for the other stuff, Mirror Lockup, DOF preview, spot metering, etc.... It is exactly the type of information I was looking for. I don;t know what it really means yet, but at least I have an idea of the things I need to learn.

You also made me feel good about my decision to go with the Pentax. I loved the price and now I am confident that I have made the right decision.

 

Justin:

Point taken about the memory cards. The 80X cards are reasonably priced. From what I can tell the real limiting factor is going to be the camera. That ability to only take a few pictures in burst mode was one of the only things that did not appeal to me about the K100D, but I figure it is something that I will use very rarely anyway. I think I will prefer shooting landscape and architecture. Who knows though... Time will tell.

You (and some others) sold me on the ultrapod. For now I think that is all I will get. I am traveling fairly light to China and it seems like the perfect option.

Thanks for all the information. The pictures were a nice touch. I feel that joining an online community like this was a better idea than I even imagined it would be

 

Peter:

Haha, thanks for the warm welcome. Hopefully I enjoy photography as much as I think I will. If so, you will see me around a lot I am sure. Cable release? Looks like it is time to do some research.

Thanks for the info. As far as the lens, I think you sold me. The Pentax 50-200mm DA lens looks like the way I will go. The rebate right now is pretty good (although I lose out on $50 dollars of the rebate because I either jumped the gun on the buying of the camera, or drug my feet too much on the purchase of the lens.) and the thought of having only two lenses to drag around for almost all my shooting needs is appealing. Price seems to be reasonable and if I upgrade down the road there is always someone like me looking for deals on eBay. I'll look at it as an investment.

I will also look into a rocket blower. I have read several places that dust is one thing that you have to be careful of with any SLR and I may as well be prepared. With all of these extras though, I am glad I didn't break the bank with a more expensive body.

 

Andrew:

Thanks for reaffirming the thoughts on the memory card. Looks like 2gig is the way i am going to go. I also have other devices that do not have the HDSD capabilities and it will be nice to be able to use them in those devices if I want. Seems like it is more cost effective at the moment to get the 2Gig cards as well.

Ultrapod must be the way to go. Several people recommended it and my momma always taught me to listen to those that know.

Rechargeable batteries. Good idea and I am glad that you brought it to my attention. When I bought my Kodak easyshare 5 years ago I thought the fact that it had a rechargeable battery was a great idea, but when the batteries died halfway through my day a couple of times I started to think differently. The fact that the K100D uses AA batteries was actually a selling point for me. Never dawned on me that I could get rechargeable AAs and have the best of both worlds.

 

 

 

Wow, great advice so far. Looks like I am gong to pick up 2 2gig high speed SD cards. An Ultrapod. The Pentax 50-200mm DA lens. A rocket blower and a few more things.

 

But first......A few more questions.

 

1.) Rechargeble batteries are a great idea. Does anyone else have any input as to what I should look for. I am currently in Europe and like I said earlier I will be going to China, so I guess I need to pay attention to the power options of the charger.

 

2.) Do I need to get filters or polarizers(I really don't even know what a polarizer is)? Seems to me that some people think that they are bad because they get in the way of a good lens. Others feel that they are very good because they help protect the lens. If I do need them, is there anything that I should look for.

 

3.) I have noticed in several different forums that people really like the Pentax 16-45mm zoom. Is this a need, or just something I should look at down the road? If I do need it or want it, why? Is it really that much better than the kit lens that comes with the camera?

 

4.) Why prime lenses? I picked up a few because of the good price and I am looking to to play with the manual lenses for learning purposes. Are they really that much better? If so, which primes should I look for(especially for architectural photos)?

 

5.) Are there any online stores that people really recommend? I am a deployed soldier and I am currently located in a(safe) place that unfortunately has no access to.........anything other than the internet. I would like to get everything at one location(otherwise shipping will cost me more than the stuff I am buying), preferably reasonable prices and dependable.

 

Thanks again for all of the advice. Like I said, I am deployed right now, so it is impossible for me to walk into my local camera store and ask questions there. All of your information has been greatly appreciated.

 

Joshua

[mountainvisions]

1) no input other then I think the K100D also takes rechargeable CR-V3 Lion batteries. These are a version of the disposable lithiums I was talking about. If it does, I would highly recommend this. I forgot the K100D might be "cleared" for there use. The ist D to my dismay, was not.

 

2) A polarizer should be in every lens bag. you can't duplicate it's effects with post processing. Just about every other filter can be duplicated on the computer. I also like putting UV or Haze-1 filters on all my lenses. If I'm in the mountains I use Haze-1 as it cuts through the most blue light. On the ground, UV (basically a perfectly clear filter) goes on as a protective filter. This keeps my front element safe and clean. for those who think lenses don't get scratched I have a pile of scratched Haze-1 and UV filters. However, when shooting critical scenes or shooting into the sun, I take the filter off whenever practical. this gives me a clean lens element, and reduces flare. Even the best flare reducing lens can be destroyed by the addition of a dirty cheap filter.

 

Finally to reduce the amount of polarizers you carry, splurge on the larges element you will be using, then buy step down rings. Unless of course you think you will use a polarizer all the time. if thats the case, I prefer one that fits into the actual lens threads because it is stronger and less prone to damage.

 

A polarizer can also double as a ND filer (you lose 1-2 stops with it depending on where you turn it to).

 

3)I haven't used it but my experience with pentax fixed f/4 lenses has been good. The 16-45 gets good reviews. I personally don't think it's a must. I'd look at a wide angle (12-24mm or 14mm) before that lens as an upgrade. but thats purely a personal preference.

 

4) Primes are optimized for the focal length they are. A 35mm lens is optimized for 35mm a 50mm for 50mm. A zoom might be as good as a prime at some FL's but it's not going to be better at all of them. Simply a cheap prime is often better then a mid priced zoom. Also, primes were significantly better then almost all zooms back in the old days. This became more true the larger the zoom range. In the last 10 years zooms have really closed the gap, even those 28-300 superzooms are usable now. But what I said above still applies. Along with that, primes typically control flare better, have lower vignetting (darkness at the corners) are sharper at the corners, are faster (gather more light), and are usually lighter. Basically, they are better but sometimes not practical in all situations.

 

5) B&H photo and Adorama Photo. Both will not cheat you. I use B&H a bit more, but Adorama tends to get me those backordered lenses faster. Also KEH for used gear.

 

Good luck.

[revolver]

Joshua,

I am told we are called Pentaxians.

 

for Christmas I got a kodak z612 easyshare P&S that as my first step into a real digital camera. while it is a great camera, it does not compare to what you are about to experience. after I saw what the kodak could do I got my Pentax K100D on february 23. I have taken more pictures and try to hone the art of Photography more in the last 5 months than I have since I " took control" of my parents K1000 in the early 80's.

 

everyone who replied has more knwledge than I can ever hope to have so not much advice on my part. just a new shooter with a semi pro camera.

my only claim to camera fame is my original 1977 AsahiPentax K1000 that my parents bought new.I barely knew how to use it to its fullest potential but it gave me the appreciation for the brand.I took my last photo with it last summer before jumping on the digital bandwagon.

 

my Brother is the one who relit the photography bug in me. he got a Nikon D70S last year and when I saw the pictures he was taking I had to get a new Pentax K100, the natural evolution of the K1000.

 

as I learn more about my camera and its many features I ask my Brother if his Nikon can do this or that and most of the time the answer is yes. every now and then the answer will be no and I smile as I know I got the better camera!

 

lol

 

I use the 18-55MM lens that you can buy with the camera. I think it is a great lens and most of my photos have been taken with that lens. it is pretty much the same lens that my K1000 came with. manual focus of course but the equivalent MM and F stop.

I got a Tamron Di af 70-300MM lens also in a "package deal" while it is a decent lens I should have gotten the Pentax 50-200 MM lens. the pictures I take with the Pentax lens are much better.

 

good luck with the K100 and welcome to the underdog club

 

heres one of the best shots i have taken so far with the K and the 18-55mm lens

[revolver]

BTW.I got my Camera through these people

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pentax-K100D-Digital-SLR-Camera-Lens-Kit-Case-NEW-USA_W0QQitemZ160113667255QQihZ006QQcategoryZ30020QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

$850 with 2 lenses a 1 gig card and the other goodies you see . great people to deal wit.

 

here is a link to some stores and reviews here on Photonet

http://www.photo.net/neighbor/subcategory-index?id=2

[michael_kuhne]

The best stores/sources I know of are those Justin names above, in addition to 17th Street, although their inventory and selection is not quite as large. Shopping between these first is recommended. If ordering more than one item, any descrepency in price may be cancelled by savings in shipping when ordering all from the same store.

 

I also second Justin's recommendations regarding filters. I favor the Hoya brand for consistent quality and price. As protection, I usually prefer a skylight 1B. Slight uv filtration with a hint of warming, which tends to improve skin tones in people shots. I spring for the standard super multicoated version (SMC), or the MC version of this filter. I always attempt to protect everything as much as possible from dust, dirt, fingerprints, etc.

 

As Justin indicates, polarizing filters are a must-have for serious outdoor photography. (standard circular- not SMC or MC) Depending on camera to sun angle, you can adjust contrast, blueness of sky, and also control reflections by rotating it. You will enjoy experimenting with this filter.

 

Another often useful one is a graduated neutral density (G-ND) filter. It can be adjusted to lower over-brightness in part of a scene compared to darker areas where you want to expose more detail. One of about 2 stops is a good point for effect. Both of these rotating filters cost light and potentially, shutter speed.

 

Zoom lenses are convenient in terms of letting you quickly adjust to a different focal-length without having to change lenses. For one thing, this allows you to quickly frame your shot the way you want it without your having to move much backwards or forwards. They are very useful. The better ones have gotten to be optically very good, indeed. But as with anything, there are still trade-offs. Your "kit" lens IS very decent. Should bring you fine results. For best possible results, when you can, avoid shooting wide open aperture when zoomed in to the short end, and avoid very small aperture settings altogether, above f/11. The Pentax 50-200mm is downright outstanding, according to tests.

 

All of justin's remarks regarding primes are absolutely true. Their being "faster", that is having a wider aperture and letting in more light, has advantages- like allowing a faster shutter speed, providing greater DOF control, and a brighter view in the viewfinder.

Doing a lot of shooting with prime lenses is a very good thing to do. This allows you to explore the advantages they offer, and it also forces you to work within a given focal length to explore the properties and uses of this focal length. There is a lot more to focal length than how wide your angle of view, how much you can fit into your frame, or how close you can bring in a distant subject with telephoto, although these are important.

 

Focal length also strongly relates to DOF (you can see this with your DOF preview control) and front-to-back perspective within your frame from the location where you stand. A long focal length will tend to compress closer and more distant objects, making them appear closer to one another than real life. A short focal length tends to exaggerate this distance, especially if the foreground object is fairly close. Linear relationships are also affected, as are shapes. Shooting a car close from 3/4 front, for instance, with a short focal length (wide-angle) will make the front of the car appear abnormally large and the rear abnormally small, thus the car being elongated. Doing the same photographing a person up close, will make their features and bodyparts appear distorted and elongated. Sometimes these exaggerations are what you want. Shooting the same car shot with a telephoto lens from farther away will make it appear compressed.

 

DOF within your frame will be greater, using the same aperture setting, with a shorter focal length and shallower with a longer focal length. Prime lenses usually have a DOF scale imprinted on the barrel. It would be easier to show than tell you how to use it!

 

Pentax makes some of the best prime lenses. The very unique Limited series is regarded as among the finest lenses in the world. This is regarding quality construction, optics, and design. The design is uniquely Pentax. No one else makes anything like these. They are costly, but not beyond affordable, as are Leica products, for instance. Their cost is justified in their first-rate construction and workmanship, optics, and very unique design, being incredibly compact and lightweight for the focal length and speed. The ultmate in convenient portability plus quality. These are long-term keepers, for sure.

 

If you got a Pentax 28mm f/2.8 "A" lens for $10, you got a steal! As I recall, all modes and operation should be there except, of course, it is manual focus only. Just leave the lens set on "A" and control everything from the camera body, as normal.

[jjwoolls]

Alright. You all have been wonderful.

 

I finally decided everything that I would need and I did a little comparison shopping. Unfortunately for me, the fact that I live on a military base made my shopping a little easier. First stop was 17th St (They seemed to have the best prices) but unfortunately they do not ship to APO addresses. Something about the reliability or lack thereof of the USPS. Next stop B & H reasonable prices and reasonable shipping. Last stop was Adorama, even better prices but they will only ship via Super-Extrodianry-Express mail to an APO address and it would have cost me almost $100 dollars in shipping. I could have had it mailed to my mothers address and sent here, but........ So, B & H it was.

I got just about everything that was recommended. I spent more than I intended, but someone here convinced me that cameras are an investment and I could always resell it if I just didn't use it much. All in all, it looks like I am set for now. I have everything that I need...... except experience. Oh, and the camera (gotta love the efficiency of our government).

I wanted to thank all of you for your advice, especially Justin and Michael. I will be sure to share some of my photos from China when I get back.

 

Joshua Woolls

[thebs]

<p>Justin -- the Pentax K100D does <b>not</b> officially support (and it is not recommended you use) rechargeable CR-V3 batteries. I commented further in a <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00L5hX">new thread on batteries</a>. I hope that is not bad form or hasn't been covered already in another forum. You gotta watch us noobs you know. ;)</p>

[mountainvisions]

I wasn't sure about the CR-V3. I knew the ist D actually was not able to use them because of the voltage.

 

Too bad, because the rechargeable CR-V3 was a logical way to get the benefits of both rechargable Li-Ion and AA disposable. Essentially the best of both worlds.

 

I just use AA lithiums in my D. works great in any weather and is nice and light. Cost is still significantly below that off film. 1500-2000 shots per 8 AA lithiums (or about $15 per 2000 shots).

[jjwoolls]

Well, I was disappointed to hear that the CR V3 batteries would not work in the K100D because I unfortunately already purchased them. I had done some research to make sure they would work with my camera before I made the purchase though, so I was a bit surprised to find that out. In the K100D user manual it does not say that they are not supported. It does say that CR V3 batteries are supported, but unfortunately it says nothing about the rechargeable batteries (http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/digital_camera--K100D/reqID--7717476/subsection--digital_slr). I have submitted an E-Mail to Pentax for clarification. The last thing I want to do is to damage my camera. I will post back when I hear back from them.

[mountainvisions]

the regular (non rechargable) work fine and are safe. I use these as well as lithium AA.

 

The problem with the rechargable version is it has variable voltage. 2 CRV3 equal 6V total but the rechargable can spike all the way to 7.2 volts.

 

So if you bought standard CRV3 single use, you will be fine. If you bought the rechargables then make sure you can use them.

 

I saw a fellow post a trick once where he used a rechargable CRV3 with a combination of 2 NiMH which seemed to go against the grain of battery use (no mix and match) but he swore it worked.

 

apparently the combo of (1.25x2)+3.6= 6.1 or at least that was his theory.

[jjwoolls]

I E-Mailed Pentax's technical support about the Rechargeable CR V3 batteries, and this is the response that I received.

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

Thank you for contacting Pentax.

 

You can use regular CR-V3 batteries, but we dot recommend using the rechargable type. The reason is that when the batteries are fully charged, they provide plenty of power, but when the power starts to decrease, it spikes at a rate that could damage the camera's electrical circuits. Thank You

 

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greene

Pentax Imaging Technical Support

 

Well, it looks like I will be sending back the batteries that I did order (Unless I can find another use) and going with something else.

 

Thanks Bryan for pointing that out.

 

Still waiting on the camera...........

[jjwoolls]

Well, it finally came. 24 days. Not the fault of the retailer though, things always take more than 2 weeks to get here, even packages that are mailed overnight.

When I received the camera, the first thing I did was read the manual. It says several time that Rechargeable CR V3 Batteries should not be used. :( Oh well, looks like I will find something else.

[renatoa]

Joshua, I use R-CR V3 since november and they are fine, don't believe these guys.

My recent findings point to a possible reason for their attitude: their are right CR-V3 clones, outputing exactly 3V, so simulating very accurate the usage of two AAs, and the vast majority of R-CR-V3, some very prestigious brands, that outputs 3.6V as any ordinary Li-Ion found in any cell phone for example.

You can measure the output of your cells, and even they are 3.6V cells don't worry about frying the internals of your camera, usualy any electronic device designed to operate at 5V resist without any sign of wear up to 9V.

Related to the so called spike, my belief it is pure BS, no known Li-Ion cell exhibit a spike during the discharge. I read over time many stupid responses of support persons, don't think if they are from Pentax they are saints, I can show you similar samples from Nikon.

I think is only a simple preventing attitude to be sure they avoided any possible reason of hardware malfunction.

Just mho of a former 8 years electronics engineer before the actual longer career as IT consultant.

[thebs]

<p>Renato, I'm going to answer your comments on the Rechargeable CR-V3 over in the <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00L5hX">Batteries for Pentax K100D</a> thread.</p>