Switching to digital

[ptrivilino]

Greetings,

 

I currently own a PK1000 that I received as a gift almost 30 years ago. It is a

great camera, but I am ready to move into the digital world. Over the years I

have invested in several different lenses to use with my camera. Naturally,

these lenses are fully manual in function. My concern is whether or not my

existing lenses will work with a new Pentax digital camera body.

 

Has anyone tried using a "non-auto" lens on one of the newer cameras?

 

Are there other digital cameras out there that use a bayonet mount for lenses,

or are Pentax cameras it?

 

How does the image quality from a Pentax digital compare to film?

 

I've used different point and shoot digital cameras from time to time. Each one

produced images at different quality levels. I want to make sure that when I

purchase a digital SLR, the images will be worth the $800-$900 I spend on the

camera.

 

Thanks for your advice,

 

Paul Trivilino

[mountainvisions]

Paul,

 

I was anti digital for a long time. Didn't buy a DSLR till 2006 and was happily shooting film well into my digital SLR days. Problem was I got tired of scanning.

 

All I can say is you'll be happy.

 

Doesn't mean digital is better than film but for people shooting a lot, and experimenting a lot, and that hold on to a camera for a few generations (as in product cycles) it's a good value and the quality is very good.

 

While film is technically capable of higher resolution, it's the grain or quality of the digital file that allows it to be printed quite large at relatively small resolutions with few DPI.

 

Generally, you need well less than 300dpi with a digital file to print, even as little as 100dpi but with film you needed close to or more than 300dpi to get the most out of it.

 

It's apples and oranges, not really fair to compare the two.

 

Of course, Pentax has generally excellent backwards compatibility and all your lenses way back to the screw mounts should work like a dream with a few quirks here and there (such as stop down metering, and potentially consistent over or under exposure with pre A lenses).

 

I've recently been hunting down screw mount glass for my K10D and ist D. Mounting the lenses are a bit of a pain, but the build and quality construction of the lenses are something I missed with the FA AF glass.

[mc2imaging]

I still shoot film, but I shoot digital more. I've used just about every type of lens and

accessory available on my K10, including screw mount lenses, bellows, reversal rings... I

haven't tried pinhole - yet.

 

I rarely printed anything larger than 8x12 in my film days, but I have done quite a few

11x14's and 16x20's from digital, and couldn't have been happier with the results. I'm still

eyeing a basic 645 rig for a few projects I have in mind (I'm talking serious POSTERS!), but

digital lets me do a bunch of things that weren't possible or feasible on film. Both have

their advantages, but for general shooting, digital is great.

[mc2imaging]

I was going to attach a photo...<div></div>

[tyler_heibeck]

I just started shooting with SLRs myself, so I opted to go right to digital and picked up a K10D. Since them I've picked up some lens, several of them older manual lens. My logic was that I was getting a good to excellent lens for a lower price than a new lens. In most cases I was correct and the photos have been quite good. To answer one of your questions, I've been able to use two different M42 lenses and a KA Macro lens with no problems, but you do have to make some adjustments. Any of the lens will for fine in Manual mode. First off the M42 lens need an adapter to work on a K mount. Also, if you have any K mount lens that don't have an "A" setting (or any M42 lens) you need to tell the camera to ignore an non-automatic aperture which is done with a simple menu entry change. With these lens you can even take advantage of shake reduction, but you do have to enter the focal length (usually the K10D will realize it can't identify the lens and will ask).

 

Hope that helps.

[jobo1]

The digital cameras are optimized for autofocus: Half of the light goes to the AF sensors, the viewing screen does not have focus aids, and the stated viewfinder magnification needs to be divided by the crop factor (e.g., .95x/1.5=.63x for the K10D). Moreover, digital seems to be more sensitive to focus errors than film.

 

In other words, you may want to try before you buy, and consider adding a viewfinder loupe and/or another focusing screen to your budget.

 

All Pentax K mount lenses will work, but be careful with others: I had problems with an old m42 to bayonet adapter getting stuck to the mount.

[matthew miller]

To answer another small part of your question: these days everyone uses a bayonet mount of some sort, but only Pentax and Samsung (who basically re-badges Pentax-designed cameras) make K-mount bayonet bodies which will work with your lenses.

 

These bodies all lack the physical coupler which relays aperture dial, which means shooting with pre-"A" lenses is possible but less graceful than it could be. Search for "crippled K-mount" and you'll get tons more information about this. If your lenses have an A setting for aperture, then you don't need to worry about this (although be aware that you need to use that setting rather than adjusting with aperture ring on the lens).

[jeffpolaski]

All post Asahiflex lenses will work on Pentax DSLRs. (That's the beauty of Pentax systems.)

 

On a fast paced morning, following a couple of Birders doing a backyard bird census, I tried a couple of lenses on my K10D, and wound up using an 80's vintage Pentax-M 200mm f/4.0 as being optimal for distance, light and fast shooting. Here's one result.<div></div>

[mountainvisions]

"Moreover, digital seems to be more sensitive to focus errors than film."

 

Based on the DOF (which is greater) it would seem the opposite!

[michael_kuhne]

Digital has reached the point of comparable image quality. It is another tool in addition to film. For some it is all they need or want. But many like myself shoot both. With film, I find it more convenient and cost effective when I need lots of print sets. I also like slides, because what you shoot is what you get and they are fun to view. Prints and slides are easier to carry anywhere to look at.

 

Digital allows lots of shooting at no extra cost. You can take lots of shots, where just a few are the ones to keep and use. It is useful when you will just take a few shots. It also allows easier access to make alterations. Two examples- when I shoot wrestling I generally get over 90% keepers, and supply the team and coaches with several print sets. I shoot film. When I shoot hockey, I range from say, 25-60% useful keepers, needing few prints and a CD. I shoot digital. I also have to shoot through a glass barrier, which does not work with flash. With digital I can get decent quality at ISO 1600, allowing a higher shuuter speed for such acton and conditions.

 

For some situations, I shoot some of each. I have acquired several film bodies over the years, and a couple of digital bodies. Although you can use older lenses with a PentaxDSLR, I would at least get the new kit zoom lens. It is cheap but pretty good.

[ptrivilino]

Thank you all for your responses. You have all helped to reassured me that moving to digital may not be the nightmare I envisioned. And as a couple of you suggested, I can still shoot film if I want.

 

Thanks again,

 

Paul Trivilino