markus maurer

Hi Pentaxians

waiting for the ordered Pentax Remote F I just connected an old Canon Cable

Remote switch with the Pentax K10D. While the lock (Bulb)feature does nothing

releasing the shutter works! I wonder if there is any other (old) equipment

from other manufacturer that can be used/misused with/for the K10D, any

recommendations? greetings, Markus<div></div>

Hi Daniel

while I get beautiful results with old manual M Pentax and M42 Takumar lenses like the SMC 85mm 1.8 and 35mm 3.5 the K10

metering overexposures around 1-2 stops most of the time here. Of course you can correct that manually but it is another step to take before shooting and slows you down considerably. Depending on your kind of photography this may be acceptable or not or even welcome ;-)

greetings

Markus

Hi Justin

I enjoy a K10D as well and like your brewery photo a lot. Would you mind telling me if you use a (freeware) photoshop action for the framing and the text? I had a look on adobe echange but did not find something as nice. thanks, Markus

I would love plain old TTL flash support and full/better support for Pentax K/M lenses (no more overexposure at will) first. A way to disable preflash on the integrated flash to trigger older slave flashes would be welcome. A detachable or at least turnable and really scratchfree LCD would be great for close-ups and

candids. Including a sensor cleaning tool set with the body would be nice as long as the integrated dust cleaning does not really work.

Otherwise I like the K10D so far a lot despite missing the ultra wide lens choices I had with film :-) greetings, Markus

Since the addition of a cardreader only uses the Windows included drivers and no additional software it does not interfere with your DVD or burning program. I may have changed your drive letters but usually it just takes the higher ones after the DVD drive.

Hi Denise

a small and fine CD/DVD burner program can be found under <www.deepburner.com> with the freeware version. It does most you will ever need except copy 1:1 CD/DVD's. Maybe you just forgot to close and finalize the DVD after burning, this is made via a setting in the burning software? Deepburner calls that "no multisession" in the second dialog. Can you see anything on the DVD in Windows Explorer on the computer, maybe the DVD does just not start automatically anymore? A right click on the DVD drive letter --> properties --> autoplay shows you these settings. greetings, Markus

Hi Wil

if you set the Sunpak flash to TTL and the lens to a non-A aperture position the camera controls the flash output TTL. You simply

loose the automatic aperture setting you get with the Pentax dedicated flashes. Set the aperture to F4 or F8 for a start or just have a look at the distance and set the aperture to that. You will not get a confirmation from the flash for the correct exposure in TTL mode, for test shots you have to switch to an automatic mode.

greetings

Markus

I would not compromise on quality for the PDF just because of email send/receive limitations. You could try to compress the final PDF with RAR or Zip for the mail and if the attachment becomes too big use a freeware file splitter tool to make several smaller pieces. greetings, Markus

Hi Wil

I'm only guessing but have you tried setting the lens to a non A-position to see if you get TTL flash then. I had to do that with some Metz flashes/modules combinations. That's why I use the AF280T mostly now despite it's lower power. greetings, Markus

Hi Laura

I would stay with the Pentax A-series lenses for that body.

A nice and inexpensive zoom is the Pentax A35-70mm F4. More expensive and much rarer is Pentax A35-105mm. The primes are getting expensive nowadays but I like the A50mm 1.7 and the A50mm 2.8 macro and the A24mm F2.8 from Pentax a lot. If you are looking for bargains you will find Pentax K-mount compatibles among other brands like Chinon/Vivitar/Tamron and more, just watch out for A (automatic) function because manual (M-series lenses for original Pentax) will be uncomfortable to handle with a P3. The Tamron 90mm 2.5 macro with a KA adaptall mount would be an excellent macro and portrait lens choice but the Tamron KA adapters are hard to find used. Maybe a change to a more capable Pentax body like a Program-A (for additional M lenses) could be an option, they are so cheap now? greetings, Markus

Hi Charles

the K10D's integrated flash will never fire if it is closed and another external flash is attached.

Hi Charles

Keep the integrated flash on the K10D closed. Have you got the synch cable to connect the flash to the K10D? As soon as you power on the flash you should see the flash ready sign in the viewfinder and F4 or F8 at 1/180 if the K10D is in P mode. As said before you can adjust

the automatic settings to a slower speed or another aperture on the K10D.

The AF400T will provide a much better and more powerful lightning from the side and above (due to the flash grip) than the integrated flash. Don't forget to set the camera and flash to the same ISO setting. If you don't have the manual for the AF400T, download it for free from Pentax USA <http://www.pentaximaging.com> under customer care --> manuals. feel free to ask again, greetings, Markus

Hi Charles

I set ISO to a fixed value between 100-400 ISO on the K10D.

Connect the AF400T with the additional spiral cable to the flash hotshoe of the K10D. Choose any of the automatic (green/red) modes on the flash, the aperture and time will be set on the K10D to

F4 or F8 in P mode. You can use other manual modes on the K10D as well. Make sure that the sensor on the flash "sees" the subject, sometimes you have to underexposure a bit with flash around -1EV.

The AF400T is quite battery hungry, don't forget spares :-)

greetings, Markus

Hi Glenn

I just tested the remote software on the K10D and the basic functions worked so far. greetings, Markus

Hi

I found lots of quality brand filters like b+W and Pentax in second hand stores and on flea markets for very low prices. You could search for b/w filter sets on local auctions too. The most useful filter for me for b/w would be yellow and a pol. greetings, Markus

The first prints you get with development of the film here are 3 times more expensive in b/w than in color. So, costwise I would love

a color negative film which gives great black and white results after conversion too since I do not know how to nor have the equipment to develop b/w film myself.

I really love to watch these old photos and read your stories, thanks a lot Gene.

I would try to underexposure for 2 stops

The new Suite 2.3 offered now includes Dreamweaver.

Hi Bill

could you explain what "sux" with Konica Centuria 100 super film?

Is it just hard to scan or of lower quality than other brands in general?

I use it now for the first time and scan it using a Canon 9900f

with quite good results. I find the skin tones nice so far but have not really compared it otherwise to the Superia I normally use.

thanks and greetings

Markus

Thanks Scott, that was a really helpful review for me just in time.

I consider the K100D or coming K10D maybe with the FA 100 3.5 Pentax macro lens (made by Cosina?) instead of the kit zooms, what do you think of that combination. It would be my entry into digital as well, I still use an Pentax ME Super and Pentax SFXn with fast primes now and need a digital Pentax body for a coming panorama shooting project where film use does not work cost wise anymore.

greetings

Markus

Matrox PCI graphic cards work very well in combination with your AGP or built in video card. The drivers and tools - that's important too - are of high quality for a multiple monitor setup. I could drive max. 6 monitors here with a Matrox G450 AGP + Matrox MMS PCI quad card and use them for 3 Eizo/Nanoa CRT now. It slows down performance a bit and Matrox cards are not the gamers (3d app) choice but otherwise deliver the sharpest video signal ;-) The triple head cards are a bit pricey. The cheapest solution would be to buy a used Matrox PCI card at an auction for the additional monitor(s) IMHO. DVI or anlog doesn't matter. Enjoy! greetings, Markus