paul_noble

<p>Is it a C-3 Matchmatic or a standard C-3? The standard is all black. The Matchmatic is beige and light brown.<br> If it is a standard C-3 and the meter is working, it is fairly straightforward. You simply turn the dial to indicate the film speed you are using and read off the shutter speed/f-stop combinations that can be used.<br> The Matchmatic was an attempt to simplify and demystify the arcane workings of shutter speeds and f-stops. Instead of using the real shutter speeds and f-stops, Argus simply assigned them numbers (1,2,3...). Using the meter is essentially the same, except you get settings like: shutter speed=4, aperture=5, instead of: shutter speed=1/200, aperture=5.6.<br> All that being said, selenium meters that old seldom work at all. If they do, they are seldom accurate. Point the meter at a bright light source and see if the needle deflects. Now cover the meter. The needle should deflect all the way in the other direction.<br> Selenium meters need no batteries. If it doesn't work, there is nothing to do but replace it. Occasionally, someone reports that they were able to open the meter up and find a tiny wire that had become disconnected and were able to re-solder it, but that doesn't happen often.<br> As simple as the C-3 is, it can take some very nice pictures. The standard 50mm lens is actually quite good for an inexpensive camera. That is one reason that the camera still has a loyal following.<br> BTW, there is a Yahoo group for the Argus Collector's Group that you can join. There are people there who know everything there is to know about all Argus cameras.</p>

<blockquote> <p>I'm going to make a sweeping, unsubstantiated claim...<br> The cinema-going public couldn't give a hoot whether or not a movie has been shot on film. They are there for the story, not for the soul of the recording medium.</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course that's true, but those of us here do care about such things. I only brought it up because I noticed the Kodak logo in the closing credits.</p> <p>Another, slightly ironic thing. When George Lucas made "The Phantom Menace", he had to have Sony develop special video cameras, whose frame rate matched that of film, because the completed movie would have to be transferred to film for exhibition, because, at the time, there were still many theaters that had not yet converted to digital projection.</p> <p>Now, in 2015, "The Force Awakens" was shot on film, but had to be transferred to digital, because the studios have completely stopped distribution on film. All theaters have converted to digital projection. This, BTW, spelled the death sentence for a few drive-in theaters that were hanging on by a thread and couldn't afford the cost of a digital projector.</p>

<p>My son and I went to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", this past weekend.</p> <p>In the closing credits, it was noted that the film was shot on Kodak movie film. This is a bit ironic, because "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" was, I believe, the first major movie to be shot entirely on digital.</p> <p>Perhaps the fact that it was shot on film has something to do with something a lot of people are saying about the latest installment in the Star Wars franchise: it is very remeniscent of the original trilogy. It has the same feel as Star Wars: A New Hope from 1977.</p>

<p>Well, there are the photo-sensors in the pentaprism that determine the exposure.</p> <p>However, it would take an awful lot of scratches to reduce the amount of light reaching the prism. The camera would become impossible to focus long before that happened. So, if you can see through the viewfinder and the exposure meter works, don't worry about it.</p>

<p>The ratios on those lenses refer to the f-stop, or aperture size of the lens.</p> <p>A ratio of 1:1.9 indicates that the focal length of the lens is 1.9 times the diameter of the maximum aperture opening. On a 50mm focal length lens, that is 26.3mm. If the ratio is 1:2, as on the Pentax lens, the opening is 25mm.</p> <p>This ratio is important in determining the exposure for each image. The larger the opening, the more light is passed through the lens while the shutter is open.</p> <p>Some lense have slightly odd maximum apertures, such as 1.9 or 1.7. However, most of them usually go to "standard" f-stop values. Those values are 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 32. Note that each stop is approximately 1.4 times the last. Actually its the square root of 2, which is 1.414.</p> <p>What this progression means, is that each stop creates an opening with half or double the area of the one on either side of it. For example, f/8 allows twice as much light through as f/11 does, and half as much as f/5.6 does. This is very convenient.</p> <p>Shutter speeds on most modern cameras are also in steps that double or halve the amount of time the shutter is open. For example, many SLR's have shutter stops of 1 second, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/6, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 and 1/1000.</p> <p>If your light meter tells you, say, that for the film (or ISO setting in a digital camera) you are using, "A" proper exposure is 1/500 at f/4, you can get an equivalent exposure (and increase the depth of field), but using 1/250 at f/5.6, or 1/125 at f/8. Each "stop" you close down the lens, you open up the shutter speed. In the example I gave, each exposure has half the aperture area and twice the shutter open time as the previous. In total, the same amount of light energy strikes the film/sensor.</p> <p>An excellent book on the subject of exosure is Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure". He does a great job of explaining all this and gives many examples of "correct" exposures that result in significantly different images. He calls this the difference between a "correct" exposure and a "creative" exposure.</p> <p>Don't apologize for asking these questions. We were all where you are right now, once upon a time. For some of us, its been longer than we would like to remember.</p>

<p>I have a K10d, but I do not have an HSS-capable flash.</p> <p>The user's manual says that HSS is only supported in Tv or M modes. In all other modes, the shutter speed tops out at 1/180. See page 181.</p> <p>I don't believe that any of the firmware upgrades (culminating in version 1.31) changed this.</p>

<p>The Pentax SL was made from about 1969-1973. It was simply a Spotmatic, with no meter. There was an accessory clip-on meter, which I always thought was kind of silly. I can almost understand the SL camera. Perhaps one was very old-school in the sixties and didn't want that new-fangled light meter. But, if you want a light meter, why buy a camera without one and then add a clip-on. Just buy a Spotmatic in the first place.</p> <p>Both the SL and its clip-on meter are as rare as hen's teeth. In fifteen years of watching for Pentax cameras on eBay, I've only seen a couple of the cameras and, I think, one clip-on meter. The meter looked very much like the ones for the earlier H/S series cameras, but it was not interchangeable. The distance from the prism to the shutter speed dial was different on the Spotmatic.</p>

<blockquote> <p>Nice work, <strong>Raid</strong>, very atmospheric. The C44 was definitely an improvement over the C3 but it doesn't seem to have acquired the same iconic status</p> </blockquote> <p>I think the reason that the C44 is not as well known outside of Argus collector circles, is twofold. First, the C3 was in production from 1939 till 1966, while the C44 was only in production for a few years in the late fifties. Secondly, the C44 was considerably more expensive than the C3. Not Leica-expensive, but probably twice the price of a C3.</p> <p>Because of the lower price and longer production life, many more people can claim that the C3 was their first "real" camera.</p>

<p>I may be wrong, but I believe that the only M42 cameras that could meter wide open, were the Pentax Spotmatic F, Pentax ES and Pentax ES-II. I don't believe that any other manufacturer picked up on the SMC Takumar linkage. It was too little, too late, anyway. Shortly thereafter, Pentax gave up and introduced the bayonet style K-mount.</p> <p>If you had a Spotmatic SP, it never did wide open metering. It ONLY did stop-down metering.</p> <p>So, unless you buy one of those three cameras, you will not find a camera that meters wide open with your lenses.</p> <p>And, as far as I know, none of the adapters to allow M42 lenses to be used on later, bayonet mount film cameras, or DSLRs, even support the "automatic" stop down aperture that the Spotmatic did. That means that, not only must you use stop down metering, the lenses must be used in manual mode.</p>

<p>I think that the only dslr in which Pentax used a non-Sony sensor was the K20d, which was also sold as the Samsung GX-20. This camera used a (no surprise) Samsung sensor.</p> <p>AFAIK, all other Pentax dslrs used Sony sensors.</p> <p>Back in the days of film, many cameras used shutters made by others, such as Seiko. No one considered those cameras to be any less a genuine Pentax/Nikon/Canon/Minolta/whatever.</p> <p>Also, Hoya was and has been one of the largest, if not the largest supplier of lens blanks. The lens manufacturers grind the glass to their own specifications. Does that make the lens a Hoya lens?</p>

<p>Just a word of caution when taking flash photos such as this in the future. Its always better, if possible, to shoot at a slight angle, when photographing through glass. That way, the reflection does not come directly back at you.</p>

<p>I was really answering Jochen Schrey's response, in which he stated that the K10D was the last Pentax DSLR that did not support the in-lens motors. It was the last one that did not support them, out of the box.</p> <p>The OP has not indicated which firmware level his camera is at. Nor has he answered the question about the type of lens. So, if he's got an in-lens AF lens and a K10D at version 1.0, that would explain his problem.</p> <p>If, OTOH, the lens is a screw-drive lens and/or his K10D is a 1.30 or 1.31, then he has a different problem.</p> <p>Ulf, come back and provide more information. If it was something simple, like you inadvertantly turned AF off, don't be afraid to admit it. We've all been there and done that sort of thing. If you've solved your problem, we'd like to know.</p>

<p>James T,</p> <p>I suggest you get and read a book called "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Your public library may have a copy.</p> <p>It does an excellent job of explaining elements of exposure: shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed. The book will help you understand what is actually happening when you set the exposure on your camera. </p> <p>Be careful about flash. This is a completely new dimension to photography. Many new photographers become very confused about flash. If you're coming from a digital camera to the SRT101, you will be in for a rude awakening. The film camera will not help you get a proper flash exposure. You have to know what you're doing. If you don't understand exposure in available light situations, you probably won't understand flash exposure.</p> <p>Some of the flashes of that period, such as the Vivitar 283/285, had a device called a thyristor that could cut off the flash when it determined that enough light had reflected back from the subject. This helps, but it is still not nearly as automated as a modern digital camera.</p>

<p>The original firmware for the K10D did not support in-lens AF motors.</p> <p>Version 1.30 of the firmware added this support. IIRC, the in-lens motors were first released while the K10D (maybe the K20D) was still in production, so Pentax upgraded the firmware to allow owners to buy the new lenses. Pentax must have known the in-lens motors were coming, because the K10D had the necessary power contacts from the beginning of production, even though the firmware did not support it.</p> <p>The K100D did not have the contacts to provide power for the in-lens motors. The K100DS did. </p>

<p>Yes, it is entirely possible, although not certain, that the flash will overpower the ambient light.</p> <p>Every flash exposure is actually a double-exposure; the ambient light and the light from the flash. You must choose which one you want to dominate the result.</p> <p>It the simplest case, one would usually set the shutter speed at the highest speed at which the shutter is fully open. This is referred to as the flash sync speed and is often marked with a red X on the shutter speed dial. On film SLR's, this is often fairly slow, like 1/60, with a few as fast as 1/125.</p> <p>With the shutter on X, you need to calculate the aperture. On a purely manual flash, or an automatic flash set in manual mode, the flash fires at full power every time. Every flash has a "guide number" that is used to calculate the aperture. After focusing (or estimating the distance) divide the guide number by the distance, which will give you the aperture. Note that guide number varies with the ISO speed of the film you are using.</p> <p>For example, if your flash has a guide number of 80 for ISO 100 film and the camera-to-subject distance is 10 feet, your aperture should be set to f/8 (80 / 10 = 8).</p> <p>Ghosting can occur if the ambient light is bright enough to give a visible exposure at the settings used for the flash. For example, say the ambient light requires an exposure of 1/60 sec at f/5.6 and the flash exposure requires 1/60 at f/8. That's only one-stop difference, and ghosting is likely. Ghosting occurs when the subject moves, the shutter speed is not enough to stop the motion and the ambient light is enough to give you a visible exposure. Electronic flash units usually have a flash duration of 1/1000 sec of less, so the flash WILL stop the motion. To prevent ghosting, try to have at least a three-stop difference between the ambient and flash exposure.</p> <p>There are reasons to use a flash even if the ambient is perfectly adequate. If faces or other details are in deep shadow, while the rest of the scene is brightly lit, the flash may be used to illuminate those details. This is called "fill flash".</p> <p>As you seem to be finding out, flash photography can be a complicated subject, with many nuances.</p> <p>A good resource is "The Strobist" at <a href="http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/">http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/</a>. He concentrates on off-camera flash and multiple flash photography, but there is a lot of good information there.</p>

<p>In case anyone is interested, there is a nice website devoted to Argus cameras at <a href="http://www.arguscg.org/">http://www.arguscg.org/</a>.</p> <p>This site contains a lot of information about Argus cameras.</p> <p>There is also an active Yahoo group that you can subscribe to. Instructions are on the website.</p> <p>Argus cameras, in general, are very underrated. A previous poster said they had never heard anyone say anything good about Argus cameras. They obviously had never met anyone who had ever used an Argus.</p>

<p>First of all, are you sure you've downloaded the right update? The updates for the K5, K5ii and K5iis are not interchangeable. Make sure that the file you d/l'ed matches your camera.</p> <p>Second, make absolutely sure you have a fully charged battery. If the battery dies during the update, you may end up with a very expensive paperweight. Pentax can fix it, but it is NOT covered under warranty and the fee is several hundred dollars.</p> <p>Download the update to your computer. I'm assuming its a PC, but the process is similar for a Mac.</p> <p>The update is a self-extracting zip file. Double-click on the file to run it. This will create two new files, one with a .bin extension. This is the file that must be copied to the memory card.</p> <p>Copy the .bin file to the ROOT DIRECTORY of the SD card. Do not put it in the HSIM or any other folder. The camera will only look in the root directory.</p> <p>Turn the camera off. Put the memory card in the camera, if you copied the .bin file using a card reader instead of the USB cable.</p> <p>Turn the camera on. It should say "Updating" or something like that. Do not disturb the camera until it says the update is complete. Whatever you do, DO NOT TURN THE CAMERA OFF.</p> <p>Once the update is complete, turn the camera off and back on, while holding the Menu button. It should display the correct version number.</p> <p>The most common mistakes seem to be 1) downloading the wrong update and 2) putting the .bin file in a subdirectory, rather than the root and 3) copying the download file to the SD card without executing it to extract the .bin file.</p>

<p>Film SLR's typically have two shutter speed gear trains; a slow speed train that operates at shutter speeds of 1/30 or slower (perhaps 1/60) and another train that operate at higher speeds. It is possible that one train of the other in your camera is not working properly, while the other is. Were the failed exposures at high speeds and the successful ones at slow speed (or vice versa)?</p> <p>Another possibility is that you have a dragging shutter. A focal plane shutter consistes of two curtains. One opens while the other remains stationary. A fraction of a second later the second curtain closes. At higher speeds, typically 1/60 or faster, the second curtain begins closing before the leading curtain has completed its travel, resulting in a moving slit across the film. The higher the speed, the smaller the slit.</p> <p>A common occurence in old focal plane shutters is that the leading curtain slows down, allowing the trailing curtain to catch up. In severe cases, the leading curtain may never get out ahead of the trailing curtain, resulting in the film not being exposed at all. In moderate cases, the film may be exposed on one end of the frame but not the other, as the trailing curtain catches up in the middle of the movement.</p> <p>If either of these scenarios is happening, a good CLA may very well cure it.</p> <p> </p>