jim_b9

<p>Meh. Networking cameras allow you to share your images quickly. Networking capability does nothing to <strong>improve</strong> your photography, but it allows you to post bad photographs in record time. I have the equipment that I do because it helps me take great pictures... and to me that is much more important than sharing quickly.<br>

Lots of people focus on one aspect of the culture of photography, forgetting that photography is a multilayered art form that simply can't be described by one person's observations.</p>

<p>I don't know for sure, but Aperture probably doesn't have a database entry for that lens; this is something that should appear in the next update of Aperture. At any rate, the EXIF data doesn't have anything to do with focusing issues. Telephoto lenses are difficult to handhold unless you are using high shutter speeds. To figure out if the problem is the lens or your technique, you'll need to put the camera on a tripod or other sturdy support and shoot some pictures. You can also use the self timer to trigger the camera so you don't shake the setup pushing the button. Good luck!</p>

<p>>I will do a full comparison of a test chart (well... homemade but I think it will be enough to test the sharpness) and I will put all my lenses to this test, using a tripod and same aperture, ISO and exposure time.</p>

<p>Be sure to test your camera/lens combination for front/back focus errors. There are charts available on the internet for doing this. A significant focus error with the 31mm can undo much of its sharpness.</p>

<p>I use an FA 50mm f2.8 Macro for many portrait shots. It gives me great sharpness at wide apertures, and I find the 50mm length well-suited to portraits.</p>

<p><a href="http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/jimby_99/?action=view&current=_IGP4358_sm.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/jimby_99/_IGP4358_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></p>

<p>>You know all these thermal printer receipts do fade away if exposed to light.We are the customer, there should be a better way than a little piece of thermal paper... am I still venting?<br>

.<br>

While I feel your frustration, part of buying any expensive item is squaring away the paperwork in case you need warranty service. This means securing the receipt in a file, or at least storing it in the camera box. If you ever do get a thermal receipt, you should photocopy or scan it for your records. Just make it an exercise you go through with every purchase.</p>

<p>This is not a big deal unless the 31mm is <em>really</em> unsharp. Because of the design of wide angle lenses, it's much easier to make a sharp 50mm than a sharp 31mm. 50mm lenses are usually the sharpest lens in a manufacturer's catalog. </p>

<p>I wouldn't worry unless you are seeing significant lack of sharpness from the 31mm that shows up in prints.</p>

 

<p>Pentax is in the business of <em>selling</em> cameras, not giving away revolutionary features in free firmware upgrades (even if the above feature could be done in firmware, which is not a given.) They would never recoup their R&D costs if they gave it away.<br>

.<br>

The way most software development proceeds at companies such as Pentax is that soon after a particular camera ships, the software development team cleans up any bugs or problems with the firmware and releases several patches. Simultaneously they are already working on several future camera in development. They <em>never</em> go back unless a serious bug crops up with a previous software release. This is the way that product-driven companies usually conduct their business. Software dev teams are a much in-demand resource and are primarily dedicated to company product priorities.</p>

<p>Probably an SV. It's probably not the best old Pentax to use because of it's non-TTL meter. If you do buy it, verify that the meter works and is accurate.</p>

<p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Pentax_SV_camera.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Doesn't look like fungus to me.<br>

Here is what lens fungus typically looks like:</p>

<p><img src="http://www.techarp.com/article/Used_Lens_Guide/fungus_01.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></p>

<p>Ack! A Rockwell link! Please don't send newbies to KR! :)<br>

<br /> <a href="http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html">Here's another page</a> with similar information.</p>

<p>They might fit on a Nikon D90 (for example) depending on how old the lenses are (whether they are pre-AI or later), but they probably won't have all of the features of modern lenses, such as autofocus and programmed exposure support. The Nikon bodies vary in their ability to support older lenses, so you need to verify compatibility on the specific body your interested in.</p>

<p>The short answer is no. None of the contacts or mechanical linkages on the lenses that allow for automation will work on a different brand body. <br>

If you are set on a Pentax, best course would be to sell the Nikon kit and use the funds to buy a new lens or two for the Pentax.</p>

<p>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Ayers</p>

<p>Not the K20D grip. However, the new K-7 grip can take AAs. He must be confused between the two.</p>

<p>Here's what the Pentax lens looks like:<br>

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/K1000f8.html<br>

Sure looks like a Pentax lens to me. :)</p>

<p>I have both the Pentax 10-17mm and the Pentax 12-24mm. If you can afford just one, get the 12-24mm. It's a first class optic that is sharp throughout its range. It does occasionally have some mild CA that can easily be removed in software if objectionable, but flare is very well controlled, and ergonomics are great.<br>

The 10-17mm is a fun lens to use, but you'll always have some fisheye distortion apparent unless you stick to the longer end and compose very carefully. It's also not as sharp as the 12-24mm.</p>

<p>There are some rumors floating around that Pentax is experimenting with an EVF overlay on a traditional optical viewfinder, or other "heads up display" enhancements, which could account for the long pentaprism housing.</p>

<p>Of course one could also argue that the oversized pentaprism housing is necessary to accomodate a sensor that is larger in the vertical axis, e.g. a squarish sensor. :)</p>

<p>I think that Pentax would be more inclined to pursue the former rather than the latter. The square sensor doesn't make sense to me as an advanced amateur format, while the addition a digital overlay to a traditional optical viewfinder is much more keeping in Pentax's long tradition of being a leader in viewfinder technology. After all, Pentax was the first to really commercialize the pentaprism finder and the built-in viewable meter. </p>

<p>Well if Pentax thought it was necessary to power off the camera to change lenses, they probably would have incorporated an auto-off feature that activated as soon as you pushed the lens release button.</p>

<p>Hey guys, IMO the K10D shouldn't need the lens mount to "tell" it any information in stop-down metering to get the correct exposure. For years cameras used to nail correct exposure with stop-down metering with NO info transmitted from lens to camera. Up until Pentax introduced open-aperture metering on the Spotmatic F in the early 1970s, ALL metering was done in stop down mode with cameras much "dumber" than a K10D. They never had any problems.</p>

<p>Stop down metering is the simplest of all through-the-lens metering methods, and it is essential to using not only old lenses, but also accessories such as macro bellows, specialty lenses, extension rings, etc.<br /> The correct answer to this problem is what Orlando stated earlier; the K10D focusing screen is simply not designed to work with small apertures (such as a lens in stop-down mode) for metering. This is because modern focusing screens are essentially "light pipes" that are designed to maximize viewing brightness. This brightness comes at the expense of two other capabilities: the ability to perform accurate manual focusing, and the ability to accurately meter in stop-down mode.</p>

<p><br /> There are posts on other forums of users replacing their K10D stock screens with cut-down screens from older Pentax cameras and getting much better results with stop-down metering.</p>

<p><br /> So the answer is that technically the K10D should work fine with stop-down metering of older lenses (in fact the owners manual for the K10D doesn't even mention the problem), but the stock viewfinder screen is not designed for this, so exposure can vary quite a bit. Other screens may give different and/or better results.</p>

<p><br /> This is a minor screw-up on the part of Pentax in that they either didn't adequately investigate this problem, or decided to ignore it. However it was bound to be an issue for consumers as there are literally millions of older K-mount (pre-"A") lenses out there that can only be used in stop-down mode on current Pentax DSLRs. Most probably Pentax wanted to have their cake and eat it too -claiming full compatibility with older lenses, but falling short on actual implementation, thus encouraging people to buy the new lenses. Unfortunately if the camera can't actually determine the correct exposure with a whole class of lenses and macro accessories (and let's face it, this is the sole job of the camera's metering system), I think that the "compatibility claim" is a bit overstated, and it is instead a design fault of the camera</p>

<p><br /> It's kind of a shame because I have a whole slew of pre-A lenses that I don't use because of the exposure issues with my K10D.</p>

<p>Your won't regret it!<br>

<img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/jimby_99/_IGP3026_sm.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="563" /></p>

I've read that Pentax's card capacity estimation algorithm is very conservative, and does not differentiate between the larger

DNG and smaller PEF RAW formats when displaying capacity. Also note that standard SD (2GB) cards are usually

formatted in FAT16, while your new SDHC (8G) card is FAT32. You should definitely fill'er up and see how many shots you

get. I would be you get more than the camera estimates.

What you saw was a filter, not a lens.

 

As the previous poster mentioned, the K10D has an infrared blocking filter in front of the sensor to prevent infrared light from

skewing the color balance and exposure of visible light photos. Nevertheless it is possible to take IR pictures with the K10D

if you are patient. With an RM90 filter you can expect exposure times around 30 secs @F8 in bright sun at ISO400.

 

Here's an example taken with my K10D:

 

<a href="http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/jimby_99/?action=view&current=IR_CrescentMeadow.jpg" target="_blank"><img

src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/jimby_99/IR_CrescentMeadow.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

John Kelly said:

>...my comment about sales clerks was unkind...they're nice people, but the job's

inherently unnecessary<

 

I would say that for any complex product such as a DSLR, a car, a television, or

computer there will always be a segment of the population that prefers to have the

product explained to them by a salesman...

 

...which is why we have car dealers, Apple computer stores, Best Buy, and camera

stores. Not everyone is capable or comfortable with doing their own research and

making a decision without help.

 

I haven't sold a camera since 1986... but now at work colleagues still come to me for

camera advice: "Tell me what to buy!!" I hear it all the time. :)

Will Daniel:

 

Thanks for the extra perspective from being a Pentax sales rep! Of course I should

have mentioned that Pentax offered spiffs as well; the problem was the store where I

worked didn't have enough Pentax gear for those spiffs to make any difference.

 

Although I aggravated my boss by pushing Pentax SLR gear (when we had it), I

managed to keep my job by selling large numbers of autofocus P&S cameras, which

were just becoming really popular at the time. At one point we made the highest

margins on a particular Konica P&S model (which was pretty decent), and I was

happy to sell that all day long since I had a hundred of those in stock, and maybe two

units of the competitive Pentax model.

 

Of course, especially on 35mm SLR gear, the goal was always to sell a filter and a

case as that was where we made our profit. :) We made much higher margins on P&S

cameras than SLRs because of the price pressure from mail order competition for the

more expensive gear.

 

It was certainly a chicken/egg problem for us at the time for Pentax; we had very little

Pentax inventory in stock, so if a customer was truly interested in buying a Pentax

camera with a few lenses, we most likely could offer only the camera.

 

The conversation would go like this:

 

Customer: I want to buy the Pentax 70-210mm zoom and a 28mm along with Super

Program camera.

 

Me: We don't have those lenses in stock, but I can order them for you.

 

Customer: Never mind...I'll just order everything mail order. Thanks for showing me

the camera.

 

Me: (whispering to myself after spending 20 min with the customer) @#%%#^$*$#&!!!

Fredrik,

 

I would recommend the MX over the ME Super for your needs. While the ME Super is

a good camera, it was always aimed at the amateur market. The push-button shutter

speed control is awkward, and there is no depth-of-field preview, and no

interchangeable focus screens. It's also battery-dependent.

 

The MX is in a different league. Rugged and beautifully designed. Aperture readout in

the viewfinder, DOF preview, lots of accessories.

 

While I have used both cameras, I have three MXs (in addition to an LX) and the

meters still work perfectly on all three.

 

Just make sure that the one you buy is in good condition (some used ones were

owned by pros and have very high mileage) and that you budget money to get a CLA

to replace light seals etc.