New Toy - Page 2

*tomwil* · 11-02-2009, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by knoxploration

Could anybody with the Monocular Converter K confirm whether or not it will hold the aperture wide open on lenses without an aperture ring?

I had sent a PM to member Ole, who tried a non-aperture-ringed lens on his converter, and here was his reply:

he Monocular Converter K will NOT hold the aperture open. It requires a lens with an aperture ring to achieve that.

Thanks, Ole!

knoxploration · 11-02-2009, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by tomwil

I had sent a PM to member Ole, who tried a non-aperture-ringed lens on his converter, and here was his reply:

Thanks, Ole!

Wow, that's surprising and a little disappointing. Sounds like the Monocular Converter K would be of no use to me then - none of my lenses have an aperture ring, and I'm not keen on sticking something on the lens to kludge it working. Wonder whether any of the third-party versions hold the aperture open?

Thanks for the info!

*Jerome Smith* · 11-05-2009, 08:28 PM

Knoxploration,

I have one of these and put it to the test on my DA 18-250mm, as far as I can tell what was posted above is correct. The DA lens stays in the stopped down position. That makes the view very dim. However by making a small S hook, about 3/8" long by 1/8 inch wide you could connect the aperature lever to the aperature guard and open it up. I don't see any problem with doing this, it would apear to be very stable.

Jerome

knoxploration · 11-05-2009, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by Jerome Smith

Knoxploration,

I have one of these and put it to the test on my DA 18-250mm, as far as I can tell what was posted above is correct. The DA lens stays in the stopped down position. That makes the view very dim. However by making a small S hook, about 3/8" long by 1/8 inch wide you could connect the aperature lever to the aperature guard and open it up. I don't see any problem with doing this, it would apear to be very stable.

Jerome

Thanks very much for the info, Jerome! Is yours the genuine Pentax Monocular Converter K, or a thid-party equivalent?

*Jerome Smith* · 11-06-2009, 04:12 PM

Mine is an original Pentax. Looks just like Adams's picture. It is one of Pentax's accessories that they should not have discontinued. It in conjunction with my Tak 500mm f4.5 or my Sigma Bigma makes one nice telescope for eagle watching. I tried to purchase an after market from B & H photo, but after 6-7 weeks of non-delievery, I canceled the order. The finance minister really wanted to set up both lenses instead of sharing one. Physicaly it looks good and I can't see that it wouldn't work as good as an original Pentax but now cannot say for sure. I put it up there with the Pentax Refconverter A, as far as great accessories that they should not have discontinued. I count my blessings that I have both!

knoxploration · 11-06-2009, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Jerome Smith

Mine is an original Pentax. Looks just like Adams's picture. It is one of Pentax's accessories that they should not have discontinued. It in conjunction with my Tak 500mm f4.5 or my Sigma Bigma makes one nice telescope for eagle watching. I tried to purchase an after market from B & H photo, but after 6-7 weeks of non-delievery, I canceled the order. The finance minister really wanted to set up both lenses instead of sharing one. Physicaly it looks good and I can't see that it wouldn't work as good as an original Pentax but now cannot say for sure. I put it up there with the Pentax Refconverter A, as far as great accessories that they should not have discontinued. I count my blessings that I have both!

I'd guess B&H special-orders the third-party item, and is hence at the whim of the supplier. If you're keen to try a third-party one, there's also a company listing them on Ebay:

NEW INSTASCOPE TELE LENS CONVERTER TELESCOPE PENTAX K - eBay (item 270477212740 end time Nov-28-09 02:05:41 PST)

Not dared shell out myself without being able to confirm whether or not the aperture is held open on the third party model though.

*Jerome Smith* · 11-06-2009, 05:21 PM

Well, I put that on the back burner. Looking to get photoshop and a K7 right now. I don't think their converter will hold the aperture open either. I did try the S hook with a piece of wire last night. Worked OK, but a thin flat piece of metal the same size as the aperture lever would would be a better solution. Good luck on your quest.

Jerome

rparmar · 11-06-2009, 06:20 PM

And I thought this thread would be about Lene Lovich.

*tomwil* · 11-07-2009, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Jerome Smith

I tried to purchase an after market from B & H photo, but after 6-7 weeks of non-delivery, I canceled the order.

I ordered the monocular converter from B&H last weekend ($45 shipped), and just got it today! I haven't fully played with it yet, but it seems to have quality, came with the covers and a case, made in Japan, instructions say it is 10x (instead of 5x), but does NOT open up the aperture on DA lenses.

Pics forthcoming when I get a chance.

knoxploration · 11-07-2009, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by tomwil

I ordered the monocular converter from B&H last weekend ($45 shipped), and just got it today! I haven't fully played with it yet, but it seems to have quality, came with the covers and a case, made in Japan, instructions say it is 10x (instead of 5x), but does NOT open up the aperture on DA lenses.

Pics forthcoming when I get a chance.

Thanks for the info, Tomwil, I'll look forward to the pics...

If you got the genuine Pentax model, then you got the one I was considering lol - I'd asked them to upload pics for me and it sold before I saw the pics.

*tomwil* · 11-08-2009, 04:43 PM

The monocular converter I got from B&H is a new third-party one, NOT the actual Pentax Monocular Converter K.

I tried it out today, and it works well but does exaggerate the purple fringe at 300mm on my Quantaray (Tamron) 70-300 lens. Anything below 250mm works better. This is the lens I usually take when on a wildlife photo hike, and now with this converter I no longer need to take a pair of binoculars. Also note that this monocular converter will not hold open the aperture on a DA lens.

The brand name is Bower, is made in Japan, and appears to be 10x according to the instructions.

The monocular converter carried by Cambridge seems to have a locking lens tab, where mine from B&H lacks this. However, my monocular converter fits tightly on the lens.

knoxploration · 11-08-2009, 05:37 PM

Interesting... Looks like none of them are going to hold the aperture open, then. Ah well - maybe at some point I'll get a tele lens with an aperture ring, and then this'll be a worthwhile purchase for me. (Don't dare risk kludging it and causing damage to the lens).

Incidentally, if you google the number (54038748) on the side, it seems like this adapter is sold under a bunch of different brandnames, for quite a few different lens mounts. Wonder who the actual manufacturer is, and if it is a current item or just old stock?

Shame nobody seems to make one that holds the aperture open - or better still, offers manual aperture control.

*tomwil* · 11-09-2009, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by knoxploration

Incidentally, if you google the number (54038748) on the side, it seems like this adapter is sold under a bunch of different brandnames, for quite a few different lens mounts. Wonder who the actual manufacturer is, and if it is a current item or just old stock?

Very interesting!

The model number 54038748 does bring up a lot of info. It looks like there are two (2) versions of this converter, an older metal-cased one, and a newer plastic-cased one. Mine is the older metal-cased one, and was sold by Saul Bower Inc., which is probably where B&H gets them since they are both in NYC.

The newer plastic-cased ones seem to have been sold by Tokina and others, as the following pics show. The plastic ones have the mold marks inside the converter.