[clark]

Hi, i'm looking to upgrade my pentax body, but nothing is really taking my fancy right now- the lovechild of the k7 and the kx could steal my heart though, as long as it does 60fps


so I have a fair collection of pentax M glass which i'd like to use on a canon body (with the ultimate idea of using pentax for casual shooting with wide-angle and MF lenses and canon for AF and telephoto- with both camera's eventually serving as A/B camera's in a video setup)

From what i've read the pentax lenses can't be used on the 5d without a lever removal, which could be an option i guess but i'd rather not.

So i'm either going to invest in a 550d or a 7d- the 7D would limit my ability to invest in pentax in the future, but I really need to start shooting on a decent cam now, can't keep borrowing the department's handicam- and i'm not convinced that pentax will release a 60fps body, and the 7D viewfinder is far superior to even the k7, it really is fantastic


so my 2 questions are:
1. How does manual metering work on a canon dslr, will it work the same on on pentax, i.e. will the lens stop down just before the shot is taken (as it is on pentax) or will stopping the apperture down darken the viewfinder? This would make me re-evaulate switching into a canon body
2. Viewfinder! I get by with my ist dl's tiny dim pentamirror and split focussing screen, but are there any plans to improve the iewfinder and make it as large as the 7d- would the viewfinder magnifier work well in this scenario?



also, is the focussing screen from the kx to same as the DL- would I be able to use the same screen?

[wtlwdwgn]

I hope you don't have too many Pentax bayonet mount lenses because you won't be able to use them on a Canon as there are no adapters. You can use the older M42 screw mount lenses with an adapter but they'll be manual focus and exposure.

[sajah]

so my 2 questions are:
1. How does manual metering work on a canon dslr, will it work the same on on pentax, i.e. will the lens stop down just before the shot is taken (as it is on pentax) or will stopping the apperture down darken the viewfinder? This would make me re-evaulate switching into a canon body

As far as I know you can only use Pentax lenses stop down with Canon body. So yes the viewfinder will darken. And there is no Green Button, just an exposure meter (line) and you have to adjust aperture/shutter/iso until the meter says you have correct exposure.

the 7D viewfinder is far superior to even the k7, it really is fantastic

I'm curious, from the spec it's only slightly better than K20D viewfinder (1x mag 100% frame vs 0.95 mag 95% frame). Is that really much better? I would agree that 5D viewfinder is much better but as 7D is still APS-C, it's a bit hard to believe. Anyway, sometimes I lust for Canon too but for me its their FF (5D) that attracts me.

[Blue]

I have known of 'Tards getting Pentax 200mm f4 macro and FA 77mm ltd lenses and using them on Canon. However, I will use restraint in what I think about that.

[clark]

I hope you don't have too many Pentax bayonet mount lenses because you won't be able to use them on a Canon as there are no adapters. You can use the older M42 screw mount lenses with an adapter but they'll be manual focus and exposure.

from what I can gather there is no issue in 'mounting' k mount glass on canon bodies, there are adaptors which give infinity focus (but only physically fit on EFS cameras rather than full frame)

and manual focus/exposure isn't an issue- all but one of my lenses are pentax M, I actually prefer it to auto- the split screen is great to focus on and using the green button to spot meter gives me more accurate results (or at least the results I want), and I have more of an understanding about the exposure triangle now, basically the pentax system really works flawlessly for me now, even using flash with all manual settings

but yeah I think m42 might be the way to go- I have an EF film camera so I will test the lenses on that before trying on a DSLR


edit: by manual exposure you do mean that stop down metering will work right, or do you mean that there will be no meter reading and i'd have to select the shutter speed myself?
This could be a pretty major deal breaker

As far as I know you can only use Pentax lenses stop down with Canon body. So yes the viewfinder will darken. And there is no Green Button, just an exposure meter (line) and you have to adjust aperture/shutter/iso until the meter says you have correct exposure.


I'm curious, from the spec it's only slightly better than K20D viewfinder (1x mag 100% frame vs 0.95 mag 95% frame). Is that really much better? I would agree that 5D viewfinder is much better but as 7D is still APS-C, it's a bit hard to believe. Anyway, sometimes I lust for Canon too but for me its their FF (5D) that attracts me.

I think i'll have to get a k mount to canon adaptor and try it myself, but from what you say I think canon is not going to give me the ease of exposure I get from using AE-L on my DL (no green button)
I've heard you can get adaptors with EF chips on them to give focus confirmation- maybe they will allow for proper metering too


the 5dm2 isn't a 100% viewfinder, and is only fractionally bigger than the 7d (at least in my testing). The 550d was the same size as the pentax pentamirrors, the d300 is bigger and brighter still, then the 7D is brighter/bigger still- with the 5D being only marginally larger


I'd buy a k7 tomorrow if it did 60fps, or at least 24p
and yes I will use 60fps, and yes 24p really is that much better

i'd buy a kx, but I want a pentaprism viewfinder and a WR body, the 550d has no wireless flash control so that leaves me with the 7D (and possible

the kx wouldn't be a waste of a purchase though, it could easily be my backup body in the future- if I could put my focussing screen in it then that would be a big big plus (not that the screen was expensive, but still)

really hope the new pentax body is everything I want- don't really want to have to go to canon, but i've already lost enough film opportunity over summer, and as soon as my course starts again in september i'm going to be straight into a project where video will be required, so i'll have to buy something by then- just got to make sure I make the right decision

[clark]

I have known of 'Tards getting Pentax 200mm f4 macro and FA 77mm ltd lenses and using them on Canon. However, I will use restraint in what I think about that.

i'm a pentax guy, I started out on pentax film, then pentax digital- my dad shot pentax, my flatmate shoots pentax- but i'm getting more and more heavily involved in video work now, and I know my way round a DSLR, and I have the glass- so I have no desire to buy a 'video camera' because I could talk all day about light sensitivity, 35mm adaptor light loss and stuff, but the main difference is price- i'm in the market for a video camera, and I happen to also want a new camera, it makes sense to combine the 2- i've ignored 3 generations of pentax upgrades, now there's something that has made me want to spend my money on a new body, unfortunately my dream body doesn't exist for pentax, I could wait- but I have work to do, it is a requirement for me to have the equipment to do what I need to do

pentax lenses are the best bang for the buck out there- canon lenses suck- expensive, poorly made and feel like crap in the hand, L series is too expensive. Nikon lenses are wayyyy too expensive, pentax lenses are everything I want them to be, in my eyes they're the best- it's just a shame there isn't a body that matches how I feel about the lenses- so a canon 5d with pentax lenses is the best lens on the best body, that's undeniable- what's retarded about that?

[Blue]

. . . that's undeniable- what's retarded about that?

I didn't say it was retarded. I was referring to some guys that hacked the lens mounts to use them on Canon, specifically 200 macro lenses and a couple of others. The contraction was for those FukkTards. I understand what you are saying about the use. There are ways to use K on EOS. They are designed for 24x36.

Edit: There are adapters that allow their use. However, most lenses will require the removal of the step-down lever and guard from the lens. This is for use on FF EOS. For the APS-C, they may work intact. But that defeats your purpose. I'm not sure if any of the APS-H can do video or if there would be clearance issues.

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/manual_focus_EOS.html

I have had a Canon EOS film macro kit for a long time including EF and FD macro lenses and bellows and Tamron 90mm with EOS-M mount.

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Last edited by Blue; 07-26-2010 at 06:52 PM.

[clark]

Edit: There are adapters that allow their use. However, most lenses will require the removal of the step-down lever and guard from the lens.

In that case I think it is a non option then- I wouldn't really want to pull apart my pentax lenses


I might see about getting 2 or 3 m42 lenses are trying them on a canon body, i've got plenty of time to research this- it'l take me the rest of summer to save up enough to buy any camera, I'll be buying one and then having to use it literally a week after purchase- so I know i'll need to get something I can use straight away, without having to learn fiddly workarounds etc


thanks for all the help so far guys, it's made me realise a few things I overlooked

[clark]

I didn't say it was retarded. I was referring to some guys that hacked the lens mounts to use them on Canon

I think I came across something like that when I was looking around- the K mount to eos adaptor was created by 1 guy who then released the engineering drawings and said anyone who wants to make it should do so, and ebay has been full of them ever since


that website is very informative btw, thanks for sharing it

[Blue]

Clark, I don't know much about the details, but some people that hang out over at mflenses.com have shaved the mirrors on their ff canon bodies to alleviate contact with various vintage lenses. That may be something else to look into.

BTW, I have the EOS-FD macro adapter that Bob Atkins talks about on his site in addition to the tamron EOS-M adaptall-2 mount. I have had those darn things for like 17 years and didn't realize they were relatively rare.

[Blue]

Then again, shaving works for some of the Zeiss glass etc.

Canon 5D Mirror Modification

but shaving may not be enough for our K-lenses.


Manual Focus Lenses :: View topic - I shaved my 5D's mirror

[clark]

Clark, I don't know much about the details, but some people that hang out over at mflenses.com have shaved the mirrors on their ff canon bodies to alleviate contact with various vintage lenses. That may be something else to look into.

BTW, I have the EOS-FD macro adapter that Bob Atkins talks about on his site in addition to the tamron EOS-M adaptall-2 mount. I have had those darn things for like 17 years and didn't realize they were relatively rare.

I don't think i'd have the nerve to fiddle around with a 5dm2! I'd happily ruin my EOS film body experimenting with it though...

still, I don't think the FF 'advantage' is really that alluring for me- for photo purposes yes, but for video it's a PITA, it's hard enough focussing with APS-C, with full frame it's verging on impossible, great cinematographers can do it, but i'm not at that level yet- also apc-s is the size of 35mm movie film, so what you learn shooting on APS-C translates to 35mm


i've actually found a couple of decent youtube videos, it seems that m42 works fine on APS-C, and yeah the viewfinder does darken- but since i'd be using the rig primarily for video (stick with pentax for photography) it wouldn't really matter so much

as for the exposure thing, hmm- tbh i'm not completely adverse to using a lightmeter

I should be getting a k mount to canon adaptor soon, so i'll try it on a mates 400d, if I can live with the workarounds i'll probably get one (550d)

[Blue]

Some of the K lenses may work with adapters on the aps-c bodies without removing the levers etc. The aps-c bodies have smaller mirrors.

Edit: It will be interesting to see what Pentax comes out with this fall.

[clark]

Edit: It will be interesting to see what Pentax comes out with this fall.

it certainly will

they could leapfrog canon here- if they advertised the use of vintage primes (I know it's not good for the company as they make the most money on lenses) then people would reconsider pentax, because everyone who ever sees my camera is surprised that you can use the old/cheap/great lenses on it and save 100's compared to the AF equivalents, and the availability of cheap primes (with excellent manual focus and manual apperture) plus In built IS are 3 features that most indie filmakers would go nuts for, the problem is that no one knows about these features, canon has agressive marketing in the film making circle, and pentax does not- I hope this is because they know there current camera can't compete, and not a sign that they're not interested- because they could easily steal some sales there.

[nater]

If shooting video is what you're after, why not a Sony NEX-VG10 with a K-mount adapter?