[baro-nite]

On an older-style ("uncrippled") K-mount camera or lens there are two levers, the coupling (or stop-down indicator) and the actuator. The actuator is the one that sticks out on the lens; the coupling is harder to see. The coupling tells the camera how many stops down from wide open the lens is set to, and so the camera can correctly meter through the lens. When a lens is mounted on the camera the diaphragm is fully open; only when you press the shutter release does the camera stop down the lens; this is what the actuator is for. (Take a lens with an aperture ring, stop it down, and flip the actuator back and forth and see how it opens and closes the diaphragm.)

The "crippled" K-mount doesn't have the coupling, and this is why fully manual lenses require stop-down metering on bodies with the crippled mount: the camera doesn't know what the aperture ring is set to.

To control the aperture from the camera, the camera needs to know the lens's available aperture values, and this feature is only available on lenses from the A series and later. This is why, in the thread where you were looking for recommendations, I tried describing the different lens series and asked which one you wanted to use with the tubes. You answered K so I suggested the AT-22 tubes. What lens are you putting on the tubes?

[Javaslinger]

I'm using it was a Tamron SP 90mm 1:2.5 macro with a PK/A adaptor... I don't know much more about it than that... It's definitely manual focus, but without the extensions tubes I can control the aperture in camera. The PK/A adaptor has 3 contacts...

Sorry, I'm learning and appreciate all of the input, knowledge and advice!!

[baro-nite]

Don't worry; I'm not nit-picking. I guess you can't return the tubes to KEH now that you've sanded off the anodized finish (I didn't realize these tubes came with that), but I should think you could sell them here if you don't want to keep them. KA extension tubes are hard to find. What I and others have done is to convert KA (or KAR, a Ricoh variation on KA) teleconverters to extension tubes by removing the optics. With certain 2x TCs this is easy to do, but you have to get the right kind because with many TCs the optics can't be easily removed. The ones that I have are about 25mm long, so not as versatile as a proper set of tubes, but fine for extending a macro lens as in that case you probably want a relatively large amount of extension anyway.

[elliott]

With certain 2x TCs this is easy to do, but you have to get the right kind because with many TCs the optics can't be easily removed.

Usually the cheaper the easier, since they have less elements.

[Washingtonstater]

I was having problems with my K-5 and the Green button when using some anodized or painted black extensions tubes. The camera was not stopping down the lens when using the Green Button, even though I had enabled the use of the aperture in the custom menu. I found that this thread said you needed to remove the black anodizing on extension tubes for the camera to use the Green button. Thank you for finding me the solution. You think this would be in the camera manual someplace, that the camera has to have bare metal against the contacts for the Green button to work in Tv Shift mode when using manual lenses, especially when considering Pentax is a leader in the use of legacy lenses. At least now my problem has been solved. Thanks again.