[harleynitelite]

Its been almost two years since I posted anything...about a month after my last post I was in a severe car accident and in ICU for three months and coded twice having to be revived. It has taken me this long to feel almost 100% however I am now diabetic after losing my pancreas due to internal damage from the impact. If you are diabetic, you know like I do now it can affect your vision both chronically and acutely. The acute problems are due to the lens in your eyes becoming inflamed as a consequence of high glucose levels in the blood and from time to time I get this where as before I had 20/20 vision.

and so for the question...I wanted a k5 even way back then and now with the price drop I can afford it...and then...out comes the k30. I'm concerned about the mirror flop issue first off and wonder how many people out there have ran into this and those that haven't. Everyone knows when something goes wrong they make it well known, however if everything is right nothing is said. I just wonder about the percentage of k5s out there have this, or maybe all will at some point?

Second question...I know the k30 has focus peaking and this may help with the visual problems I have intermittently, however I'm still drawn towards the k5 for the benefits it offers over the k30 (both have pros and cons of course). How hard is it to use a manual lens and achieve good focus on the k5 without focus peaking?

To sum it up:
how many out there have good k5's and have not had the dreaded mirror flop issue?
How hard is it to focus manual lenses on the k5?

Thanks to everyone

[DSims]

I'm not sure this is common for other K-5 owners, but I have a harder time getting good focus with MF lenses on my K-5 than I do on my K200D. My K-x seemed to do better as well, although I added an aftermarket focusing screen to it.

I've not used the K-30 or focus peaking, but I will say that any MF aides you can get may well be a good thing.

[Ole]

You may want to check our serial number database - it contains data regarding issues with the camera from many users:

Pentax K-5 Serial Numbers - Pentax Serial Number Database - PentaxForums.com

[tim60]

One of the problems you are confronting is that the focusing screen fitted as standard is not designed for focusing - the maker assumes we use AF - but only for composition. My eyes have the age related focus problem now (nothing to be frustrated by - the right glasses fix it) but using the stock screen with MF lenses was no good. I would suggest you look into using an after market focusing screen with the older tools of split image and micorprism and a good ground surface designed for focusing. It will take manual dexterity, good sight and patience to fit. The patience is because it is necessary to calibrate it to get the shimming right. I have used the 'in focus' indicator (part of the AF system) in the K100 and found it helpful under some conditions where focus was hard. (This still requires manual decision to click.)

[Docrwm]

I use M50 and M100 macros regularly and can attest to the focusing issues you mentioned. I am intrigued by the focus peaking with the K-30 as well as I believe it will help speed the process and result in fewer shots per keeper when manual focusing. I haven't gotten up the nerve to replace the focus screen in either camera but as I read those threads the focus screens intended for manual focus appear to offer significant gains over the standard screen in either the K-x or K-5. You might want to read the focus screen threads and see what is out there.

[harleynitelite]

Thank you for the link to the database, very informative. As for the focusing screens, I dont know why I didnt think of that before. I think if I did that I've read the katzeye company will install it, but it makes me nervous knowing someone else other than Pentax or myself would be messing with it so I would give it a shot to install it myself. I'm sure there are alot of youtube vids showing an install. Thanks for the input so far everyone

[creampuff]

As a former K-5 user who has tried out the K-30, go with the K-30, it's AF is better than the K-5 plus it has focus peaking. Locks with less hesitation and more accurate indoors.

[exwintech]

Harleynitelite - If you have diabetes and are beginning to have vision changes, that needs checking by a specialist (might need a referring letter from your GP) immediately. Diabetic retinitis can cause vision deterioration and eventually loss, if not correctly treated.

As a diabetic, you should know what your blood sugar reading should be below (morning "below 7", in Australia, but I think the US uses a different scale) in the morning before eating, and also 2 hours after a meal. If your medications combined with diet aren't maintaining the safe levels - see a doctor immediately.

I was diagnosed with diabetes at 53 (I'm 64 now) - and have done my twice-yearly full checkups ever since - as well as seeing the GP for prescriptions and tests in between. For the last 18-months I've also been on 24-hour insulin, with very good results. When I was first diagnosed, the doctor said that, nowadays, nobody should lose sight or limbs because of diabetes - IF they correctly continue their checks, tests and medications.

So far, so good. I haven't had a glasses-prescription change since 2008, so maintaining good vision without deterioration. I use glasses for reading and computer - not for driving or general outdoors. My camera's diopter adjustments still allow me to use the cameras without glasses.

Nothing above should be taken as "medical advice", which would be totally inappropriate - the "advice" I'm suggesting is - if you have diabetes, and are noticing any vision changes - see a doctor who can give advice-etc - or will refer you to a specialist who does.

Take care - diabetes isn't a "minor" thing to be careless about.....

Best Regards, Dave.

[ENicolas]

I also have diabetes, and on top of that I had cataract surgery and now have plastic prosthetic lenses. I bought the Pentax magnifying eyecup attachment O-ME53, and it helps a lot simply by making the image in the VF larger.

[i_trax]

Second question...I know the k30 has focus peaking and this may help with the visual problems I have intermittently, however I'm still drawn towards the k5 for the benefits it offers over the k30 (both have pros and cons of course). How hard is it to use a manual lens and achieve good focus on the k5 without focus peaking?
To sum it up:
how many out there have good k5's and have not had the dreaded mirror flop issue?
How hard is it to focus manual lenses on the k5?
Thanks to everyone

sorry to hear about your accident.
there are various threads about K-5 versus K-30 on Pentax forums.
The photography is just my hobby, I do have a day job. I had K-5 for a while , had NO problems with it, and really enjoy it, use many manual K and M42 lenses , recently K-30 arrived, took over 1400 photos ,
well... K-30 is lighter, smaller, takes AA's ( with adaptor), much faster and precise AF and MF confirmation, much faster Pentax lens correction in the body,
much faster processing and writing into SD card, deeper grip ( feels more secured over K-5, although I use K-5 usually with battery grip and AA's) so,
K-30 became my main camera with K-5 and the Q just for special occasions.
K-5 and the Q are superbly build and classic keepers ( possibly forever), K-30 is a bit plasticky and much noisier (louder) than K-5 but still very good and capable workhorse and will be upgraded after a year or so......
I used and use many manual focus lenses on K-x ,K-7 , K-5 and K-30 generally without major problems, did not use LV with focus peaking as yet so can not comment.

[felixkh]

As Creampuff has mentioned, go for the K30 as it has focus peaking and all the features of K5 + more. I would go for the K30 but due to lack of funds, I have to wait a few months or more to get one.

[harleynitelite]

Thanks to everyone for the continued input. Exwintech has got me thinking I better go do something about this and go back to the doctor. I_trax I think has convinced me the k30 would be the best call. It looks like he/she has owned evey Pentax known to man and the most experience with each. If Exwintech is still reading, believe it or not and I swear on this....my biggest problem is sleepwalking...but the really weird part is I eat and am not at all fully awake and dont remember it at all the next morning. I dont make a full meal in my sleep or whatever, but its usually whatever I see that is left out...say if there is a box of cereal not put away, I'll eat a big bowl of this and get up in the morning not remembering it and barely able to function b/c my blood sugar is so damn high it wont register on my meter (over 600). Thank god I dont know how to cook so I dont think I would ever turn the stove on to use it and burn the house down. I didnt know this was happening for a long time until one night my wife woke me up and I was so disorientated b/c next thing I know I'm sitting on the couch eating something and didnt recall how i got there. I've learned to compensate and we actually have to hide things, say if she got a dozen doughnuts that morning we would either have to throw them out, or put the box in a cabinet out of site. If I dont see it out, I've found I wont touch it. I told my doc about this and at first he thought I was joking with him, until one night on my birthday actually we forgot to put the cake up and it was under a glass top. Needless to say I finished off in the night, didnt remember it, got up for work and started driving to work...my blood sugar wasnt high b/c I must have did this just before my alarm went off and it wasnt in my system yet. I always stop at speedway for a coffee and on my way out my hands started going numb and I started to become disorientated. I went back in and started to tell the cashier to call an ambulance and I could barely get it out...so I ended up in the hospital and after that I think he finally took me seriously...This type of thing does have a diagnosis, but there isnt much you can do about it other than taking precautionary measures and not leave anything out. I found I have to leave something out b/c if I dont, I go looking for something and start going through the cabinets ( found this out b/c some mornings I would get up and just about every door was left open) so if I leave say a jar of peanut butter out, I'll end up eating that instead of looking for something and finding something with alot of sugar in it.

I wish I could be doing something that was productive in my sleep, say cleaning the house instead of eating...lol..but at least I'm not going outside and standing in the street in nothing but my boxers. Ive finally got around to getting a few webcams and for a few days I'm going to set them up in the kitchen and living room and have them turn on with motion detection. My wife has told me some nights I stay in bed, other nights I do this a few times a night so it will be interesting to see what I come up with.

[snofox]

You may find it easier to focus and take great photos if you find a camera with a flip out screen and responsive live view. Just sayin' (that's where I am headed). Unfortunately, Pentax does not make such a camera, and I doubt that one is in the works. But Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and Sony do. It's worth considering, especially if you need to take glasses on and off when you are shooting through a standard viewfinder and reading the screen. It will also save you having to crawl around on your chin to get low angle shots.

[tim60]

Thanks to everyone for the continued input. Exwintech has got me thinking I better go do something about this and go back to the doctor.

After I put in my earlier comment and then saw Exwintech's comment I felt bad. Diabetes is a problem which must be taken seriously. I have a couple of relatives with it, and when under control, doing whatever is discovered as necessary to control it, life goes along fairly well, but when not properly controlled ... It does seem you have a need for further assistance to get it under control.

And if you are in a position to buy a K30, it looks good. I held one in a local shop recently and it felt good. The focusingscreen solution is a lower cost solution. Katzeye prices are high, focusingscreen (based in Taiwan have a good product at about half the price, mail order out of Taipei). Half the price of Katzeye reflects a proper product taking advantage of the lower cost overheads in Taiwan - lower wages, and from the times at which email came from them I suspect this business is this person's after the day job business, probably literally done from his house - cutting massive amounts of overheads. (That is how a lot of business is done there.)

[exwintech]

Harleynitelite - I just did a conversion of your US meter reading 'above 600' - which came to 33.3 mmol/l...... The highest reading I had at start of treatment was 17 mmol/l - less than half of your over-600.

While I can't give medical advice, I can comment as a long-term patient - who is keeping under 7 mmol/l - the one I just did a few minutes ago this morning - before coffee or food - was 5.4 - nearly centre of the ideal range "between 4.0 and 7.0".

Your reading, which would be over 33 on our scale, is extremely high, and probably (I can't say it "is", not being a doctor) - doing damage. It's certainly waaay past the high-risk level.

If you are having vision changes, are very thirsty - wake with a very dry mouth, or can become forgetful, confused or disoriented - these are all symptoms, though you might not be having all of those. Diabetes interferes with circulation, untreated, and that can also show as tingling or numbness in fingers and toes - particularly if sitting still for a long period - at a computer, say.

As I said earlier - diabetes is a dangerous condition - you can lose eyesight totally, and/or lose hands, feet, or whole limbs, due to gangrene from lack of circulation. However - it IS very treatable these days. Being properly treated for diabetes isn't an "end of things" - doesn't make you an "invalid" - actually, it can be a new beginning. Example - I'm doing very well, no damage symptoms so far - after 11 - nearly 12 - years.

Your craving for sugar and sweet foods is another symptom - there are ways to address that need for sweet things - but sugar can't be one of them, for diabetics. You might not like artificial sweeteners like saccharine - I loathe them! Dreadful! There is a totally natural sweetener, Stevia - which is totally plant-based - and is nil Calories, nil Carbohydrates, and the Glycemic Index is zero. It's extremely sweet in small amounts, so is economical, and tastes good with just about any food or drinks - okay for hot drinks, I have it in my coffee on the bench here. I think the US FDA made it legal in the US recently - in the last year or so. It was legalised in the EU in the last year. It's been approved in Australia since 2005.

I suggest that you try another doctor... Or go to a chemist shop (pharmacy) - and get them to give you a blood test - and their comments on what you should do.

Why you think diabetes is not treatable is unclear - as I said above, getting some other medical advice would be advisable.

But please DO something positive about your condition - now....!

Regards, Dave.