[JeffJS]

With a Vivitar 2x Macro Focusing TC..

This image is pushed about 3 stops in post processing.. Lots of noise reduction applied.



Without the Teleconverter.. (click for full size)



With the Teleconverter , pushed 2 stops (click for full size)



The M135 as a Macro (click for large size)



Much to his dismay, my favorite test subject.. (yes, again, click for full size).

[rkohli]

I have a K7 and use my M 50/1.4 as follows:
Switch on the camera with the lens in place.
Camera will ask for focal length (required for anti shake)
Set focal length
Set mode dial to Av (aperture priority)
Set camera to manual focus.
Set aperture on lens.
Focus on subject
Press green button (this will meter and set the correct exposure and ISO)
Take the shot
You can't do the above for flash photography for which you will have to carry on the way you are doing it now.
For flash I recommend working only in manual mode.
Happy M shooting
Rajeev

Hi there just joined today.
I have a K7 and have recently nabbed the M 1.7 50mm off my mothers old camera. Having some issues with the metering however, I can't seem to get the light meter to work at all with the M-lens.
At the moment just guessing my exposures which is helping my photography but is getting a little frustrating esp in low light situations.
was wondering if anyone out there could give me a blow by blow account of how to turn on the metering or even if its possible.
thx for your help
sam

[joakimfors]

I have a K7 and use my M 50/1.4 as follows:
Switch on the camera with the lens in place.
Camera will ask for focal length (required for anti shake)
Set focal length
Set mode dial to Av (aperture priority)
Set camera to manual focus.
Set aperture on lens.
Focus on subject
Press green button (this will meter and set the correct exposure)
Take the shot
You can't do the above for flash photography for which you will have to carry on the way you are doing it now.
For flash I recommend working only in manual mode.
Happy M shooting
Rajeev

You have to set your camera to M-mode to use stop down metering, using the green button. Av-mode meters automatically but it doesn't stop down the lens, so you can only use it at full aperture.

[yeatzee]

You have to set your camera to M-mode to use stop down metering, using the green button. Av-mode meters automatically but it doesn't stop down the lens, so you can only use it at full aperture.

Not entirely true.... I use my M 85mm between wideopen and F/4 in AV mode. Just change the EV accordingly....

[jeffrey r]

Not entirely true.... I use my M 85mm between wideopen and F/4 in AV mode. Just change the EV accordingly....

Unless I am mistaken, an M or K lens in AV mode will always meter wide open. Why would the M 85/2 be any different?

[yeatzee]

Unless I am mistaken, an M or K lens in AV mode will always meter wide open. Why would the M 85/2 be any different?

No you are not mistaken.... that is correct. Nonetheless in AV mode if you dial in +/- using the +/- button labeled AV (on the K200d) next to the green button you can use AV as if the lens is an "A" lens... well atleast close.

So for example if im using my M 50mm F/1.7 wideopen I switch the camera to AV and take a picture. It turns out great. Say I want to stop down to F/2. I simply move the aperture ring to F/2 and dial in +.03 (i have the camera set in the custom menu for 1/3 EV steps) and the picture comes out nearly the same as the one before, just with more DOF and a slightly slower shutter speed. Say I want F/4. I again turn the aperture ring to F/4 and dial in ~+1.3 (sometimes +1.0 looks better... depends on the surroundings). As before the picture comes out looking nearly the same just with more DOF and a slower shutter speed. YMMV

Hope that makes sense

[Canada_Rockies]

No you are not mistaken.... that is correct. Nonetheless in AV mode if you dial in +/- using the +/- button labeled AV (on the K200d) next to the green button you can use AV as if the lens is an "A" lens... well atleast close.

So for example if im using my M 50mm F/1.7 wideopen I switch the camera to AV and take a picture. It turns out great. Say I want to stop down to F/2. I simply move the aperture ring to F/2 and dial in +.03 (i have the camera set in the custom menu for 1/3 EV steps) and the picture comes out nearly the same as the one before, just with more DOF and a slightly slower shutter speed. Say I want F/4. I again turn the aperture ring to F/4 and dial in ~+1.3 (sometimes +1.0 looks better... depends on the surroundings). As before the picture comes out looking nearly the same just with more DOF and a slower shutter speed. YMMV

Hope that makes sense

The point being made above is that the lens will always be wide open if you use Av - the aperture will not stop down at all. To use any aperture other than f/1.7 with your M 50/1.7, you need to use M mode. In M mode, the camera will stop the aperture down.

[yeatzee]

The point being made above is that the lens will always be wide open if you use Av - the aperture will not stop down at all. To use any aperture other than f/1.7 with your M 50/1.7, you need to use M mode. In M mode, the camera will stop the aperture down.

Right.... and my point is with a tiny bit of trial and error you can have the camera meter for you without using the green button, stopped down (to a point).

Edit: Wait.... so if I understand you correctly even if I turn the aperture ring the lens will always take the picture wideopen in AV no matter what? Man im a noob

I could have sworn there was DOF increase when I did my tests... hmmmm

[Canada_Rockies]

Right.... and my point is with a tiny bit of trial and error you can have the camera meter for you without using the green button, stopped down (to a point).

Edit: Wait.... so if I understand you correctly even if I turn the aperture ring the lens will always take the picture wideopen in AV no matter what? Man im a noob

I could have sworn there was DOF increase when I did my tests... hmmmm

You can turn the aperture ring to f/22, and it will expose at f/1.7. The shutter speed will change if you use the [+/-] but the aperture won't. If you want to use a different aperture, set the mode dial to M. I'm not sure which body you have, so I will refer you to the sticky thread at the top of the Beginner's Forum that goes into using manual lenses in great and accurate detail. Some use one button, others use the other, and old pharts like me use the depth of field stop down which displays a meter scale in the finder, just like a K1000 or a Spotmatic. Forefinger on the power switch, hold over to dof, longest (impolite) finger turns the shutter e-dial on the front of the camera to match exposure, or set the compensation you need using the scale.

[yeatzee]

You can turn the aperture ring to f/22, and it will expose at f/1.7. The shutter speed will change if you use the [+/-] but the aperture won't. If you want to use a different aperture, set the mode dial to M. I'm not sure which body you have, so I will refer you to the sticky thread at the top of the Beginner's Forum that goes into using manual lenses in great and accurate detail. Some use one button, others use the other, and old pharts like me use the depth of field stop down which displays a meter scale in the finder, just like a K1000 or a Spotmatic. Forefinger on the power switch, hold over to dof, longest (impolite) finger turns the shutter e-dial on the front of the camera to match exposure, or set the compensation you need using the scale.

see i was under the impression that since they are not A lenses even in AV i control the aperture using the aperture ring. Thanks for the insight! I just recently came up with this idea (right before I sent my camera in for repair, which i got back yesterday), and prior all I shot was M with my old lenses or AV if i want to shoot wideopen exclusively. Ha and I thought i came up with this genious way to make M lenses closer to A lenses I've been shooting with my old lenses for about a year now, so im not a begginer at using them, just a noob in thinking i knew something everyone else didn't.

[GeneV]

I just picked up a M 75-150mm F:4 on Ebay as the only bidder for $79.95. Yes, this lens may not have much range, and the aperture can make for dimmer focus than my primes around that range. Still, this zoom is a reminder of what a camera manufacturer's zoom was 30 years ago: built like a tank, smooth as silk and SHARP. No plastic "kits" back then.

I haven't shot test targets, but this lens appears sharper than the legendary SMC Tak 135/2.5 which is my favorite lens in this range and gives the M 100/F:4 macro a run for its money. It reminds me of why I was in awe of Pentax glass back then.

Below is a 100% crop from raw with no sharpening. The lens is outresolving the K10d sensor at F5.6. I'll have some fun with this on both film and digital.

[Marc Sabatella]

see i was under the impression that since they are not A lenses even in AV i control the aperture using the aperture ring.

You can *only* if you don't actually lock the lens into position (which prevents the aperture lever form engaging normally, I guess), or are using a screwmount as opposed to K-mount lens. But normally, with K-mount lenses, Av always shoots wide open regardless of the aperture ring, as you are now discovering. You need M mode to shoot anything but wide open if you are using the aperture ring on a K-mount lens. Do check out the sticky thread in the beginner's forum on using manual lenses if you haven't already or if you have further questions.

[clipsed]

Just got my first manual lens (50mm f/1.7) and here's a picture i took of a flower at the train station yesterday,

cropped it for my computer background.

[nanok]

yeatzee: to clarify your confusion (hopefuly): you don't control the aperture on any k lenses, at all,
not literally. what you do is set a "doorstop", to limit how much the aperture is allowed to close:
when the shutter engages, the aperture lever on the camera will move the lever on the lens, in
m mode, it will move it as much as it will go (controlled by the aperture ring, the "doorstop"), in
av mode, if the lens is a or "better" (the camera can tell), _and_ if the lens is not set to any
specific setting (so must be set to "A" on the smc-a lenses, again, the camera can tell), it will
move the aperture lever as much as it decides it wants to close the aperture (in the case of av,
as much as you decided, when setting the desired aperture). the only cameras who worked like
you expected in av with m lenses were those which came before the smc-a (and only knew to
close the aperture or not to close it, no actual control of the aperture lever, all or nothing, so to speak):
they would read the aperture you pre-selected on the lens mechanically (or do stop down metering,
i don't know if there was also this version, or all k-mount bodies were wide-open metered), chose
the shutter speed, or advise you via the meter, and when you tripped the shutter, just push the lever
on the lens as far as it would go; this made the old k bodies much simpler, from a mechanical
point of view (makes a lot of sense, imho), but the day came when you had to provide control of
the aperture on the body instead (technology...).

following the above, one might think there should be a way to fool the camera into treating an
m-lens as an a-lens, and there is (but with limitations). see here if curious:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/do-yourself/73144-how-make-non-lens-work-like-lens.html

hope this didn't add to the confusion

[abortabort]

Anyone know what would cause this?