[WPRESTO]

I just posted this story on a thread about Precision Camera, but thought followers of this thread might be interested.

Just FYI: The AF on my DA 300 failed while on vacation. Wiped the contacts repeatedly, clicked AF to MF multiple times on camera and lens, got home and cleaned the contacts again - tried it on my K3 as well as the K1, NOTHING. Phoned Precision, and they are close enough for me to drive rather than shipping/mailing. Cost estimate: $360 minimum!! So the morning before I drove there, I put the lens on my K1 (camera and lens set to AF), half pressed the shutter button and rotated the focus collar simultaneously, and bingo, it started autofocusing !!!!!????? Tried it back and forth on K1 & K3, it seems to work perfectly. A misaligned contact? I'll never know, but if you have an AF problem with any non-screw drive Pentax, give it a try - what have you got to lose compared to gain? Question and complaint: how many Pentaxians have had issues with a non-screw AF lens? Has any Pentaxian experienced a failure with a screw-drive AF lens?

[noelpolar]

The super moons'a coming....quick... quick into the light!


DFA 150-450

[Kevriano]

The super moons'a coming....quick... quick into the light!


DFA 150-450

Wonderful light. Love this.

[Maine_Capt]

Hi everyone!

I've been enjoying your photos, posts, and info on this thread for some time now.

I've owned my (new to me) K-50 for quite a few months now and have taken some beautiful images using the DAL WR kit lenses.
With an interest in capturing wildlife, I was becoming frustrated with the kit lenses and their lack of reach.

So here's what went down on my lens safari.... first I purchased a Pentax DA 55-300 from KEH in excellent condition. Then, while that lens was in transit, I found a Tokina AT-X AF SD 400mm f5.6 for sale, also at a reasonable cost.

So now I am learning everything about with these two (very different) new lenses and enjoying both very much.

Here's a couple of recent examples with my Pentax DA 55-300:


1/320 at f=5.8, ISO 500, 300mm, handheld (cropped)


1/320 at f=5.8, ISO 500, 300mm, handheld (cropped)




And here's a couple taken with my Tokina AT-X AF SD 400mm f5.6


1/500 at f=11, ISO 200, handheld (cropped)


1/500 at f=11, ISO 200, handheld (cropped)


We're really looking forward to contributing to the group.



Have FUN!

---

Last edited by Maine_Capt; 11-18-2016 at 04:21 AM.

[Basie]

I just posted this story on a thread about Precision Camera, but thought followers of this thread might be interested.

Just FYI: The AF on my DA 300 failed while on vacation. Wiped the contacts repeatedly, clicked AF to MF multiple times on camera and lens, got home and cleaned the contacts again - tried it on my K3 as well as the K1, NOTHING. Phoned Precision, and they are close enough for me to drive rather than shipping/mailing. Cost estimate: $360 minimum!! So the morning before I drove there, I put the lens on my K1 (camera and lens set to AF), half pressed the shutter button and rotated the focus collar simultaneously, and bingo, it started autofocusing !!!!!????? Tried it back and forth on K1 & K3, it seems to work perfectly. A misaligned contact? I'll never know, but if you have an AF problem with any non-screw drive Pentax, give it a try - what have you got to lose compared to gain? Question and complaint: how many Pentaxians have had issues with a non-screw AF lens? Has any Pentaxian experienced a failure with a screw-drive AF lens?

MY DA*300 F4 stopped focusing as well, but I could not get the shutter to release and Live view was just black. I had an acute attack of severe depression, since it is my favorite lens for anything from portraits to wildlife to landscapes and checked out my 18-135 on the K5 and it worked perfectly. When I compared the rear contacts of the two lenses one of the copper contacts on the inner ring was bent and standing straight up instead of flat against the ring. I carefully and apprehensively bent it back and the problem was solved without prozac. Must have been an over enthusiastic lens change...

[WPRESTO]

MY DA*300 F4 stopped focusing as well, but I could not get the shutter to release and Live view was just black. I had an acute attack of severe depression, since it is my favorite lens for anything from portraits to wildlife to landscapes and checked out my 18-135 on the K5 and it worked perfectly. When I compared the rear contacts of the two lenses one of the copper contacts on the inner ring was bent and standing straight up instead of flat against the ring. I carefully and apprehensively bent it back and the problem was solved without prozac. Must have been an over enthusiastic lens change...

Sad and worrisome that such a thing could happen. The copper contacts should be secured and protected so they'd be almost impossible to bend as you experienced.

[zzeitg]

DA560

(I'm trying to clear all the memory cards. Lot of older shots. Still long way to go...)

[normhead]

Sad and worrisome that such a thing could happen. The copper contacts should be secured and protected so they'd be almost impossible to bend as you experienced.

That part with the copper contacts is going to fail. I went through the same thing with my 60-250. You can order a replacement part, I got my from Sun Camera in Toronto, the Pentax authorized repair guy for $40. With a philips jewellers screw driver it's an easy to replace part. I would do that before it fails completely. Or maybe you could epoxy it in place, that might work too if it's still attached at one end and working.

K-1 and Tamron 300 SP AF 300 ED [IF] and F 1.7x AF adapter.
3200 ISO, ƒ8, AV

With our trip to Niagara Falls, leaving the sparrows for a week without food, it appears they've all left for the south. Not a bad idea since I'll be leaving for a week over christmas as well, and it may well be too cold to migrate by then.

So I'm left with the birds who store their food, or who live here all year anyway without a food supplement, a lot of Blue Jays....



My usual full compliment of chickadees



Great light means frozen action.


A gold finch, that I did not get a decent image of, due to not realizing my camera was set to MF from my super moon shots the other night. Same with the White and Red Breasted Nuthatches.

And my wood peckers are both still here, both Hairy and Downey. The Downey left before I went out to the blind.


I have way too many Jays... not sure what to do about that. It was fine when there were 6, now there's at least 12 and they run off the smaller birds When there was 6, if the Jays went one place, the smaller birds would just go to another feeder. Now there are enough Jays to control all the feeding spots at once..

I'm still hoping to pick up some Grosbeaks and finches for the winter....
You guys are going to get awful bored seeing the same birds in every post if I don't. I'll have to limit myself to one bird post a week, featuring a different bird every time out, to make it appear my life is interesting.

[zzeitg]

DA560

[zzeitg]

DA560

[normhead]

DA560

Those birds look quite alike.

K5IIs & Sigma 100-300/4. From rear of theater, jazz dance company performance.

[normhead]

Has she ever got those great "dancer" legs....very nice.

[Nicolas06]

Zebras...

K3, DA55-300

[smf]

Image captured through glass of sliding door with handheld K-S2 and Sakar 1:8 500mm. (The lens is not the mirror variety.)
I am unsure, despite consulting three good resources, whether the finch is a house finch or a purple finch.
It was a very productive photo shoot, yielding images of a woodpecker, male cardinal, bluejay and sparrows.
Thanks very much to all who post in this thread!

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