[tuggie76]

Hi there, I've had my K30 a couple of weeks and am starting to get the feel of it, a couple of annoying features have cropped up, maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I have a lot of problems getting the card out of the slot, it doesn't pop out far enough for my chubby fingers, sometimes I can hook my nail under in a groove in the card, but it's a pain!

Secondly, when using the view finder and selective focusing, I can't make adjustments to exposure compensation without going to live view, is there something I don't know?

Also switching off shake reduction involves a lot of menu steps, where as on my K200 it was the flick of a switch.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Tuggie76

[dboeren]

For getting the card out, try pressing it down (unlocking it) and then rapidly removing your finger. On my K-30 the card will shoot out of the camera from the force of the spring.

[JinDesu]

Shake reduction:

Info button -> select green hand/grey hand symbol -> move control wheel and press ok.

[IchabodCrane]

Shake reduction:

Info button -> select green hand/grey hand symbol -> move control wheel and press ok.

You just highlighted one of the beauties of the Pentax menu system. Oft-used menu options are right there at the touch of the INFO button.

[SyncGuy]

You just highlighted one of the beauties of the Pentax menu system. Oft-used menu options are right there at the touch of the INFO button.

Oh! And TS, did you skip the manual? :P

For exposure compensation in viewfinder, just press the +/- symbol which is right beside the green button and scroll the rear dial. In and at the bottom of the viewfinder, you will see the exposure compensation symbol right there!

Tsk.... Tsk.... Tsk... *wags finger* Your pacakge should come with a manual you know... :P

PS: Though i know the manual often gets chucked aside almost immediately due to excitement.. Haha! The only manual i've read is for my Super A.. LoL!

[Kona]

While I'm not sure with the 30, I'm quite happy with my K-r, that shake reduction automatically turns off when I set it to remote drive (which I keep it in most of the time as I almost always shoot in tripod) but automatically back on when I turn it to single shot mode, which I only use handheld. It's not buried in a menu at all. Just drive mode button, toggle between remote and single. All Pentax DSLR's seem to use basically the same menu system, so I imagine it is the same for the K30.

[ChooseAName]

For the semi-auto modes such as Av, I believe you can customize the control wheel function. On my K-30's Av mode, I have set the front wheel for adjust exposure compensation.

[tuggie76]

For getting the card out, try pressing it down (unlocking it) and then rapidly removing your finger. On my K-30 the card will shoot out of the camera from the force of the spring.

Thanks DB, I did that, eventually found the card under the sofa

Tuggie76

[tuggie76]

Shake reduction:

Info button -> select green hand/grey hand symbol -> move control wheel and press ok.

Thanks Jin, easy when you know how!

Tuggie76

[tuggie76]

Oh! And TS, did you skip the manual? :P

For exposure compensation in viewfinder, just press the +/- symbol which is right beside the green button and scroll the rear dial. In and at the bottom of the viewfinder, you will see the exposure compensation symbol right there!

Tsk.... Tsk.... Tsk... *wags finger* Your pacakge should come with a manual you know... :P

PS: Though i know the manual often gets chucked aside almost immediately due to excitement.. Haha! The only manual i've read is for my Super A.. LoL!

Thanks Sync Guy, I was always told that real men don't read instructions, probably because they don't understand them!

Tuggie76

[jcdoss]

For getting the card out, try pressing it down (unlocking it) and then rapidly removing your finger. On my K-30 the card will shoot out of the camera from the force of the spring.

Indeed! I always try to make a show of it. I spring the card out and catch it in mid-air to the wonderment of all those who watch.

[tim60]

Oh! And TS, did you skip the manual? :P

For exposure compensation in viewfinder, just press the +/- symbol which is right beside the green button and scroll the rear dial. In and at the bottom of the viewfinder, you will see the exposure compensation symbol right there!

Tsk.... Tsk.... Tsk... *wags finger* Your pacakge should come with a manual you know... :P

PS: Though i know the manual often gets chucked aside almost immediately due to excitement.. Haha! The only manual i've read is for my Super A.. LoL!

Please do not give our friend a hard time about the manual.

I noticed this problem a few years back, and started to look at historic camera manuals. Old ones, e.g. Zeiss Ikon Contessa (1950s), Spotmatic and MX from Pentax were written around what the systems and software engineers call the 'use case' concept. You want to do this, here is the set of all the instructions to make that task happen. And the manual is written with a logical page 1, start reading and stop when you have found out how to do all the things you want to do.

Modern manuals are written like the computer help menu, as a reference guide. If you do not know the magic word the maker chose to call a feature you have no hope of finding the information. And the information is written around describing the buttons and what they do, but not connecting those possibilities to kinds of action one might want to do, resulting in fragmentary presentation of factoids.

This has become popular in all manuals for all things now. My new car manual is so badly written (the car is German) that it is vitually impossible to use, especially in a hurry, such as 'why will the lights not turn on or turn off the way I expect.'

Old manuals were good for someone starting out, new manuals are only useful for people who are upgrading fromthe previous model or, at worst, have a friend with one who is willing to act as tutor. Is this a conspiracy to get the populace to only buy popoular brands - you can get the real user guide from your friend who already has one?

[SyncGuy]

Please do not give our friend a hard time about the manual.

I noticed this problem a few years back, and started to look at historic camera manuals. Old ones, e.g. Zeiss Ikon Contessa (1950s), Spotmatic and MX from Pentax were written around what the systems and software engineers call the 'use case' concept. You want to do this, here is the set of all the instructions to make that task happen. And the manual is written with a logical page 1, start reading and stop when you have found out how to do all the things you want to do.

Modern manuals are written like the computer help menu, as a reference guide. If you do not know the magic word the maker chose to call a feature you have no hope of finding the information. And the information is written around describing the buttons and what they do, but not connecting those possibilities to kinds of action one might want to do, resulting in fragmentary presentation of factoids.

This has become popular in all manuals for all things now. My new car manual is so badly written (the car is German) that it is vitually impossible to use, especially in a hurry, such as 'why will the lights not turn on or turn off the way I expect.'

Old manuals were good for someone starting out, new manuals are only useful for people who are upgrading fromthe previous model or, at worst, have a friend with one who is willing to act as tutor. Is this a conspiracy to get the populace to only buy popoular brands - you can get the real user guide from your friend who already has one?

Ah... Hmm... I agree on the point of being too hard on him for the manual. *meant to be taken lightly of course!*

Seems like you kinda pointed out to me that i myself didn't bother reading it too! Maybe that's why i didn't know how the manuals were "designed"..
Admitted that myself though..

[tuggie76]

Ah... Hmm... I agree on the point of being too hard on him for the manual. *meant to be taken lightly of course!*

Seems like you kinda pointed out to me that i myself didn't bother reading it too! Maybe that's why i didn't know how the manuals were "designed"..
Admitted that myself though..

I took the comments lightly, but agree that the manual is not too much help, the facts are there, but I, for one, need some mentoring, which this forum is great for.

The ideal would be a session with an instructor,but I think I know at least as much as the local camera shop, they are more into Canikons because that's where the market is.

Tuggie76

[dragra]

Old manuals were good for someone starting out, new manuals are only useful for people who are upgrading fromthe previous model...

True. It would be nice if new manuals had dedicated chapters for users upgrading from a previous model.