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07-14-2013, 10:38 PM   #1
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K-30 focusing and lens mount newbie questions

Hi I just bought a K-30 and would like to know following:

1- do i have to worry about focusing motor being on the lens or not? I know that in Canon or Nikon entry level cameras you need a motor in the lens, otherwhise the camera will not autofocus. Is this is the same for Pentax K-30?
2- what do i need to look for in a lens to be able to autofocus?
3- What does the K-30 have to autofocus? I think I read screw? what does this mean in when compared to whatever canon and Nikon use (if they have something different)?
4- I Know that K-30 has K mount lenses, However, I know that you can use older lenses as well.
......a) what lenses can I use? K? what else?
......b) What can/can't I do with the lenses mentioned in a). autofocus? aperture?


Thanks a lot in advance for your help!!!

07-14-2013, 11:09 PM - 1 Like   #2
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1- do i have to worry about focusing motor being on the lens or not? I know that in Canon or Nikon entry level cameras you need a motor in the lens, otherwhise the camera will not autofocus. Is this is the same for Pentax K-30?
Nope, you don't have to worry about buying special lenses with built-in focusing motors. If the lens is advertised as a Pentax autofocus lens, it will work fine on your K-30 without any problems.
2- what do i need to look for in a lens to be able to autofocus?
As in what to look for when buying a lens? Usually it will be mentioned in a description if the lens is an AF lens or a manual lens if you are buying it from on online store. If not mentioned, you can always contact the seller to double-check. For Pentax-branded lenses, lenses in the Pentax K, M, and A series will all be manual and lenses marked Pentax F, FA, DA, DA*, DFA will be AF lenses.
3- What does the K-30 have to autofocus? I think I read screw? what does this mean in when compared to whatever canon and Nikon use (if they have something different)? Pentax DSLRs have AF built into the bodies. Older Pentax AF lenses from the F, FA series have screw-drive auto focus, a few DA lenses have screw drive, but a few "higher end" ones have SDM focusing, which is quieter than screw-drive lenses and goes through the electrical contacts rather than screw drive. DA* lenses have SDM focusing. (I don't know about Canon/Nikon, sorry)
4- I Know that K-30 has K mount lenses, However, I know that you can use older lenses as well.
......a) what lenses can I use? K? what else?
......b) What can/can't I do with the lenses mentioned in a). autofocus? aperture?
This is a helpful page ---> Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series
Also, this page takes you to the lens reviews and gives a basic little description of the lens series on the left side:
Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database


Oh, and welcome to the K-30 club!
07-14-2013, 11:19 PM   #3
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Auto Focus Pentax?

Hello jrcastillo, Welcome to the Forum!
I'll try to answer your questions, first almost all Pentax DSLR's have the auto-focus drive in the BODY, not the lens. This is generally called 'screw drive' AF as opposed to 'SDM' HSM, or motors in each lens, like the Canon system. The exception is a few modern Pentax lenses that have SDM which overrides the screw drive. All Pentax lenses use electrical contacts on the bayonet to transmit focusing data from the body.
2) Pentax lenses that auto-focus are the 'F' series, the 'FA' series and the 'DA' series. Aftermarket lenses from Vivitar, Sigma, Tamron and others all have versions made for Pentax that AF.
3) I believe I've answered this with # 1.
4) All Pentax lenses from the M42, K, M, A, F, FA and DA will mount directly on a DSLR body. The M42's require an adapter, none of the others need any modification. Overall, the K, M, A, F, FA and DA's are usually called 'K' mount, PK, PK-A or Pentax mount.
Each different series will only be enabled to do what it did when it was new; If it was manual focus and manual aperture when it was new, (M series) it will still be MF and manual aperture. The AF indicator will light up to show focus lock.
A series lenses were manual focus but auto-aperture, work the same way with DSLR, manual mode or Av mode (aperture priority).
F, FA and DA all have auto-focus, auto-aperture setting and work in most, if not all, program modes.
There are a few exceptions to all this, it's merely an overview. Hope it helps!
Ron
07-15-2013, 12:26 AM   #4
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Thanks Ron and Julie for you help.
Really helpful info and links

07-15-2013, 12:51 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Julie Quote
1- do i have to worry about focusing motor being on the lens or not? I know that in Canon or Nikon entry level cameras you need a motor in the lens, otherwhise the camera will not autofocus. Is this is the same for Pentax K-30?
Nope, you don't have to worry about buying special lenses with built-in focusing motors. If the lens is advertised as a Pentax autofocus lens, it will work fine on your K-30 without any problems.
2- what do i need to look for in a lens to be able to autofocus?
As in what to look for when buying a lens? Usually it will be mentioned in a description if the lens is an AF lens or a manual lens if you are buying it from on online store. If not mentioned, you can always contact the seller to double-check. For Pentax-branded lenses, lenses in the Pentax K, M, and A series will all be manual and lenses marked Pentax F, FA, DA, DA*, DFA will be AF lenses.
3- What does the K-30 have to autofocus? I think I read screw? what does this mean in when compared to whatever canon and Nikon use (if they have something different)? Pentax DSLRs have AF built into the bodies. Older Pentax AF lenses from the F, FA series have screw-drive auto focus, a few DA lenses have screw drive, but a few "higher end" ones have SDM focusing, which is quieter than screw-drive lenses and goes through the electrical contacts rather than screw drive. DA* lenses have SDM focusing. (I don't know about Canon/Nikon, sorry)
4- I Know that K-30 has K mount lenses, However, I know that you can use older lenses as well.
......a) what lenses can I use? K? what else?
......b) What can/can't I do with the lenses mentioned in a). autofocus? aperture?
This is a helpful page ---> Pentax K-Mount Lenses Explained: The differences between various Pentax lens series
Also, this page takes you to the lens reviews and gives a basic little description of the lens series on the left side:
Pentax Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database


Oh, and welcome to the K-30 club!
Well answered Julie!
07-15-2013, 09:44 AM   #6
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About the lenses.
Everything with F in the name has autofocus.
DA* lenses have SDM focus motor, and you see those text in the name aswell. The DA17-70 also has such a motor.
There is also DC motor, that's a cheaper motor which work like a normal electrical motor. The DA18-135 has that motor
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