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12-12-2013, 07:44 AM   #1
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Green button not Working in Manual Mode with m42

Please help guys. I have a Pentax K30 and just received my m42 lens. I own am42-k adapter with infinity focus.
When i use a manual K mount lens (M50/1.4), im used to using the green button to meter, i already set my K30 so it can handle old manual lens.
Aperture ring enabled, e-dial customization done M/TaV etc. (read the guide how to use old manuala lens in k30 both in video and in ricoh support page)

The first m42 lens i tried are preset lenses which are Industar 50-2, Jupiter-9. I also tried using it with a super takumar 55/1.8.
When i use these lenses in aperture priority mode, it seems to work well, it meters automatically but sometimes underexposed.
But when i tried these lenses in Manual mode, the green buttons doesnt seem to work. It doesnt meter, the mirror wont flip to meter when green button is pressed. the shutter speed is stuck to f2000 or something.
In short it doesnt work in Manual mode. Can you please help guys..

12-12-2013, 07:52 AM   #2
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Well, for starters, the mirror should not flip to meter anyway. Maybe you accidentally set the Green button to something else?
12-12-2013, 08:01 AM   #3
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There is no aperture lever to actuate on an m42 lens. You need to set the lens to manual if it has a switch, then use something like Av mode, and the camera will continuously meter correctly. The downside is if you want to use a small aperture you will get a dimmed view of the scene.
12-12-2013, 08:10 AM   #4
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for preset lens like helios 44-2, does the green button work in manual mode?

I realized that the mirror doesnt have to flip to meter on preset lens. But it cannot seem to give me a shutter speed suggestion. I do belive i set the buttons by reading some guides

12-12-2013, 08:14 AM   #5
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Yes, with K mount lenses without A-mode on aperture ring, the Green button stops down the lens (click sound) and meters. But with m42, the camera has no way to do anything with the aperture on the lens. The aperture on the lens is completely manual, as in, you have to use your hands to change it.
So for m42 lenses, here is what you do. You switch camera to Av mode. You can even us auto-ISO! Now you focus with the lens wide open (smallest f-number) and then you turn the aperture down to what you want it to be (for example, f8). Since you are in Av, the camera will automatically meter all the time and adjust the shutter speed. Now you just snap the photo, then you turn the aperture back to wide open for focusing.
The other way to do it is to go to M mode and press the green button (or even +/-?) while you have the lens stopped down.

You see, m42 lenses were made long before AF, or even auto-aperture existed. Back then, you used your hands to do pretty much everything. There was no digital. So the camera has absolutely no way of knowing the focal length, the aperture, or to affect the aperture mechanism or the focus mechanism. Its all in your hands.

Edit: Keep in mind that the green button is customizable. So check its function in the menu to make sure it does what you want it to do.

Last edited by Na Horuk; 12-12-2013 at 08:19 AM.
12-12-2013, 08:19 AM   #6
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Okay, so I just mounted my Helios 44-2 on the K-r to test this to make sure. Yes, the camera will meter and change the shutter speed when I press the green button. But I have to stop down the aperture myself. And there is no mirror action, no sound at all. It just takes a fraction of a second and there, the shutter turns from (for example) 1/10 wide open to 2" when I stop the lens down and press the green button.
My Menu option for Green button is "Green button" - the default setting.
Make sure you have ISO set to a static number. Auto ISO will default your camera into Av mode. The LCD screen must actually say M for it to be in M mode.
12-12-2013, 08:20 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by damianc Quote
the camera will continuously meter correctly.
...should be continuously meter incorrectly. Av metering with M42 lenses is unreliable per the camera manual. Use M mode with auto-iso turned off.

There are a number of threads about M mode metering issues on the K-30, K-50, and K-01 with lenses having non-conductive bases. I have not been able to confirm (don't have the K-30), but if I remember correctly, the solution is to short both the A-contact pin and data pin using thin foil or by sanding off the non-conductive paint/anodizing.


Steve


Last edited by stevebrot; 12-12-2013 at 08:38 AM.
12-12-2013, 08:20 AM   #8
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"The other way to do it is to go to M mode and press the green button (or +/-) while you have the lens stopped down."

This is my problem, green button is not working, shutter speed doesnt change when i press it in manual mode with m42 lens even takumar lens. But green button works with manual k mount.


"Keep in mind that the green button is customizable. So check its function in the menu to make sure it does what you want it to do."

im pretty sure i have set the camera correctly as i have been shooting with my manual k mount lenses using the green button to meter. I read how to set the green button before. Im just really confused why it doesnt work in manual mode with my m42's
12-12-2013, 08:31 AM   #9
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Do you have AutoISO turned off? On the K-30 AutoISO does not turn itself off when you set the dial to M mode.
12-12-2013, 08:33 AM   #10
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yes sir, i made sure its turned off...
12-12-2013, 08:36 AM   #11
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Huh, try mounting a regular DA lens and change the green button function to DoF preview or something like that. Does it do anything?
Try using a rocket blower around the green button, or see if its loose in the camera - maybe its a mechanical fault.

If the Green button itself is not working I would suggest the standard method. Charge the battery, leave it outside the camera for a while, put it back in, update the firmware (if its not at the latest one already) and do a Reset to Factory defaults. Make sure the camera's mount is clean and free of grime/particles.
12-12-2013, 08:39 AM   #12
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Thank you Sir, i will try your advices! pretty worried now
12-12-2013, 08:48 AM - 1 Like   #13
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I have the same experience, K30, m42 lens

I have the same experience with my K30 using m42 lenses, and I'm doing everything right, all the settings, manual mode, manual ISO. Green button sets the shutter speed to 1/2000 (varies a little bit) on my beloved m42 55mm F/1.8 lens, which worked on my K-x with the green button. Other normal manual lenses (not m-42) with an aperture work fine, with the green button. I have a 135mm F/2.8 and a 28mm F/2.8 and a 50mm F/1.7 that all work good with the green button . Live view mode, does work with the green button metering on all manual lenses, including the m42 lens, but I prefer the viewfinder. The other approach is to use "Av" mode for m42 lenses, but the exposure isn't nearly as accurate as the green button metering (I don't know why); using AV mode on an m42 lens seems to require using a +1 exposure bias or something like that. I could try updating the firmware when I get home.
- Sheldon

Last edited by sheld; 12-12-2013 at 10:12 AM.
12-12-2013, 08:49 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by sheld Quote
i have the same experience with my k30 using m42 lenses, and i'm doing everything right, all the settings, manual mode, manual iso. Green button sets the shutter speed to 1/2000 (varies a little bit) on my beloved m42 55mm f/1.8 lens, which worked on my k-x with the green button. Other normal manual lenses (not m-42) with an aperture work fine, with the green button. I have a 135mm f/2.8 and a 28mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.7 that all work good with the green button . Live view mode, does work with the green button metering on all manual lenses, including the m42 lens. The other approach is to use "av" mode for m42 lenses, but the exposure isn't nearly as accurate as the green button metering (i don't know why); could use av mode and seems to require using a +1 exposure bias or something like that.
- sheldon
this!
12-12-2013, 09:03 AM   #15
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Here are the instructions for using manual lenses on the K-30 from the Ricoh US site. Please note the e-Dial and Green button settings.

However I'm likely to suspect that the pins on the body are not being shorted out for either or both of two reasons:
1) the mount of the lens is likely anodized black (common for screwmount lens)
2) the diameter of the rear of the lens isn't large enough to cover (even partially) the pins.

At some point Pentax disabled some functions such as stop-down actuation if a lens is not mounted. My K-10D will actuate stop down without a lens mounted. The only way for the camera to check if a lens is mounted is to test for a signal on the contacts. You may need to either remove some of the anodized coating on the rear of the lens mount or short some of the pins with some conductive material like metal foil. It is a simple non-destructive test to check this with some metal foil.

Using Older Lenses on PENTAX K-30 | Ricoh Imaging Support
Using Older Lenses on PENTAX K-30

Q: Can I use older PENTAX lenses on my K-30?

A: Yes. PENTAX A-series lenses (lenses with an "A" setting on the aperture ring), can be used as manual-focus lenses in all exposure modes on a PENTAX K-30.

Early PENTAX K-series, M-series and S (screw) mount lenses without auto-aperture control (an “A” setting on the aperture ring) can be used in Manual exposure mode using stop-down metering and manual focus. This is the exposure mode which will give accurate exposures when using these older lenses on our digital SLRs. If older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring are used in Av (Aperture Priority) Mode, an exposure error may occur.

Note: Using PENTAX S (screw) mount lenses on a PENTAX DSLR requires the use of a Pentax Mount Adapter K.

To set up your PENTAX K-30 to use older PENTAX lenses:

STEP 1: (Customizing the Green Button)
Press the Menu button

Using the 4-way controller on the back of the camera, navigate to E-Dial Programming on pg.4 of the Rec. Mode menu.

Navigate to pg. 2 of the E-Dial Programming menu, highlight the first line and press the right button on the four-way controller. Press the down button to highlight the first line, then press the press the right button on the four-way controller. Press the down arrow on the four-way controller, highlight Tv SHIFT, press the OK button on the back of the camera, then press the MENU button several times to exit the Rec. Mode menu.

(This setting allows easy and accurate exposure metering using older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring. When the camera's Green Button is pressed in Manual exposure mode, the lens "stops down", the camera's meter measures the light passing through the lens, and an appropriate shutter speed is automatically set based on that measurement).

STEP 2: (Enabling the use of the lens aperture ring)
Press the Menu button

Press the left button on the four-way controller once to get to pg. 4 of the Custom Settings menu.
Press the down button on the four-way controller and select Using Aperture Ring
Press the right button on the four-way controller, then the down button, highlight Enable and press the OK button.
Press the Menu button to exit the Custom Settings menu

STEP 3: (Setting Shake Reduction)
Shake Reduction is compatible with older PENTAX lenses (PENTAX M-series, K-series and Screw-mount lenses) but you will need to manually select the closest matching focal length from the Input Focal Length menu. To do this:
Turn the camera off. Mount the non-"A" series lens. Turn the camera on.

The Input Focal Length screen will appear. Use the rear e-dial to select a focal length which is closest to the focal length of the lens you are using and press the OK button on the back of the camera. If you are using a zoom lens, choose a focal length close to the midpoint of the zoom range of the camera.

STEP 4: (Using Older Lenses)

The camera has now been setup to use older (early K-series and M-series) PENTAX lenses on your K-30. To use these lenses:

a) Set the camera to Manual exposure mode and Manual focus.

b) Focus the lens and set the desired aperture (i.e. f/8) on the lens aperture ring.

c) Press the Green Button on the K-30. This will measure the light coming through the lens using stopped-down manual exposure reading and automatically set an appropriate shutter speed to deliver a good exposure.

d) Press the Shutter Button fully to take the picture.

If a different lens aperture is selected remember to press the Green Button to allow the camera to make a through-the-lens light reading and set the camera shutter speed automatically.

Note: PENTAX screw-mount lenses used on the K-30 can be used when the camera is setup as described, however the lens must be manually stopped-down to the selected aperture (stopped-down metering) to obtain an accurate exposure reading.
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