[wombat2go]

Nope, not a bug.

I put it on my bug list! The K-01 is one way and the K-30 is the other way!

I just drove a rental car and found that if the manual shift paddle is held more than momentarily, the thing reverts to auto shift control.
That is on my bug list too.

I am a bit sensitive to this because I am doing software with lots of UI. The users complain about UI "bugs" but they don't necessarily think through all the implications, and want to make changes that are just their preference.

I have the opinion that we should be able to pick up any camera within one brand, and use its UI menus.

[stevebrot]

But that being said, the K30 - K50 camera are not cameras I would recommend because of the "high" risk of problem with the aperture lever mechanism.

It's too bad we don't have any actual statistics with respect to aperture lever mechanism failures

I wish there were good statistics on the aperture control block issue. To the best of my knowledge it is the only known "common" problem with the K-30 and K-50 models, but is vexing because when reports come in, they tend to come many at a time. I don't know if it is a reflection of a supply chain quality issue (bad batches of controller chips) or something else.

My enthusiasm for the K-50 is tempered by the continued persistence of that particular problem.


Steve

[stevebrot]

I put it on my bug list! The K-01 is one way and the K-30 is the other way!

Amazing! The behavior of your K-01 varies from the rest of the Pentax line on multiple points.

FWIW, there are a few K-3/K-3II owners on this site who are frustrated that their cameras do no operate the same as Nikon product (essentially similar to how the K-30/K-50 works, though without an explicit TAv mode).

As for UI design...A logically consistent and well-documented behavior is not a bug. That being said, for the record, I agree with you that manual should be manual should be manual.


Steve

(...auto-ISO is evil and inserts instability into the program exposure model...EVIL...)

[wombat2go]

Amazing! The behavior of your K-01 varies from the rest of the Pentax line on multiple points.

The K-01 here follows K-01 1330621102_Manual_K-01_EN_official.pdf page 81.
Row mode "M" Column "Change Sensitivity". It follows "*2"
However, if the dial is ever moved from another mode to "M" , the last used ISO from Mode "M" is set and displayed.
( not the ISO from the prior mode).

[Not a Number]

The K10D doesn't allow Auto ISO in manual mode.

[Adam]

As for UI design...A logically consistent and well-documented behavior is not a bug. That being said, for the record, I agree with you that manual should be manual should be manual.

This behavior in Prime M and newer bodies is an artifact of the K-01's mode implementation. Since the K-01 lacked a TAv setting on the mode dial, the auto ISO trick allowed for emulation of that mode.

When the mode dial setting was reintroduced on the K-30, Pentax should have either disabled auto ISO should entirely in M mode, or at least shown M instead of TAv while in M mode.

[pentaxus]

If you are shooting in manual it is because you want to set things manually. Why would you leave it set at auto ISO anyway. Just my two cents.

[Rondec]

I don't understand why it would bother you so much that manual mode would function this way. To me, manual mode is about setting everything. Walk into a room, green button it, adjust your settings a little and then you don't need to fiddle with them. It is especially useful if you are shooting flash and know what you are doing. But if you are going to use auto iso, then to me, you might as well shoot in Av or Tv modes.

Oh well, suffice to say that Precision couldn't fix it, because that is the way the camera is designed to perform. I can't imagine having that bother me enough that I would put away a perfectly good camera and buy a different brand. I guess I'm just a Pentax fan boy...

[robgski]

LOL! My daughter and I learned about the lack of "M" mode just this evening while trying out her recently purchased K-30. I was puzzled for about 1 minute, then we figured it out.

It'd be a mistake to get rid of that camera, better to spend some time reading the manual then getting out to enjoy its full potential. Great camera, IMO

[MarkJerling]

...It'd be a mistake to get rid of that camera, better to spend some time reading the manual then getting out to enjoy its full potential.... IMO

We all know us guys are not that great reading manuals!

[BigMackCam]

We all know us guys are not that great reading manuals!

The cameras come with manuals??!

[MarkJerling]

The cameras come with manuals??!

Yes! It's rumoured that chainsaws, TV's, dishwashers and skydiving rigs do too!

[Not a Number]

The OP could have spare themselves much grief and expenses had they found this forum and posted here first. The Ricoh live chat troubling shooting database may even have this "problem" covered. Why Precision should have explained the function. Or getting Ricoh involved should have cleared up the misunderstanding. Precision may just use canned responses such as "Device inspected and adjusted to factory specifications" and left it at that.

Be that as it may no use crying over water under the bridge. Let's wish the OP and daughter enjoy their Nikon and take many of memorable photos with it. Perhaps the OP will sell the Pentax on the Marketplace to a new owner which will give it the love the camera deserves.

[gaweidert]

I have to admit that when I went digital in 2012 and purchased a K5, I did not find he manuals all that helpful. Yes it tells you how to set different modes, but what the heck are the modes for? And how do they work? I had never had such a complex camera before and even after 40 years of photography the camera was very intimidating.

Luckily I found this site just before I purchased my K5 and reading the posts and asking a few questions got it all sorted out. But for me, the camera had a very steep learning curve that I had not expected at all.

And everyone here kept talking about this thing called bokeh. What the heck was that?

In any event, welcome aboard and please give the camera another shot. And ask questions here. A few people here are real technogeeks and actually understand all the technology and settings. I do not profess to be one of them. I just like pretty pictures.

[Oldbayrunner]

Well gents good info for newbies of k30/50/500 but I doubt we will hear again from the OP after his vent and new Nikon purchase.

MANUALS?....... We don't need no stinking manuals.