new camera with old lens setup?

berkshire bee · 04-06-2011, 08:22 AM

Hi, I've been taking pictures of honey bees for the last few years using my pentax SF1 with a pentax 50mm macro lens and 2x converter.
With this setup I have a AAF080C ring flash

I've been looking into getting a digital body.
Would a used K10 or K20 be a good choice given the amount of magnification?
Also would the flash I have work in auto exposure with a newer digital body.
Thanks for any help. I'm glad I found this forum.

**boriscleto** · 04-06-2011, 09:16 AM

Originally posted by berkshire bee

Hi, I've been taking pictures of honey bees for the last few years using my pentax SF1 with a pentax 50mm macro lens and 2x converter.
With this setup I have a AAF080C ring flash

I've been looking into getting a digital body.
Would a used K10 or K20 be a good choice given the amount of magnification?
Also would the flash I have work in auto exposure with a newer digital body.
Thanks for any help. I'm glad I found this forum.

The lens and converter should work just fine. I'm not sure about the flash.

**Just1MoreDave** · 04-06-2011, 09:32 AM

The only DSLRs that will work in auto with your older ring flash are the *ist D, *ist DS or *ist DS2. All the other cameras would need something else - manual mode, Pentax's new ring flash (AF160FC) or other options.

The lens will work. How well it works depends on what series it is. The oldest Pentax 50mm f4 macros only work in M mode, center weighted or spot meter modes, and stop-down metering. And the new ring flash will not work in auto (P-TTL) mode, but on the bodies mentioned above, the older flash will be OK. If your lens has an A on the aperture ring, like the Pentax-A 50mm f2.8, everything works except you have to tell the camera the lens focal length for SR to work. If your lens is an autofocus such as the F or FA series, everything works, no exceptions.

The converter is an extra complication, because it may not pass all relevant information from the lens to the camera. You'll need to provide more information on what converter it is.

The DSLRs with K in their name have shake reduction (SR) which is nice but may not work that well in macro photography because macro movement happens differently than normal shake. All the Pentax DSLRs have sensors that are smaller than 35mm film. The K10D and K20D are close to the SF1 in size and feel.

sterretje · 04-06-2011, 10:38 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Just1MoreDave

The DSLRs with K in their name have shake reduction (SR) ...

Except for the K110D which is a K100D without SR

**Just1MoreDave** · 04-06-2011, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by sterretje

Except for the K110D which is a K100D without SR

Oh, nice catch. I edited my post.

04-06-2011, 08:22 AM	#1
berkshire bee New Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: berkshire county Posts: 17	new camera with old lens setup? Hi, I've been taking pictures of honey bees for the last few years using my pentax SF1 with a pentax 50mm macro lens and 2x converter. With this setup I have a AAF080C ring flash I've been looking into getting a digital body. Would a used K10 or K20 be a good choice given the amount of magnification? Also would the flash I have work in auto exposure with a newer digital body. Thanks for any help. I'm glad I found this forum.

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04-06-2011, 09:16 AM	#2
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	Originally posted by berkshire bee Hi, I've been taking pictures of honey bees for the last few years using my pentax SF1 with a pentax 50mm macro lens and 2x converter. With this setup I have a AAF080C ring flash I've been looking into getting a digital body. Would a used K10 or K20 be a good choice given the amount of magnification? Also would the flash I have work in auto exposure with a newer digital body. Thanks for any help. I'm glad I found this forum. The lens and converter should work just fine. I'm not sure about the flash.

04-06-2011, 09:32 AM	#3
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	The only DSLRs that will work in auto with your older ring flash are the ist D, ist DS or *ist DS2. All the other cameras would need something else - manual mode, Pentax's new ring flash (AF160FC) or other options. The lens will work. How well it works depends on what series it is. The oldest Pentax 50mm f4 macros only work in M mode, center weighted or spot meter modes, and stop-down metering. And the new ring flash will not work in auto (P-TTL) mode, but on the bodies mentioned above, the older flash will be OK. If your lens has an A on the aperture ring, like the Pentax-A 50mm f2.8, everything works except you have to tell the camera the lens focal length for SR to work. If your lens is an autofocus such as the F or FA series, everything works, no exceptions. The converter is an extra complication, because it may not pass all relevant information from the lens to the camera. You'll need to provide more information on what converter it is. The DSLRs with K in their name have shake reduction (SR) which is nice but may not work that well in macro photography because macro movement happens differently than normal shake. All the Pentax DSLRs have sensors that are smaller than 35mm film. The K10D and K20D are close to the SF1 in size and feel.

04-06-2011, 10:38 AM - 1 Like	#4
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by Just1MoreDave The DSLRs with K in their name have shake reduction (SR) ... Except for the K110D which is a K100D without SR

04-06-2011, 06:03 PM	#5
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	Originally posted by sterretje Except for the K110D which is a K100D without SR Oh, nice catch. I edited my post.

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