[Neoma]

Hello,
My name is Neoma & I am just getting back into photography. I have owned nothing but Pentax since I was 16. I have recently replaced my 15 year old K10 with a new k70. I have a 18-55 & 100-320 from my old camera. I’ve noticed the telephoto shoots super bright & washes the whole phone out. Any advice?

[AstroDave]

How do you have the light metering set? I don't know about the K-70, but on other recent Pentax bodies, you can set the metering for a) the whole frame, b) a center-weighted, but still somewhat broad, selection, or c) a fairly small center spot.

One or the other of these may be most relevant depending on what you are shooting.

[UncleVanya]

Welcome! Happy to help but the info you have given is confusing.

What exact model lens do you have? Here are some possibilities:

SMC Pentax-FA 80-320mm F4.5-5.6 Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

SMC Pentax-FA 100-300mm F4.5-5.6 Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

SMC Pentax-FA 100-300mm F4.7-5.8 Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

SMC Pentax-F 100-300mm F4.5-5.6 Reviews - F Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Note there is no 100-320 Pentax branded lens. It’s possible your lens is an off brand that fits Pentax that I am not familiar with.

Also what mode do you have the camera in and is your aperture ring set to “A”.

[Gerbermiester]

This could be many things.

Lets begin with the most simple solutions and work toward more complex ones:

1) Check your exposure compensation. Is this setting +? If so, change it so that it is no longer + or -.
To change exposure compensation, simply press the (+/-) button on the top of the camera near to the shutter release button. Then, roll the thumb wheel left or right until the reading is neither positive nor negative.

2) The K-70 has several metering modes for measuring the light in a photograph. Adjust your metering mode to 'Matrix' Metering.
If you are unsure how to do so, watch the following video.

You Tube

You Tube

3) Inspect the blades of your telephoto lens for oil.
If oil is present, the lens' aperture will not close down very well due to increased friction. This results in overexposed photographs.
To check for oil, simply remove the lens from the camera, set the aperture ring to the A position (or ~f/22) and close the bayonet on the back of you lens with your finger. Look at the aperture blades through the front of the lens and then the back of the lens. If oil is present, you can get your lens repaired at VanCam in Vancouver BC for ~$100 Canadian. They do good work.

UncleVanya and AstroDave give good advice! Try their suggestions too.

[mikesbike]

telephoto shoots super bright & washes the whole phone out. Any advice?

Welcome to the forum! I've heard of a Pentax 80-320mm, and 100-300mm, but never a 100-320mm. These types of lenses have not been made by Pentax in decades. In any case, seems like something has gone wrong with this lens, since the problem does not occur with the other lens. Perhaps the aperture blades are moving too slowly. Those old 100-300mm type lenses, if it is a Pentax brand, were not of the good quality Pentax is otherwise known for. And they do not sell for much on the used market. Therefore, it would be a highly questionable idea to spend money on repairs, if that is what this lens is.

The Pentax FA 80-320mm lens from the 1990's is a decent tele zoom lens, but again probably not cost-effective to pay for a repair service. You would be better off putting your money towards a Pentax HD DA 55-300mm WR, even a used one, or the latest DA 55-300mm PLM lens. Either of these would be far better for their zoom range and also bring better results.

[Alex645]

I have recently replaced my 15 year old K10 with a new k70. I have a 18-55 & 100-320 from my old camera. I’ve noticed the telephoto shoots super bright & washes the whole phone out.

If the over exposure does not happen with the 18-55mm zoom, then it's the telephoto zoom which probably has a worn out or broken spring and the aperture does not close down as it should.

It will probably cost more or about the same to repair it than to replace it.

I would recommend either the affordable 50-200mm for under $200 new (and even less used)
Pentax SMC Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED WR Zoom Lens 21870 B&H
or
the beloved 55-300mm which is currently on sale for a few more days for under $400:
Pentax HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Lens 21277

The 55-300mm is a much higher quality zoom in terms of both range and image quality, but you are paying double the price of the 50-200mm. Lenses are more important to the final image quality than the camera, thus this is the one area I would not cut corners on.

[Michail_P]

Welcome to the forum. Proper advice has been given, nothing to add. Hope you enjoy your K-70. Greetings from Greece.

[aslyfox]

welcome to the forums

you will find friendly members and a lot of knowledge here

the one thing I will add to the conversation is that you may want to consider getting the Ebook for the K 70

two ways to get it:

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[microlight]

Hello and welcome from the UK, Neoma. Lots of great advice here already.

[UncleVanya]

I would be cautious about assuming a lens problem before finding out the way things are setup. But if the lens does turn out to be faulty, several lenses have already been recommended that could do the Job nicely. However if the lens is broken I would like to hear from the OP what they liked and disliked about it and their budget before making a recommendation.

[TwoUptons]

Also what mode do you have the camera in and is your aperture ring set to “A”.

I think this is likely the right answer... if the lens is not set to “A”, it won’t meter correctly in several modes.

Your 18-55 has no aperture ring, but your telephoto lens probably does... set it to “A” and see what happens.

-Eric

[Neoma]

It is a 90’s 80-320 lens that is the brightest. The 18-55 seems a bit bright too. I’m a bit disappointed as I was led to believe that my lenses would work ( the reason I bought another Pentax) the 80-320 takes lovely low light photos though.
So I guess I will be looking at buying some glass.

---------- Post added 12-29-20 at 11:00 AM ----------

It is a 90’s 80-320 lens that is the brightest. The 18-55 seems a bit bright too. I’m a bit disappointed as I was led to believe that my lenses would work ( the reason I bought another Pentax) the 80-320 takes lovely low light photos though.
So I guess I will be looking at buying some glass.

[JohnX]

Not sure if it's still the case, but there was a time when it was accepted that Pentax would tend to over-expose a little, so standard advice was to dial in some exposure compensation and leave it as a 'permanent' adjustment, maybe half a stop or so?

[E-man]

I wouldn't give up on those lenses too quickly. As others have mentioned, you may just need to make some adjustments to the camera itself. I had a similar experience with a lens that I thought was producing muddy, yellowish images. It turned out the white balance was waaaay out of whack on the camera body on which I was testing the lens. Also for sure put the 80-320 in 'A' mode on the aperture ring. That way, the camera can control the aperture. Otherwise, it may just leave the aperture wide open, which can produce overexposed shots and shallow depth of field. When considering a particular lens, be sure to check the lens reviews on this site to see what other users think of it.

[UncleVanya]

It is a 90’s 80-320 lens that is the brightest. The 18-55 seems a bit bright too. I’m a bit disappointed as I was led to believe that my lenses would work ( the reason I bought another Pentax) the 80-320 takes lovely low light photos though.
So I guess I will be looking at buying some glass.

Slow down.

1) what exposure mode are you using on the camera? P, Av, Tv, M etc?

2) can you post an example photo from each lens?

3) is the aperture ring set to A and locked in place? This will not apply to the 18-55 which doesn’t have an aperture ring.

I realize there are a lot of ideas flying around and questions being asked. Just slow down and focus. Right now there isn’t enough info to help you diagnose the issue. I can assure you that the 80-320 - while it isn’t perfect - should give you good photos if it is working correctly and your use is within the limits of the lens. Virtually no one would consider that lens a good low light lens for example.