[pbellamy]

Hi...

I'm wondering if there is a way to get an immediate image view while shooting from the K10D?

I want to be able to show the model I am working with the image on a screen in the studio as the picture is taken rather than looking in the cameras LCD or waiting to download a SD card to my mac.. I think this would help composition. I've done so before on medium format cameras and I think Nikon/Canon do this.

Any ideas? Is it possible? Is it via the video out connection? Is there a PC option?

AM I looking for something that is not available with the K10D?

[Confused]

Hi "pbellamy"

I don't wish to be the harbinger of bad news, but I'm afraid that the K10D is NOT capable of providing a 'live' preview output, in the same way that a video-camera would for example. I did post a question recently regarding the usefulness of Remote Assistant, which is a piece of free software that you can download from Pentax's web-site. This integrates with the editing software that is supplied with the K10D. Unfortunately, if you were photographing in a 'tethered' studio scenario, because the K10D is incapable of providing a 'live' preview, you actually have to take a shot by clicking on the 'shutter-button' (that is graphically represented (along with many other controls) on the computer screen), before the image appears on your laptop/desktop monitor !! It's not entirely a brilliant situation, is it !! I understand that some Sony and Olympus DSLR's offer 'live' preview as a feature, but unless Pentax actually rectify this present ommision in forthcoming models, you're going to be out of luck !

Best regards

[ivoire]

you can purchase a wireless transmitter and receiver that attaches to camera and a laptop/pc. when you shoot a pic, it immediately shows up on the laptop/pc screen. Calumet photo sells it, so i would expect other camera shops to have it also.

[and]

for live view, Get a zigview S2 and hook its video output to a monitor, then you have live view, take the picture with the remote assistant software and u will also get the taken picture showing up on your computer screen. Altho you wont be able to use your viewfinder the normal way if u do this.

but I think what u are asking for is just to see the imgae on your screen after u take it, that can be acomplished with the, sadly, sucky remote assistant software. I think since the preview window is not adjustable there, the best way to do it is to have the software auto-save all images to a folder and then just have that folder open in, say, pentax photo browser and refresh it to see the new images coming in.

[pbellamy]

Thanks,

The wireless transfer/software option sounds interesting... Any idea what the product's name is? I can't find it on the online store.

I'm not looking for a small image like the zigview. I want to be able to see this on my mac as I shoot. I have a projector in the studio on the opposite all to where the model would be.

If I have the mac connected to the projector the model could see the image as we shoot which would be really interesting (note I did not necessarily say useful). From my perspective being able to see the image shot on a high def screen would be great.

[and]

The zigview has a video out that you can connect to your projector and get the live view on the projector. but thats just the live view, not the finished image.

[ivoire]

a simple method would be to connect your camera to a tv that has a video input jack via the supplied pentax video cable. when you shoot the pic, it will display on the tv (put the tv in video mode). see pgs 94 and 195 in the pentax manual. i just tried it, works flawlessly.

[and]

Thats interesting, I hadnt read about or thought about that. I thought of the video out on the camera as only being a means of doing a slideshow of the pictures on the card.

So how long will the picture stay on the monitor? the same as the instant preview time? and then the screen goes black untill you take another pic?

[ivoire]

it stayed on there til i turned off the camera. didn't time it, but its longer than the preview on camera. i think it stays til you turn it off or shoot again. keep in mind that it will use a fair amount of power and drain the battery quicker. if you shoot in a studio and use this setup, i'd get an external power supply and plug in the camera. then battery power will not matter. a friend tried it with his nikon d200 a few months ago and it worked. saw your post and tried it on my k10d. an inexpensive 13" tv with video jack works well... you should try it.

[pbellamy]

Thanks... I just tried that. It mimics the cameras review time. So I got a max of 5 seconds on screen before it disappears.

It's lo-definition, but it's a cheap answer and I think 5 seconds is enough for my purposes as well.

Thanks guys... now I need a longer cable so I can tether the camera to the projector (it's ceiling mounted)...