[Lloydy]

Is there any to tell how much space is left on the SD card when it's in a K10 ?

I've looked in the manual but can't see anything.

[simons-photography]

whilst not pressing any buttons the bottom right of the LCD panel and the right hand number in the view finder will tell you how many shots are left in DNG format, in PEF format you will have 25-30% more images available due to the looseless compression applied to PEF files as for JPEG it will again be approximate due to varying compression ratios according to the complexity of the image

[Lloydy]

Got it, I looked everywhere for that ( basic ) bit of information. I don't do instruction books very well.

It's a shame it doesn't just tell you what % of the card is still available.

[Chris]

It's a shame it doesn't just tell you what % of the card is still available.

Most people prefer to know how many shots are left as opposed to guessing by knowing what percentage is free, it is a more concrete number for photographers, and has existed since film days. Older cameras told you how many exposures were left, not what percentage of the film remained.

[Lloydy]

Yes, I used film for the last 30 years and I'm used to the film counters. But there are a lot of variables with digital that can make a difference between say 100 pictures or 120 pictures on a card, and all the brain of the camera can work out is the amount used, it can't predict whether you're going to alter your storage settings dramatically and start to use more space that you have already used ( if that makes sense ? )

A quick % in the display would, I think, give a better idea of what's left. But at least I have an idea now.

[simons-photography]

Yes, I used film for the last 30 years and I'm used to the film counters. But there are a lot of variables with digital that can make a difference between say 100 pictures or 120 pictures on a card, and all the brain of the camera can work out is the amount used, it can't predict whether you're going to alter your storage settings dramatically and start to use more space that you have already used ( if that makes sense ? )

A quick % in the display would, I think, give a better idea of what's left. But at least I have an idea now.

well beter still you would want to know how many MB are left

[Lloydy]

it's probably just 'me' - but I think that the option of having the % of card space left would be very nice.

I have dyscalculia, dyslexia with numbers, which can make dealing with numbers very difficult, they become meaningless and impossible to remember when I'm in a situation where I'm dealing with numbers for any time, and that time can be very short. ( why I chose engineering as a profession and photography as a hobby is still a mystery to me? )

Seeing a % is a simple concept that I can visualise rather than have to figure out, although I realise that looking at the number of shots left isn't exactly 'figuring anything out'.

Looking at a number filled display becomes meaningless for me very rapidly. Many years ago I sold a Canon A1 and 'downgraded' to an Ae1P because the A1 displayed the f stops in 1/3 of a stop, and it confused the hell outta me!

[Cedar]

Most people prefer to know how many shots are left as opposed to guessing by knowing what percentage is free, it is a more concrete number for photographers, and has existed since film days. Older cameras told you how many exposures were left, not what percentage of the film remained.

Yep.

I certainly wouldn't mind having the option, but I personally would never use it as I too prefer the existing "estimated shots remaining" over a percentage or MB free count.

What does annoy me is that if you set the "Display Sensitivity" setting to ON, you lose the ability to see the remaining shot count.

With "Display Sensitivity" = OFF, number of shots remaining is displayed, but pressing the OK button tells you your sensitivity.

With "Display Sensitivity" = On, the ISO displays on the viewfinder and top LCD, and the OK button does nothing.

So far as I can tell, there is no way to show the number of shots remaining with this setting to ON.

I hope Pentax will correct this by having the OK button show the "# of shots left" whenever the Display Sensitivity option is ON.

But for now I avoid the problem by using bigger SD cards.

[Fototim]

Yep.

What does annoy me is that if you set the "Display Sensitivity" setting to ON, you lose the ability to see the remaining shot count.

This is not 100% correect. Number of shorts left are displayed a few seconds after exposure.

With "Display Sensitivity" = On, the ISO displays on the viewfinder and top LCD, and the OK button does nothing.

Not correct either. "Display Sensitivity = On" turnes OK button into a ISO button. Pushing the OK button enables you to adjust ISO on the fly with the front wheel. A very useful feature IMO.

One more feature with "Display Sensitivity = On": Pushing OK and Green button at the same time, switches Auto ISO on.

All this features are undocumented in the manual. Pentax, please correct this

MaritimTim

[Fototim]

Follow up, firmware upgrade sugestion:
A posible solution is to allow us to see number of shots left when pushng, OK + Shutter release button.

MaritimTim

[Cedar]

This is not 100% correect. Number of shorts left are displayed a few seconds after exposure.

I'll edit my OP to say "no way to check number of shots remaining without taking a shot". Minor either way IMO.

Not correct either. "Display Sensitivity = On" turnes OK button into a ISO button. Pushing the OK button enables you to adjust ISO on the fly with the front wheel.

Not correct either?

I know that OK+front dial adjusts ISO, as I was VERY happy to find this by accident yesterday.

But it certainly still seems to me that with "Display Sensitivity" ON, pressing just the OK does nothing, and could indeed show shots remaining.

Am I missing something?

But as you pointed out, the remaining estimate shows up after each shot... so again, it's very minor.

One more feature with "Display Sensitivity = On": Pushing OK and Green button at the same time, switches Auto ISO on.

Awesome. Simply awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

So with OK & Green, and OK & front wheel.... why do we have SV mode again? I'd vote to replace it with User2. Yeah... that's an easy change.

All this features are undocumented in the manual. Pentax, please correct this

Yes please.

The included manual definately left me wanting "more!".

Perhaps we should setup a technical wiki.

[Cedar]

Actually I just discovered the following on my K20D.

1. When you switch the camera off, for about half a second it displays the number of shots left (on top LCD only).
2. If you are in one of these modes: Sv, Av, Tv or TAv; you can press OK to display the number of shots left (on top LCD and in viewfinder).

I agree that you could turn on and off your camera, but seems a rather inelegant method. Far better IMO to do the momentary "OK" press as discussed earlier in this thread.

Nice find with the SV / TAV mode thing. True for me also... but only in these modes.

Let me ask a question: Do you have one of the wheels set to adjust ISO in AV & TV? If so that might be why you see ISO in these modes while others don't.

Update: Yep. If I switch a dial to control ISO in a mode, then pressing OK now shows shots remaining. Not worth it for me... but it explains why some people get shots remaining with OK is some modes while others do not.

But NOT at the expense of displaying the ISO number!

Nobody has suggested that. Only that a mometary OK press, should momentarilly show the # remaining, in a similar, or is it opposite? , maner to what a momentary OK press does with display sensitivity = off.

[Fototim]

But it certainly still seems to me that with "Display Sensitivity" ON, pressing just the OK does nothing, and could indeed show shots remaining.

When pushing the OK button, you shifts the front wheel function to sensitivy adjustment.
That's a lot more than nothing IMHO

MaritimTim

[Cedar]

When pushing the OK button, you shifts the front wheel function to sensitivy adjustment.
That's a lot more than nothing IMHO

MaritimTim

Semantics? Ugh.

Pressing the button and turning the wheel adjusts sensitivity yes... and I wouldn't want that to change in the least.

Pressing only the OK button... does nothing useful I can see, unlike when Display Sensitivity is turned Off.

The reason for my suggestion was that after handing my camera to a friend (who is looking to switch from a bridge camera to a DSLR), she took a few dozen shots, and then wanted to know how many more her SD card would hold. But naturally I had display ISO on...

So... tell her to turn the camera off and back on to see?

Tell her to turn the mode dial and change modes to a mode like SV where the ISO is dial adjustable and then press OK?

Go into custom settings and turn off Display ISO... NEVER!!!

It's a common thing for someone testing a camera to want to know, and I think the current functionality is, and workarounds are, inelegant.

They won't help sell the camera.

It's like not having a hotkey way into live view (FN + Green please) if you have Optical Preview turned on.

It all makes the camera seem more complicated to newcomers, who for some reason want to be able to simply press a button.

But I have 8GB & 16BG cards... so I rarely care about how many shots are left. And if I do I'll just reboot the camera.

[Arpe]

Isn't there room in the viewfinder for both ISO and shots remaining? Simple. Next camera though I guess.