[gatorguy]

I would have easily missed there was the DoF/Digital Preview position on the K1's main dial accessed with a quick flip clockwise. Stumbled on it by total accident, and gosh so very convenient. No doubt everyone else knew about it but I probably would not have.

[Kevin B123]

When I first got my K-1ii I read the manual and then explored the menus and found a number of cool new things.

I am convinced I saw an option that allowed the OVF level indicator to change from black to white, so that it can be seen against a dark background. I have not found that again, maybe I imagined it.

However, I did find that pressing the AF Mode button on the left of the body turns the OVF display red, so one touch to see the display in the dark. That's more cool than cool

[rpjallan]

That my K-1 and K-3 had a video mode;-) Can't think why anyone would want that feature.

I don't take a lot of video by any means but I for one find it very handy to have just in case. I was recently watching some video I took at a preserved railway in the UK ten years ago with my K-7 and they are really quite good. I have since more or less perfected my technique and with my K-3ii I'm very happy with the results. Very handy to have if you stumble upon a moving subject.

[mikesbike]

I'm still trying to figure out the Green Button on the back of my K5 II and I had the camera for 7 years now.

See skierd's post #13. In "P" mode, you can override the automatic system if you need changing to either a preferred shutter speed or aperture, simply by doing so using your thumb or finger dial, without having to first change the mode dial to Av or Tv. Then a touch of the green button will restore full "P" operation. This activation is the unique Pentax Hyper Program operational design, so fast and efficient for making changes on the fly, just as skierd says.

Also see Steve's post #4. In Manual mode, instead of the usual twirling of thumb and finger dials to set your exposure according to the meter reading, you can simply hit the green button to instantly set exposure, according to the program line setting. Then, if you prefer a different shutter speed or aperture than the camera has chosen, first hit the AE-L button to preserve the exposure value, then using your thumb or finger dial to select your preference of either and the other will follow along to preserve your set exposure value! This system is very fast and efficient. Especially so when needing to do some spot metering around a scene having tricky lighting, to bias the exposure for a portion of the scene of interest and get the balance you are after- very quickly!

The Pentax Hyper System did first appear way back in the mid-1990's with the Z-1 aka PZ-1 35mm film camera, as rpjallan reports in post #18. I sure fell in love with it when I got my PZ-1p, and was delighted to find it being continued in Pentax DSLR cameras as well! It is a brilliant concept.

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Last edited by mikesbike; 05-22-2020 at 07:12 PM.

[kypfer]

When I first got my K-1ii I read the manual and then explored the menus and found a number of cool new things.

I am convinced I saw an option that allowed the OVF level indicator to change from black to white, so that it can be seen against a dark background. I have not found that again, maybe I imagined it.

However, I did find that pressing the AF Mode button on the left of the body turns the OVF display red, so one touch to see the display in the dark. That's more cool than cool

You write "OVF level indicator" and "OVF display", surely you mean rear screen, not "optical viewfinder" ... or is this another abbreviation I'm unaware of?


The "night-light" feature is useful under appropriate circumstances, but, as with so many other features on current Pentax DSLR's, the function of the button is probably configurable and can act as one thing in one mode and serve another function in a different mode ... confused? ... you will be!

---------- Post added 05-23-20 at 01:40 AM ----------

I would have easily missed there was the DoF/Digital Preview position on the K1's main dial accessed with a quick flip clockwise. Stumbled on it by total accident, and gosh so very convenient. No doubt everyone else knew about it but I probably would not have.

I've been used to this placement of the DoF switch since my film *ist ... confused me totally when they moved it and put "movie" in it's place on the K-70 ... the KP is different again

[Kevin B123]

You write "OVF level indicator" and "OVF display", surely you mean rear screen, not "optical viewfinder" ... or is this another abbreviation I'm unaware of?

No, I mean the optical viewfinder display, not the rear screen. The OVF display turns red along with the level indication bars. You can't see black bars against a black background so you press the AF Mode button (which is perfectly placed for it) and the problem goes away. Neat.

[kypfer]

No, I mean the optical viewfinder display, not the rear screen. The OVF display turns red along with the level indication bars. You can't see black bars against a black background so you press the AF Mode button (which is perfectly placed for it) and the problem goes away. Neat.

In that case, it is indeed a cool feature and something that is apparently unavailable on any of my APS-C bodies

[Theov39]

I thought this could be an interesting topic and maybe even prompt some people to explore more of what their cameras can do.

I've been using my K-3 for about five years now but I discovered last week something new in the B&W processing option. I process quite a few images to B&W but have never been entirely happy with the B&W images from the K-3, despite playing with the different options. Well, last week I discovered that a one-notch turn of the front camera dial will magically produce an additional two sliders to modify the highlights and shadows of the image. With them I can produce B&W pictures significantly more to my liking. Writing this, I had a quick look at some of the other jpeg profiles and most of them have the same. Why they are hidden by default is completely beyond me.

I'm sure that people will say "it took you five years to realise that?!?" but I think there must be others out there who have had similar experiences with cameras, as I know this isn't the only time it's happened to me, just the latest instance.

Both the RED filter and the IR filter effects on the K7 and the K3 produce very nice photos too in B/W mode. Add a lot more contrast. Took me about two years to discover that!

---------- Post added 05-23-20 at 11:23 AM ----------

I've only recently "discovered" the in-built "Digital Filters", specifically the "Extract Color", "Water Color", "Pastel" etc. that aren't replicated in the Digital Camera Utility.

Whilst the effects can be difficult to fully appreciate on the in-built camera screen, one can at least assess a composition with view to "treatment" whilst in the field, make a few appropriate exposures, then fine-tune the results in-camera with an HDMI cable to a full-size monitor once back at home.

I am aware that similar functionality might be achieved in Photoshop or similar software, but the few direct comparisons I've made suggest the in-camera algorithms to be surprisingly good!

These in-camera filter effects are often derided but they can be very useful. Sure there are some gimmicky effects but some are quite useful. For instance, the IR effect in the K7 and K3 in B/W mode is particularly good. Yes, I know it's not 'real' IR but it's not bad for the occasional use without the bother of using filters or the expense of converting a camera to full-time IR use.

[Mikesul]

I have owned a O-GPS1 since they first came out (not the same copy). I just noticed that on the KP the gps is turned off according to the setting for Meter Operating Time in the C menu. If Meter Operating Time is set to Off, the gps unit remains on.If it is set to a number of minutes it turns off accordingly. I usually use the K-1 gps so I have not noted this "Problem/Feature" before. I was comparing the accuracy of the KP + O-GPS-1 to the K-1 GPS when I noticed that the KP kept losing gps. So (tiny) problem found/problem solved.

[wrench.doozer]

K70, info-> parameter adj.
I will have to see how this compares to software post process.

[skierd]

When using older, pre A lenses, the green button can also be configured to be used for stop down metering. It’ll also work that way with m42 lenses that are set to manual, but instead of stopping down (since it can’t, it’ll try) it’ll take a reading through the set aperture and set shutter speeds appropriately.

See skierd's post #13. In "P" mode, you can override the automatic system if you need changing to either a preferred shutter speed or aperture, simply by doing so using your thumb or finger dial, without having to first change the mode dial to Av or Tv. Then a touch of the green button will restore full "P" operation. This activation is the unique Pentax Hyper Program operational design, so fast and efficient for making changes on the fly, just as skierd says.

Also see Steve's post #4. In Manual mode, instead of the usual twirling of thumb and finger dials to set your exposure according to the meter reading, you can simply hit the green button to instantly set exposure, according to the program line setting. Then, if you prefer a different shutter speed or aperture than the camera has chosen, first hit the AE-L button to preserve the exposure value, then using your thumb or finger dial to select your preference of either and the other will follow along to preserve your set exposure value! This system is very fast and efficient. Especially so when needing to do some spot metering around a scene having tricky lighting, to bias the exposure for a portion of the scene of interest and get the balance you are after- very quickly!

The Pentax Hyper System did first appear way back in the mid-1990's with the Z-1 aka PZ-1 35mm film camera, as rpjallan reports in post #18. I sure fell in love with it when I got my PZ-1p, and was delighted to find it being continued in Pentax DSLR cameras as well! It is a brilliant concept.

[kypfer]

K70, info-> parameter adj.
I will have to see how this compares to software post process.

I have spent some time comparing the in-camera effects to some basic procedures in Photoshop (very old version) ... the results can be quite different.

Photoshop has a wide range of options and parameters for almost every setting, so changes can range from subtle to dramatic. However, within their limitations, the in-camera effects can be very satisfying and, more importantly for me, give virtually instant preview "in the field", so I can re-compose or re-expose to suit the final result

Whilst you're "playing", don't forget to try using two or more filters in combination. One effect I quite like, for stone architecture like churches, especially, is to apply the "Watercolor" filter, then "Monochrome" the output. This can result in a very pleasant "pen-&-ink" effect ... and all without a computer, let alone expensive editing software

Although the on-camera screen can give a reasonable representation of the final result, working with the camera connected via HDMI to a bigger screen/TV can be far more satisfying

Enjoy!

[Lowell Goudge]

That my K-1 and K-3 had a video mode;-) Can't think why anyone would want that feature.

Also, as I don't like getting caught out with these things, the first thing I do when I receive a new camera is check inside to confirm it's got a mirror. Then I'm happy. The manual is read long time later. So not know about some features? Many, I suspect.

Good thread, guess I'll learn something ...

It’s been around for a long time before the K3, I forget which camera first had it for me, I think K7, but I Tried it once Just to see if it worked, And promptly forgot all about it, if I need video I use the Q.

[bdery]

Electronic shutter comes to mind, as one of the most underrated features of Pentax cameras.

[Kevin B123]

Electronic shutter comes to mind, as one of the most underrated features of Pentax cameras.

I have never used it, I'll look it up now