[womble]

I've never quite figured out why, but I have always found "green button metering" to be hugely unreliable. Wide-open is fine, but the more one stops down the more likely it will be off, anything up to 3 or 4 stops (this is with a K10D, K20D and a K-3). In many ways using a Tak is easier as one can put the camera in Av mode, and then use the auto/manual switch on the lens to flip between wide open for focusing and stopped down for taking the photograph. Given that the green button is stopping the lens down to take the reading, it is puzzling why it is so poor.

[Hidrieus]

The old timers that I mentioned above do not have live view to aid in manual focus. If this is a requirement, look at a K5 II, K3, K3 II or KP. The forgotten generation of K20D, K7 and K5 aren't worth it in terms of money saved IMHO.

If buying new, get the KP. It has a more modern sensor than the K70 and is not that much more.

I have both K-5 and K-5IIs. Although the screen of the K-5IIs is good to avoid sun reflections at the field, I prefer the screen of the K-5, I find it more faithful. The antialiasing filter of the K-5 does not make an issue for me, for the on hand photography I practice I do not see differences in sharpness. But the best reason I prefer K-5 over the K-5IIs is the Imaging Compare feature. Suppose you take multiple shots hand held of a model. You can easily synchronize the images in the monitor and compare the details.

[MXLX]

Grrr. Rainy days and boredom lead to circular logic. With respect to this thread, my underlying knowledge is that I don't need another body. The underlying thought is that it would be sort of neat to have a Pentax body for my MF Pentax lenses. So:

• Would really rather not spend a lot
• Hmm...people get nice results from the early CCD bodies, and those are relatively cheap
• But, just a little more recent body would provide better DR and resolution for not a lot of money
• But, jeez, haven't used an OVF in a long time, those are likely to be hard to focus
• Some of the later ones do allow focus peaking
• And a newer body would probably do a great job of showing off those older lenses
• But the K-30, 50, and maybe 70 have aperture control issues
• The KP doesn't
• But jeez (2), if you get to the K-70 or KP, you're spending some real money...

Ahhh...don't really need another body.

Rainy days suck. And the USPS is way overdue on a photo package shipped on the 20th...

[ChristianRock]

Grrr. Rainy days and boredom lead to circular logic. With respect to this thread, my underlying knowledge is that I don't need another body. The underlying thought is that it would be sort of neat to have a Pentax body for my MF Pentax lenses. So:

• Would really rather not spend a lot
• Hmm...people get nice results from the early CCD bodies, and those are relatively cheap
• But, just a little more recent body would provide better DR and resolution for not a lot of money
• But, jeez, haven't used an OVF in a long time, those are likely to be hard to focus
• Some of the later ones do allow focus peaking
• And a newer body would probably do a great job of showing off those older lenses
• But the K-30, 50, and maybe 70 have aperture control issues
• The KP doesn't
• But jeez (2), if you get to the K-70 or KP, you're spending some real money...

Ahhh...don't really need another body.

Rainy days suck. And the USPS is way overdue on a photo package shipped on the 20th...

I don't think you should worry about aperture issues if you are using this body only with older lenses. It won't affect anything, it only affects the A position.

[MXLX]

So, (because I’ve never handled a K-mount digital camera), will a properly operating camera with say an M50/1.7 meter with the lens fully open, stop down to shoot, then open back up? That and having the lenses operate closer to their original FOV would be two big pluses for having a modern K body. I’ve been operating in stop-down mode on the Olympus.

[ZombieArmy]

So, (because I’ve never handled a K-mount digital camera), will a properly operating camera with say an M50/1.7 meter with the lens fully open, stop down to shoot, then open back up? That and having the lenses operate closer to their original FOV would be two big pluses for having a modern K body. I’ve been operating in stop-down mode on the Olympus.

Yeah the lens automatically stops down when taking a shot. The only issue of course is you need to stop down meter using the green button on the camera.

[ChristianRock]

So, (because I’ve never handled a K-mount digital camera), will a properly operating camera with say an M50/1.7 meter with the lens fully open, stop down to shoot, then open back up? That and having the lenses operate closer to their original FOV would be two big pluses for having a modern K body. I’ve been operating in stop-down mode on the Olympus.

If you use the M option (Manual) in the camera settings, it will stop down the lens. Some other modes will work (like P or Av) but the lens will always shoot wide open.

You also have to enable the use of an aperture ring in the camera's menu, and set up your green button to Tv Shift when using the M mode (sometimes these settings are already set up when you buy a used camera...)

This forum, being the most helpful place for Pentax users, has an article with a video that should help:
How to Use Manual Lenses on Pentax DSLRs - Tutorial Videos | PentaxForums.com

[MXLX]

^^^^^
Excellent.. Thanks for the link. I had not done that research yet. Manual lenses on M4/3 are mount and shoot; basically aperture priority by default, with the camera reading whatever you have it set at as wide open.

[pres589]

I've enjoyed using my K-5 II with pre-A glass using the DoF stopdown function to meter the scene and make adjustments to the aperture, ISO, or exposure time based on what the light meter told me. The images are also quite pushable in post-processing so a bit of under-exposure is the smart way to go if there's any doubt of getting things off.

The AF system in Pentax cameras will tell you if it thinks the shot is in focus or not using a few different means. A viewfinder magnifier could also help (I've not used one) and it won't cause problems like what can happen if you change the focusing screen for a different one like the Canon s-type screen or similar options. That said, I think with some time to see how things come out and playing with EV compensation, a person could combine all of these things as mentioned previously in this thread to get to a pretty good manual focusing setup with the K-1 or other cameras that offer replaceable screens.

For a little money I'd probably go with a K-5 II or IIs due to the pushability of the RAW files from the camera, the generally nice images they produce, and features like Live View with magnification. For more money a K-1 would be nice due to being full-frame. The oddball option that might be worth exploring is the K-01 mirrorless k-mount that lacks a viewfinder but offers focus peaking via the rear display.

[steamloco76]

I've enjoyed using my K-5 II with pre-A glass using the DoF stopdown function to meter the scene and make adjustments to the aperture, ISO, or exposure time based on what the light meter told me. The images are also quite pushable in post-processing so a bit of under-exposure is the smart way to go if there's any doubt of getting things off.

The AF system in Pentax cameras will tell you if it thinks the shot is in focus or not using a few different means. A viewfinder magnifier could also help (I've not used one) and it won't cause problems like what can happen if you change the focusing screen for a different one like the Canon s-type screen or similar options. That said, I think with some time to see how things come out and playing with EV compensation, a person could combine all of these things as mentioned previously in this thread to get to a pretty good manual focusing setup with the K-1 or other cameras that offer replaceable screens.

For a little money I'd probably go with a K-5 II or IIs due to the pushability of the RAW files from the camera, the generally nice images they produce, and features like Live View with magnification. For more money a K-1 would be nice due to being full-frame. The oddball option that might be worth exploring is the K-01 mirrorless k-mount that lacks a viewfinder but offers focus peaking via the rear display.

I have a large collection of Takumar lenses which I’ve tried on several Pentax DSLR cameras, My primary recommendation, a K-5ii or K5iis. The 16.3MP sensor seems to get the most out of these older design lenses without showing every last optical flaw. I was not as happy with the results from my 24 MP K-3 or KP.

[MXLX]

Okay. I think I understand. K- M- and A- lenses all mount. K- and M- lenses can be used stop-down in full manual mode, where I set the aperture, then the meter will guide me to the second step of setting the shutter speed. OR if I want a shutter speed, I can alter the aperture until the meter indicates proper exposure.

So far so good?

But: it does not let me default to what would be aperture priority, meaning I set the aperture and let the camera control shutter speed without a second step (which I understand is the "green button" step). Do I understand correctly?

[pres589]

MXLX: That all sounds right to me. No Pentax DSLR couples to the aperture ring on k-mount cameras; they have no idea what the aperture ring has been set to, so they cannot intelligently change shutter speed and/or ISO. You get to do that with either the green button or the DoF preview being the stop-down command to the body. Otherwise you're using Sunny 16 or a hand-held meter to arrive at a correct spot in the exposure triangle.

[Jonathan Mac]

As much as I like my Pentax DLSRs, for an APS-C camera with IBIS that plays well with manual lenses, I think Fujifilm X-series mirrorless cameras are a better bet, though you're limited to the newest models for the IBIS. This is mainly for the ease in focusing, which is challenging on an APS-C DSLR due to the imprecise viewfinder. If Katzeye focusing screens were still around then adding one of them makes a huge difference, but even then not to the level of a good mirrorless camera.

Mirrorless cameras can also meter better with manual lenses as they are essentially in Av mode with the aperture stopping down as the ring is turned rather than at the moment of exposure.

[Erich_H]

Greets!

I ended up on the forum because I got drawn into using vintage manual focus Pentax lenses. I don't remember which came first, Takumars or M-series, but I've ended up with a fair number of these gems. I've been shooting them adapted to Olympus mirrorless bodies. I went to Olympus when I went digital a buncha years ago, and stayed with Micro 4/3 because of the IBIS. I used to be able to hand hold a Series 1 70-210 at the long end, but those days are gone, so stabilization is a key factor for me. The OM-Ds remind me a lot of my beloved MX.

With that as background, I have sort of loosely started thinking about looking for a native Pentax body to use with the vintage lenses. I don't think I want to go FF because of size and weight. No need for video capability. I'm in the same boat as another advice seeker in a different thread; there's no Pentax dealer in the whole of NC.

I'm starting to poke through the comparison feature here, but guidance and opinions would be welcome, as at this point, I don't know what I don't know. Thanks!

Please, let me be the first to humbly congratulate you on your soon-to-be delivered K-5!

And if you don't want it, I'll take it!

Just PM me for shipping address!

Regards/Erik

[tibbitts]

I have a large collection of Takumar lenses which I’ve tried on several Pentax DSLR cameras, My primary recommendation, a K-5ii or K5iis. The 16.3MP sensor seems to get the most out of these older design lenses without showing every last optical flaw. I was not as happy with the results from my 24 MP K-3 or KP.

For this application I see almost no advantage of the ii series vs. the original. You can say the lcd screen might be slightly better but the AF was the big improvement story and won't matter here. The iis pricing is really irrational and if that last ounce of resolution is important, it still can't compete with higher-mp bodies.