K10D and manual lens?

vinzer · 03-31-2007, 08:20 AM

I found a manual lens earlier today and I was supposed to buy it for my K10D. I backed-off, though, since the only way the K10D would take a photo with it was if I taped the lens contacts on the K10D.

I know I must be doing something wrong, since I feel that using a manual lens shouldn't require such an unelegant hack.

How should I use manual lenses on the K10D? Any info would be greatly appreciated and it would kick off my LBA.

Toonahfish · 03-31-2007, 08:34 AM

I had the same problem and then I worked it out. You have a number of options.

1. Put the camera in M mode, but then you have to select the shutter speed throught eh viewfinder and the aperture of the lens (but you can set the aperture you want and then press the green button, the camera will stop down to the aperture you have set, meter the light and suggest a shutter speed).

2. Back to green mode, it depends what autofocus setting you have on the side switch i.e. AF.S, AF.C or MF. In AF.S mode, the camera will not take a picture until it is perfectly in focus i.e. the little green hexagon has appeared in the viewfinder and the camera has bleeped, if you have the bleep switched on. In the other two modes it will take the picture whatever.

It took me a while to fathom, but its quite simple really. Hope this helps.

osv · 03-31-2007, 10:37 AM

you should never have to tape anything to get a manual lens to work on the k10d.

read pages 208-210 to see if it applies to the lense that you are using... did you set the aperture ring to "permitted"? the focus switch is usually set to manual, but it will give you a beep when the focus is close.

in theory, you could manually set the aperture on the lens, then use the green button in manual mode to set the correct exposure... but in my experience, the resulting exposure is not consistent across different types of manual lenses.

i end up using preview in the lcd monitor, with the histogram, to set the correct exposure.

vinzer · 03-31-2007, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the quick replies! That was very much appreciated. I guess I'll go back tomorrow and hope no one has bought the lens just yet.

Toonahfish · 03-31-2007, 11:58 AM

Hehe indeed. Although, hold your horses. I'm considering buying a split image focusing screen. Focusing manually is tricky, especially in low light and the split image screen will help with that. They aren't cheap (about 20 quid or about 50 dollars) but they will make life much easier. Failing that, get the autofocus version. Also note that to use the lens you will need to change the custom setting 'Use aperture ring' to permitted otherwise it won't work.

trog100 · 03-31-2007, 12:16 PM

buying a bunch of used manual lenses is a cheap way of curing your inevitable LBA.. it can also be fun.. he he

trog

**LeoTaylor** · 03-31-2007, 02:51 PM

My wife's istD has yet to ever touch an automatic lens. When I bought my K100D the kit lens became the only AF lens among our dozen or so. We never have to tape over the camera contacts. I did take me awhile to get her istD in full manual mode, especially discovering the Aperture Ring option.

I've heard of other brands that do require tape over the contacts when used with a T-ring for connecting to a telescope. My K100D will be mounted on my 2000mm f10 scope as soon as it gets dark.

vinzer · 03-31-2007, 07:52 PM

Yeah, I did hear of other cameras needing contacts to be taped before accepting old lenses. I just learned about the Custom Settings menu and manual aperture selection just last night, thanks to some nice people here in the forums.

Looks like I'm developing LBA! Haha.

Sleepy · 03-31-2007, 08:34 PM

Originally posted by Toonahfish

I
2. Back to green mode, it depends what autofocus setting you have on the side switch i.e. AF.S, AF.C or MF. In AF.S mode, the camera will not take a picture until it is perfectly in focus i.e. the little green hexagon has appeared in the viewfinder and the camera has bleeped, if you have the bleep switched on. In the other two modes it will take the picture whatever.

Thanks for your information.
However, with regard to the green mode, the camera will shoot with max aperture regardless of what the aperture (ring) is???

Would you please let me know how I could use manual lens (let's say Pentax-M lens) in green mode???

Thanks...

**mtngal** · 03-31-2007, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by Sleepy

Thanks for your information.
However, with regard to the green mode, the camera will shoot with max aperture regardless of what the aperture (ring) is???

Would you please let me know how I could use manual lens (let's say Pentax-M lens) in green mode???

Thanks...

You are correct - if you are using M lenses on anything other than M-mode (such as Green, P, Av etc.) the camera will not stop down the lens, so you will be shooting wide open, regardless of the aperture setting on the lens. On M lenses, there's a mechanical lever that stops down the lens and unless the camera is set to M mode, it won't activate it.

This can be an advantage if you are shooting in low light - the camera continuously adjusts the shutter speed so you don't have to remember to push the green button to meter, like you do with M mode (works like an A lens as far as metering goes, just won't stop down the lens).

The only way to get the camera to stop down the lens is to use M mode, set the aperture on the lens, then push the green button to set the shutter speed for the set aperture.

Sleepy · 03-31-2007, 10:35 PM

Thanks for your reply, mtngal ^_^.
Another question about "A" lenses. If I use "A" lenses, I could use all the shooting modes (Av, Tv, P, etc...) and the camera would stop down itself as long as the aperture ring is at "A". Is this correct???

Thank you very much.

roscot · 04-01-2007, 05:09 AM

That is correct.

**mtngal** · 04-01-2007, 05:19 AM

Originally posted by Sleepy

Another question about "A" lenses. If I use "A" lenses, I could use all the shooting modes (Av, Tv, P, etc...) and the camera would stop down itself as long as the aperture ring is at "A". Is this correct???

That is correct. The A lenses are auto exposure/manual focus lenses so they have electrical contacts on them to talk to the camera. The camera can control the lens aperture as long as the aperture ring is set to A. If the lens is set to anything other than "A" it would act like a manual lens.

- Harriet

Sleepy · 04-02-2007, 02:28 AM

Thank you very much for your reply.
I should've figured out what the difference was before getting my "M" lens..

osv · 04-02-2007, 09:29 AM

if you are having issues with manual lenses that have the pin, such as super-taks, take a look at where the auto/manual switch on the side of the lense is set.

Originally posted by Toonahfish

Hehe indeed. Although, hold your horses. I'm considering buying a split image focusing screen.

there is a vendor in shanghai who is selling 'em cheaper, it's about $30 total shipped to the u.s.... i just ordered one, it hasn't arrived yet, so i can't give a personal testimony, but you can read more here: Ebay split image focus screen [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

i believe that the focus screen can also affect how well the camera sets the shutter speed in manual mode, so it's important.

03-31-2007, 08:20 AM	#1
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399	K10D and manual lens? I found a manual lens earlier today and I was supposed to buy it for my K10D. I backed-off, though, since the only way the K10D would take a photo with it was if I taped the lens contacts on the K10D. I know I must be doing something wrong, since I feel that using a manual lens shouldn't require such an unelegant hack. How should I use manual lenses on the K10D? Any info would be greatly appreciated and it would kick off my LBA.

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03-31-2007, 08:34 AM	#2
Toonahfish Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London Posts: 27	I had the same problem and then I worked it out. You have a number of options. 1. Put the camera in M mode, but then you have to select the shutter speed throught eh viewfinder and the aperture of the lens (but you can set the aperture you want and then press the green button, the camera will stop down to the aperture you have set, meter the light and suggest a shutter speed). 2. Back to green mode, it depends what autofocus setting you have on the side switch i.e. AF.S, AF.C or MF. In AF.S mode, the camera will not take a picture until it is perfectly in focus i.e. the little green hexagon has appeared in the viewfinder and the camera has bleeped, if you have the bleep switched on. In the other two modes it will take the picture whatever. It took me a while to fathom, but its quite simple really. Hope this helps.

03-31-2007, 10:37 AM	#3
osv Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: So Cal Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,080	you should never have to tape anything to get a manual lens to work on the k10d. read pages 208-210 to see if it applies to the lense that you are using... did you set the aperture ring to "permitted"? the focus switch is usually set to manual, but it will give you a beep when the focus is close. in theory, you could manually set the aperture on the lens, then use the green button in manual mode to set the correct exposure... but in my experience, the resulting exposure is not consistent across different types of manual lenses. i end up using preview in the lcd monitor, with the histogram, to set the correct exposure.

03-31-2007, 11:20 AM	#4
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399 Original Poster	Thanks for the quick replies! That was very much appreciated. I guess I'll go back tomorrow and hope no one has bought the lens just yet.

03-31-2007, 11:58 AM	#5
Toonahfish Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: London Posts: 27	Hehe indeed. Although, hold your horses. I'm considering buying a split image focusing screen. Focusing manually is tricky, especially in low light and the split image screen will help with that. They aren't cheap (about 20 quid or about 50 dollars) but they will make life much easier. Failing that, get the autofocus version. Also note that to use the lens you will need to change the custom setting 'Use aperture ring' to permitted otherwise it won't work.

03-31-2007, 12:16 PM	#6
trog100 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UK Posts: 642	buying a bunch of used manual lenses is a cheap way of curing your inevitable LBA.. it can also be fun.. he he trog

03-31-2007, 02:51 PM	#7
LeoTaylor Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Connecticut Photos: Gallery Posts: 679	My wife's istD has yet to ever touch an automatic lens. When I bought my K100D the kit lens became the only AF lens among our dozen or so. We never have to tape over the camera contacts. I did take me awhile to get her istD in full manual mode, especially discovering the Aperture Ring option. I've heard of other brands that do require tape over the contacts when used with a T-ring for connecting to a telescope. My K100D will be mounted on my 2000mm f10 scope as soon as it gets dark.

03-31-2007, 07:52 PM	#8
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399 Original Poster	Yeah, I did hear of other cameras needing contacts to be taped before accepting old lenses. I just learned about the Custom Settings menu and manual aperture selection just last night, thanks to some nice people here in the forums. Looks like I'm developing LBA! Haha.

03-31-2007, 08:34 PM	#9
Sleepy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Miami Photos: Gallery Posts: 133	Originally posted by Toonahfish I 2. Back to green mode, it depends what autofocus setting you have on the side switch i.e. AF.S, AF.C or MF. In AF.S mode, the camera will not take a picture until it is perfectly in focus i.e. the little green hexagon has appeared in the viewfinder and the camera has bleeped, if you have the bleep switched on. In the other two modes it will take the picture whatever. Thanks for your information. However, with regard to the green mode, the camera will shoot with max aperture regardless of what the aperture (ring) is??? Would you please let me know how I could use manual lens (let's say Pentax-M lens) in green mode??? Thanks...

03-31-2007, 10:13 PM	#10
mtngal Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wherever I’m Parked Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,003	Originally posted by Sleepy Thanks for your information. However, with regard to the green mode, the camera will shoot with max aperture regardless of what the aperture (ring) is??? Would you please let me know how I could use manual lens (let's say Pentax-M lens) in green mode??? Thanks... You are correct - if you are using M lenses on anything other than M-mode (such as Green, P, Av etc.) the camera will not stop down the lens, so you will be shooting wide open, regardless of the aperture setting on the lens. On M lenses, there's a mechanical lever that stops down the lens and unless the camera is set to M mode, it won't activate it. This can be an advantage if you are shooting in low light - the camera continuously adjusts the shutter speed so you don't have to remember to push the green button to meter, like you do with M mode (works like an A lens as far as metering goes, just won't stop down the lens). The only way to get the camera to stop down the lens is to use M mode, set the aperture on the lens, then push the green button to set the shutter speed for the set aperture.

03-31-2007, 10:35 PM	#11
Sleepy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Miami Photos: Gallery Posts: 133	Thanks for your reply, mtngal ^_^. Another question about "A" lenses. If I use "A" lenses, I could use all the shooting modes (Av, Tv, P, etc...) and the camera would stop down itself as long as the aperture ring is at "A". Is this correct??? Thank you very much.

04-01-2007, 05:09 AM	#12
roscot Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Beach VA USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,363	That is correct.

04-01-2007, 05:19 AM	#13
mtngal Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wherever I’m Parked Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,003	Originally posted by Sleepy Another question about "A" lenses. If I use "A" lenses, I could use all the shooting modes (Av, Tv, P, etc...) and the camera would stop down itself as long as the aperture ring is at "A". Is this correct??? That is correct. The A lenses are auto exposure/manual focus lenses so they have electrical contacts on them to talk to the camera. The camera can control the lens aperture as long as the aperture ring is set to A. If the lens is set to anything other than "A" it would act like a manual lens. - Harriet

04-02-2007, 02:28 AM	#14
Sleepy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Miami Photos: Gallery Posts: 133	Thank you very much for your reply. I should've figured out what the difference was before getting my "M" lens..

04-02-2007, 09:29 AM	#15
osv Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: So Cal Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,080	if you are having issues with manual lenses that have the pin, such as super-taks, take a look at where the auto/manual switch on the side of the lense is set. Originally posted by Toonahfish Hehe indeed. Although, hold your horses. I'm considering buying a split image focusing screen. there is a vendor in shanghai who is selling 'em cheaper, it's about $30 total shipped to the u.s.... i just ordered one, it hasn't arrived yet, so i can't give a personal testimony, but you can read more here: Ebay split image focus screen [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review i believe that the focus screen can also affect how well the camera sets the shutter speed in manual mode, so it's important.