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09-18-2020, 04:33 AM   #1
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any way to turn my Pentax KX into a video conferencing cam (Zoom, etc) in Ubuntu?

I'll soon be re-purposing a drawer stored (but unfortunately extensively modified for astronomy) Logitech for the purpose, but, as I see Canon coming out with special software to enable the task on certain models of their DSLRs, I wondered if the same thing might be possible with my old KX?


Over the years, I've used PK Tether to allow my laptop to acquire, display, and store raws during astronomy sessions (my laptop has Win 10 as PK only works on Win) so at least image files aren't restricted to the camera only. Thought there might be a video workaround too.


Long shot, especially with Ubuntu, but thought I would ask.


Thanks in advance.

09-18-2020, 05:21 AM   #2
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There is a beta application made for the K10D, so probaly no video functionality. May not work for your needs but just for the sake of completeness

PK-Remote download | SourceForge.net
09-18-2020, 10:03 AM   #3
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I've never used PK tether, but if it displays what the camera sees in real time and in a usable resolution you could use OBS to capture that part of the frame and stream that as a webcam feed.
09-18-2020, 01:59 PM   #4
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Won't there be a danger of sensor overheating when used longer times?

10-15-2020, 12:46 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Jon55 Quote
any way to turn my Pentax KX into a video conferencing cam (Zoom, etc) in Ubuntu?
Simple answer. No.
Any camera of that age is not going to have a digital output, only composite Analog video, and when compared anything current, Analog video does not have the required quality.

If you're doing video conferencing via Zoom (or even -shudders- Skype), you're better off with a USB connected camera, such as the Logitech 920, Brio, or the Mokose C100 (found on Amazon) and a headset boom microphone.

The Mokose is a C/CS mount camera, so Pentax 'Cosmicar' lenses will fit on it.



For any of us thinking of using a newer Pentax with HDMI, the answer is the same, thanks to Pentax bollocksing up that part of the firmware - look for the thread I created years ago after testing the K-3's HDMI output - no "Clean Feed' output option, so it's not usable in a video presentation or for use with external recorder.


ProTip for Video Streaming - get your sound right, then get your lighting right, the source of the vision is less important then getting those two factors sorted.
10-10-2022, 03:29 AM   #6
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I tried on the K-70 and in live view there's a way to turn off most screen overlays, getting a clean-hdmi-ish output.

The output is a relatively low resolution though, you can see some line-shaped noise, but with the right light it is good enough and has a bit of a retro feeling

Mostly I'd be worried about the solenoids "wearing out" (for lack of a better word).

I think because it's a live view preview there's no sound so you need to do that separately, which usually creates some lag between the video and the sound as you speak.
11-09-2022, 02:35 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by pimpim Quote
Mostly I'd be worried about the solenoids "wearing out" (for lack of a better word).
Hunh? What solenoids?
And also, a Solenoid is a bar moving in a magnetic field, you're more likely to burn out a transistor that's driving the variances in the magnetic field, though over heating, then to damage the coil of bar.

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