[pathdoc]

@ Nesster: Is that what I think it is? And is it implying what I think it does?

[Nesster]

@ Nesster: Is that what I think it is? And is it implying what I think it does?

Hm? The thing autofocuses at infinity really fast, never hunts...



though this is the 16-45 on the P3...

[graeme83]

Late Sunday night I put a bid in for a p30n with 2 lenses on eBay and won it. I wanted a k mount film body so I could use the same lenses instead of starting a Minolta collection for my x-700.
It was sold as used to work fine but not tried recently, is there anything in particular I should be looking out for when it arrives? Any common failure/wear issues?

[pathdoc]

It was sold as used to work fine but not tried recently

First thing that comes to mind to me is open up the battery compartment and make sure it hasn't leaked everywhere or developed corrosion. If all is good there, change the battery for a fresh one. I recently inherited a P3 which wouldn't play nice until the cap of the battery compartment got a good scrubbing. There was no rust as such and the battery looked intact, but a silvery metallic deposit had built up and was interfering with the current.

Once you have power, the shutter will fire. Check in the broadest sense that the meter is working - point it at areas of varying brightness and check that the shutter speed indicator (telling you what it thinks you should dial in) is responding appropriately, likewise to changes in the aperture for a given level of exposure, and that the indicator changes when you alter the shutter speed manually. If one of your new lenses is a Pentax A lens or newer, check to see that the camera responds in program mode. If it isn't, grab the nearest F, FA or DA lens and slap that on. Yes, the DA may vignette, but the point is that the camera should recognise it as an A lens and respond in an appropriate way. After that, it's over to the experts.

[graeme83]

First thing that comes to mind

Thanks for replying, it has since arrived and looks to be in working order. There were no batteries present and didnt seem to be any corrosion/deposits in the compartment, popped a fresh set in and it fired up. The meter seems to do as it should in both manual and auto modes and the shutter fires. Just need to put a film through it, but I dont forsee any issues.

The lenses it came with are iffy at best, a pentax A 28-80 which has zero resistance on the focus and zoom rings, which seems odd for a manual focus lens, but otherwise works. Plus, a slightly fungusy vivitar 70-210. But then I didn't buy it for these, so its all good.

[pathdoc]

a pentax A 28-80 which has zero resistance on the focus and zoom rings, which seems odd for a manual focus lens,

Sounds like one of those things which has been well loosened up by years of hard use.

Enjoy your new camera.

[Pshrink]

Found this thread when browsing, and saw the statement taken from the mosphoto data:
MZ-30, ZX-30, MZ-50, and ZX-50 bodies can't use AF, M, and K lenses (shutter won't fire)
This is wrong, like just plain wrong! Well, some of it, at least.
Yes, I have am MZ-50 with a 28-80 FA lens on it and (trust me on this) the shutter will fire (and everything else works as well.
A few years back I shot my youngest daughter's wedding with it (standing beside the pro with his Swedish 6x6). Guess whose shots turned out better?
Having said that, I have am M50-1.4, and if I fit that on the MZ50 then the shutter certainly will not fire.

OK, the P3 is a cute little camera, but why is is that there is no support for the P5/P50?
I had a P3, still have a P50.
For some years it sat on a handy shelf in my office with a Tamron A-2 17mm fitted. With that combination you know most everything will be in focus, and it will be in the frame no matter how close you are.
All the same functionality as the P3, and to my taste it is just a tad better looking.

So now, getting too aged and infirm to lug a load of kit around, do I part with the P50, or the MZ50? One gives me a better range of primes, and the other gives me autofocus. And really, the little X-5 seems just as much use, thanks to the flip-out screen which I can use sitting down.
Decisions, decisions ...

[pathdoc]

OK, the P3 is a cute little camera, but why is is that there is no support for the P5/P50?

I suspect it's because it falls into a hole. The P3 is very simple, sort of like a K1000 with program mode and DOF lever, but no manual ISO control. The P50 has just enough bells and whistles to take away the simplicity but not enough to compete with a DSLR, so it loses the film-era charm without fully matching modern-era program-mode convenience. That being said, it's a good camera and I owned one for about ten years and used it well until it just stopped working one day. Film seemed like it was on the way out (boy, how wrong I was!) and so I never looked into getting it repaired. It went to charity, in the hope that someone who picked it up could do something about it.

The biggest problem I found with the P50 is that using it was not instinctive. I had to think about which buttons I was pressing to do certain things. The P3/P30 series is not like that - I can pick it up and do almost everything I could ever want it to do without having to read the manual.

[Pshrink]

That is a way of looking at it that I had never considered.
Until I went digital, my SOP was 400ASA Fuji, aperture priority, and use the aperture to control the depth of field.
If it was tricky stuff - like the inside of a piece of swarf treatment plant - when I wanted detail on the wear on some conveyor chain and sprockets - then the few seconds needed to fiddle with the settings were OK. I don't think I ever carried a manual with me. When I moved onto digital, the K100D/200D and the P50.17mm Tamron went into a small "carry everywhere" bag. Then the DSLR and a couple of lenses went into a sling bag when the MS started to bite. Now, the X-5 is about as much as I can carry.

[gofour3]

OK, the P3 is a cute little camera, but why is is that there is no support for the P5/P50?

I suspect it's because it falls into a hole. The P3 is very simple, sort of like a K1000 with program mode and DOF lever, but no manual ISO control. The P50 has just enough bells and whistles to take away the simplicity but not enough to compete with a DSLR, so it loses the film-era charm without fully matching modern-era program-mode convenience. That being said, it's a good camera and I owned one for about ten years and used it well until it just stopped working one day. Film seemed like it was on the way out (boy, how wrong I was!) and so I never looked into getting it repaired. It went to charity, in the hope that someone who picked it up could do something about it.

The biggest problem I found with the P50 is that using it was not instinctive. I had to think about which buttons I was pressing to do certain things. The P3/P30 series is not like that - I can pick it up and do almost everything I could ever want it to do without having to read the manual.

I just bought a P50 and Eric is currently doing a CLA on it. Interesting camera, but I like the Super A much better. The biggest issue with these P Series cameras is the DX Coding with no manual ISO override.

Phil.

[Cuthbert]

Your pictures make me think Maine is a beautiful place to live. Congratulations!

[Pshrink]

So what is the problem with DX coding?
OK, if you are going to shoot monochrome, and use some arcane processing ritual (sacrifice a chicken at midnight, maybe) then DX coding can get in the way.
Otherwise, what is the point. I do have exposure compensation on the P50 if I think I need it.
If I wanted monochrome, I could (still can) scan a print, and turn it into mono in Photoshop. With digital, almost every shot gets turned into mono just to get an idea, and then worked on if it warrants the effort.
This is an approach that has worked well for me - your gas mileage may vary.

[Cuthbert]

Photographers don't like to have camera who tell them what to do and don't like not to be in control of one parameter like the ASA code.

[ChrisPlatt]

Most photographers always shoot at box speed, so not really a problem...

Chris

[hks_kansei]

Also depends on what film you use.

Home rolled spools won't have DX.
And quite a few of the modern, custom, films don't have DX coding.

And if you're like me who occationally throws a redscale roll through the camera, well, everything just goes out the window (redscale is where you spool the film backwards in the canister so you shoot through the emulsion. You can get a really lovely ultra-warm cast with that)