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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-26-2011, 07:51 PM
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I think a decent number of SDM lenses are in circulation, however there are a few factors:
- SDM (and HSM) motors are used on higher-end lenses, and only in the last 5 years, so in the secondhand marketplace they will constitute a minority for some time to come
- Some SDM lenses have had motor failures for some fraction of people both in and out of warranty. There have been some posts about it here, however it is hard to gauge actual percentage failure rates since it is not information that Pentax has released and people who haven't had any problems don't necessarily post about it.
- For what it's worth I haven't seen any posts about Sigma HSM lenses having motor failures, however Sigma brought HSM to Pentax mount later than SDM, and in some cases has released some lenses for Pentax with screw drive that have had HSM on other camera bodies, so it's a pretty small fraction of Sigma lenses. Also I'd assume there are fewer Sigma HSM lenses sold for Pentax than there are Pentax SDM lenses sold, so the number of Sigma HSM lenses in the secondhand marketplace is an even smaller fraction.
- There has been some recent anecdotal evidence of a revised motor being used when failed SDM lenses are repaired, so it's possible that going forward SDM failures could be even more uncommon than they have been.
- Pentax recently introduced a new motor in their DA 18-135mm lens that they call DC (so a new sub-type of SDM lens)
Your K100D Super definitely does support SDM lenses, and while it was the first Pentax body to ship with SDM support out of the box, the K10D like I said supported SDM lenses with firmware update 1.30 (and the K10D did technically come out a year before, so it could be argued it was the first SDM body).
SDM has been a bit of a divisive issue on the forums, with some people saying they're avoiding SDM lenses due to the problems some have had. (I simply haven't bought any because they've been out of my price range, or because I've wanted to use a teleconverter, and old Pz-AF teleconverters aren't quite compatible in practice, even though they happen to have the requisite contacts).
I hope this info helps.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-08-2011, 07:44 PM
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The battery issue can be addressed in several ways:- Have a shop bias the meter circuit to use the higher voltage from modern silver cells (leave the alkalines at the drug store)
- Buy a C.R.I.S or Yashica Guy adapter
- Wire a diode into the meter circuit yourself
- Buy Jon Goodman's three-spot adapter for use with hearing aid batteries (limited life once activated, but much cheaper than the similar Wein cell)
- Wein cells
Don't let the looks of the XA fool you. It is plenty tough and hardly in the same league as an Instamatic (or even a Minox for that matter :fedup:). Although there are plenty of plastic parts, the XA chassis is metal and the camera has a quality feel. I was shooting with mine today. (Yes, I have too many rangefinder cameras.) That being said, it is a little small for my big hands so I tend to prefer my other cameras unless I need something pocketable.
Your vote for the Electro 35 GSN is a good one. The Yashica glass is excellent and the cameras are robust (except for the pad of death (POD) issue...look it up...).
Steve
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
07-29-2010, 09:10 PM
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Very true and I understand why some people go the higher end namebrand route, but for me being an amateur hobbyist and volunteer school/church photographer, I can buy and break about 3.5 generic flash units before reaching the price of one OEM flash unit.
After years of wasting money, I've changed my overall philosophy on most purchases of electronics, appliances, etc. -- buy the cheapest, lowest end model you can tolerate or does the job for you, and when it breaks throw it away. I decided this after going through a $600 dishwasher, $500 computer printer, and an $800 video camera. All of them ended up in the garbage (or at a recycling center) *AFTER* I paid for the fees associated with a "limited" warranty repair and they still didn't work properly (or at all). I now have a $250 dishwasher, an $80 printer, and my Pentax KX is my video and still camera.
Please don't view this as defensive or a retort , as that's not the tone I'm trying to pass on. There are just two different philosophies when it comes to purchases like this.
-- Chris
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