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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-14-2017, 12:46 PM
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I have 6 different 280 flashlights, and all of them worked without problems on my K5 II!
No TTL, but excellent Auto modes.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-14-2017, 12:37 PM
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Pentax offered an empty frame diopter attachment (or with blank glass) with the purpose to have your optometrist prepare the matching glass for you. Since it did fit all ME and later eyepieces, it should be fine on any recent digital SLR by Pentax.
You can find them from time to time in online auctions. BTW, if you get one of these diopter attachments with a fixed diopter value glass, you can do the same, just exchange the glass part.
But I don't know whether a solution with changing diopter can be cut. An eyepiece loupe could help,too, they have sometimes diopter adjustment (but do not offer complete viewfinder magnification, only a part of it).
Regards,
Vranx
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Forum: General Talk
12-22-2016, 07:09 AM
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Thanks, that explains it all!
Golden times, when a programmer could name the software upon his personal likes...
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Forum: General Talk
12-21-2016, 02:28 AM
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Folks,
where are the OS/2 operating system pros among the Pentax crowd?
Please take a look at the screenshot below, it says PM Pentax and the icon is in style and shape of a compact zoom camera.
What was the purpose of this program? And surely it was analogue era, the screenshot is from 1989 or 1990...
Can someone shed light on this???
Thanks in advance,
Vranx
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
09-05-2015, 02:34 PM
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Sorry, I was not very precise:
I hate upgrading the cam, because of my computers being so outdated. So, I started with the *istD in 2004 and upgraded to the K5 II in 2014 - that's not the life-cycling a flourishing maker of electronic gadgets wants to see, but it is a little bit my attitude. I am still using my 10 year old Siemens S65i cellphone, it is not broken, why should I replace it?
BTW, my computer is a 2008 Toshiba notebook with an 4GB upgrade of RAM (whereof WIN XP Pro and Fedora 17 use only 3 because of the 32 bit limitations...). I actually have a MacBook Pro for my job, but I don't use it for private matters like photo editing. I postpone upgrading as much as possible, but I admit that I purchased the K5 II without the *istD being broken, I just lusted for the larger screen and the shake reduction (and the GPS astrophotography thing). And overall, I am working in front of the PC monitor daily, now add what needs to be done in spare time and perhaps it becomes understandable that I avoid photo editing as much as possible... Colour Slides is what I prefer (and shoot about 50 rolls a year!).
:D
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
09-05-2015, 02:06 PM
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Yep. With every camera upgrade one needs a computer upgrade, not to mention software. File size can make it a time consuming hobby!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-09-2014, 12:50 AM
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Hi Lisa,
the AF Bodies from SF1 onwards do NOT give focus confirmation with a regular M42 Adapter (I don't know whether the foil trick works with them, but a cheap China adapter with overlarge rim does the job for focus trap!!! But you loose infinity focus...), but on SF1 an PZ-1 bodies you could put in a screen for manual focussing (split image screen or the like). I am using the screen of MZ-M.
With manual K mount lenses (K, M, A) you have always focus confirmation on film bodies!
On the K5II I've noticed, I have always focus confirmation, with m42 as well as with other MF lenses, even for lenses with a Compur-Deckel-Adapter!
Hope, this helps.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-23-2014, 12:47 AM
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I have plenty of K-mount bodies and another copy of that lens. It definitely exists in M42 (saw it go in fleabay) but, alas, very rare and extremely expensive.
Comparing it to other M42 Tokinas the screws holding the mount are in the same place and the mount itself seems to occupy a similar amount of length. My idea was to try to get the mount from an otherwise defective Tokina M42 lens and try to fit it. If it doesn't fit, the K mount can easily be put back. But I was hoping someone out there would have tried this already...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-22-2014, 01:04 AM
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Yes, the title is correct, I am asking myself and everyone out here:
is it possible to convert a PK lens into a M42 lens? Of course I would restrict it to stop down aperture, no automatic necessary, but I couldn't find anything on the web regarding this. But very much about the opposite, converting M42 into whatever.
The reason is, I have to copies of a very fine Tokina 60-120 in PK, and many M42 cameras, so I am seriously considering this...
Anyone?
Thanks ind advance,
Vranx
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-22-2014, 01:00 AM
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Hi Stone G.,
but from the unprocessed last picture I conclude that a minor amount of startrail blur is normal even for 100 mm and 40 secs? My impression of other Astrotracer picture results was that it should indeed be more dot-like (imagine this blur sum up in a 3 minute exposure)
What I've found out so far: sometimes the GPS device turns off and on again, probably due to battery compartment contacts contracting in cold atmosphere, which means loss of calibration. And I have to find a non-magnetic tripod head (the Manfrotto 3 way is rock solid, but all-metal).
Another no-go is changing the lens. Even if the new focal length is manually put in, calibration is gone, no matter whether old K and M or new FA or DA lenses.
Tricky little thing it is.
But thanks so far for all your assistance, guys! I'll try more and let you know.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-17-2014, 12:23 PM
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Thanks for these helpful answers! Here some more details:
- the lens was fixed focal lens SMC-M 2.8/120 in manual focus mode, correct fl put in, cable release to initiate exposure
- all exposures were 40 sec @ ISO 800, identical for blurred an correct photos, no wind
- GPS information is recorded for all photos, showing only minor changes, like N 48°32.764' to N 48°32.762', which is caused (as I suppose, by moving the tripod head to a new position), all EXIF data makes sense
- I've indeed shot the bunch were I noticed it first ca 3m away from my car, so I tried again in the garden, carefully stepping back from all magnetic sources - no difference
- after the blur started to show in the pictrues, I recalibrated GPS and Astrotracer calibration again
- I never even tried long exposures over 50 secs at all, because there is a certain amount of blur
- tripod is a solid 3kg Manfrotto, not fully extended, no central column in use
Does that help?
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-16-2014, 01:19 AM
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After reading the posts concerning troubleshooting when using the GPS unit for astrotracing, I still have no answer for my O-GPS1 behaving very silly:
The first photos are very good, no startrails, everything fine, and from one moment to another, the following pictures show startrails as if I would have turned off the GPS unit - basically no or only limited tracing.
I checked what I could: firmware (K5 II) is the latest, batteries fresh, unit is working and displaying 3D (indicating more then 4 satellites found), it's not mirror slap or shutter blur, just plain startrails from one moment to another. General calibration and astrotracing fine calibration were successfully executed. Exposure time was 40 seconds, the unit showed up to 4:40 mins as possible. First exposures were closer to horizon, but better traced.
In addition, I find that the compass likes to change altitude very unpredictably: if you take a look after calibrating, it shows 492 m over sea level, 10 minutes later we are up at 502 m, being rooted to the spot, mind you!
Any similar oddities among the Pentax astro photographers? Any help?
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
09-11-2014, 11:58 PM
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90% slides, CN only for album prints for the kids etc.
There is a certain magic to the colours and the product has matured into sheer perfection within the last 80 years!
I only can hope and pray that Fuji continues to produce affordable slide films...
Just my two cents, my best years saw 60-80 rolls of slide film ;-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-02-2014, 12:42 AM
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I am sorry, it is of course not a rectilinear, but a true fisheye lens (Sigma Filtermatic 2.8/16 mm). I used the term wrongly to describe that it is not a circular fisheye.
Concerning the formulas in the link: I saw them but had the understanding (probably due to my limited English) that they describe the angle of view after doing some de-fishing with special software, which I do not intend to try.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-29-2014, 02:02 AM
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The lens in question is the old Sigma Filtermatic 2.8/16 mm Fish Eye lens. It has 180° field of view on a 35mm film camera and fills the rectangular 35mm frame (so it's none of these circular fisheyes where you have black outer parts around the circular images).
What I would like to find out is whether the angle of view is going to end up like a 24mm wide angle when I use it on a K5 II or whether the situation is different whith a fisheye. Somewhere I've read, that it is more difficult to determine the crop factor of the angle of view than of the focal lenth, because the angle of view has to be calculated using a tangens formula. With the focal length it is just linear, always factor 1.5.
Which means the changes are much more drastic on a super wide angle than on a super tele lens. Does anyone have the correct formula for the angle of view???
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-28-2014, 02:22 AM
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If I use a rectangular 180 degree fisheye lens on a film body, I know it is 180 degrees angle of view. But on an APS-C body?
Is this calculated similarly as the crop factor for focal lengths? And can this be used for any lens and its angle of view?
What angle do I get from my 180° fisheye, focal length is 16mm, by the way?
Please enlighten me!
Thanks in advance,
Vranx
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-28-2014, 02:06 AM
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Hi Robert,
I would recommend to start with the SIGMA Macro: 1:2 means half of life size (on 135mm film), so that's pretty much of macro for beginning purposes. A solid tripod, manual focussing and patience is more important than investing in gear at the beginning. 1:4 is only a quarter of life size, so indeed 1:2 is not too bad!
Extension tubes are mostly fully ok, unless they are of inferior build quality. But you can get those always later on, they are abundant.
Try the 28-90 first, stop down to f8 and learn from your results - start with moss, mushrooms flowers or stationary things.
And enjoy the fun of exploring a macro world!
Cheers
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-06-2014, 07:53 PM
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I've checked this in the past with Pentax customer service in Germany and was told, the pattern was to control build accuracy for the new AF cameras (to minimize tolerances adn to achieve proper focus. They obviously had a front or back focus problem on their minds as early as 1987!).
But soon it turned out that the AF system was working precisely, and later SF1 series and the SF1n do already have a plain main mirror without grid. The AF sensor itself uses only the small secondary mirror.
My experience with 6 SF1/SF1n bodies is that the SF1n is more robust - all my SF1 have a dead solenoid for aperture control in A mode by now (doesn't matter, I swapped the screens for ZX-M split screens and use them with lenses before A).
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-04-2014, 01:56 PM
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The Tamron Di 28-75 has an aperture ring, I used it succesfully on Pentax AF and MF film cameras.
The only thing with manual focus: it can be focussed a little bit beyond infinity (like many modern aspherical IF lenses do for technical reasons), so be careful when focussing! But it is a very good lens on film bodies!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-04-2014, 01:45 PM
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My experience is:
Screens for SF, Z/PZ and MZ/ZX series are fully interchangeable concerning dimensions and finder brightness/metering accuracy. Only about the last flagship MZ-S, I don't know. But all MZ bodies except the manual focus MZ-M feature a plain matte with AF grid screen, so I don't see the point of using those instead of the standard screens of SF or Z/PZ. But it's true, they can be easily taken out and they'll fit the other body series. Whenever you see the finder coverage of 92% in the body's specs, there is pretty good chance for having a fitting screen.
Hope, this helps.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-01-2014, 12:20 PM
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Drew,
I use the ZX-M (or MZ-M as it is called in Europe) split screen successfully in SF and Z/PZ bodies with excellent results. The dimensions are identical for all models, just swap them. I took the screen from a defective MZ-M body, because I find the MZ-M too good to kill it only for the screen...
With focus trap and split screen, you have two good options for manual lenses on the SF1 !
Give it a try! BTW, Pentax sells this split screen as spare part for a few dollars.
Cheers,
Vranx
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
03-04-2014, 01:36 PM
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Hmmm... the box and the invoice were labelled CS-105, but as I do use it on the *istD and it has the microphone jack end, it seems that I do have the CS-205. The device itself does not show a name at all.
Silly.
But thanks for all your help!
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-27-2014, 01:31 PM
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I do have the CS-105 cable release for the MZ-S and *istD Cameras, but would it work on later DSLR's like the K5 II or K3 (which normally require the CS-205 cable release)?????
The CS-105 can focus when halfway pressed and be locked for bulb exposures and has the 3 wired regular 3.5mm phono jacket. As it looks, the CS-205 is identical, but Pentax could have changed the wiring or something.
Anybody ready to test this and help me out?
Many thanks in advance,
Vranx
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Forum: Sold Items
02-07-2014, 10:41 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-23-2013, 03:05 PM
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... the lens went back today to the dealer, it sems to be defective.
My first APS-C lens and kind of disappointment involved....
Thanks folks for all the helpful input!
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