Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
07-01-2013, 05:55 PM
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-01-2013, 05:53 PM
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
04-30-2013, 08:40 AM
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I'm in a similar situation, and I've never been to a wedding! I want to take quality pictures as a guest, but I don't know what to bring and I don't want to bring too much or too big (hopefully one lens, 2 at most). I'm guessing weddings are typically low light so I need fast lens/es and need wide focal lengths for the fun, casual shots. I don't have fast and wide and I don't have zooms.
What I've got:
Pentax K-x
Super Program + iso 400 film (1/2 roll of portra, 2 superia)
A 50/1.7
SuperTak 50/1.4
Super Tak 85/1.9
K 35/3.5
no flash
I'm thinking one of the 50s are my best bet (fast, compact). The K-x would have the significant low-light advantage, but the FOV might be too narrow. I prefer the wider, "nifty" FOV on the Super Program, but I'm worried that ISO 400 wouldn't be good enough. As much as I love the rendering of the 85 and 35, I'm thinking they're too long/slow.
I don't mean to hijack sam's thread, but I didn't want to make another thread asking the same thing. Please advise :confused:
Thank you
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Forum: Lens Clubs
10-28-2012, 07:35 PM
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Bright sun can be bothersome, but the focus peaking helps a good bit. The red peaking lines are fairly visible to me when there's moderate glare on the screen and gives me a good idea where the focus is, especially when combined with the touchscreen zoom-in. Also, nearly all of my shots with the NEX are taken at hip level with the screen tilted up and my head hunched over looking down--my head sometimes provides shade over the screen and reduces/prevents glare! I don't know if my experience will help you on your question if you don't plan on shooting in weird postures or if you don't have an over-sized skull like me :p And thank you!
Sidenote: I know a lot of people crap on mirrorless cameras' lack of OVF, because they can't press the camera against their forehead for extra stability and think they have to hold the camera 2-3 feet away from their face with their arms out in an uncomfortable position that introduces instability and shake. Shooting at hip-level with my thumbs on top of the camera (right thumb presses shutter) with fingers underneath and palms pressing against the side and upper arms pressed against the sides of my body has been very stable for me. I don't know if this is common practice with mirrorless, but it was something I've developed for myself after shooting with it for some time. Also, aren't we all tired of eye-level shots and having to crouch :p [/sidenote]
Great shots with the Auto/Super Takumar 55s! I thought getting a 50/1.4 would make my Auto 55/1.8 obsolete, but I find myself keeping the 55 in regular rotation. I need get some shots with it some time this week.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
10-28-2012, 02:05 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-11-2012, 05:52 PM
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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
06-26-2012, 12:30 PM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-18-2012, 08:45 AM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-02-2012, 08:33 PM
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Thank you!:o
The front of the lens is ridiculous. I got a lens hood for it to help with the flare, and it was even more ridiculous. I don't bring it out into public because it looks like some kind of futuristic weapon!
My kit lens broke at the mount (plastic mounts :mad:). I sent out for repair (years ago when I didn't know better) and they charged me a ridiculous price. This is when I learned about old Pentax lenses and these forums! I might still be using only the kit lens if it didn't break :eek: and I wouldn't be here!
Just a few months ago, now that I knew better, I ordered a new mount to attempt to repair it, and turned out a few of the tiny gold contact balls was missing. the lens acted erratically and was useless. If anyone has tips on substituting the gold contact balls (short off ordering new ones), I'm all ears!
Sorry for turning this into a rambling post.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-02-2012, 01:52 PM
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The 20mm 3.8 (Kiron, I think) + K-x + a bit of contrast and vibrnce tweaking in LR On a Walk by Alxaxle, on Flickr
It's not as sharp or contrasty as my other lenses or the lenses I'm used to seeing here, but it was the cheapest wide-angle I could get (I don't have the kit lens) and focuses an inch or two from the front element. Pretty fun to shoot, even though the front element is 82mm large and is prone to flare :p Definitely my weakest lens in IQ, though.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-28-2012, 06:09 PM
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There's a hole where the knob should be and I have to stick a bent paper clip through that hole to open the film door!
I ended up buying the rewind knob and shaft, and it cost more than I got the camera for :lol:
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-28-2012, 01:06 PM
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First roll of film through my first SLR ever (ME Super). My wide-angle lenses are actually really wide, and the viewfinder is INCREDIBLE! I now hate looking though my K-x viewfinder, even with a magnifier and Canon EE-c focusing screen :hmm: Super ME Test Roll 1 by Alxaxle, on Flickr
CVS same-day processing, from Image CD.
I used Fuji Superia XTRA 400 from Wal-Mart--is this a good, cheap film? Also, any tips/tricks with film? I heard somewhere that people don't actually set the film's labeled ISO on the camera. Is this something I should be worrying about?
My Super ME didn't come with a rewind knob or crank, so I hand-wound the film in the bathroom under a towel. Light seeped through the bathroom door, and the camera left the towel a few times. The towel contacted the film sometimes, and the film twisted back and forth. Managed to not mess up any shots; one or two shots came out weird, but I think that was a result of exposure.
I'll definitely be shooting a lot more film (as costs allow)!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-05-2012, 04:53 PM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-05-2012, 04:38 PM
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The Auto-Takumar 55/1.8 (and 2.0) is truly a humble yet awesome piece of glass. I thought I could completely replace it with a Super-Tak 50/1.4 but found out the 55 still holds its own in certain aspects and couldn't let it go.
Great shots, guys!
Auto-Tak 55/1.8 on K-x; PDCU bleach bypass Fire Hydrant PDCU Processing by Alxaxle, on Flickr
Super Takumar on NEX-5N; straight-out-of-camera, default jpeg settings Chinese Hat flower (and a bee) by Alxaxle, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-02-2012, 03:49 PM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-29-2011, 05:20 AM
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It was definitely MS metering. It was recorded as an A lens with an aperture of 1.4 (which I wish either lens were capable of)! Screenshot of exif info attached.
Ah, this might be it. The edges of the metal tape are fraying a bit, and a tiny piece may have worked itself into the contact-pin sleeve when mounting/unmounting.
Here's the exif from one of those shots. The shot was pretty under-exposed, so the matrix metering wasn't even accurate. I guess finding the cause isn't worth it, unless someone manages to make it accurate (dial in some ev comp plus other things?) and harness it for the powers of good.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-28-2011, 07:19 PM
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On the K-x (maybe just my K-x?), I can only choose between spot and center-weighted metering when using M42 or Pentax-M lenses.
Along with what you said, that's what I've always thought; the metering is done by the camera and not the lens. This always made me wonder why multi-segment metering was disabled on M42 and M-series lenses (on just the K-x? just my K-x?).
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-28-2011, 07:01 PM
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I was shooting some test shots with an M42 lens of mine and glanced at the screen to find out it had multi-segment metering active! I have no idea what I exactly did. I unmounted and remounted the lens to see if it would still have multi-segment as a metering option. Nope. :hmm: I never been able to replicate it.
Has anyone experienced this and/or know how to go about doing this?
I looked everywhere on how to get multisegment metering on M42 lenses and read it wasn't possible.
The only things I do know:
1) I have metal tape on the base of the M42 lens for Catch-In-Focus and improved metering.
2) I previously had my A50/1.7 with multi-segment metering active before mounting the M42.
3) The camera was off when I changed lenses...I think.
Whether those had anything to do with it, I have no idea.
Even though this multisegment metering might not even be accurate (assuming it's available only on A-lenses and newer because the camera needs to communicate with the lens) or even useful, I'd still like to know if anyone has experienced this before.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-20-2011, 02:07 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-07-2011, 02:29 PM
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Thank you so much for the information, guys! Saved me the trouble of asking more questions after getting the filter ring off. Squashed the front barrel back to circular as much as I could. Used a few drops of penetrating oil (PB50 Blaster). Friction rotation still didn't work that well. Dug the flathead screwdriver into the engraved letters and pushed as hard and controlled as I could at different locations of the face plate. Still hardly moved, but bit by bit, hour by hour, it finally came off! Scraped up the mint-condition faceplate pretty good though. :lol:
Tightened the second set of 3 screws, put everything back, focusing works again. Still has problems with the aperture ring, but I'll let those slide. I am puzzled how this lens had near-mint-condition glass and externals but a myriad of internal problems (including lots of black dirt falling out)! It now works as much as I need it to.
Again, thank you all sooooo much!! :)
EDIT: I just found out I didn't reconfigure infinity focus. D'oh.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-06-2011, 05:42 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-05-2011, 09:58 PM
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Does anyone have any experience removing the front faceplate of a takumar for disassembly? I read about using a rubber glove and a lens cap to rotate it out, but I realized this didn't work for me due to the faceplate (and possible the threaded area) being bent slightly oblong. Anyone have any experience with this? Can I "squish" it back into a circular shape?
I received a lens from eBay in this shape. The focusing ring "slips", as in it rotates freely without it moving the barrel of the lens. It will stop rotating at min focus distance and infinity, so it's not like it spins in one direction forever. Some research on the internet showed that there are three screws under the faceplate that need to be tightened to fix this. I can not remove the plate as I stated above. Filters won't screw on either because of this.
I don't think I can return it anymore. I got a pretty good deal on it (I think), and the optics looked to be nearly mint, so I'm really hoping there's a fix for this that won't involve me sending it off for expensive repair.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
11-04-2011, 07:22 PM
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I just finished cutting the Ec-S screen for my K-x minutes ago, only to discover the screen is too thick, even without the stock shim (no I didn't check the thickness at the beginning because I'm dumb) :mad: .
The actual focus is way behind the focus on the viewfinder. Besides that, the view is incredible; it doesn't even seem like I'm looking through a focusing screen! It's like I'm looking through a clear window that makes the subject I'm focusing on pop out! Also, you're right--the etchings on the Ec-S are totally unobtrusive and are actually quite useful as compositional reminders. Of course, all this would be fantastic without the severe back focus due to thickness.
Please tell me there is a way to fix this, especially after all those hours of work (I'm not handy with tools at all).
There's no way I can go back to the Travor split screen now :fedup:
EDIT: I put the original shim back in and it seems to be fine. My understanding of front/back focus seems to be messed up.
EDIT2: Shimmed it with 5-6 layers of magic tape as previously mentioned by dlacouture and seems to be focusing fine so far. Got the screen more smudgy and scratchy due to more stupidity, but its still soo much better than the Travor screen. I want to thank all the contributors to this thread, especially dla, for providing the info about this screen (assuming the Ec-S and Ee-S are indeed the same matte).
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
10-18-2011, 09:37 AM
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Thanks, dla.
Are the Ec-S, EF-S, Eg-S, etc. definitely the same as the Ee-S, but with markings?
kanzlr, on your Ec-S, does the entire have the matte surface, or are the areas within the circles a different surface? Also, how dark/defined are the circles on the screen?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
10-15-2011, 10:14 AM
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I plan on cutting an Ee-S for my K-x. Are there any issues that would prevent this from working on a K-x?
No one's mentioned fitting the screen for their K-x in this thread, and focusingscreens.com doesn't have an S-type screen for the K-x, so I was wondering if there's a problem that won't allow a K-x to use this screen.
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