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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-13-2010, 11:02 AM
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Thanks Steve!
@ Lowell Goudge That was interesting. Yes, I've dabbled for a bit with a friend's 8mm Fisheye which was ... awe-inspiring. It distorts the horizon so much. Very fun to play around with but not very useful for most situations.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-13-2010, 09:43 AM
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@sterretje - That was an awesome review, thanks for the link!
@ Impartial - Wow. You just made my day. Clear, concise, informative and straight to it. Thank you. Turns out I didn't know squat about the low-end Nikon bodies. I'm just familiar with them. I think what I'll do is find a shop to repair/thoroughly clean my KS2 and just get a separate DSLR. Would the D90 outperform the equivalently priced Kr?
And is the 18-55mm 'standard' lens really the best option for an general purpose camera? I like to take all sorts of shots from late-night remote bulbs to close-ups (are they still considered macros if taken sans macro lens, or is that just a snobbish term for a non-true macro). I'm not big on action shots. I like to compose more than just kinda fly by the seat of my pants. But who knows, I'd like to play around with burst mode.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-13-2010, 03:43 AM
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Does Pentax make its glass in-house like Nikon, or does it contract out?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-13-2010, 12:00 AM
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theatre of noise: Ricoh Lenses On Pentax Cameras -- The Ricoh Pin Fix
>>Just found out that I do NOT have the dreaded Ricoh pin on any of my lenses! Now what does that mean about finding a suitable Pentax DSLR/Nikon with adapters? Is that even possible? (Getting a Nikon and finding an adapter)
Any suggestions as to what would be a similar DSLR to the Nikon D3000 found here:
I'm looking for similar specs and price, MSRP <$500~700
D3000 from Nikon |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-12-2010, 11:18 PM
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@ sterretje That is quite interesting. I haven't gottten the flashgun to work on the KS2, which probably correlates somehow with how I can't get the back of the casing off ...
@ Impartial I will definitely consider that. Re-reading advice that I have already received above has already taught me that I could
A - fix said 35mm camera
B - buy adapters to allow for use in conjunction with a DSLR camera
C - pick a lens and modify it so it may be used with a DSLR, keeping the others strictly for 35mm.
Where can I find adapters for the K-mount? Would they all require me to use manual focus? Would they require me to take off the Ricoh pins as well? How do you pronounce Ricoh? (rye-ko, ree-ko ...)?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-12-2010, 07:19 PM
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Thanks all by the way! Great feedback, just what I was looking for!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-12-2010, 07:15 PM
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@ Fries Thanks
@ MrCynical I wikipedia'd the discrepancy, and found you to be correct, however, the Nikon USA site confused me even more. The D3000 is ~$500 and is 10.2 megapixels, the D300s is 12.3 megapixels and cost ~$1700. I could have sworn I remember the three-thousand model as the one I earmarked and drooled over in 2007, but I remember it being about $1700 at the time, so I may have been mistaken. Thank you for your observance. However, I would still be looking at a D3000.
Also, I think you are correct, there does seem to be a pin-like tab protruding from a rotating ring located at the male end of each of the lens bodies. However, they seem to only be an aluminum material, held in by light tension springs. If absolutely necessary, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to remove the pin or just remove the entire ring altogether.
If it's harder to focus due to the digital internals using these lenses, should I even be considering getting a DSLR, or just scrap the idea altogether and keep this as it is (after some proper maintenance), and just get a DSLR for other applications? ...And you said "regardless of brand" - does that mean that Lowell's comment about the lens kit would cover not only Pentax DSLRs but any DSLR that I could find the appropriate K-mount (adapters, sic)?
@ Lowell Goudge The aperture ring doesn't have an A on it, just the f-stops and a PK on each one. I don't mind manual focusing :) and what would you suggest as a wide lens? I mean, the D-series from Nikon come standard (well, some do) with a 18-55mm, and I wouldn't necessarily use a fish-eye enough for it to be worth it (would be cool to have though..). So what size would you suggest, good sir?
@ pacerr Thanks! I agree with you, 40 years ago this camera was a marvel of technology and is still pretty amazing. I still can't believe I got all this dropped in my lap. I've gotten a few books about working with 35mm film and cameras in general : John Hedgecoe's New Introductory Photography Course, Ailsa McWhinnie's Reader's Digest Complete Photography Manual, Henry Horenstein's Black and White Photography. I've read a chunk out of each and I've only gained so much knowledge. I've taken introductory photography classes in Highschool as well as some digital editing classes (self-taught Photoshop WHOO!), and I've taken visual communication classes through the Journalism curriculum and have pretty much learned the same, boring stuff. How to use a D40/90, the rule of thirds and all about shapes, lines, blah blah blah.
I was using the rule of thirds without even knowing it when I was 8 years old, using up roll after roll of 35mm in my $20 non-disposable camera when I was living overseas in Japan. I spent 68 rolls going across country from NY to Seattle when I was 13. Then my parents decided to get the Lumix, which I love - but it's the family camera. Right now I have this KS2 and my Nikon P&S. I have outgrown my equipment and don't have the money to really get the KS2 down as it is. I need to get a quality DSLR eventually and would love to utilize all these lenses with it (especially if I can get to working with the 35mm in the meantime).
These links include some selects out of my portfolio, sans some awesome, repeat: awesome portraits I took with my ex girlfriend. I took 486 TIFFs in one afternoon, maxing out three SD cards. I had her in different poses around my yard, in the grass, on a swing, against a tree, with my puppy ... a week later she couldn't decide between 22 of them to use as her high school photo for the mantel/yearbook. She ended up just randomly picking one of the prints out of a pile. I took them down from the internet after we broke up, but I still have them saved on a CD and wouldn't hesitate to include some shots in a professional portfolio, which is where I want to be heading in a few years. I also had a work-friend of my father insist that I be the only photographer at his retirement ceremony, even refusing the company-supplied photographer. Sadly, it was in a huge, dark auditorium and almost all the pictures are really grainy. I detached from the tripod and saved the day by taking about two dozen shots from much closer. I felt so horrible!
I have a friend who photographs weddings and started her own studio after working at a local studio helping with weddings. She also specializes in high school and family portraits. I'm a bit of an entrepreneur, so that seems like a good fit. I would also like to get into some photography contests soon with some of these pics.
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Any feedback would be very much appreciated!
@ stevebrot Thanks! I will definitely find a place that could work with it ... I wasn't sure if it was repairable/cleanable or just fubar.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-12-2010, 01:59 PM
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Sorry for the length!
I am a 21 yr old college student majoring in Print Journalism. I love photography and have several cameras. I use a Nikon Coolpix L6 and L18 as a point and shoot, a Panasonic Lumix L10 DSLR, and I recently inherited a Sears KS-2 35mm ... and a LOT of lenses, including a sweet 1000mm telephoto, filters, the original manual for the camera and a flashgun.
Reading off the #'s in front of the lenses: (the zero with slash through it substituted as *)
-Sears Multicoated 1:3.5-4.5 f=28-85mm 62* Auto Zoom
-Sears Multicoated 1:2.8 f=135mm 52* Auto
-Sears MC 1:1.7 50mm Auto Sears 52*
-Focal MC 2x Converter (sounds like sand is in it when tumbled between hands...guessing it's toast?)
-Sears Multicoated 1:4.0 f=80-200mm 55* Auto Zoom
-HQ optics 1:16 f=1000 (original box says HQ Marketing, still has price tag of $1383.00)
>What can you tell me about these lenses?
The KS-2's translucent screen above the mirror is smudged and it seems it will not come off; I took it to a camera shop and he tried q-tips with water, and I think rubbing alcohol, but I may be mistaken because he might have said not to use rubbing alcohol ...?) Anyway, it's still smudged, and the film teeth don't wind properly - last time I tried inserting film, I read through the manual, added said film, took and advanced all the pictures, rewound and opened the back only to find the film not rewound and completely exposed. There is foam on the film back that seemed to be an environmental protective gasket of sorts that has kind of...melted and made it all sticky. This too, after hours of work cleaning has yielded few if any results in focused areas.
I am looking into buying a new camera. I was thinking a Nikon D3000, which was awesome when I followed its debut in 2006/2007, but cost about 3x as much as I'm seeing them now.
>I was also thinking (if at all possible) about getting a digital camera back so I may utilize all the 35mm K-mount lenses I have for the KS2. I have looked up and found, to my dismay, digital backs for 35mm lenses that cost an exorbitant wad of cash. Are these the holy grail of what I am looking for, or could I maybe get a converting section for the Nikon so that I can add the K-mount lenses and just turning the auto-focus and variable focus settings off? Does such a product exist? If I could get something like that, I would be able to use all the lenses plus have a fully functional variable-focus DSLR.
My main push for a new camera is developing costs and a lack of patience with 35mm. If I could take 500 pictures in one go, then review them on a computer, I would be much more apt to learn more about the F-stops, W/B settings, lenses, etc that I need to learn more about. Don't get me wrong, I love 35mm, but it costs money every picture I take and I just don't get the functionality that I can get from a DSLR at this point in my hobby.
>Help?
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