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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-24-2013, 04:16 AM  
Dark Images
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 9
Views: 1,205
Thanks all, that's very interesting. Particularly that nobody finds the image too dark. I look at this and, yes the grey of the car may be the right grey, but this just looks better balanced. (I don't know how to do this in Photoshop - I used FastStone's Viewer – Adjust Lighting -> Shadows to bring up the dark background, then Highlights to bring it back to balance). I suppose someone will now point out that the front wing of the car is now burnt out. :(

In the article referred to by anvh I did note :- “Most digital cameras are better at reproducing low key scenes since they prevent any region from becoming so bright that it turns into solid white, regardless of how dark the rest of the image might become as a result.” Which is not immediately obvious, but is clearly common sense once it has been pointed out, and is almost certainly what is going on here.

That, however, leads me to the question – how do I do the equivalent of “Adjust Shadows” in Photoshop? Adjust brightness and contrast don’t do it, adjust levels doesn’t do it. No idea……
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-24-2013, 12:23 AM  
Dark Images
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 9
Views: 1,205
I have a problem with my K-x - the images that get loaded onto my computer are always dark. I have always assumed that this was something to do with the screen and/or the Photoshop settings I am using, but I am now less certain.

I took some photos the other day in reasonable daylight but the image is, as usual, very dark. So I got Photoshop to show me the levels and you can see the result in the screen shot. The camera shows an identical distribution so it's not just my display, there is very little at the white end. (Click here for a larger image).

The camera was set to “Auto Pict”, the film speed to “200-3200 auto”, and the picture was taken with 1/320 at f7. Shouldn’t I get a less dark image than this?

I have read a thread here that talks about the different types of metering which, I must confess, I didn’t fully understand. Is that a possible answer?

All assistance, as usual, very gratefully recieved. :)
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-14-2012, 12:57 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Enough already. Aren't you just arguing semantics? You are both right.

The fact is that if I show the photograph of a group of bikers on a track to the classic man on the Clapham omnibus he will not ask what sort of lens I used, where I stood, or whether I cropped it from a much larger shot - he will just see an exciting bunch of bikes close together.

So yes, perspective does depend entirely on where you stand, but yes, lens length does affect perceived perspective. Two different things.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-12-2012, 02:44 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Thanks again Anvh - I will certainly try that experiment.
That is interesting, and sounds quite likely.

What a useful resource this site is. :)
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-11-2012, 09:53 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Well. Have I learned a lot today !

Thank you all for your time and patience - that is a thoroughly enlightening discussion even if I don't entirely understand it all yet. :)

I will spend some time on the suggested articles and see how I get on.

Thank you once again.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-11-2012, 08:26 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
OK. Thanks for all this input, which I am finding extremely useful.

I do understand that a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens. The 50mm focal length is a characteristic of the pieces of glass involved and is in no way affected by any piece of equipment to which it may be attached. Basic physics.

Also I have been using the word "normal" in quotes as I also understand that normal means many things. I was using it to describe a lens that leads to images with the same perspective as the human eye - i.e. a lens that tends neither to the wide angle nor to the tele. I was therefore, fascinated by the definition anvh quoted from wiki of a "normal" lens in terms of the diagonal of the resulting image, and the viewing angle of a subsequent large print - something I have never heard in some 40 years of photography. I am still rereading that and thinking about it. :)
I am not at all sure about that one - perspective was something that artists came to understand long before the camera was invented. If I stand in the corner of a room with a wide angle lens, the resulting image distorts the room making it feel larger than it will look to my eye. An image taken from the same point with a "normal" lens will lead to no surprises when the viewer finally see the room itself.

Similarly, a photo of someone on a park bench taken with a long lens will mislead the viewer about the distance between the bench and a building in the background.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-11-2012, 02:38 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Sorry ANVH you posted at the sime time as me - I will look through your article. The following is in reply to Adam.


OK. I have read both of those articles, I understand what they are saying, and they do indeed answer some of my confusion.

However, the treatment there is purely arithmetic - i.e. to capture the same picture on an APS-C sensor and on 35mm film you need lenses with focal lengths in the ratio 1:1.52 because the sensor sizes are in the ratio 1:1.52.

But what about perspective? Wide angle lenses tend to exaggerate perspective and long lenses tend to compress it. (Don't they?)


If I put the same 50mm lens in front of 35mm film and an APS-C sensor surely the perspective in the both resulting images remains the same, even though mathematically the lens would behave as a telephoto (i.e. smaller angle of view) on the APC-C camera.

I think I may still be a bit confused here.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-11-2012, 01:59 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Thanks Adam - so just to clarify - a Pentax-FA 50mm F1.4 would be regarded a slightly telephoto on my K-x?



I wish I had managed to find this and this - it does answer most of what I was asking. I just didn't know "crop factor" was what I needed to look for.

Thanks.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-11-2012, 01:32 AM  
Focal length and sensor sizes.
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 61
Views: 6,260
Hi,

I am a newbie in the field of DSLRs but have many happy years of Pentax film cameras behind me, so I am well aware of the basics. However there is one point I would like to get clearer in my head. :confused:

Back in the 35mm film days a “normal” focal length lens was 50mm – “normal” meaning that it gave the same perspective as the human eye (if I have understood that correctly). So a lens shorter than 50mm is considered to be wide angle, and one longer than 50mm, telephoto.


If I now take a 50mm lens from my old 35mm camera and put it on my K-x it behaves like a 75mm lens would have done on my 35mm film camera.

First question – is this because the sensor on my K-x is smaller than 35mm film?

Second question - this would suggest that a “normal” DA type lens for my K-x is still 50mm. Is this the case?

Final question – does this mean that 50mm is “normal” for all DSLRs (Pentax, Nikon, Canon etc.) as it was for all 35mm film cameras?

Thanks to anyone who can help put me out of my misery.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 08-22-2011, 10:40 PM  
DVD slide show software
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 3
Views: 1,960
Thanks for that - but having paid for version 2, and not requiring too much from it, I am trying to avoid a $40 upgrade unless I really have to do it. :)

However, I have discovered that Proshow will produce an .iso file, which Nero is happy to burn to my writer, so that problem is solved. (In the "Create DVD Disc" window, go to the "Output Options" tab, and set the "Writer" field to "ISO Image File".)
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 08-21-2011, 01:37 AM  
DVD slide show software
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 3
Views: 1,960
I want to produce a DVD slide show on my XP machine. I have had Proshow Gold version 2.5 for a few years, although I haven’t used it much, but with my new K-x it has two problems.

Firstly, it defaults to “Fill Frame” rather than “Fit to Frame” (Slide->Slide Options->Image/Video->Object Settings) which means that it expands the smaller of the two dimensions to fill the frame – i.e. I always lose a bit of the picture in landscape mode, and in portrait mode I only get about the middle third of the photo!.

There appears to be no way of changing the default, or making a global change for all images in the presentation. Which leaves only the option of going through each and every slide in the show individually and changing it. A large no-no.

Even if I can overcome this one, it doesn’t burn to my SATA DVD writer which makes life difficult. I have Nero but that requires a VIDEO_TS folder which Proshow Gold can’t do.

Can any Proshow experts out there help?

I have looked at Windows Movie maker in XP but that only goes as far as a .wmv file, as does Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows XP, so they aren’t much help.

Photostage Slideshow Producer produces DVDs that play on some machines but not on others, and it can’t produce a disk image or a VIDEO_TS folder.

I have read two or three threads on the subject here but not much else comes up. Can anybody make any helpful (but polite :)) suggestions?

Many thanks
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 05-26-2011, 09:50 AM  
Folders created by the camera
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 6
Views: 4,198
Thanks. I have set the folder name to xxxPENTAX and, if the folder 101PENTAX only gets created once the number of stored images gets to 500, that is indeed exactly what I want.

500 images will take me a year, even if I see my granddaughters every week :) and I do clear the images off very frequently, so I am unlikely ever to get close to that number.

Thanks again everyone.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 05-23-2011, 11:56 PM  
Folders created by the camera
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 6
Views: 4,198
Thanks all for the replies - so it looks like the answer to my question is no. :(

I am perfectly happy to have a folder - I would just like it to be the same folder. My Fuji also creates a DCIM folder, but it then stores all the photos directly in it. No sub-folders. They are always in the same place. On my Pentax the name of the source folder varies depending on how many "shoots" I keep on the camera.

That's true, but I use a general file transfer program called Beyond Compare for all this type of thing and, because it stores frequently used tasks, it would be a lot easier if the source were always the same folder.

There are always ways round these things, but just putting all the photos (OK - I can live a 500 image max) in one place would, for me, be a big help.

Having had a gripe I must say I love my new K-x. :)

Thanks again for the help.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 05-23-2011, 10:35 AM  
New to photography/pentax/photoshop...any help would be awesome!
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 7
Views: 2,046
I run a one day "Introduction to Photoshop" course, but, unless you happen to be in the UK that's not much use to you. :(

But I run it because I know that, without some form of help, Photoshop can be impenetrable - you just don't know where to start. However, there is a pdf manual here (although it is quite large) but perhaps more usefully, there is quite a good series of video tutorials available here. The tutorial is based on Elements 8, but much of it is general enough to apply to most versions of Photoshop, particularly the bit on layers.

Hope this is useful.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 05-23-2011, 09:46 AM  
Folders created by the camera
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 6
Views: 4,198
I have read a couple of threads about folders created on the card in the camera, but no one has asked if there is a way to eliminate them.

I really don't like the images being created in folders, it just doesn't work for me. I hold all my photos in folders on the computer, but there is more than one person in my family taking photos (with different cameras) and we have our own system which works well.

Until I come to get the photos off my K-x. I have seen there is an option that toggles between two different forms of folder name, but is there any way I can stop the camera creating folders completely?

Any help very gratefully received.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 04-21-2011, 10:36 AM  
Pentax K-X digital viewfinder?
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 6
Views: 2,652
We have all seen photos taken where the photographer sees something, points the camera at it and takes the picture of what he/she is seeing rather than what the camera is seeing. This is easily done both with optical viewfinders and with view screens on the camera.

The thing I find about the viewfinder on an SLR is that looking at the image in the viewfinder on a flat, ground glass screen, isolates you from your surroundings and forces you to look at what you are actually taking rather than what you think you are taking. Composition is frequently more considered and so frequently better.

For that reason I would always use the viewfinder, unless it was literally impossible.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 04-17-2011, 04:27 AM  
Help picking a lens
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 10
Views: 2,184
Thanks Just1MoreDave for the summary. I am learning a lot here. :)

I have spent the morning searching online and I must confess, the more I find out the more I get confused. I have found these 3 on ebay, all 3 should be autofocus with my k-x if I have got it right:-

PENTAX AF PKFA IF 28-105mm 4-5.6 Does the PKFA mean that it is an FA lens with a PK mount? If so it looks like one of
Just1MoreDave's "other" lenses and might be a good buy at that price.

PENTAX AF Tamron Aspherical XR (IF) 28-200mm 3.8-5.6
This looks like the lens reviewed here and if so it looks like a good lens, but doesn't it look a bit pricey?

Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspherical lens FIT PENTAX DG I have read a couple of reviews of this lens and the conclusion seems to be "soft when wide open, but a good buy at this sort of price".

Does anyone have anything they could add to any of this to help a poor growing-more-confused-by-the-minute newbie. :)

Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 04-17-2011, 12:49 AM  
Can I use this old flash on my Kx
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 15
Views: 3,577
I was asking exactly this question a week or two ago and there is a lot of detailed stuff about where to measure voltages etc on this thread, which may be of some use.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 04-16-2011, 08:33 AM  
Help picking a lens
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 10
Views: 2,184
Thanks for the replies.

As I said, I am very happy with the quality of the two lenses I have, and will certainly stick with them, but I could use something beteween the two in terms of focal length. Somthing like a 35-135 would be ideal.

In terms of price, I think that is what I am trying to find out but I would guess that up to about $200 (US) would be OK.

Someone suggested Sigma and I have just found this lens on eBay. It looks like what I am looking for. Does anyone have any comments?
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 04-16-2011, 06:21 AM  
Help picking a lens
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 10
Views: 2,184
I am sure there is a thread somewhere dealing with this, but I have been looking for some time now and can't find it, so here we go....

I have a newish k-x which I love and it came with the 18-55 kit lens, which is fine. I then added the 55-300 kit lens which I also love.

However, there is no overlap with these two and shootiong my granddaughters indoors yesterday I found I needed something between the two - say 40-120 or thereabouts.

The lens reviews show the SMC Pentax-F 35-135 which looks ideal but an initial search suggests that it may be difficult to source (in the U.K.)

There is also the SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 but again that looks difficult to source (and isn't the A series an old one? Will the autofocus etc work?).

I wouldn't know where to start with non-pentax lenses so I am a bit lost. I don't need any better quality than I have with my existing two lenses, and I don't have huge sums of money to spend.

So any suggestions, either which lens, or where to find one of the two mentioned, would be very gratefully received.

Thanks
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 04-03-2011, 01:42 AM  
Can I adapt this flash unit?
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 7
Views: 4,263
Sorry - I obviously didn't make that clear enough - I did measure the voltages on the flash - I just showed what voltages the flash would apply to the camera.

I rechecked this morning and the voltage between centre pin and side contact as shown by SOldBear is a touch over 4v so it sounded like a "go" to me.

I tried it and all is well - it works and no fried K-x. Fantastic. :)

Thanks for all your help guys - saved me the equivalent of $400 odd. :):):) If you ever get to this side of the pond (and around Derbyshire) I'll buy you both a drink.
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 04-02-2011, 10:53 AM  
Can I adapt this flash unit?
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 7
Views: 4,263
Thanks Calicojack. This starts to look hopeful.

The flash has 3 pins and I have measured the voltages between each of the pins and the slide contact at the side. They are shown as looking at the camera in this photo. The centre contact seems to be 0 volts. :confused: There also appears to be a 4th pin on the K-x which I assume will control some function that my flash doesn't have.

Are these what it to be expected? :confused:

Is it safe to use? :confused:

Should it work? :confused:
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 04-02-2011, 01:07 AM  
Can I adapt this flash unit?
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 7
Views: 4,263
Thanks SOldBear - that's what I was hoping for - I think. :confused:

Two things though - you suggest I need an SCA 372, but if you look at the second picture down, that appears to be what I have already. Does that mean the flash - which was bought for my Super A / ME Super film cameras - will simply work with my K-x as it stands?

Secondly How would I go about that please? (My training is in electronics, so I am reasonable competant, I just don't know what to measure where).
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 04-01-2011, 07:27 AM  
Can I adapt this flash unit?
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 7
Views: 4,263
I hope I am posting this in the right place - it was either here or beginner's corner, and this is rather more a techy question than a beginner's one.

I have only recently moved to a DSLR – a K-x – but I have a flash unit from my film days – a Cullmann DC32. If you take a look here (scroll down) you can see it appears similar to the Metz 58 AF-1 which is a fairly expensive bit of kit.

It has what I believe is an interchangeable base unit – an SCA 372, does anyone know whether it is possible to adapt this flash unit for my K-x? :confused:
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-16-2011, 12:57 AM  
Pentax USB lead
Posted By Farmer_Terry
Replies: 5
Views: 4,825
It looks as if you are absolutely right. I had no idea there were so many USB connectors. So the lead is a standard one, if a little unusual.

Thanks for all the help (and the education :))
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