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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-08-2007, 07:19 AM
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thanks guys!
had a look at both. so basically a hotshoe-PC is simply an adapter (with no circuitary). I read somewhere that studio strobes use 6V as opposed to the 3V on the hotshoe tho?
I'm inclined to go for a IR (not RF) wireless solution...
also any reason why the Sigma 500DG refuses to work with a RF reciever? (It continuously discharges as soon as it charges...)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-07-2007, 02:13 PM
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Takumar 200mm F4 (m42 adapted):
SMC-M 50mm F1.7:
Takumar 135mm F3.5
All three lenses had been bargins and I love them =) but u do have to try hard with em to get sharp shots. It does pull u back from the mindless snap snap snap mindset which is good =)
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-07-2007, 01:35 PM
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Hi fellow Pentax users,
Straight to the point, I want to trigger studio strobes from my K100D. Obviously it has no PC-sync outlet but only a hot-shoe. What are my options and what equipment do I need exactly?
On a side note, I have tried using a RF wireless unit for off-camera use of the flashgun, but I found that 1) It wont work on the Sigma 500 DG, as it keeps firing continuously, and 2) When I use it with the 360FGZ, any shutter speed above 1/30sec results in pitch black.
Many many thanks in advance for any light shed on this topic!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-23-2006, 05:52 AM
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thx for the tips. I think the Fuji 400 is probably the way to go then, esp since its relatively easy to get from retail shops and i could always use Photoshop to turn anything into B&W as a last resort :)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-23-2006, 02:41 AM
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Tomorrow, I have my cousins wedding.
In addition to my K100D i will be bringing my MZ-50, mainly to use with the 18-35mm for wide angle group shots. Question is, what film should I load it with thats best for the occasion?
- ISO: 400 or 800 or higher?
- White balance : what is best for interior of a church, will it be lit by tungsten? (I'm not religous so i have hardly been inside a church all my life)
- Color or B&W? B&W will give a classic look, plus it will be independent of the color balance....
What are some product recommendations?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-23-2006, 02:37 AM
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*duplicate Thread Pls Delete*
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-22-2006, 03:27 AM
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it seems like theres two sorts of adapters, since the extra 1mm flange seems to be designed to contact all the pins so that you will get focus confirmation?
I have the type that is fully recessed into the K-mount (ie focuses to infinity fine), but it depends on which camera body im using whether i will get focus confirmation or not.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-15-2006, 02:24 PM
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I've just came out of this month-long tele zoom saga, ending up with a 70-300 Tamron. Up to a point I switched tact to ordering the Sigma because it would have arrived sooner. :confused: , or so the camera shop said...
I am searching for something similar for my gf's. And I am thinking of going Sigma so we can try out different brands. What are the differences between the Sigma Macro Super II vs Sigma 70-300 DG Macro? or are they the same item under different branding?
Btw if you want to take a look at my Tamron as a comparison, I paid $180USD new for mine, and a lot of the specs are identical as 70-300mm / 4-5.6 / macro 1:2 goes.
I posted some sample shots on an earlier thread but mine did seem to have issues with AF at the tele end using multi point AF. Also I do find the images at the full 300mm end a tad soft.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-14-2006, 01:27 AM
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Today I got my Tamron 70-300 Di Macro. On initial testing, I pointed it at a wallpaper style scene (ie sky & hills) which should be at infinity, but the lens started focusing closer and closer until the scene is a blur at the focus is at 1.5m.
focusing it on a closer tree, the AF worked fine. focusing it on a chimney at infinity with floral patterns painted on (high contrast) worked fine too)
So I thought I had a bad copy. then it occurs to me that I was on multi-pt AF mode and the original scene had probably too little contrast for it to focus! changing it to spot, it AF'ed to infinity correctly on the original scene.
Is this normal? I shall post up the shots soon.
this is the scene with the AF problem:
And this one is fine:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-07-2006, 03:02 AM
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Well, after 4 weeks of waiting for my Tamron 70-300 LD Di with a fully paid deposit, I marched back into the store demanding for a refund. Instead, I walked out with a new order for the Sigma APO DG 70-300, which costs $100 more :D there's LBA for ya (at least they promised that Sigma comes from a different supplier, so it will be much faster delivery)
How does the two compare in general?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-06-2006, 09:15 PM
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hiya Nesster,
I'm just using one of those M42 - K ring adapters from ebay, ie no electrical contacts. And the lenses I'm using are stop down metering ones (ie viewfinder goes dark), tested with takumar 28mm, on Aperture priority mode.
I think i have to wait for my first roll to get processed and post it up b4 im sure it works :)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-04-2006, 02:03 AM
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its about time that the facts got sorted =) its funny how much marketing hype can sway 9 buyers out of 10 to the two major brands because people are just too lazy to read the details.
although i had no idea about the image quality of the K100D at the time i bought it, i *knew* that feature and value for money wise, it was the winner hands down. My K100D was $400AUD less than the EOS 400D, so surely, with that surplus put towards a prosumer level lens, it has more than enough cred to boogie with the $1k+ kits.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-04-2006, 01:52 AM
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Got my MZ-50 (USA= ZX-5) today. I have to say i am pleasantly surprised. Initially I got a P30, and I saw the MZ-50 for thirty bucks more and thought "hmmm...autofocus, continuous shot, body controlled PASM" but was initially hestitant that it wont work with non A lenses. Well, the verdict is that although it wont work with my SMC M 50mm and Zenitar :( , it *did* work with my M42 screw mount lenses in Av (and M) mode, contrary to internet literature!! :) I Confirmed this with my K100D on spot metering, Av, identical ISO - the two cameras yielded identical Shutter speeds, and turning the aperture ring does indeed change the shutter speed correspondingly
Next thing is to go out and do a test roll. If all goes well I think my P30 will be returned to the good old ebay pool w/ my M lenses to raise funds for a 50mm AF 1.7 =). but on the other hand, it does make a neat backup body with some of the MF primes
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-28-2006, 10:39 PM
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yeah, the adpater ring is definitely fully recessed into the body's K mount. i would have thought that the default on the camera is to assume that the lens is at wide open mode if theres no detection, guess it wasnt the case.
if i could figure out what the default stop is, then i guess its possible to compensate for what the meter is reading out...
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-28-2006, 02:58 PM
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Today I went for some early morning shooting. slotting in my 28mm f3.5 Takumar (M42) with my P30, I was surprised that it was asking for 1/6 sec at f3.5 in broad daylight. I have the lens set to manual stop-down metering, and the camera responds to me turning the aperture ring (even suggesting 1" at f8). so i have no idea why.
putting on a regular K mount lens seems to solve this. the same scene, same conditions, the camera suggests in the vicinity of 1/125, etc
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-28-2006, 02:52 PM
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you might also like to take a look at the tamron 70-300 (which i have ordered , still waiting!), as that one has a reproduction ration of 1:2
another budget choice which i am keenly interested in is the Phoenix 100mm f3.5 macro. that one has a repro ratio of 1:2 with an adapter allowing up to 1:1. last time i checked its about $130usd and has some good reviews as in "bang for your buck" wise:
Phoenix AF 100mm f/3.4 Macro Lens - A Nikonians Product Review
or just get a 50mm prime and some tubes, diopters, reverse it with a ring etc. i've had some good results with these methods but they are generally only suitable for still life type shots (long shutter required + very close focus = no insect shots)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-17-2006, 08:52 PM
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Well I took the plunge and bought my film body off ebay. it arrived yesterday, although I quickly found that consumables (film, battery) easily overtook half the cost of the camera. What I would like to do with it is to shoot some good B&W, to experiment with filters, and to shoot some wide landscapes with a good film like fuji velvia.
Besides velvia (which costed me $25AUD from a shop!) what are some similar grade films that would produce really saturated, almost surreal colors? and what are some good choices for black and white?
PS i had a look thru my film body with the zenitar fisheye for the fisrt time, now i know what it means by 180 degree diagonal :)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-17-2006, 08:48 PM
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i agree that the kit lens is pretty good value. I inquired abt my K100D w/o the kit lens and the shop was only willing to discount $50AUD off! so even selling off the kit on ebay would recoup more than that :) The K100D kit lens (sigma 18-50, in Oz), seems to be pretty good quality.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
11-15-2006, 05:52 PM
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i too have got mine working, although not with the phone cable but instead I bought my own parts and made my own.
Turns out the mobile-hands-free had FOUR silver bands, which trips the shutter as soon as its plugged in.
I went to Tandy and bought:
a 2.5mm stereo headphone jack (THREE silver bands), a toggle button (ie enables bulb), a normal button (for AF), and 2m of speaker cable...all up 5 bucks
the three connectors were earth, shutter and AF. I tested out AF but have not wired it up, as the speaker cable I got only had two wires.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-15-2006, 05:40 PM
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I think here's another reason for the non-digital specialized lens (I dont mean digital only lenses liek Di II, rather i mean digital optimized lenses like Di and DG)
Recently, I bought a film P3 body for my wideangle shots as as a disposable backup. I need lenses which have a physical aperture ring because the camera does not have the electronics to control aperture in body. So now I'm at a dilemma to get the Tamron 70-300 LD Di . its great bang for buck but adapted to my film body, even tho it has the full image circle I will be forced to shoot at wide open...
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-05-2006, 11:15 PM
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tubes or a add on diopter element will be the cheapest way to get into macro, costing around $20-30 second hand for tubes (I picked some up over the weekend) or for new diopters. a third way is use a reversed lens 50mm prime lens (either attached to camera body by a reversing ring, or attaching to a lens using a coupler ring). using a reversed lens i think it magnifies beyond 1:1 but DOF is so small its hard to get it right.
the trouble with these methods is that you have to focus really closely, ie put the camera right up against the subject. (not useful for insects). I dont have a macro lens but i do believe that a true macro lens can reproduce up to 1:1 even if you are a meter away, and this is controlled on the lens which has a scale to allows you to magnify from 1:4 to 1:2 to 1:1. is this correct?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-02-2006, 01:57 PM
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My Zenitar has also arrived!!! First thing in the morning (ie now) I woke up and had a try. this is shot from the balcony at f5.6 at infinity focus
I'm not sure if my lens is the sharpest it can be tho. I feel that the McDonalds sign is showing a bit of softness
(Julie, heres the info on the problem i was talking about
Fisheye MC Zenitar-N 16mm f/2.8 Lens)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-02-2006, 07:11 AM
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thanks for the gallery, i have indeed bought the SMC takumar 28mm from tom, eagerly awaiting it now :)
btw i have seen your gallery thru a whole heap of google searches for the lens =) i am very impressed!
did you use the geunine M42 adapter or a ebay special? i bought mine from ebay so i hope its okay, since i have heard that some of them have too much thickness and wont focus to inifnity.....
also does this mean i have to stop-down meter?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-01-2006, 01:16 PM
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and how would it perform at the 300 end with a 2x TC (tripod of course), would that still be usable?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-01-2006, 05:56 AM
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I think I am convinced on the Tamron =)
I'm sure the pentaxes are great, but they are rarer to come by. The Tamron (and Sigma) I can rock up to a shop and get instant satisfaction (aka a 'fix' for my LBA?!)
the Tamron is almost identically priced to the Sigma 70-300 non APO version... hmmm.
my final question is whether the Tamron a full frame but digi 'optimized' lens, or is it a digtial only lens ? (I get the impression that Di is digital optimized, and Di II is digital only)
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