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Forum: General Photography
05-19-2023, 10:12 AM
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Keep in mind that everything is reversed. Focus and aperture turn in the opposite direction. And where some Pentax camera's have aperture priority mode, Konica has only shutter priority. And manual of course.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-20-2023, 10:17 PM
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Both my LX camera's have erratic ASA rotary knobs. It is quite visible when I do a film development test and photograph a gray card with different ASA settings under the same lightning. Now I am wondering how to deal with this issue. Is it something that is easily fixable or do I need to send them out?
Before attempting to fix it myself by massasing the knob while injecting contact spray (WD-40 or similar) I would like to hear different strategies or opinions. Has anybody ever tried to resolve this issue? And if so, what was your method?
Looking forward to reading all input.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-11-2023, 05:35 AM
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Hello,
I was wondering if Pentax changed lens coatings within the same line of lenses. For example, do all Pentax-M lenses have the same coatings? Or, put differently, will I notice a slight color shift when changing from a 50mm F1.7 to a 35mm F2.0 lens?
I presume the coatings of the original K mount lenses predates the coatings of the Pentax-M lenses. Seems logical as coating technology evolves over time. But I am curious whether or not the coating of the M-line changed over time or changed between focal lengths.
Can anyone shine any light on this?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-24-2023, 05:03 AM
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Which K mount camera is, in your opinion, the most robust?
I think it is fair to make a distinction between most robust including the light meter and most robust ignoring the electronics related to the light meter.
My vote goes to the MX but I do not have any knowledge or insights to support it.
What do you think?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-26-2023, 01:55 AM
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Fellow Pentaxians,
Just a conversation starter ... what is your 'best' non-Pentax manual focus K mount prime lens? I've put 'best' between quotes to indicate that it is a highly subjective ranking. I am curious to know your personal favorite. Let MTF charts and all other technical fluff for it is. What is your personal precious gem?
I'll kick off by stating that I really liked the Vivitar 28mm 2.0 close focus lens. I used to have one for Olympus OM mount. If I ever come across a reasonable priced K mount one, I'll grab it. Another one I really like it the Flektogon 35mm 2.4 lens. Mine is permanently converted to K mount. A fine conversion, but nevertheless stop down metering only. And that is a bit of a pain in the butt.
Finally, I do own a Revuenon 50mm 1.4 lens. Wow, that thing is sharp and contrasty! Never done any serious testing, but from it results I get it looks like this lens is way better than the Pentax-M 1.4 version and the Pentax-FA version.
Never tried a Vivitar Series I 90mm macro or the Tamron 52B or 52BB 90mm 2.5 macro lens, but I would love to try one out.
So there you have it. My 3 personal favorites and 1 (or 2) could-be favorites. What is, or what are, your favorite non-Pentax K mount prime lens?
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
12-23-2022, 11:57 AM
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The process is a finicky at best. I ended up using a beta version of their updater that worked with my aging Mac OS X Lion machine on V6 (not V6 II) remotes and RF-60 flashes. With my triggers and flashes updates everything can talk to everything. The Cactus system is a dead system now, so their is no need to ever update them again.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-03-2022, 12:06 AM
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Thank you very much for all the advice given.
A friend offered me his K10. With a new-to-me fully functional K10 in my hands I bit the bullet and tried the isopropyl alcohol trick. And guess what ... it worked! I now have two working K10's.
Thank you for your advice, and a very big thank you to RoseyD for the offer. Highly appreciated, hopefully the camera will find its way to another home.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-01-2022, 03:35 AM
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Hello,
My aging and trusty K10D developed a problem with its shutter speed wheel. Or more accurately, it developed a problem with setting the shutter speed regardless of which (front or back) wheel I use.
The symtom is fairly simple ... whenever I turn the dial the shutter speed changes in an unpredicably manner. All sorts of things happen: the speed changes to a new value, or it changes to a new value but flips back, or it changes to a new value but all of a sudden it flips to 8 sec or so. The only constant to this behaviour is that I am unable to select a shutter speed faster that 1/10 or so. Rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise does not seem to have an influence. I am fairly sure that the mechanics of the wheels are not at fault. As I change the wheel function, the newly assigned function works as expected.
Using the camera in X mode with (studio) flash works like a charm. The same goes for P-mode and for Av mode. No problems with those modes. Using Tv mode and M mode is not an option any more.
My gut feeling tells me that the camera is beyound repair. Or at least beyound repair with a reasonable cost. Nevertheless, a forum post. Perhaps a quick fix is possible.
Why not buy a more modern camera you may ask? Well, my main interest is analog photography using film and printing in the dark room. I use my digital camera mainly for test shoots. Hence my lack of desire to upgrade.
Has anyone experienced the same?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Marcel
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
08-23-2021, 05:15 AM
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Hi!
My LX winder still works. Well sort of. It transports the film frame by frame and it rewinds the film. But it does so sounding like a worn-out coffee grinder. I own 2 LX winders and the other one sounds normal to my ears. Now I would like to know, is there still someone servicing these winders? Or am I best of by sourcing a "new" one from eBay or the likes?
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
04-21-2021, 08:14 AM
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I have already seen the Pentax announcement of the new LX. The new LX is exactly like the old LX, just new. My dreams are soo sweat .... :-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-26-2020, 10:18 AM
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No, absolutely not :) I am not looking for a new standard lens, let alone one that costs a small fortune.
My curiosity was fuelled when I came across this page: Poor-man’s Summicron |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-26-2020, 09:04 AM
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Hi!
I am curious to know which PK mount lenses were made by Tomioka. The original Rikenon XR 50mm F/2.0 is supposed to be a Tomioka lens. Are there more (Rikenon) PK lenses manufacted by Tomioka? Does anybody have any insight on this topic?
Marcel
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Forum: Sold Items
08-17-2019, 01:31 PM
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Too bad you're not shipping to Europe. Nevertheless, good luck with the sale!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2019, 01:01 AM
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The battery holder was in your hands and it got hot, right? Check your battery holder. It shortcuts (if that is a valid verb) somewhere. The heat you're feeling is from a high current due to the shortcut.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
07-09-2019, 09:33 PM
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Sending coupons ... those were the days!
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
02-28-2019, 08:39 AM
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No first hand experience with PMK Pyro and Fomapan 100, but according to various posts I've read that should work great. Rate as 50 ASA and develop 1 + 2 + 50 for 11 mins. Good luck!
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
02-03-2019, 12:46 PM
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Be aware ... test firing doesn't work with an original 645 as the original version needs film loaded to actuate the shutter.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
01-05-2019, 12:02 AM
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That should not be the case. If you haven't cocked the lens shutter and you're using the lens in leaf shutter mode (that is you've selected a shutter speed on the lens barrel) you should have a blocked / black viewfinder until you cock the lens shutter.
It is not completely clear to my whether or not the Sigma flash fires. Your claim that is works in focal plane mode gives me the impression that it does not fire in leaf shutter mode.
Have a look at the section 'Using in Leaf Shutter Mode' of the LS lens manual. Using the lens on an original Pentax 645 I can vouch that the procedure how to use the lens is exactly as described. I also used this lens on a P645N and I am not sure if the camera switches to 1/8s shutter automatically. Have to check that.
I would recommend to check out the manual and make sure you'll notice the view finder blockage when you've tripped the leaf shutter. If you do not see the blockage, your lens in malfunctioning hence no flash output.
On a side note. You should be able to test drive this setup without film. Unlike the 645 the 645N fires when no film is loaded.
Good luck!
PENTAX SMC 645 LS 75MM F/2.8 OPERATING MANUAL Pdf Download. |
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-26-2018, 01:50 AM
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
09-13-2018, 02:50 AM
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Have a look at Cactus (HOME | CACTUS). It seems a complete system, compatible with Pentax camera's and Pentax flashes and is expandable with speedlites as well as studio strobes.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
09-08-2018, 01:00 PM
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I do not want to be rude, but I am very sorry to say your claim is false. I did my research on forehand and on page 53 of the AF540FGZ manual you'll read Ricoh/Pentax claims out-of-the-box AF assist support for camera's with a firmware dated September 2013 or later. Perhaps for more knowledgable Pentaxians like you - and I do not mean any insult here - that was clear from the start, but for me it most certainly wasn't. Hence my question.
On page 52 of that same manual you'll read that the 540's AF assist lamp only works when it is mounted on the camera's hot shoe. This does not answer your statement, but - if I am reading it correctly - states that the flash needs the hot shoe for the AF light to operate. This and the fact that Cactus states that all TTL information needs to pass-through their multi-system hot shoe (page 17 of the Cactus manual) makes me believe the V6 II operates the AF assist light using the fysical connectors between the flash and the Cactus trigger instead of anything wireless directly from the Cactus trigger to the flash. It seems that all wireless communication is from trigger to trigger. Nevertheless, all camera's listed in the 540 manual as being compatible with the AF assist function support wireless, flash-related data transfer. So with the information at hand one can not tell.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but I am fairly confident - or ignorant - that the AF beam of the Cactus will work on my AF film camera's.
Rest assured, if Elinchrom is not willing to support Pentax I will post a YouTube video of a (not-)working Cactus trigger :)
---------- Post added 09-08-18 at 01:17 PM ----------
Yes, that is a fail-safe option. There is only one catch: Dutch law states that one needs to return the item within 14 days. So before ordering I would like to be sure that no Pentax version of the Elinchrom transmitter is around the corner. It would be slightly silly to buy a wireless trigger only to buy another one a few months later, wouldn't it?
---------- Post added 09-08-18 at 01:33 PM ----------
The test I did this afternoon was the other way around. I own a Pentax AF 330 FTZ that is compatible with my AF film camera's. The spot beam works on that one. Not only in a strict technical sense, but also in a functional sense as I do think that focusing of the 645N with the 150mm is faster with less hunting. Today was the first time ever I mounted a FGZ-type flash on my camera and the spot beam - as you could see - worked wonderful.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
09-08-2018, 11:35 AM
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Oh dear, oh dear! Time to clarify ...
I am still curious whether or not the Cactus V6 II AF assist works on my old film camera's. And I haven't answered that question with this test setup. You're right on that.
But if a modern Cactus supported flash can communicate with a aging film camera when they have a direct connection - with or without extension cord - than I am fairly sure that this setup will also work when a Cactus V6 II trigger is used instead of a Pentax flash. Please note: I am only interested in the AF assist light and I have no interest in whatever-TTL is or is not available.
This reasoning is based on the assumption that the Cactus trigger uses the same electric signals to operate its AF light as required by a dedicated supported Pentax speedlight.
Based on the tests I did this afternoon I would say that it is fairly likely that a Cactus V6 II trigger can be used on my AF film camera's to fire my Elinchrom flashes _AND_ assist the autofocus system as well. For firing the Elinchrom flashes I still need to use the Elinchrom transmitter mounted on the Cactus trigger.
Does this makes any sense?
On a side note: the reason for not ordering a V6 II trigger right away is that Elinchrom just recently announced support for Fuji camera's leaving Pentax as the only unsupported major camera brand. Perhaps during the Photokina buzz they will announce a Pentax version of their Transmitter Pro as well. For my purposes the Elinchrom Transmitter Pro would be the perfect tool as it has a AF focus light and, obviously, fires my Elinchrom heads. Perhaps it is hoping against better judgement ... time will tell.
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