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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-05-2023, 04:13 PM
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Yes, some thing is broken or gummed up in the frame counter on your camera. Probably best to return it if you can. The reason it probably fired when you got it was the seller advanced the frame counter above 1 with the back open and then shipped it that way to you. Once you opened it to load it with film the counter reset and as it stayed under 1 the shutter never cocked or fired.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-03-2023, 05:34 PM
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Your film counter isn't advancing. The shutter won't fire until it advances to the 1. There is no reason to press the safety release button, your mirror isn't locked up.
When you load the film you are supposed to have the start mark on the paper lined up with the start mark in the camera. Then close the door then and advance the film until it no longer advances which should be at the 1. If you aren't getting the counter advancing try switching the dial on the side from 120 to 220 and back and to see if maybe it frees up something in the counter. It won't advance without film (or at least backing paper) in the camera as the film turns a roller for frame spacing.
To test the shutter open the back, rotate the dial on the counter counter clockwise till you get it above the 1 and while holding it there close the back. Next crank should cock the shutter and it should fire. You can keep firing the shutter in that case until you open the back again. With no film in the camera the counter won't increase as there is nothing to turn the counter roller inside the camera.
---------- Post added 04-03-23 at 09:04 PM ----------
This will show you how it should work....
Loading Pentax 6x7 |
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-03-2023, 03:31 AM
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I have tested on both. In the Pentax 6x7 using ground glass in the Pentax 6x7 and a second camera focused at infinity looking through the lens at the ground glass. Tested with the 645D by taking test shots. They agree with each other. That is using a Pentax adapter, I have another brand adapter but I haven't tested it. The dual camera rig is a more accurate way to test and very repeatable, esp with a wide angle where anything like the moon is just going to be tiny.
The 105 and 200 are both dead on at the infinity stop on the 6x7 using the collimator rig and on the 645D. The 45 and 55 aren't. I'm guessing the 45 has the adjustment under the beauty ring as there was nothing under the focus rubber ring. I will check that soon.
Thanks!
---------- Post added 04-03-23 at 06:36 AM ----------
Many many lenses have a hard stop that is actually at infinity focus. The whole 'focus past infinity' thing just seems like an excuse to avoid taking the time to actually calibrate the stop. Maybe in an IF lens it might be an issue. I have never had a problem with a lens that stops properly at infinity, I have had problems with lenses that don't as they are much less repeatable when you want to focus to infinity. Both my 105mm Pentax and my 200mm Pentax have proper stops at infinity. I think my Pentax 645 lenses do too though I haven't tested them as I didn't see the softness I did of the 45 due to its bad focus stop.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-02-2023, 06:29 PM
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Shooting the moon with a 45mm on the 645D....
Zoomed *way* in... Image on the left is at the infinity stop, image on the right is focused in a little bit. Not focused properly but clearly more in focus with more contrast and less CA.
As a comparison this is the SMC 67 200mm F4 at the infinity stop (left) vs focused in slightly (right).
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-02-2023, 03:30 PM
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For your questions...
1) Yes, the lens focuses correctly.
2) Correct, the focus distance on the lens is not accurate, neither is the infinity stop. It is really just the infinity stop I am trying to get proper. Trying to eyeball it in the viewfinder isn't going to be as sharp as if the stop were just correct in the first place. Esp. in lower light.
3) Yes, if focused to the infinity stop (also the infinity mark) the lens is out of focus.
I'm sorry you haven't found a lens with a correct infinity stop/focus distance. That is kind of shocking to me as I've got dozens of them that are accurate. Including many Pentax lenses. This one isn't, neither is the 55mm, though it isn't off as badly. Pretty much any rangefinder lens is going to need to have an accurate infinity stop. The cameras rangefinder is literally calibrated against the lens at the stop.
Also, very surprised that you haven't seen it as a means of focus. Scale focusing is common, there are many cameras cameras that can *only* be focused that way. Try shooting a Rollei 35 for example. I've built many panoramic cameras that are scale focused and having infinity properly focused at the stop is crucial for getting sharp images out of them. Scale focusing is also a common practice with wider angle lenses, such as a 45mm on a 6x7 camera.
I won't see a difference against a star or moon. Again, I've tested this optically using a collimator setup. If it were actually focusing at infinity at the infinity stop I'd be in focus from about 45 feet away and on. Nothing is in focus even hundreds of feet away or through the collimator setup. Because the lens is out of focus at the infinity stop. This is a 45mm lens, not a 1000+ mm rig.
In the viewfinder the difference from infinity stop to actual in focus at infinity is pretty subtle and a little difficult to see on a tripod. Handheld it is harder still, low light even more difficult. Being able to just set the lens to the infinity stop will result in sharper pictures when I am shooting infinity. That is why I'd like to adjust the lens so infinity is focused at the infinity stop.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-02-2023, 09:54 AM
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Does the battery check light light up? If not try cleaning the battery contacts.
To try firing without film open the back, the turn the dial in the center of the film counter counter clockwise till it is reading >0 and while holding it there close the back. The camera should only allow you to wind once and the shutter will fire. It will keep letting you do that until you open the back again.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-02-2023, 09:51 AM
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Tried checking under the rubber focus ring on the SMC Pentax 67 F4 45mm and there are no adjustment screws for the infinity stop so that must be done in a different manor on this lens.
To give a sense of what I am talking about.
This is at 100% zoom in with the image on the right focused at 'infinity' on the lens, left is focused like this:
This position is just about the same as what I found on the Pentax 6x7 optically using another camera as a collimator. The suggests the adapter on the 645D is the correct thickness.
A 45mm at f4 on the 645D focused at infinity should have everything from about 44' and on in focus. At 'infinity' on the lens nothing is in focus.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-02-2023, 05:25 AM
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Thanks, I will check that out and see if these have that or not.
---------- Post added 04-02-23 at 08:36 AM ----------
My definition of infinity is using a second camera to check infinity focus, like a collimator. When done this way actual infinity is very sharp.
In my experience a lens that focuses beyond infinity tends to not be as sharp as it should be when trying to focus at infinity as the viewfinder isn't as precise as the collimator and a hard stop. Hence wanting to adjust my wider angles to stop at actual infinity focus. A lens focused beyond infinity is not sharp anywhere and stopping it down is the band-aid for missed focus. The 45 is badly out of focus at the stop and wide open looks soft everywhere, the 55 is less so, my 105 is dead on at the stop.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-01-2023, 06:05 AM
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Curious if the late Pentax 67 versions of the 45mm and 55mm have adjustable infinity stops? Both of mine focus beyond infinity, the 45mm more than the 55mm. My SMC 6x7 105mm is dead on at infinity.
Focus was tested directly with a second camera focused at infinity looking through the Pentax with ground glass on the 6x7 film gate with Xs on it. This also confirmed the focus screen was set properly.
Thanks!
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
02-26-2023, 05:54 PM
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Bringing this thread back from the dead. I have the same 3 pot TTL meter, though my lower pot isn't slotted. My meter overexposes by about 2 stops consistently in bright and low light. Anyone know which of the three pots would be used to adjust this? I'd rather not use trial and error if at all possible.
Thanks,
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-30-2018, 08:30 PM
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Thanks, the 500mm is crazy sharp. Just an outstanding lens.
Not on a Q but....
Shawn
---------- Post added 12-30-18 at 10:33 PM ----------
Good point. I converted a couple of Rokinon Canon EF mount lenses to Sigma SA (using Pentax K mount extension rings) and in that case it was easy as the backs of the mounts were totally flat. There were really only 3 contact points at each of the screw holes.
I guess it totally depends upon if the back of the Pentax mount in the adapter is flat or not.
Shawn
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Forum: Sold Items
12-30-2018, 09:57 AM
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If anyone has one of these used please let me know. I am looking for the actual Pentax model with the shutter in it.
Thanks,
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-30-2018, 09:40 AM
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I had an Eye-Fi card awhile back that ended up getting discontinued before the company went bankrupt. It never worked all that well IMO. I also have the W4 Toshiba card and find that that one actually works a little better. You don't need the on/off function with the Toshiba as it can be set to turn off after x amount of time after the camera turns on. That saves battery power. You can also browse the pictures a little easier with the Toshiba card. Most annoying thing about it is I haven't found a way to select multiple files for download when browsing with a computer. Neither are as nice as a camera with built in Wifi but are better than nothing if you want that functionality. I use the W4 in an original x100.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-30-2018, 09:31 AM
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Thanks for the information on the adapters. I was thinking the K mount side of the adapter looks like it would just unscrew so it should be pretty easy to drill a Nikon mount flange to screw in its place. To get fancy one could add a 1.04mm spacer behind the Nikon flange to maintain proper flange distance. That would be helpful on the 500mm as the infinity stop is right on the mark.
Now if I could just find that adapter used....
Thanks,
Shanw
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-29-2018, 09:17 AM
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The 500 F4P is an amazing lens, every time I use it it impresses me. I didn't try the Sony without the TC301 but without it the crop would have been pretty small. The resulting crop with the TC301 in place is around 10MP. Next clear night I will try it. With it on the Q I think I was getting motion blur, the electronic shutter probably wasn't helping there. Wonder if the Pentax K to Q adapter could be adapted to Nikon mount to get an actual shutter?
The TC301 is the recommended teleconverter for the 500 f4p.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-25-2018, 06:36 PM
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Pentax Q-S1 with Nikon 500mm F4P. Uncropped. The Q had more detail than shots I also took with a Sony A7RII with the same lens plus a 2x Nikon TC-301 teleconverter.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
05-05-2018, 11:50 AM
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Nice, glad others are enjoying the Fuji too. It is a great little lens for not much money. As far as a lens cover I have just used a small velvet cinch bag over the lens so far. At some point I will see about trying to 3D print a lens cover for it.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-09-2017, 02:00 PM
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-02-2017, 09:15 PM
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LCDs are polarized and if they are opposite the polarization of your sunglasses you will completely black out the screen. I think the screen is OK with my polarized sunglasses when in landscape but if I rotate to portrait orientation I can't see the screen at all.
An OLED display would not have this issue.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-02-2017, 10:05 AM
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Fujinon CF2.7HA-L1 2.7mm f1.8 Fisheye.
The lens as delivered is a M7 mount (with a flange distance of under 2mm and a screw size larger than C mount) but the M7 mount will unscrew and under it is a standard C mount thread with the proper flange focal length. I think this lens is sold by Fujinon in a few different versions and mounts. I believe they are all fixed focus but some have aperture controls and some do not. This version is wide open all the time.
First shots playing around...
The FOV is *very* wide and many shots had feet in them. The uneven vignetting is a little odd (mostly left corners) but not an issue IMO. Seems plenty sharp (all are wide open as there is no aperture) and I have tweaked that slightly with a spacer.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
11-28-2017, 02:52 PM
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Yup, but I ignored it on the sailboat shot. Looks better with the masts straight up and down IMO.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
11-26-2017, 01:15 PM
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Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Q
11-24-2017, 07:54 PM
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My original Q with the 01 prime had a problem with its SD card slot so I haven't used it in years. Just picked up a red/gunmetal Q-S1 with the 02 zoom and was walking around with it today.
The 02 is a fun little lens. I totally ignored it with my original Q, that was a mistake. Just ordered an 06 to go with it.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
12-07-2014, 02:12 PM
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Areas that are overexposures will be shown in red, areas that are underexposures will be shown in blue. It is handy for times when the lighting is difficult and can be useful to helping set exposure compensation quicker.
Shawn
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
12-06-2014, 10:07 AM
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"Is the MX-1 outdated and you should upgrade to a Sony RX100/3 or Panasonic LX100?"
MX-1 takes great shots. As every one said the lens is really good and I have gotten some very great shots with it. Having said that I bought a RX100/3. A big part of that was due to size. RX100 fits comfortably in a shirt pocket, the MX-1 can't do that. I prefer the simpler interface of the Pentax to the Sony though I have found the Sony to not be as bad as most say.
As far as shooting hand held in low light my money is on the Sony. Lens speed is very similar between the two and the Sony handles high ISO better than the MX-1. Additionally I find that using the EVF is a more stable shooting position than using a rear LCD.
My problem is what to do with my MX-1. I should sell it but I am strongly considering converting it to an IR camera.
Shawn
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