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Forum: Visitors' Center
01-08-2013, 06:24 PM
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But if you don't want to print the entire manual (lots of paper), I found that opening the file (and perhaps scrolling) was quicker after I saved it to my computer, rather than going to the website each time I wanted to look something up. (Maybe everyone has done this?)
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-08-2013, 06:12 PM
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Thank you! This camera is so versatile, and I'm finding it very easy to use with my old lenses.
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-05-2013, 10:22 PM
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Thanks to everybody for all the information. Earlier in the week I ordered a used camera body from KEH, and it came two days ago. It was overwhelming at first, with all the ways to control the camera, but this was what I was looking for, after a much-too-simple point-and-shoot camera. Now I'm using my old Pentax lenses again. (I was actually thinking of selling them. Sometimes there's an advantage to not cleaning out a closet.)
The camera that I chose is a Pentax K 10D. I don't mind the manual focusing at all (I did not buy a new lens to go with the camera), and with the focus ready-light and hexagonal icon that appears in the viewfinder, it is so easy. And, as Timmijo wrote, I may ultimately use manual mode most of the time. This is what I did with my old stereo camera. No light meter, just got to know what exposure to use, with the guidelines printed in the film box. But this isn't so easy with low light, so having the meter is nice. I've been trying the camera in low light (never liked the look of flash photography), and I really like the results. Need to experiment with the white balance. I tried the tungsten setting, and some shadows looked purplish. Strange effect, but it may have been because I was mixing incandescent and fluorescent light.
Oh, and I just checked the shutter count for the camera. I wonder why the detailed data that goes with the photo has a 10-digit number (which would be in the billions), then when you do the upload to the myshuttercount website, it translates it to the real number. Is it encrypted in the camera?
And the downloadable Pentax user manual is so LONG, but necessary for someone new to this level of digital photography.
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-01-2013, 01:57 PM
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Sounds like it's not an inconvenience at all. This is a great forum. Thanks!
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-01-2013, 10:10 AM
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I'm new to the forum, thinking of getting a used Pentax camera body to work with my old Pentax lenses, and I've read this posting and the article by Robert Donovan. My one remaining question: Every time you turn the camera off and on again, it seems that you have to let the camera know the focal length. I think this is only for the shake reduction to work, so if this gets tedious, can you just turn off the shake reduction feature? Or is setting the focal length so quick that it becomes second nature to set it every time you turn the camera on? (I think I might get tired of this.) My cheap Nikon Coolpix turns itself off automatically after a number of seconds to save the battery. This happens a lot because I am sometimes slow to take a picture. If this happens with the Pentax I think it would be annoying to have to set the focal length each time. (Quite often I'm ready to take a picture with the Nikon, and it turns itself off.)
There was also something about getting the flashing 'F -.' screen, and having to navigate to the Custom Menu and change the “Using aperture ring” setting to “Permitted”: For some lenses, do you have to do this every time you turn the camera on? I could imagine this getting very tedious! (I'm hoping this only happens once, and the setting will be stored permanently in the camera's memory.)
I wonder if there is anyone out there who uses only the old Pentax lenses, or if everyone eventually gets a new lens to work with the digital camera.
Thanks,
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-26-2012, 10:11 PM
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Interesting! None of this in the owner's manual that came with my camera, a Program Plus. So thank you!
Peter
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-26-2012, 07:08 PM
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This has probably been asked before, but I have three Pentax lenses that I bought in the 1980s: SMC Pentax-A 50mm, SMC Pentax-A 35mm, and SMC Pentax-M 135mm. The A is automatic, the M is manual, but what does the SMC mean???
Peter
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
12-25-2012, 10:41 PM
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I just joined the forum, and am looking forward to learning about digital photography here. My first camera was a Wirgin Edixa stereo that used 35mm slide film. (I bought it at Olden Camera in NYC in 1971!!!) Then in 1986 I bought a Pentax Program Plus with a 50mm Pentax-A lens, then got a 35mm Pentax-A lens, a 135mm Pentax-M lens, and a Vivitar 28-70mm zoom lens. I have gotten great pictures from this camera.
I also have a Rollei 35SE (a wonderful compact 35mm camera), a TDC Stereovivid camera, and also used, briefly, a Minox 'spy' camera that I found not so rewarding. A few years ago I bought a Nikon Coolpix L3, but it's starting to fail, and I have spent much time researching what to get next. I posted a question about this on the Yahoo digital photography group, and someone suggested buying a used camera body and lens. I had no idea that my old Pentax lenses could still be used! The same person suggested that I join this group. He said there aren't many Pentax owners over there. So at this point I'm reading about the various features that the Pentax DSLRs have. Lots to learn!
Peter
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