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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-22-2017, 09:19 AM
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Industar 50-2 50mm f3.5
I should have checked my sensor as it was evidently filthy!
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-12-2017, 12:21 PM
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Industar 50-2
Not my best photo, but the weather has not been cooperative.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-10-2017, 08:50 AM
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I'm playing with an Industar 50-2 and enjoying it. After I import my photos into Lightroom I try different lens correction profiles. I've tried various Zeiss and Voigtlander profiles but really don't see any difference. Does anyone here have a profile they have found that works well with the Industar? I usually adjust my photos to taste but thought I should ask.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
04-29-2016, 12:47 AM
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Hello,
I have been starting to get interested in using old legacy lens from the last century. As a novice, the obvious thing to do is find a lens, determine what type of mount it uses and acquire an adapter to enable using it.
But, what about lens that might be part of a point and shoot style camera, like a Zeiss Ikon Contina 35mm camera, for example? Most of my local antique shops seem to be overflowing with examples like this one: shopgoodwill.com - #29372229 - Vintage Argus Camera W/ 50 mm Argus Lens - 4/29/2016 5:45:00 PM or this one: shopgoodwill.com - #29387900 - Kodak 35 Camera W/ Field Case - 4/29/2016 6:30:00 PM or finally this one: shopgoodwill.com - #29400195 - VTG Kodak 35 Film Camera Leather Strap - 4/30/2016 6:38:00 PM.
Would it be more sensible to steer clear of cameras with built in glass in favor of SLRs? Or can those lenses be "harvested" from their camera bodies and put to use with our newer digital cameras?
I spent most of the evening poking around with the help of Google, but I didn't really find anything out there. Are there any sites or publications I should be aware of?
I don't know off-hand how well any of these would perform, but the prices of these both online and locally are very little, so it wouldn't cost much to buy them and play. What stops me right now is that I'm not well-versed in how cameras like these were assembled and I'm uncertain how I'd mount the lenses after getting them off the bodies?
Thanks!
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-14-2016, 09:59 PM
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Thanks for the in-depth explanation Steve. I really appreciate this! I can't wait to try again in another month or two.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-13-2016, 12:57 PM
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Please do keep everyone informed! If I could afford it, I'd have gotten a K1. It would be overkill for what I use photography for but it would be an awful lot of fun making such highly detailed photos for my hobby (photogrammetry). I think since it is a full frame camera that it could use a legacy split prism from a rangefinder Pentax? I see those float up on Craigslist and shopgoodwill.com frequently at prices so low that you essentially are just paying postage to take them off the sellers hands. I haven't done a search today, but I wonder if this is a topic already elsewhere?
---------- Post added 03-13-16 at 01:03 PM ----------
Where did you order your focus screen from? Was it eBay or focusscreens.com? The particular example I ordered on the cheap from Amazon doesn't look like it was the right thickness and that makes me wonder if that was a factor in my lack of success? The stock screen was plainly thinner.
---------- Post added 03-13-16 at 01:09 PM ----------
If it weren't for bad luck, I don't think I'd have any luck at all! Ha! I strongly suspect my choice of a cheap screen via Amazon instead of the more expensive screen from focusscreens.com was the reason for my lack of success. Is that where you purchased yours? Or did you find yours elsewhere?
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-13-2016, 01:18 AM
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Never say never. I might try again in the future. Between the need to research shimming and seeing how new bifocals affect my vision I might yet get the confidence and knowledge to use manual focus lenses with more success. Maybe it will involve purchasing another split focus screen elsewhere too. Just the same, I'm having as much fun as a person can have with a camera.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-12-2016, 12:49 PM
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I've started to realize that. What I don't know about shimming could fill a book at this point. I might come back to this little project in the future once I've gained more confidence and done more research to familiarize myself with shimming.
I just came back from my yearly visit with my eye doctor. I like to joke that I've joined the Geritol generation as I now need bifocals. I wonder if my issues with manual focusing will improve once I get my new glasses?
---------- Post added 03-12-16 at 01:58 PM ----------
I've begun to hear that. I didn't realize shimming was necessary with Pentax focus screens. When I had swapped focus screens in a couple of Nikons a few years ago, it was a simple operation and everything worked immediately with no fine tuning or shimming needed. I also compared the two focus screens as I swapped them and realized the split prism focus screen was visibly thicker than the stock focus screen. I am beginning to think that my choice of the cheap screen might've sabotaged my efforts. I guess this is an example of you get what you pay for.
I might return to this project at a later date once I've done more research. What I don't know about shimming could fill a book. Still, despite the aggravation from last week, I think I learned a great deal as I tried to make my project work.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-11-2016, 01:44 PM
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So true. I think I read about a man who had an unfortunate dustup in a McDonald's in Paris a few years ago when the suspicious employees there got freaked out by his ocular implant that helped him to see. I think he was blind in one eye(?) and the ocular implant helped him. It was a kind of camera that also cold record things if my memory hasn't messed up. They tried to rip it right off his head accusing him of illegally recording them. I don't know whatever happened afterwards.
On a related but lighter note: https://youtu.be/eJyMEkb_8to?t=27s |
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-11-2016, 01:12 PM
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I previously owned a K-01 and enjoyed it, but I found that no matter how careful I was, I had trouble using my manual focus 50mm f:2 lens with it. Phase detection is a great step in aiding focus, but it never seemed to quite work for me.
I remembered using the old split prism focus screens on regular SLR cameras back in high school photography in the late 1980s. While it took a little longer for me to focus, I always had tack sharp focus on whatever I aimed at.
I set out on a misguided quest to replace the stock focus screen of my recently acquired K10D with a split prism focus screen. The main determinations were price and time. It came down to picking between eBay, focusingscreens.com or Amazon. I’d dealt with Fotodiox via Amazon before when I replaced the stock focusing screens in my old Nikons and they’d worked beautifully every time. The other advantage was the price of about $20 on Amazon versus $70 from focusingscreens.com. The last point for me was the wait time—I’m notorious for my lack of patience.
So off to Amazon I went and I order the screen. It arrived a few days later and I set to work.
After installing it, I found that instead of the sharp focus I’d expected when I lined everything up plus getting the green confirmation dot in the viewfinder, I found that I had a problem with front focus. Ok, I can deal with this. I printed out a cute little camera target and focusing ruler, glued and assembled it and carefully set everything up to begin the process of correcting the front focus issue.
Then I found that I had updated the K10D to the latest firmware and there wasn’t any debugging menu anymore. Whoops! So the next few hours were spent chasing down options on rolling back the firmware. I finally ran down the necessary files, installed them into the camera and tricked it into rolling back the firmware. All on a Mac no less! I then saved those buggers to my Dropbox in case I ever needed them again.
After several frustrating misses of accessing the elusive debugging option, I finally was able to tap in the sequence quickly enough to start it. Yes!
Then the next few days of agony began.
I could never seem to get the 50mm lens to work quite right. I’d finally think I had reached the sweet spot as I carefully dialed in the focusing adjustments, reaching the perfect focus, only to find that suddenly I couldn’t get any kind of sharp focus at infinity or that while it worked in the focusing tests, in the real world, it was still front focusing. I began to lose my grip on my sanity as I started over.
By this point, I started to look at my manual focus 50mm lens with a more jaundiced eye and began to question my desire to work with it. Sure the regular 35-80mm f:4-5.6 was adequate but it also had AUTO FOCUS and I was starting to think the old-fashioned way of doing things might not be so great anymore. But then another little voice would argue that the 50mm had a better light capture quality and could impart superior sharpness in my photos where I wanted it. So I trudged on.
I finally had a moment of brilliance and tried a few other lenses. Naturally they didn’t work quite right anymore either. Not at least until I zeroed out my adjustments in the debugging menu. Then they’d focus, but it took them more time than before and the focus was ever so slightly off. I tried using the split screen manual focus option but it was still the same problem.
I finally swapped the focusing screens again and tried everything out. With the stock focusing screen, my autofocus lenses hunted far less and gave me sharp results again. With the 50mm manual, I was back to a slightly softened, out of focus result no matter what aperture I tried, no matter that the focusing confirmation dot came on.
At this point, after resisting the urge to smash the old manual focus lens with a sledgehammer while speaking in tongues, I’ve begun to see the light and embrace autofocus lenses in spite of their higher prices. Sorry manual focus lenses, for the sake of my sanity, we can’t play together anymore. |
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
02-25-2016, 12:05 AM
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I've been lurking here off and on for a few months. There is so much to learn about photography and Pentax in particular. This forum and it's members has made learning much more fun than just using Google (and I don't have to slog through a jungle of ads and false leads either).
Towards the end of last week, I sent my Pentax K-01 to the Twin Cities to either sell or trade it for a true DSLR Pentax. At that time, there were plenty of models to choose from both at the store and online. After that I've noticed the supply of Pentax gear has suddenly shrunk! What is left jumped in price. The offer for my K-01 was too good to resist and based on the choices online, I figured I could just about break even without really spending much if anything at all for a used DSLR Pentax.
Is there some kind of run on Pentax equipment lately? It wouldn't be the first time I misjudged selling something when I should have sat on it longer or sold it sooner.
If money weren't an object, like many here, I'd purchase a K1, but with me being on a budget, my lofty ambitions have come back to earth and I'm looking more at some of the older Pentax models. I'm going to spend much more of my spare cash on good glass. After artistry and talent, glass makes or ruins a good shot (or so I've been told).
The biggest reason I'm replacing my K-01 is that it is a mirrorless model. It is a handsome brick and I had a lot of fun with it, but when I took my first formal photography class in high school, it was with a regular film SLR that featured a split focus screen. I miss that a lot and I've replaced the original focus screen in a few Nikons in the past. The trickiest thing will be finding the right focus screen for whatever model I get.
Anyway, I'm haunting the usual online sites and the Marketplace here, watching for the right Pentax. Here's hoping it is sooner than later as the photography bug is getting harder to itch.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-19-2016, 02:21 AM
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I have a Pentax K-01 right now. It has been a great camera, but I'm yearning for a Pentax that has a split screen focus. I know that it is an old-fashioned way of doing things, but it was how I learned photography back in the 1980s when I took photography in high school.
I know I'd have to install an aftermarket split screen but I had a question. Has Pentax traditionally used the same sized focus screens from the film to digital eras? I have a couple of old Pentax film cameras I originally purchased just to get the lenses from but I could never bring myself to toss them. So they went up on a shelf after that. I don't recall what they are right off the top of my head, but I do know they're old SLRs.
If the focus screens are the same size I figured I'd save a bit of time and money by harvesting one and installing it into another Pentax I have my eye on. If not, then I don't mind buying a focus screen and waiting for it to be shipped out.
I generally like the manual focus option the K-01 offers, but with my eyes getting a little weaker with age, I'd really like to go back to a tried-and-trusted method. Sometimes I think some people have become over-reliant on the auto-focus option. I like to force myself to work a little and do as much manually as I can. It gives me a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-17-2016, 08:47 AM
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There is a full-sized bronze copy of Michelangelo's "David" that I want to photograph to 3D model.
He used to sport a handsome verdigris which also made photographing him easy. Lately the city decided to clean and wax him. While he looks great with his reflective sheen, he's a nightmare to get useful photographs for modeling.
I purchased a circular polarized lens filter and tried snapping him yesterday.
For 3D modeling photos under cloudy skies are best for outdoors items. There are no deep shadows or blown out areas to deal with and the software I use can more quickly and easily sift through the photos to build a model.
Yesterday I took a tripod and my faithful K-01 to the park, carefully adjusted the polarized filter to get rid of the reflective sheen and took my photos. It was a chilly day so I skipped pausing to check my photos until I got back to my car.
I was chagrined to find that all the photos failed to focus properly. Instead of David being in sharp focus the distant background was.
The only silver lining is that the filter did its job and dramatically reduced the sheen.
I used autofocus as I couldn't see anything of detail to manually focus once I adjusted the filter to block the shiny spots; David essentially became a dark shape on the screen.
I'm at a loss for what I did wrong. Can anyone advise me on this?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-06-2016, 05:11 PM
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I'm not sure about bokeh in my first submission but I thought I'd join the club and submit this shot.
Pentax K-01, smc PENTAX-F 35-80mm F4-5.6, ƒ/6.7, 80.0 mm, 1/250, ISO 100
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Forum: Sold Items
12-03-2015, 03:17 AM
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Hi,
Is the O-GPS1 still available? If so, I'd like to purchase it.
Thanks,
Jerry
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Forum: Pentax K-01
11-08-2015, 02:28 PM
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This looks great. Generic Pentax remotes are cheap and I can't wait to try this. With any luck I won't have aching, sore arms on account of needing to hold my painters pole with one hand while straining to stretch out my other hand to fire my current IR remote anymore. Thanks!
Jerry
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Forum: Pentax K-01
11-03-2015, 11:04 AM
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I've been using my newish yellow K-01 for quite a while now and have grown very fond of it. I love the expressions I get from strangers and the intrigue it seems to inspire.
Anyway, I tend to use it for photo modeling public sculptures and landmarks (photogrammetry). Sometimes I find that I have to use a painters pole to lift the K-01 high enough to get the top of a sculpture so I can accurately model it at home. The problem is, I'm holding a pole that can be anywhere from 6-12 feet long with one hand, while I'm aiming the remote shutter release at the K-01 with my other hand and have found that it is really tough to get it to fire sometimes.
As an example, I was recently attempting to photograph the top of Michelangelo's Moses to get his scalp and shoulders. You can see how I had my work cut out for me here: https://flic.kr/p/uZQ86Q
I've tried putting in a fresh battery in the remote and I'm thinking about trying some sticky note paper to try reflecting the remote signal back towards the eye on the K-01.
Back when I was using a Nikon, I had a 15 foot cable shutter release that never failed and I found it was easy to get the shots I needed. I'm aware that the K-01 doesn't have an official cable shutter release port, but I've been surprised to see listings on eBay that claim to offer that functionality -- 3M Shutter Release Cord for Pentax k-01 K-5 K-7 K10 K20D K30 K50 K110 K200D 645D but I'm unsure how this should work? I assume it would be using the microphone port, but I didn't think that could be used as a shutter release too? Can anyone clarify this for me?
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-02-2015, 08:12 AM
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Thanks jatrax! Those links were especially helpful with deciphering the different lenses for Pentax. I've bookmarked them and will be referring back to them frequently till I have them memorized.
I've been finding a fair number of mostly manual focus lenses for Pentax at shopgoodwill.com and might have a lead on a few decent ones. If it weren't for the price of shipping, Goodwill would be practically giving them away. I'm starting to notice that there are probably a fair number of Pentax lenses at the local pawn shops so I think my decision to come over to Pentax will reward me richly. The prices seem rather low on a lot of the lenses.
I only have one regret so far with Pentax: I only wish I'd switched over to it much sooner!
Thanks everyone!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-01-2015, 07:00 PM
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Thanks Adam. I really need to read up on Pentax and become more familiar with the nomenclature. I still like the lens. I will have to grab a tripod when I use it.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-01-2015, 06:30 PM
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Hello Everyone,
I'm brand new to the world of Pentax. I'd previously been a Nikon guy, but the crippling prices of Nikon glass and a few other issues finally drove me away. I was advised by an acquaintance to give Pentax a try. I'm now the very happy owner of a K-01 and already have begun to get much better photos than I had with my previous Nikon D200 or D3100.
Anyway, I have the stock pancake lens that came with the K-01 but I decided to look around for a zoom lens. I found one at a local Pawn America and they're willing to bargain on the price since they've been sitting on it for a long time. It is an SMC Pentax-A 80-200mm f4.7-5.6 zoom lens. I found the entry page for it here and checked out the specs. I also looked over the lens and everything looked great. It even came in the original box with the old Pentax lenses catalog from 1983.
I brought my K-01 in and attached it and the first thing that happened was a message from my camera asking me to input the focal length. I'm confused now. I thought since it was an autofocus lens, that the camera and lens would automatically communicate? I went ahead and dialed in the focal length and then discovered that it would only be a manual focus. I double checked the box and lens body to confirm that it was an auto-focus lens and it is. But, there is no auto focus happening.
I'm very green with Pentax so maybe I did something wrong? I like the lens, but I'd prefer to have the option to use the auto focus when I want. I don't mind manually focusing the lens, but I already found that I'd definitely need to use a tripod as my hands shake too much to get the absolute sharpest photos I want.
Is there any advice from the experienced or pros here? I'm all ears! Thanks!
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