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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-28-2010, 07:02 PM
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Manel,
No apology needed, in hindsight my reply to your initial post seemed somewhat testy - sorry, it was unintentional. As for Capa's image, I have no answer to that. A working professional or an army photographer who has ready access to equipments can go for the image wholeheartedly. Whereas, a high school student who worked his summer holidays to buy a camera kit is not likely to chase after the image at all cost (even if he knew how).
You should read the "Combat Photographer Tells All" thread in the forum, it is a very riveting read and on page 20 of the thread, Robert Hillerby (thread's author) describes how he maintained his camera and lenses in the jungles of Viet Nam. He seems to agree with you on the camera's durability, but again it really comes down to how much an individual values his equipment versus chasing the image.
Thanks,
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-27-2010, 01:04 PM
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Yes I do read yours and mine, but I wonder if you read yours...
Super Duper Auto Program, that's a good one.:) Any superlative monikers for today's K series cameras?;)
Thanks,
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-27-2010, 01:33 AM
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And batteries, don't forget the batteries because without power, even your Pentax ME will have very limited function. You can shoot at shutter speeds of either 1/100s or bulb without metering. On the other hand, my Super Program and PZ-1 are dead weights without power but I doubt anyone here would consider these gimmicky. I'd like to think of them as some of the landmarks in the long and illustrious history of Pentax manufacturing. Electronics has been a part of a camera body for a long time and if you don't take steps to protect it from the elements, you won't be shooting for long whether it be analog or digital.
Thanks,
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-25-2010, 04:19 PM
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Yes I am, camera bodies from the 70's were not weather sealed except for the high end flagship models (none that I could afford). If you didn't put a bag over the camera and/or carry an umbrella back then, you simply did not shoot in increment weather. Inner camera body like the film chamber, film pressure plate or even the camera backs were all basically enameled, pressed sheet metal. If you got water penetration, the inner camera body was susceptible to rust.
Simple fact, water and electronics do not mix - the degree of electronics used then and now is largely irrelevant. Imo, today's DSLRs with weather sealing technology has a better chance of surviving the occasional water sprinkling on the body than those early mechanical/electronic consumer SLRs without the weather seal. I concur with Lowell; I view the weather resistance in my K20D as an insurance, in case the primary line of defence fails - the lowly plastic bag. :)
Thanks,
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-24-2010, 03:35 PM
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What are you saying? Whether electronics or purely mechanical, water wreaks havoc on either of them. Purely mechanical cameras were a thing of the past (or fast becoming one) when I started tinkering with cameras in the seventies. Introduction of TTL metering and later program AE, basically meant every camera had some electronics built into the body. If you look in the advertisement section in the photographic magazines from the past, you could always find an ad or two selling raincoats for the camera.
Thanks,
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-24-2010, 03:19 PM
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If you have lenses with hard lens hoods (bayonet type), you can slip a clear plastic bag over the lens, mount the lens hood and carefully cut away the excess plastic film from the front of the lens. If you have screw in lens hood (hard or soft), sandwich the plastic bag between the lens hood and a UV filter cut away the excess plastic film from inside the lens hood, and screw on the lens hood /filter combo on to your lens. Use a bag that is fairly sturdy, large enough to be able to adjust the focusing ring from outside without stretching the plastic, gather up the excess plastic film at the rear of the camera and tie it up (a small binder clip is perfect for this). Make sure the knot of plastic film is sitting slightly below the bottom of the camera, to prevent any water flowing down do not enter the dry area.
I used to do this (soft hood/filter) when I was a student too many years ago and it works. If you intend to shoot often in increment weather, it might be a good idea to make a hood/filter raincoat for each of your lenses to speed up your set up time. It can be tedious to make one each time you need to shoot.
Hope this helps,
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