Pentax..manual slr.....Own Up!!!!

[pscion12]

Well.....it has been in disrepair for a few years.... :sweatsm: The lightmeter should be working. The problem lies with the shutter. the hinges at the sides look a bit rusty to me and theres a bit of gunk. The lens is gone case (I dropped it :cry: ) My Z-10 gear is also spoiled but the lens are in great condition but I'm thinking of seling away those - I don't like the motorised zoom.

Thinking of making a clean slate and start over.

 

[kelvinang]

You are lucky. My older manual lenses where virtually ignored on the compatable lens listin, when I asked about 1/2 yr ago at an exhibition.

If possible, perhaps we can meet up and I bring my battery of lenses. See if it will work with your *istD. Yeah, kopi on me (but no starbucks pls, hang cheng pai). If it works that is still can fit, focus and do not need to operate in stop-down mode (ie aperture closed as per f-stop), the *istD would be back on my list.

No point getting a 300D and duplicating the lenses...

I've mentioned this in more than one Pentax-related posts. With the v1.10 firmware update to the *ist D, it is now ABLE to meter with pre-A series lenses (ie SMC [K] and SMC-M lenses) in hyper manual mode. That is to say, set the camera in hyper manual mode and the desired aperture size on the lens, and press the autoexposure button. The camera will automatically stop down the lenses, take a meter reading and suggest a shutter speed for you, before opening the aperture again.

Technically this IS stopped-down metering mode. It will be impossible for the *ist D to operate in open-aperture metering mode because it simply lacks the mechanical aperture simulator, and the old lenses do NOT have the electronic contacts for transmitting aperture information digitally to the body. What the firmware update does is simply automate the process for you via a push of a button. This is in my opinion the best it can get in the current situation. Expecting such a combination to meter open-aperture is like expecting a manual focus lens to autofocus when mounted on an AF body. It's simply not designed this way and hence lack the mechanisms for it.

 

[choen]

Whoah. A Pentax thread in Canon-Nikon land.

Makes me wonder why the C and N gears are so huge compared to P, especially back in the manual days when all the cameras were really just light tight boxes that take lenses? Have you compared the size of the various 135mm lenses across the makers? Why can't the other guys make them compact as P's and match the same sharpness?

I've recently switched over to a N dslr, and been cursing ever since (reason I switched was because of industrial support which is not available from P in this region). I've been cursing cos the AF is no better despite all my previous belief! Damned N sales talks...

I love the way SMC optics render images.

SMC-K 30 f2.8, SMC-M 28 f2.8, SMC-FA 50 f1.4,
SMC-A 50 f1.7, SMC-M 85 f2, SMC-M 135 f3.5, SMC-M 200 f4
SMC-F 35-80 f4-5.6

MX, Me Super, LX, MZ-50, MZ-3.

Too bad Pentax Corporation chose to remain conservative with their marketing and stay inside that amateur circle. (for 35mm, that is)

 

[whoelse]

woah, you have many nice SMCes @@
Infact all are legendary @@

 

[Lensman]

Well, at least that is a consolation but still insufficient ground to make me rush out to get the *ist D. Nah, I am not expecting much except for non-stop down metering mode. Yup, technology advances makes dinosors like me feel.... retired....

thanks for the note.

Technically this IS stopped-down metering mode. It will be impossible for the *ist D to operate in open-aperture metering mode because it simply lacks the mechanical aperture simulator, and the old lenses do NOT have the electronic contacts for transmitting aperture information digitally to the body. What the firmware update does is simply automate the process for you via a push of a button. This is in my opinion the best it can get in the current situation. Expecting such a combination to meter open-aperture is like expecting a manual focus lens to autofocus when mounted on an AF body. It's simply not designed this way and hence lack the mechanisms for it.

 

[kelvinang]

I love the way SMC optics render images.

I suppose this is the reason why many Pentax users remain shooting with a Pentax. To me, SMC not only handles flare very well, it has a certain characteristic to them that renders the out-of-focus scene in a pleasing way (minus the SMC-M 40/2.8 pancake lens, which in my opinion renders the OOF highlights in a rather disturbing manner).

It's just as well that Pentax remains small and unpopular. That way, we can continue to enjoy Pentax at a minimal cost :-D

 

[pscion12]

Yeah but nowadays all you can see in the shops are mostly canons and nikons. But then again I might be going to the wrong shops.

 

[SMC]

Me too Pentax user, here's my list

-Body:KX,MX,K1000,Super Program,SuperA & MV1, motor drive
-Lens: SMC-A 50mm f1.4, f1.8, SMC 50mm F1.4, 1.7, SMC 55mm F1.8, SMC-A 28mm f2.8, SMC 40~80mm f2.8~4 Macro, 135mm f2.5, Vivitar S1 28~105
f2.8!~4, Vivitar S1 70~200mm F2.8~4

 

[whoelse]

Me too Pentax user, here's my list

-Body:KX,MX,K1000,Super Program,SuperA & MV1, motor drive
-Lens: SMC-A 50mm f1.4, f1.8, SMC 50mm F1.4, 1.7, SMC 55mm F1.8, SMC-A 28mm f2.8, SMC 40~80mm f2.8~4 Macro, 135mm f2.5, Vivitar S1 28~105
f2.8!~4, Vivitar S1 70~200mm F2.8~4

Yee... :B you have KX. I have one also. Thinking to add a LX to complete the Tri-X? :B SMC-A 50mm f1.8? Is there such 1 len?

 

[Lensman]

Yeah but nowadays all you can see in the shops are mostly canons and nikons. But then again I might be going to the wrong shops.

I must admit that I bought my gears on the 2nd hand market from upgraders. Most moving to tua-pow (Canon) and nie-ya-kung (Nikon). But I was a student then taking wedding photos to finance this hobby during the weekend... now my gears are somewhat antique...

would be good if we can meet up some day to look at each other's.

 

[Spyer2]

I suppose this is the reason why many Pentax users remain shooting with a Pentax. To me, SMC not only handles flare very well, it has a certain characteristic to them that renders the out-of-focus scene in a pleasing way (minus the SMC-M 40/2.8 pancake lens, which in my opinion renders the OOF highlights in a rather disturbing manner).

It's just as well that Pentax remains small and unpopular. That way, we can continue to enjoy Pentax at a minimal cost :-D

True.. Pentax users remain shooting with a pentax,
one thing I like about pentax is their products are not many. once they produce a high end model, they won't produce a 2nd piece in a short period of time. so pentax fans can happily enjoy their 'toys' without spending $$ to upgrade to another model.
I guess that's the reason it remains unpopular lor, comparing with C and N.
But anyway *istD really meets the requirements :thumbsup:

 

[choen]

If most of my lenses were SMC-A rather than M or K, I would've stuck to the k-mount dSLR.

Better luck with your next product, Pentax. I hope you'd reuse the MZ-S as the basis of your dSLR.

PS: I used to get irritated in the past when people think only of the screwmount when the name Pentax is mentioned. Apparently the K-mount is something of a non history to the mainstream due to bad marketing!

 

[kelvinang]

Better luck with your next product, Pentax. I hope you'd reuse the MZ-S as the basis of your dSLR.

Pentax seem to love classic designs. Even their upcoming digicam/videocam is like a traditional videocam. I only hope they do a LX-D, MX-D and MZ-3D someday :-D

http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/firstlook/pentax/optioMX/index_en.html

PS: I used to get irritated in the past when people think only of the screwmount when the name Pentax is mentioned. Apparently the K-mount is something of a non history to the mainstream due to bad marketing!

And that M42 screwmount isn't even invented by Pentax. Talk about irony!

 

[Lensman]

Or are they behind time in their designs ? Or they are into the retro market ?

I guess for the Pentax Corp, the $$$ is from their lab equipment. Making these little cameras (selling so few in this part of the world), would make their camera cost uncompetitive....

 

[choen]

I think their home ground in Japan is where their strength is, commercially.

I am not sure if their designs are behind time (check out the ergonomically advanced MZ-S), though I am pretty sure they were trying to create a niche market ala Contax (check out their wonderful 'Limited' lenses and the interface on the MZ-3 body), which I think is bad business sense.

I would like to think that Pentax is like a small football team which sells its homegrown talents to bigger richer teams. Seen any Pentax type interfaces in the big 2's designs lately? Apparently they hold patent for something similiar to Canon's Image Stabilizer technology from around or before the time when Canon released IS to the market.

(read about this somewhere, can't recall source)

But now I must say this company has missed the point entirely with their penchant for producing stuff that are 1000000000 times smaller (in size) than anything else in the market. It's going to end up like their gimmicky power zoom feature of the late 80s early 90s. And then they product niche stuff like their medium formats, and the weird Limited lenses for SLRs, and suddenly come out with a mini D100, the istd.

So just who the heck buys stuff like these nowadays? Who's Pentax's market?

 

[kelvinang]

I'd love to try their Powerzoom feature with my Z-1 someday. Powerzoom extends beyond just zooming in and out camcorder-style if you attach a Powerzoom lens to the Z-1. Several other (gimmicky?) abilities are available, with Image Tracking catching my attention. Supposedly, it is able to automagically zoom in and out by itself in order to maintain the same magnification of your subject, regardless of subject moving towards or away from you. Sounds cool if it works.

Unfortunately the inclusion of Powerzoom ability makes the lenses more expensive, and the new batches of lenses (with the exception of a few high-end ones) all have the Powerzoom ability removed, probably in an attempt to cut cost and reduce weight. The flagship model MZ-S also does not support Intelligent Powerzoom (as supported by the Z-1) so if you stick a Powerzoom lens unto the MZ-S, you're limited to just zooming in and out, camcorder-style...

I too read about Pentax's patent on some sort of image stabilizing technology. On some information leaflets I've seen on SMC lenses, there is a fine print at tbe bottom that says something like this: "Incorporates Pentax Original floating elements". I wonder what these "floating elements" mean, and if they are connected to this patent or technology. I can't find out more information on that however. Maybe if I can read more Japanese... none of Pentax's glass have active image stabilizing ability like that of Canon or Nikon as far as I know.

 

[smallaperture]

Looks like there are still quite a few Pentax fans here. I am still keeping my ME Super as an antique, with a few amateur lenses:
Koboron 28mm F2.8
Tokina 70-210 F4-5.6
Vivitar 35-105 F3.5-5.6
Koboron 28-70 F3.5-5.6

The ME Super is still in working condition, having serviced it a few years ago, and only ran it with a few rolls. One day, I will get a display cabinet and keep all my old gear inside it.

Any one interested in organising a shootout of old Pentax gear?

 

[kelvinang]

Looks like there are still quite a few Pentax fans here. I am still keeping my ME Super as an antique, with a few amateur lenses:
Koboron 28mm F2.8
Tokina 70-210 F4-5.6
Vivitar 35-105 F3.5-5.6
Koboron 28-70 F3.5-5.6

The ME Super is still in working condition, having serviced it a few years ago, and only ran it with a few rolls. One day, I will get a display cabinet and keep all my old gear inside it.

Any one interested in organising a shootout of old Pentax gear?

It's my personal belief that if you have any Pentax bodies, there is one lens you cannot not have - the SMC 50/1.4 glass, of any variant. And if you want the very best of the SMC 50, lookout for the A, F or FA variants. The "A" version, being old and non-autofocus, is probably the cheapest.

 

[choen]

"Incorporates Pentax Original floating elements". I wonder what these "floating elements" mean, and if they are connected to this patent or technology. I can't find out more information on that however. Maybe if I can read more Japanese... none of Pentax's glass have active image stabilizing ability like that of Canon or Nikon as far as I know.

Actually floating elements is a design trick to allow for sharper close distance focusing distances in a lens.

Nikon markets this as 'CRC'.

'Floating elements' isn't even a marketing sales term, in my opinion. It refers to (usually) a group of individual glass within the lens barrel which moves individually as you turn the focusing ring.

Bah, I may have explianed it all wrong. Go google for it.

 

[Potenza10]

does any one know Asahi Pentax 120 6x6(I thing is spell right?)
this is a monster SLR with super quality lenzes ?
Any one know the value in Asia
I own a set and may want to sell
Is higly prized in Europe but if I can sell it here I don't have to carry
Thanks