Pentax SLR...

[airconvent]

Photos Developed!
Was shocked to learn the photos cost 35 cents each! Last time I did this years ago, prints were like 15 cents or 20 cents a pop. Then I realised they were printing them in 4R instead of the 3R I was familiar with. Worse, instead of regular photo quality, they used some sort of desk jet because the prints seems to be a little pixelated also. Is this how it is these days?

I developed the photos and horrors of horrors. I just realised that the film expired in Jan 06! The developer realised this and told me that explains the poor colour. When I went home, I threw 3 rolls of film away, all expired in Jan 06...sigh..

1. But that was not the main issue, the images do not appear sharp...all of them were soft. In fact, I followed the meter carefully but inspite of this, the images also appeared dark too. What made it worse is through the view finder, the image I saw was so great! the bokeh was excellent but when it went into print, somehow it did not turn out as well.

2. Could it be something with the metering or due to the expired film?

3. Worse, I think I see vignetting in the photos when the 50mm is wide open, i.e. f/1.4. The 4 corners appear to be darkened. Does this mean the FA50 is actually a digital camera lens and not suitable for 35mm film slr? Or should I just circumvent by choosing f/2 and above?

4. Looking at it, if I were to buy a classic Pentax Asahi 50mm f/2, I don't think this camera benefits from the pentax "A" so a Pentax "M" would have suffice?

5. How do I tell if the metering is working? The guy at the TCW told me such sensors have a limited lifespan. If it failed, will shriro be able to replace and calibrate it?

6. Another question. My camera came with a vivitar flash. What settings should I use if I use flash? Obviously the metering would be wrong here since the flash has not been fired yet.

7. I am using ISO200 film. Would ISO400 film be better, especially for indoor shots? I am assuming film does not have the noise problem associated with digital ISO400. Also, which brands do you use? I chose Konica because its the cheapest ($3.20 instead of the usual $5). I know Daiso sells Fujiflilm at $2 per roll of 24 shots, ISO200 anc currently Carrefour has an offer for 3x36 ISO200 Kodak for $10.

Do share, all you film SLR users!

In the meantime, I bought the new Konica roll and has just used it all up. Now waiting to develop the photos tomorrow and see how it turns out....


cheers!

 

[the mac 13]

7. I am using ISO200 film. Would ISO400 film be better, especially for indoor shots? I am assuming film does not have the noise problem associated with digital ISO400. Also, which brands do you use? I chose Konica because its the cheapest ($3.20 instead of the usual $5). I know Daiso sells Fujiflilm at $2 per roll of 24 shots, ISO200 anc currently Carrefour has an offer for 3x36 ISO200 Kodak for $10.

Do share, all you film SLR users!

In the meantime, I bought the new Konica roll and has just used it all up. Now waiting to develop the photos tomorrow and see how it turns out....


cheers!

Hmm I can only answer question 7. :embrass: ISO 400 would be better for indoor shots no doubts. I prefer Kodak Gold. I don't like Konica films because to me they are rather grainy.

Film forever!:devil: :devil:

 

[creampuff]

1. But that was not the main issue, the images do not appear sharp...all of them were soft. In fact, I followed the meter carefully but inspite of this, the images also appeared dark too. What made it worse is through the view finder, the image I saw was so great! the bokeh was excellent but when it went into print, somehow it did not turn out as well.

Could be any number of reasons: the lens, or your focusing, camera shake or the printing. Post some pix.

2. Could it be something with the metering or due to the expired film?

The meter is a cadmium sulphide meter that takes an average reading. It will average out the exposure across the entire screen, so you need to be conscious of the proportion of light and dark parts when composing. Your metering could be off due any number of reasons: age, dirt or calibration is off. Also a cds meter has some inherent characteristics - lag in response and sensitivity in low light isn't very good. Anyway this camera was popular with photo students because they had to learn exposure manually without relying too much on the meter. As an aside, the Minolta SRT series of cameras (same vintage) metered much much better.

3. Worse, I think I see vignetting in the photos when the 50mm is wide open, i.e. f/1.4. The 4 corners appear to be darkened. Does this mean the FA50 is actually a digital camera lens and not suitable for 35mm film slr? Or should I just circumvent by choosing f/2 and above?

It is not vignetting but light falloff. All lenses exhibit this to varying degrees at max aperture. Don't forget this is a budget camera, might not have it on the MX or LX.

4. Looking at it, if I were to buy a classic Pentax Asahi 50mm f/2, I don't think this camera benefits from the pentax "A" so a Pentax "M" would have suffice?

Just put any M or A lens will do. Obviously demand for the A lens is higher because one doesn't have to do stop down metering on digital bodies.

5. How do I tell if the metering is working? The guy at the TCW told me such sensors have a limited lifespan. If it failed, will shriro be able to replace and calibrate it?

Short answer is no. I can't confirm this, but Pentax can repair the MX and LX subject to parts availability. That's what I know when I inquired at a camera shop in England last year. Saw a mint MX then.

6. Another question. My camera came with a vivitar flash. What settings should I use if I use flash? Obviously the metering would be wrong here since the flash has not been fired yet.

Read your manual. What is the max shutter sync speed? 1/60? Then work out the exposure manually using the Guide number of the flash unit. If flash has a sensor, set to aperture range indicated and use flash within flash distance range.

7. I am using ISO200 film. Would ISO400 film be better, especially for indoor shots? I am assuming film does not have the noise problem associated with digital ISO400. Also, which brands do you use? I chose Konica because its the cheapest ($3.20 instead of the usual $5). I know Daiso sells Fujiflilm at $2 per roll of 24 shots, ISO200 anc currently Carrefour has an offer for 3x36 ISO200 Kodak for $10.

Higher ISO will mean higher film speed at the expense of higher grain. Noise is not an issue on film. I feel a better test is not to use colour negative film but to use slide film. Although colour negative film have a wider latitude exposure wise, unfortunately the commercial print lab can correct even a badly underexposed or overexposed (within limits) to give you an acceptable or so-so print. Shoot on slides and you can immediately see if your exposure is accurate or off.

Do share, all you film SLR users!

In the meantime, I bought the new Konica roll and has just used it all up. Now waiting to develop the photos tomorrow and see how it turns out....
cheers!

Keep shooting more... One tip, don't jab the shutter release.

 

[seafone]

wah... that is a lot of questions and doubt. Here is a few answers...

it does sound a little like there is some problem with the metering of your camera. I think it is better if you can cross check your metering with another classic SLR to determine if there is any metering issue. Use the same manual lenses, same light, same composition, but with different SLR bodies. Observe the setting of the apperture and shutter and iso. Not all camera give u the same reading. All my manual bodies give slight different in reading at times.

as for film, there is definitely noise problem in film too. But it is how you see it at ISO400, ISO800 and ISO1600. At high iso, you will see distortion and 'grain' when printed at big prints. These are noise. Konica film is reasonably the cheaper one out there. When it comes to film, everyone will have their personal preference. For me, I will use the Kodak Professional Supra 400 which can be bought from CP. These are only sold in a bulk of 5(1 row). The Kodak Professional Supra 400 is a very good film, it is not really noisy at 400 when blow up to 8R and give a very smooth, vibrant and rich color. (my all time fav pick!) If you break down the cost, it is a few cents more each compare to Kodak Gold. I don't like Gold because it is terribly noisy at ISO400. Even the fuji 4-layer 400 film is perform better than Gold.

If you want to stock film next time, keep them in the fridge next time.

BTW, I don't think the 50/2 is a good lenses. Avoid that if you can. Since you already have the 50mm. You may want to consider a wide-angle like M28/2.8. This lens is also very sharp! For a start, a 50mm and a 28mm will be really good for most shoot.


Have fun!~


cheerss...

 

[creampuff]

Ha, ha, this is the first time that I have come across "noise" in film!!! You'll only get noise when something is digitised. So if you're scanning the negs or the prints, yes noise can be an issue. I think what you mean is grain...

Anyway I'll respectfully disagree with you on the 50mm f2. Sure its cheap but it is capable of pretty good images. Here's a snapshot of pussy willows using the lens at f2, Av mode, ISO400 hand held. Probably about 1/30 sec. K100D, SR on.

 

[airconvent]

Thanks all.
Whatever the case, I do intend to "Reunite" the K1000 with its original M50mm f/2 kit lens, so I just bought one from ebay. hope this one will arrive! (the previous one I bought did not and the seller totally ignored me after that)...wish me luck!

 

[fengwei]

Thanks all.
Whatever the case, I do intend to "Reunite" the K1000 with its original M50mm f/2 kit lens, so I just bought one from ebay. hope this one will arrive! (the previous one I bought did not and the seller totally ignored me after that)...wish me luck!

Good luck But better get an M50/1.7 as I told in by SMS. It's an alot better lens than the F2 version. 50/2 is probably the worst Pentax 50mm lens, although it is still quite good comparing w/ any zoom lens. Besides, the price difference between a 50/1.7 and 50/2 isn't much anyway.

And shooting film is soooo inconvenient and expensive nowadays, better don't click like you are using a dSLR camera And I'd shoot b&w only if I were using film again.

Good luck again.

 

[seafone]

Good luck But better get an M50/1.7 as I told in by SMS. It's an alot better lens than the F2 version. 50/2 is probably the worst Pentax 50mm lens, although it is still quite good comparing w/ any zoom lens. Besides, the price difference between a 50/1.7 and 50/2 isn't much anyway.

And shooting film is soooo inconvenient and expensive nowadays, better don't click like you are using a dSLR camera And I'd shoot b&w only if I were using film again.

Good luck again.

airconvent:
yeah.. u better get the M50/1.7 instead if you want to complete your manual camera. I don't see anything great about the 50/2 even when keeping as collection. Infact, M50/1.7 is the sharpest 50 among the 1.2, 1.4 and 2. At 50mm f/2. You probably won't be able to handheld it indoor even with ISO400 film. Remember that you have to fire it at, at least 1/50sec to get a clear shoot on your K1000. After all you already have 50. If you shoot film a lot, you will really need the wide-angle like 28.

creampuff:
yeah.. i mean grain...ISO400 film is alway pretty grainy ("noisy"). Try the kodak professional film. It is worth every cent when you blow it up!

cheerss...

 

[creampuff]

creampuff:
yeah.. i mean grain...ISO400 film is alway pretty grainy ("noisy"). Try the kodak professional film. It is worth every cent when you blow it up!
cheerss...

Yeah the f1.7 version is the best of the lot.
Yes tried the Kodak before, its a versatile film with punchy colour. I kinda like the Fuji range. Used to use quite a bit of the NPC/NPH portrait film. Used to shoot a lot more slides. Miss Velvia and Kodachrome... those were the days :cry:

 

[airconvent]

thanks everyone but too late..I have already bought the f2. I was under the impression f1.7 and f2 is not much different. I also noted many of the k1000 are mated to the f2.
Is it really that bad? Makes me feel a little regret about buying it but I could always try first and see how...in anycase, the 1.7 can't be better than my FA/1.4 right?

worked late again today, so no time to go and collect developed photos from the second brand new film roll. so still not sure how they turned up. Problem with film is there is no way to know if the picture turned out unless you develop them! :think:

 

[seafone]

thanks everyone but too late..I have already bought the f2. I was under the impression f1.7 and f2 is not much different. I also noted many of the k1000 are mated to the f2.
Is it really that bad? Makes me feel a little regret about buying it but I could always try first and see how...in anycase, the 1.7 can't be better than my FA/1.4 right?

I guess k1000 couple with f2 is more because of lowing cost to let the mass be able to afford it. FYI, M50/1.7 is sharper than M50/1.4! I own both of them. Which is why I said 1.7 is the best among the 50 for sharpness on film. 1.4 give u the advantage to have 1-stop faster. So when it is loaded with ISO400 film, you are still able to snap indoor away at 1/60sec.

cheerss...

 

[airconvent]

ok...I guess when you said the f/2 is worse off, I am assuming you meant as compared with the f/1.7 but overall, it is still a decent performer, right?
I am actively hunting around for an f/1.7 to make my "classic" complete. If found, then I will let the f/2 go (assuming it arrives!) .
In the meantime, here are some sample images I scanned in from the photos.

The first one was taken using fujifilm ISO200 that expired in Jan 2006. Notice the washed out colour. Although it cannot be seen clearly, there are lines from the deskjet printing.
Now I know I have to go to studios with the large normal film printer instead of those "digital" studios where photos are printed on those small consumer machines.

The second one is taken using a cheap Konica ISO200 film that was bought new.
Have taken some bokeh shots for my third reel but still have no finished the roll yet.

 

[airconvent]

Hi
Sorry, can't seem to be able to edit the post without shutting down my netscape browser so will add it here. The latest film reel is ISO400. Will post the samples especially the bokeh ones once I have finished and developed them.

 

[alvinsclee]

Airconvent,
Your pics looked OK to me... in fact I like the slight imperfections... it gave a kind of classic feel... especially the shot of the teacup on the table... would be better if it contains loose tea leaves instead of a teabag

 

[airconvent]

Airconvent,
Your pics looked OK to me... in fact I like the slight imperfections... it gave a kind of classic feel... especially the shot of the teacup on the table... would be better if it contains loose tea leaves instead of a teabag

Thanks Alvin. that was taken using expired film! In anycase, current roll quite slow to move as I have no time to take photos...will try again later. Just heard my 50mm F/2 on the way. Hope it arrives soon...

 

[airconvent]

Whew...after playing with the film camera for a few weeks, I can understand why some still swear by it. Firstly, the viewfinder is better than the DSLR and I seem to be able to see the focus clearer. Also, white balance issues are not a big deal because there is no sensor to make the wrong deduction!
Took me quite a while to scan the images in so here are some taken all over Singapore...
I realise the composition is far far away from those in the "Post your K10D photos" thread but its a start for this newbie....

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[airconvent]

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[airconvent]

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[airconvent]

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[seafone]

airconvent,

thanks for sharing your film work here! haa... i still like film. Makes me want to go back to shooting film.


cheerss..