Don Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >I've been concentrating of microscopy for a couple of years now >and have not done any normal photography. I have a question for >the '*ist D' experts. Will the camera work without a lens attached? >In other words if I put it on a microscope, in place of a Pentax film >body, will it take pictures with automatic exposure control?
Since the ist-D will work with screw-mount lenses on the K-to-M42 adapter (which has no electronic or mechanical communication with the camera), it will fire the shutter with no lens attached. (And I just tried it to be sure.) Using the green button with each exposure will automatically set the correct shutter speed. >Also, can the mirror be locked up to prevent vibration whilst this is >being done? The slightest bump of a mirror is enough to make >picture taking impossible with an ordinary SLR unless the exposures are >rather long. This spoils things a bit because the shortest shutter >speeds are often needed. With the ist-D you get the "automatic" temporary mirror lock-up in which the camera raises the mirror, waits two seconds and then fires the shutter. This should be fine for your purposes. I've used it when taking photos of the lunar eclipse a few months ago with my 600mm lens and 2x teleconverter (also a very vibration set-up, as I'm sure you can imagine). For your application I'd suggest controlling the camera remotely from a computer instead of using the controls on the camera. This can be done with the and Pentax remote software supplied with the ist-D. -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
