Hey Larry, I have to admit that I really avoid manual focusing of late because of the lack of a split prism/split image focusing screen. For me, matte focusing screens were only useful when using a tele that was so slow that half of the split images blacked out. On Nikon SLRs in the 70's, it was called a K-screen. To give you some idea of how ignorant I am of modern dSLRs, I didn't realize that the user could change screens until I went to the Katzeye site and downloaded the instructions (!). User-changeable screens was such a perk back in the 70's, if the screen was changeable, the customer knew it as it was highly touted in the specifications and user manual.
I haven't fooled around much with histograms in the theater productions because the lighting changes from minute to minute. This is one of those rare occasions when automation seems to work far better than my futzing with the controls. I get a spot reading on the subject's chest or face, and keep the shutter button partially depressed. I do have to experiment a bit more with the green button feature, and will pull out my Magic Lantern book this evening to get a better grip on some of the program features. Is the Katzeye relatively easy to install on the Pentax? I've never had an issue with screen swapping on Rolleiflexes, but they are big and easy to fool with. Jeffery On Oct 23, 2010, at 2:12 PM, Larry Colen wrote: > > On Oct 23, 2010, at 7:39 AM, Jeffery Smith wrote: > >> I do a significant amount of shooting theater productions, and the shutter >> lag is a major issue for me, as is sensitivity/dynamic range. The E-5 is >> significantly improved here, or is it simply not a problem with the E-5? >> >> The K-x has not been an issue with dynamic range/sensitivity for me, and the >> 77/1.8 is a great focal length for most productions. However, I do get a lot >> of lost shots because what I pulled the trigger on had changed by the time >> the shutter actually fired. > > My K-x is set up so that the AE-lock button is also the autofocus lock > button. If I feel that I can trust the autofocus to pick the right thing to > focus on (especially tough without the indicator lights) I'll use autofocus > to prefocus, then hit the lock button so the camera fires when I'm ready. > Alternatively, I have a katzeye focusing screen, so manual focus is easy for > me in cases like that, and I'll just manually focus. > > If you think that the debates about sensor size, or vi vs. emacs, or any of > the other religious wars are bad, try to avoid the matte glass vs. split > prism debate. For me, when I first bought a katzeye screen, it was like > growing back a lost appendage. I have had a weird problem with my K-x in that > the focusing screen has a nasty habit of falling out. I may have tweaked the > metal bracket just a bit, and I *think* I tried to bend it back the last time > that it happened. > > I haven't done a lot of theater work, but I do a lot of band photography, and > I think that they are probably fairly similar in what challenges you face. By > the way, do you check your histograms and expose for the brightest channel > when manually setting your exposure? > > -- > Larry Colen l...@red4est.com sent from i4est > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. Jeffery L. Smith New Orleans, LA -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
