Not necessarily. I have pdf versions of all manuals loaded on my Samsung
tablet
More stuff to lug around in the field. Recent Pentax operating manuals
easily fit in the Tamrac backpack I use and don't require recharging.
Kenneth Waller
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Walters" <apathy...@lyons-ryan.org>
Subject: Re: Is this a rant? The biggest difference between the K-3
andearlierPentax DSLRs...
Quoting Ken Waller <kwal...@peoplepc.com>:
It seems to me that a more reasonable approach might be to call the
smaller manual the "QuickStart Guide" and then have the full user's
manual in PDF on the software CD.
Which is totally useless when in the field and an issue pops up.
Not necessarily. I have pdf versions of all manuals loaded on my Samsung
tablet - much more compact than paper manuals and just as accessible
(more so, actually, because you can do a search for the topic you're
wanting info on).
My camera bag has a dedicated pocket for a 10in tablet which keeps it
safe against possible damage.
Cheers
Brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Brian Walters
Western Sydney Australia
http://lyons-ryan.org/southernlight/
I carry a paper manual with me at all time when I have my DSLR with me.
Kenneth Waller
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller
----- Original Message ----- From: "Darren Addy" <pixelsmi...@gmail.com>
Subject: Is this a rant? The biggest difference between the K-3 and
earlierPentax DSLRs...
...is the size of the Operating Manuals. I'm serious! The previous
flagship (K-5 II/IIS) manual weighs in at 336 pages. The K-3's is
barely over 100 pages.
On the one hand, this makes the camera's operation appear to be a lot
less intimidating to operate, but that appearance is deceptive because
the new manual contains only a fraction of the info that was there
previously. In going through the K-3 menu pages: They give you the
default value (ONLY) and (most of the time) the page in the manual
that contains more info on that setting. But there are a LOT of
settings that don't have a page number with more info. Just a little "
- ".
The fonts and illustrations are also much smaller. That can't account
for all of the lost pages, however. Even though I just shipped my K-5
II off to a new home, I've just printed out the manual for it so I can
try to figure out what is missing.
It seems to me that a more reasonable approach might be to call the
smaller manual the "QuickStart Guide" and then have the full user's
manual in PDF on the software CD.
One example of how sparse the K-3 Manual documentation is: Storing
Frequently Used Settings (Page 202-208 of the K-5 II/IIS manual).This
is reduced to a page and a half (Pg 73 & 74) in the K-3 manual.
This newfound brevity is also much less detailed. For example, "Slow
Shutter Speed NR" is one of those menu items that now has a hyphen,
rather than a page in the manual with more info. All it says in the
K-3 manual is "Sets the Noise Reduction setting when shooting with a
slow shutter speed". A reasonable person might ask, "What do they
consider a "slow shutter speed?". The K-5 II/IIS manual has a page
(87) devoted to this setting, explaining the difference between the
options of "Auto, On, and Off". (There are some significant
differences between Auto & On.) The K-3 manual says nothing.
It is funny that this bothers me, because I'm typically a guy who
doesn't read manuals. The Pentax is certainly useable without reading
the manual and if you have been shooting Pentax for a while you
already probably know what most of the settings do. But there are also
so many options (some of which are greyed out when in certain
settings) that in order to take full advantage of the camera and to
set it up the way I want to work I feel like I need that information.
--
Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs
look like photographs.
~ Alfred Stieglitz
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Cheers
Brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Brian Walters
Western Sydney Australia
http://lyons-ryan.org/southernlight/
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