K1000 and KX
Hello Bill, I could buy a Pentax KX with 50mm/1.7 Pentax M lens. It is too good a camera. What a lens. Also could not overcome my temptation to buy a Pentax K1000. So bought that also. What zoom lens do you suggest for my K1000 and KX. Wondering why pentax stopped making such cameras? Regards Swades Das -Original Message- From: Peifer, William [OCDUS] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 7:53 PM To: 'swades Das'; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' Subject:RE: K1000 vs KM Hi Swades, The KX has two original features not found on the KM: (i) mirror lock-up, and (ii) aperture read-out (in the viewfinder window). A variant of the KX -- the KX MOT -- accepted a motor drive. I've never seen one of these, so I'm not sure what they'd run used. I believe I read somewhere that the KX had the brightest viewfinder image of the three all-manual bodies in the K series. There's a KX on eBay right now, including a K 55/1.8 lens, ending in about 13 hours as I'm writing this note. Currently at USD $86, with 14 bids. Might end up going for a final bid of perhaps $140?? Bill Peifer Rochester, NY > -Original Message- > From: swades Das [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 3:25 PM > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > Cc: 'Peifer, William [OCDUS]' > Subject: RE: K1000 vs KM > > Hi Peifer, > > Thanks for so quick answer. I find on Internet that there is also Pentax > KX. Is KX and KM same? Which one is preferred KM or KX. Thanks in Advance. > > Regards > > Swades > New Delhi, India > << File: ATT0.html >> Swades Das wrote: > How good is KM compared to K1000. Is KM available in used market > and what will be appox price? Hi Swades, I own both of these, and I bought them both as used cameras off of eBay last year. I was originally going to buy just the K1000 as an all-manual, battery-free body primarily for long-exposure astrophotography. The KM body showed up on eBay a couple weeks later, after I had purchased the K1000. The price was so good, I simply had to have it as well! :-) I now find that I tend to use the KM more frequently than the K1000. Two features the KM has that the K1000 does not are (i) a self-timer and (ii) a depth-of-field preview button. (These are VERY useful features, by the way.) Other than that, the bodies are comparable. Can't tell you much about current pricing, other than what they seem to be running on eBay. I see that our own Collin Brendemuehl just got a real steal on a KM body, including a K-to-S converter, a 2X teleconverter, a set of screw-mount extension tubes, and an old Vivitar flash. See Buy-It-Now price of USD $60!! Collin, I hate you. :-) Just kidding of course! More typical recent prices for a complete KM camera (body and lens) seem to be around USD $90. There are a couple recent eBay listings for KM's which did not sell because the reserve price was not met. One of these is stated to be an original-owner body (lens not included) with a stated reserve of $100. (Interestingly, the buyer appears to have "borrowed" a large chunk of text from Mark Robert's recent eBay listing for a KM body and SMC-K 50/1.4 lens, for which Mark ultimately got a high bid of $175). It appears to be in excellent cosmetic shape, but the seller states that the light meter does not appear to be functional. He believes this may simply be due to an exhausted battery. Perhaps you could contact him through eBay's e-mail feature (if you're a registered eBay user) and inquire if he'd still be willing to sell. If it's only a bad battery, then maybe $100 is not too bad a price? If it's something other than the battery, I think $100 is perhaps too high. Maybe he'd be willing to offer some sort of guarantee, then refund the purchase price (less shipping) if the camera requires more than just a new battery. It's worth asking the question, anyway. You'd also need to see if the seller is willing to ship internationally. See the listing at: Another KM which failed to meet reserve is a black model (a bit unusual). This one includes an SMC-M 50/2 lens. It is stated to be in perfect working order, no dents or dings, but noticeable brassing and blistering of paint. Seller's e-mail address appears to be the same as his eBay account name, so you could e-mail this seller directly and inquire about the camera. I'm not sure if I'd be willing to pay $100 for this one, but maybe $60 to $75? He offers a thirty-day inspection period. See the listing at: Hope this helps. Bill Peifer Rochester, NY Swades Das wrote: > How good is KM compared to K1000. Is KM available in used market > and what will be appox price? Hi Swades, I own both of these, and I bought them both as used cameras off of eBay last year. I was originally going to buy just the K1000 as an all-manual, battery-free body primarily for long-exposure astrophotography. The KM body showed up on eBay a couple weeks later, after I had purchased the K1000. The price was so go
RE: MZ-L/MZ-6 official specs released
How about the glass vs. mirror prism... Thanks, Ed http://lightandsilver.com > -Original Message- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Artur Ledóchowski > Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2001 7:37 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Odp: MZ-L/MZ-6 official specs released > > > - Original Message - > From: Chris Brogden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: MZ-L/MZ-6 official specs released > > > > On Fri, 23 Nov 2001, Gianfranco Irlanda wrote: > > Since the MZ-6 seems to have all that fun stuff, what are the > > differences between it and the MZ-S? > > > > There are many differences actually. Here are a few things of > the MZ-S the MZ-6 doesn't have: > - magnesium body > - SAFOX VII (6 AF sensors) > - RTF coverage (28mm, not 24 mm) > - KAF2 bayonet (therefore no PowerZoom) > - HyperManual > - flash sync speed of 1/180 (vs 1/125) > - fastest shutter speed of 1/6000 (vs 1/4000) > - 19 PF's (vs 11) > - metering selection of matrix, spot or c/w ( vs spot hidden > in the PF's and no c/w except when using pre-A series lens) > Enough?:D Greetz Artur > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To > unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the > directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery > at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Aside re China as a market
Ubran myth? The facts don't support that notion. At approximately 15% of their total population, the number of city-dwellers in China is still bigger than most countries. The Chinese also save far more than most people in the world, so it's not like they don't have money to spend. Their per-capita income is estimated at $800 per year, but this number is heavily skewed due to the artificial valuation of their currency, and the low price of consumer goods; in terms of "buying power", it's closer to $3200 per year. China's GDP has been growing at a frenetic rate for 40 years, and nobody expects it to stop anytime soon. The Chinese are also beginning to travel around the world in very large numbers, and what do people want to bring back? Pictures! China also has a "yuppie" crowd, and they like to be noticed. You will see them in Starbucks in Shanghai or Beijing. They like to be seen as influential, and they like to be flashy. An expensive 35mm camera is one of the things that would set them apart from the crowd. So, don't count them out when it comes to influencing manufacturers. John Mike Johnston wrote This is an urban myth. Some 85% of Chinese are rural peasants who depend on small scale agriculture and trade mostly in barter economies. They might buy a Coke on occasion if it's available, but they're not consumers in the sense the developed world uses the term. The actual Chinese market is about the same size as India's. --Mike - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: A Battery of Questions ...
Hi Rob ... Now that I'm battery savvy, I may do the same thing. Considering I've got six bodies that use the same battery it might make sense to buy a batch and then not think about it again for a long time. Rob Studdert wrote: > I use the 3v lithiums in all my KM, MX, ME Super, SuperA, LX, I have had no > problems over many years of use and don't expect any soon. I buy the > lithiums 10 off which makes them much cheaper, I now only have to keep > one type of battery in that size in stock, they have a good 10 year shelf life > and I have never seen one leak, so there :-) -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/pow/enter.html http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/cameras/pentax_repair_shops.html - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Famous Last Words
Mike Johnston <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >At any rate, bear in mind that in 3 years the entire universe will >have changed entirely. The cameras we're talking about here will no longer >be close to the cutting edge technically or in terms of value. It'll be a >whole new ballgame. In the same time period, film photography will have >changed little. Absolutely right. And a sobering thought. -- Mark Roberts www.robertstech.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Aurora Watchers Unite!
Tom next time do let us know in advance :) --- aimcompute <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hey folks, > > I shot some more auroras last night around 2 AM > MST. The Kp index normally > has to get up around 5 to see them in Idaho. the Kp > was at 9 last night and > is still very high. For me it didn't look as > spectacular as others I've > seen but I went out shooting anyway. > > If you've got dark skies, take a look. There is > higher than normal > incidence predicted for all weekend. > > http://www.spaceweather.com/ > > Tom C. > ___ Build your own website in minutes and for free at http://ca.geocities.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
A* 200 F4 Ka mount weirdness?
All, I was doing some macro recently with my A* 200 F4 macro lens, and I discovered that my MZ-S and ZX-5 do not correctly register when I put it into "A" mode. I've absolutely babied this lens, so you can imagine that I'm not terribly happy. Anyway, I bopped over to Boz Dimitrov's Pentax pages and read up on the different mounts. According to the writeup on the "Ka" mount at his site, the "*" pin is supposed to be retracted when the lens has a manually-set aperture. When the aperture is set to "A", the "*" pin should extend so that it will make contact with the body. Well, all of my SMC-A lenses operate this way _except_ the A* 200 F4! The lenses that I checked included an SMC-A 50mm F2.8 macro and an A* 300 F2.8 lens. With all of these lenses, the "*" pin actually contacts the lens flange when it is extended. When measured with a multimeter, the resistance between the "*" pin and the lens flange is very low (1 ohm or so) when the lens is set to "A". The "*" pin of the A* 200 F4, however, looks more like the pins on FA lenses. It is surrounded with an opaque white synthetic material, and it does not extend or retract based on the position of the aperture ring. I checked it with my multimeter, and its resistance is always very high whether the aperture ring is set to "A" or to an F-stop. So, it looks like I've found an interesting exception to the "Ka" mount documentation at Boz' site. Further, it looks like my lens may have a (minor) problem. Can anyone else out there with an example of this lens check to see if it behaves the same way that mine does? Please cc: me ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). I'm reading the list via the archives, so I sometimes miss posts and responses. Thanks a million! --Mark p.s., apart from the "A" problem, my lens takes absolutely superb pictures! Here's a recent example from my flowerpot at home (near 1-1 magnification): http://www.westerickson.net/mark/misc/sundial.jpg - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Digital Hypothetics (or: do I need a good slap?)
Cotty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>I would think there could only be two reasons for going to the D1: > >D30, please. Going to Nikon would be a step too far! Oops. Sorry about that. It's so easy to get these things mixed up. Can't anyone come up with a model number for their digital SLR that isn't "D-something"? ;-) >>1) You really *need* the instant access to your images. For delivery to a >>bewspaper, I meant "newspaper"! >>for example, or for shooting photos at events and being able to >>print and sell them on the spot. > >That's a start. Losing the chemical process in the middle would be good. >I get the same thrills out of seeing digital pics up on a monitor as I >used to (and still do) developing my film. What I like is complete >control of the entire process, in my time-frame. Okay with B and W which >I do myself, but most of my stuff is C-41. Speed is the main reason I haven't bought a digital camera yet. I just rarely *need* results in less than 24 hours. >>2) You do a lot of wildlife photography and would benefit from the >>magnification factor or the focal length multiplication. > >I see this as only a slight advantage, and a big disadvantage. A 70-200 >2.8 becomes a great lens on a D30. But at the wide end, it gets costlier. >I could cope. Not me. I'm going to hold off until full-frame CCDs are out. I expect Canon and Nikon to be hot on the heels of Contax. >>Or possibly a third reason: Just to annoy Mafud ;-) > >Now *that* might be worth a chuckle or ten. No comment! -- Mark Roberts www.robertstech.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Any views on Photo Tech in NYC for repairs?
Here in Portland, Oregon, a repair shop that specializes in Pentax repairs wouldn't touch my ESII Pentax. Last resort was Essex Camera Repair. They did the job. Also, like you, I had to send a Canon T-90 back to Essex when the first job didn't fix the problem. After the second try, the camera is working fine. Jim A. > From: "Otis Wright, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 12:00:25 -0500 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Any views on Photo Tech in NYC for repairs? > > I had a worn out SPF -- mirror stopped working due film advance control > problems > -- repaired at Photo Tech. Camera film advance was not working upon return -- > big time problems. They took it back and made it right at no charge and camera > has worked ok now for about a year -- light usage. I can't be sure, but I > think > they put a lot more effort into this camera before it was over then they > anticipated. > > Essex Camera in North Jersey another option. I sent them an ESII for a CLA > about four months ago and meter/shutter calibration -- based on a mention > here > on the list. They didn't reassemble the film speed/exp. comp knob linkage > properly on the first try, but took care of this at no charge. Now, the > camera > works like a champ -- at least so far. > > Neither repair effort was trouble free, but as far as I can tell, they both > got > there on the second try. In both cases, there were absolutely no hassles > about taking care of the problems. > > Not great recommendations, but they got it done in the end and didn't butcher > anything --- that I can see --- in the process. > > Otis > > pentaxgroup wrote: > >> Hi everyone, >> >> I'm trying to find a reputable repair service for my ME Super. A previous >> message about this to the group saw me directed, via Shel's website, to >> Professional Camera Repair Service in NYC (thanks Mark Roberts). I can >> confirm that this company has definitely gone out of business. Right now the >> only game in town for Pentax repair (at least of older cameras like mine) >> seems >> to be Photo Tech on 13th Street. Has anyone had any experience of them? Any >> rave reviews or horror stories to share? I think I just need a regular CLA >> but I >> want it done carefully. >> >> Failing that, anybody know anyone in the area I with a great reputation to >> whom I >> could ship it? >> >> Many thanks >> >> Francis Elers >> >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> - >> This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, >> go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to >> visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: New AF360FGZ flash; Problems?
Emilio Puga wrote: >But I think that you can do flash exp. Comp with MZ5, isn´t it? What >about this way with the camera in manual and moving exposure >compensation dial? > Perhaps. Some PDML'rs have reported success with this technique. I have been disappointed trying it with a SP and AF280T, but maybe it works better with the newer digital flash/camera combinations. Anyway, couldn't be as convenient as dialling in your compensations as you can with the AF360FGZ and compatible body. Cheers, Mike. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: OT: CompUSA Crap
If you need adapters, cards or cables go online or to a local shop. Best Buy and Circuit City prices are about the same. I buy cables at a local electronics shop for $15. JeffW. > > Same adapter card, possibly different manufacturers on the cable. > > If you shop at CompUSA, be very very sure you know what prices should be on > things. They are highway robbers especially where cables are concerned. > > Tom C. > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Flash questions
At 01:06 PM 11/21/01 -0500, you wrote: >You're both right. The head does drop, but unless you get it off the >camera hotshoe, the distance from the subject tends to make it a >"point source". Moving it closer (and stopping down, perhaps using >a tissue or two to permit it to shut off properly) makes for >more effective shots. Since I do a lot of macro and was thinking about the 280T, is there a problem with using it off-camera? Gary J. Sibio - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Famous Last Words
In a message dated 11/24/01 9:41:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > In the same time period, film photography will have > >changed little. > > Absolutely right. And a sobering thought. > We actually have no real notion of where film photography will be in 3 or 5 or 10 years. Who would have thought (dared hope) that most modern ISO 400 film would seriously challenge the older ISO 100 films? Or that some ISO 1600 films produce nearly the same images grainwise many ISO 400 films did just three years ago? Film actually doesn't have to "advance" very much to stay way ahead of ~small format~ digital. Mafud [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: Digital Hypothetics (or: do I need a good slap?)
I'm in, and have been in, the same boat. I use the D30 at work; the 20-35 f/2.8 is now a 35-50, and the 80-200 f/2.8 is a 320 2.8; good with the bad. You probably know all the specs, so I'll just let you know what I think of it from shooting it for the past 6 months: I am ready for digital. I took one of the photos, blew the 5x7 @ 300 dpi up to 11x16.5 in photoshop, printed it on an Epson 2000P, and was amazed. I agree with whoever about not being able to blow it up to poster size (though I should try using genuine fractals) but this 11x16.5 looks better than any 11x14 cibachrome I ever had printed (and no I never had Kodachrome 25 enlarged... we have, however, blown up Kodchr 200 to 30 x 40 C prints from a 4x5 inter-neg.). I personally own Pentax 24/2.8, 85/1.4, 135/1.8, 200/2.8 and 300/4 w 2X-AS , all manual focus, and would love a Pentax digital, even if only 4MP. I've used the D30 and believe that the Canon 1D must be an even better tool, but hard to justify the 5+K price, making the D30 even more attractive. I waited so long for the MZ-S that I traded my LX outfit before it came out for a 6X7II with AE prism. I hope Pentax hints at something soon, for I have a Hassie outfit that I would swap for a D30 body w/grip and 45mm Tilt/Shift lens (which Pentax nor anyone comes close to making). Canon is so far ahead of the pack that I fear Pentax will never be able to catch up, let alone keep up. Jay - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
Re: A* 200 F4 Ka mount weirdness?
On 24 Nov 2001, at 18:50, Mark Erickson wrote: > Well, all of my SMC-A lenses operate this way _except_ the A* 200 F4! The > lenses that I checked included an SMC-A 50mm F2.8 macro and an A* 300 F2.8 > lens. With all of these lenses, the "*" pin actually contacts the lens > flange when it is extended. When measured with a multimeter, the resistance > between the "*" pin and the lens flange is very low (1 ohm or so) when the lens > is set to "A". > > The "*" pin of the A* 200 F4, however, looks more like the pins on FA > lenses. It is surrounded with an opaque white synthetic material, and it > does not extend or retract based on the position of the aperture ring. I > checked it with my multimeter, and its resistance is always very high > whether the aperture ring is set to "A" or to an F-stop. Hi Mark, You are correct re: the construction however the contact on my lens maintains a circuit to the mount flange when the aperture ring is at the A position and the lens works on the MZ-S as all the other A series lenses do. You might need to have the contacts inside the lens cleaned. Cheers, Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications.html - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
