Awful noises from my PZ-1
Out of the blue, my much-used PZ-1 has started making an ugly grinding noise when the film winds after an exposure. Actually, it makes the noise whether there is film in the camera or not. It sounds as though it is coming from behind and a bit below the shutter release. Rewind sounds normal. Any ideas what this might be and what it might cost to fix it? __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
RE: Awful noises from my PZ-1
I could only imagine it was either the motor, or some worn parts like shaft or gears etc. Never open mine to see what it looks like, sorry. But it doesn't sound expensive to fix, for the parts at least (labour ecxlude). :-( Alan Chan http://www.pbase.com/wlachan Out of the blue, my much-used PZ-1 has started making an ugly grinding noise when the film winds after an exposure. Actually, it makes the noise whether there is film in the camera or not. It sounds as though it is coming from behind and a bit below the shutter release. Rewind sounds normal. Any ideas what this might be and what it might cost to fix it?
My PZ-1
I'm glad you're happy with it Dave. I knew you would be. The PZ1 and (p) are very underated cameras that deserve more attention from anyone looking for autofocus. It's a great camera, especially if you get used to its interface... Good stuff Dave Vic Dave Wrote: Whoo Hooo. Finally after 3 years of wanting one, i now have one.(Thanks Vic)It's a heck of a lot quieter than the SF-1,mirror,shutter and motor wind wize.Fits well in my hands and balance well with the Sigma 100-300.(I can see the 100-300 F4 being a help here:-))If the SF-1 gave me sharper images than my mf equipment,then i'm sure this one will be just as good or better. I'm use to the wheels on the D1 so this camera feels comfortable already.Finder is brighter too imo. Reading up and playing with the Hyp M and P.I think this is a great feature.Manual is huge.If its not to busy at work to day i'll start reading. Looks like the TOPDML has a few things to chat about at the next meet.vbg Dave
Re: My PZ-1
Congratulations Dave and also to Frank for his LX enablement. I also purchased a PZ-1P from a friend and am very happy with it. It will take me a while to get familiar with the camera but from the initial shots I think this will be my go-to camera from now on. Anybody interested in a ZX-5n? Bought from a fellow PDML'er and had only 6 rolls shot through since I got it. Email me if anybody is interested. Otherwise it's going to ebay. In the meantime, here are photos taken with the PZ-1p and 28-105mm power zoom: http://www.photos.ph/freckles/Disney It's hard to compose any shot when you are made the official photographer of the group and have to shoot on the fly. Enjoy! Francis M. Alviar Irvine, CA __ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/
Re: My PZ-1
Thanks Francis. I probably will make this the go to camera aswell and back up with the K1000 and SP500. Those are nice shots with the 28-105 PZ.Is that the 3.2 lens or the 4.5 one(i think those are the f stops) I have the smc f 35-70 macro and a Sigma 100-300,but was thinking of adding the 28-105. Both Vic and Brendan have metioned to me its a pretty good lens,and your photos seem to show it. I have read some online reviews and they mainly have as a con, the distortion at either end.I can see a bit in one photo,but how do you find it yourself. Dave(still with way to many cameras)Brooks But i did give one back t my sister,a K1000 not being used.:-) Congratulations Dave and also to Frank for his LX enablement. I also purchased a PZ-1P from a friend and am very happy with it. It will take me a while to get familiar with the camera but from the initial shots I think this will be my go-to camera from now on. Anybody interested in a ZX-5n? Bought from a fellow PDML'er and had only 6 rolls shot through since I got it. Email me if anybody is interested. Otherwise it's going to ebay. In the meantime, here are photos taken with the PZ-1p and 28-105mm power zoom: http://www.photos.ph/freckles/Disney It's hard to compose any shot when you are made the official photographer of the group and have to shoot on the fly. Enjoy! Francis M. Alviar Irvine, CA __ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/
Re: My PZ-1
Thanks Dave. I like the 28-105 PZ lens a lot though I haven't used it that much since getting it. I have the f/4-5.6 version. Not a fast lens but very capable for daytime shots. It's quite sharp stopped down. http://www.photos.ph/image/75536 But like you said will be prone to distortion like this shot: http://www.photos.ph/image/96862 Just have to watch for such distortion when shooting but otherwise a very good lens for walking about. It balances nicely on a PZ-1(p). I'm positive you will like it if you decide to get one. KEH has three specimens on display right now. Good luck! Francis -- Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 13:36:08 US/Eastern From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: My PZ-1 Message-Id: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks Francis. I probably will make this the go to camera aswell and back up with the K1000 and SP500. Those are nice shots with the 28-105 PZ.Is that the 3.2 lens or the 4.5 one(i think those are the f stops) I have the smc f 35-70 macro and a Sigma 100-300,but was thinking of adding the 28-105. Both Vic and Brendan have metioned to me its a pretty good lens,and your photos seem to show it. I have read some online reviews and they mainly have as a con, the distortion at either end.I can see a bit in one photo,but how do you find it yourself. Dave(still with way to many cameras)Brooks But i did give one back t my sister,a K1000 not being used.:-) -- __ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/
Re: My PZ-1
Hey, Dave, Turns out I ~don't~ have kids this weekend. Wassup with you? Is it worth getting a hold of the Prodigal Pentaxians of the GTA for a get together? We both have some mighty fine new Pentax Gear to show off! vbg Congrats on your new stuff, BTW. cheers, frank The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true. -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] snip Looks like the TOPDML has a few things to chat about at the next meet.vbg Dave _ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/bcommpgmarket=en-caRU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
Weird problem with onboard flash on my PZ 1 / advice sought
Hi all, perhaps someone else has had this problem: My onboard flash won't work with certain lenses. Mainly, my off brand autofocus lenses like a sigma 18-35, and a tamron 28-300, both recent versions of the lens. It is not reserved exclusively for non pentax lenses either. My pentax FA 50/2.8 macro won't allow the flash to work. The AF500FTZ works in any case, but I like to use it for bounce, and the onboard flash for direct lighting. The weird part: any M series or K series manual focus lens, or any third party manual focus lens will allow the flash to fire normally. I expect the problem is in communication between the lens and camera body, but I'm hoping someone here will have experienced this before. Sid
RE: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Hi again, I joined the list almost 2 months ago with questions regarding my inabilities to take good pictures with my PZ-1 and FA28-200 combo. I have remained a silent member since then reading as many posts as I can given the lack of time. I realized some of my faults. Thanks to all those who replied, specially Artur Ledóchowski. First, my pics weren't really out of focus as I earlier thought. They just weren't sharp enough. I was stretching the inverse focal length thumb rule a bit too much, e.g., shooting at 1/30 or even 1/15 for focal lengths of 28-35mm. I would go to 1/45 for 50mm and so forth. And I am no pro to be able to hold the camera steady. I now have a simple tripod too that I plan to use next time I take pictures. Then, the front lens element was indeed not as clear. I cleaned it with some lens cleaning fluid/paper and it improved the results, though the lens is not 100% clean even now. I wonder, why I see mist or spots on the inside glass surface. I doubt it is fungus but what do I know? In any case its minimal and it appeared that it is not causing much harm. I am far from being satisfied and have been been reading a Kodak book and looking for some tips on the net too. I would appreciate if you guys could help me with the following: 1. Not all my pics come out well exposed. Some come out very well but a few are either over or under-exposed. When is the camera more likely to get fooled by the lighting conditions? My reading suggested areas where there is too much light (snow?) or too little. I tend to take most pictures on touristy trips of nature, architecture etc. and usually include my family in quite a few. The sky tends to get washed out almost always. I guess, I need a polarizer for that, right? But even otherwise, pictures of beautiful skies, sunsets come out very dull, drab without any colors whatsoever :-( I once under-exposed and the effect was much better. But another time, it wasn't. How do you guys figure out whether the camera is correct or that you need to over/under-expose? 2. How do I improve my framing capabilities. I end up taking quite ordinary and boring pictures even though at the time of clicking, the whole scene is much more romantic and beautiful than the final result. Does this come with experience, is more of a talent than skill?? 3. I haven't managed to locate any print film other than consumer ones from Kodak/Fuji/Konica here in Bangalore, India. I usually use Kodak Gold 100/200 and get the regular 4x6 size prints made. Should I consider importing Supra or Fujipress or would the difference in such small prints be mostly imperceptible? 4. How do I figure out whether my negatives are well-exposed? I look at them and they do seem well exposed but the picture doesn't look as bright and contrasty. Obviously I am missing something here. Thanks a lot for reading such a longish mail... Regards, Gaurav - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Then, the front lens element was indeed not as clear. I cleaned it with some lens cleaning fluid/paper and it improved the results, though the lens is not 100% clean even now. I wonder, why I see mist or spots on the inside glass surface. I doubt it is fungus but what do I know? In any case its minimal and it appeared that it is not causing much harm. Could that be moisture? My FA100/2.8 had similar problem and I thought there was something wrong. But then the silica gel took care of it. 1. Not all my pics come out well exposed. Some come out very well but a few are either over or under-exposed. When is the camera more likely to get fooled by the lighting conditions? My reading suggested areas where there is too much light (snow?) or too little. I tend to take most pictures on touristy trips of nature, architecture etc. and usually include my family in quite a few. The sky tends to get washed out almost always. I guess, I need a polarizer for that, right? But even otherwise, pictures of beautiful skies, sunsets come out very dull, drab without any colors whatsoever :-( I once under-exposed and the effect was much better. But another time, it wasn't. How do you guys figure out whether the camera is correct or that you need to over/under-expose? If the prints you got was poor, it might be the lab that did a poor job. You would be surprised to know that most labs on earth are poor. You might try some slides when practising your skill. Fuji Sensia 100 is a good starting point. But mind you that prints from slides are expensive. 2. How do I improve my framing capabilities. I end up taking quite ordinary and boring pictures even though at the time of clicking, the whole scene is much more romantic and beautiful than the final result. Does this come with experience, is more of a talent than skill?? Unfortunately, I have the same problem too. ^^ I'd say it's something that you can learn, instead of based on talent alone. 3. I haven't managed to locate any print film other than consumer ones from Kodak/Fuji/Konica here in Bangalore, India. I usually use Kodak Gold 100/200 and get the regular 4x6 size prints made. Should I consider importing Supra or Fujipress or would the difference in such small prints be mostly imperceptible? These consumer films are quite good. I'd say you might keep using them until you have gained enough experience on exposure. 4. How do I figure out whether my negatives are well-exposed? I look at them and they do seem well exposed but the picture doesn't look as bright and contrasty. Obviously I am missing something here. If you can live without prints, shoot slides. regards, Alan Chan _ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
An indication that your pictures are underexposed is when your blacks look dark gray, instead of rich black. Sometimes it's a good idea to set your meter a little lower (125 or 160 for 200 film, for example) to ensure sufficient exposure. You also might want to check your meter against the one in another camera. As for sky, it's much brighter than land, so often the sky is ok, but the foreground is too dark, or the foreground is ok, but the sky is burned out. Use a circular polariser, or a graduated neutral density filter and you'll get much better results. Your meter should accurately expose average scenes, but if they're not average, you need to compensate. With lots of white in the frame (snow, etc.) add up to two stops of exposure, and with lots of black, stop down some. For film, you wouldn't see much difference with pro film in 4x6s, and it's quite a bit more expensive. As for framing, it takes practice to know when you can capture what's in front of you, or whether it'll disappear when you put a frame on it. You could try cutting out a 4x6 hole in a piece of cardboard and holding it up at various distances from your eye (to simulate various focal lengths) to help you visualize the actual picture. Good luck, and keep shooting! Pat White - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 01:09:18PM -0800, Pat White wrote: An indication that your pictures are underexposed is when your blacks look dark gray, instead of rich black. Isn't that over-exposure instead of under ? (when blacks look gray that is). - 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[2]: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Nitin, It depends on whether you have positive or negative film. If you underexposed negative film, the darks/blacks will go gray and the picture will seem a bit washed out looking. Just the opposite of shooting slide. So the rule of thumb is slightly underexpose slides, slightly overexpose negatives. Bruce Dayton Friday, April 05, 2002, 1:21:21 PM, you wrote: NG On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 01:09:18PM -0800, Pat White wrote: An indication that your pictures are underexposed is when your blacks look dark gray, instead of rich black. NG Isn't that over-exposure instead of under ? (when blacks look gray that NG is). NG - NG This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, NG go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to NG 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
In a slide you would be right, but for prints, Pat was correct. When the whole neg is underexposed, the lab will make the print lighter to try to keep some detail, which makes the blacks grey. -Original Message- From: Nitin Garg [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 05 April 2002 22:21 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1 On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 01:09:18PM -0800, Pat White wrote: An indication that your pictures are underexposed is when your blacks look dark gray, instead of rich black. Isn't that over-exposure instead of under ? (when blacks look gray that is). - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
ah yes indeed :) Looks like i have been shooting slides for too long now :) On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 01:43:39PM -0800, Bruce Dayton wrote: Nitin, It depends on whether you have positive or negative film. If you underexposed negative film, the darks/blacks will go gray and the picture will seem a bit washed out looking. Just the opposite of shooting slide. So the rule of thumb is slightly underexpose slides, slightly overexpose negatives. Bruce Dayton Friday, April 05, 2002, 1:21:21 PM, you wrote: NG On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 01:09:18PM -0800, Pat White wrote: An indication that your pictures are underexposed is when your blacks look dark gray, instead of rich black. NG Isn't that over-exposure instead of under ? (when blacks look gray that NG is). NG - NG This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, NG go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to NG 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
I second this: shoot slides! Minilab prints make a very poor guide for improvement any of these aspects. If you must shoot negatives -- scan them with a slide scanner. Otherwise do slides. They 1. give you very precise feedback about whether you meter correctly or not. the same goes for accurate colors. 2. you won't depend on lab's personell skills. 3. have MUCH better contrast and color brilliance than prints. on more one occasion i had the same sunset shot on slide and print film, and the difference was HUGE 4. slides are cheaper to process. where i live, a roll of slides, mounted, in an 1hr lab is $6, in the same lab the prints go for $10 or something like this. so you can shoot more. 5. when slides turn out well, they turn out amazingly great! you will feel really really good about yourself -- and this kind of positive reinforcement is important. for me anyway. and finally, the shots that you really like you can still print from slides. 1. Not all my pics come out well exposed. Some come out very well but a few are either over or under-exposed. When is the camera more likely to get fooled by the lighting conditions? My reading suggested areas where there is too much light (snow?) or too little. I tend to take most pictures on touristy trips of nature, architecture etc. and usually include my family in quite a few. The sky tends to get washed out almost always. I guess, I need a polarizer for that, right? But even otherwise, pictures of beautiful skies, sunsets come out very dull, drab without any colors whatsoever :-( I once under-exposed and the effect was much better. But another time, it wasn't. How do you guys figure out whether the camera is correct or that you need to over/under-expose? If the prints you got was poor, it might be the lab that did a poor job. You would be surprised to know that most labs on earth are poor. You might try some slides when practising your skill. Fuji Sensia 100 is a good starting point. But mind you that prints from slides are expensive. 2. How do I improve my framing capabilities. I end up taking quite ordinary and boring pictures even though at the time of clicking, the whole scene is much more romantic and beautiful than the final result. Does this come with experience, is more of a talent than skill?? Unfortunately, I have the same problem too. ^^ I'd say it's something that you can learn, instead of based on talent alone. 3. I haven't managed to locate any print film other than consumer ones from Kodak/Fuji/Konica here in Bangalore, India. I usually use Kodak Gold 100/200 and get the regular 4x6 size prints made. Should I consider importing Supra or Fujipress or would the difference in such small prints be mostly imperceptible? These consumer films are quite good. I'd say you might keep using them until you have gained enough experience on exposure. 4. How do I figure out whether my negatives are well-exposed? I look at them and they do seem well exposed but the picture doesn't look as bright and contrasty. Obviously I am missing something here. If you can live without prints, shoot slides. - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
On 8 Feb 2002 at 6:10, Gaurav Aggarwal wrote: Hi all, I bought a used PZ-1 in the US a few years ago but hardly used it. Subsequently, I moved to India and have been using it off and on, more as a tourist photographer only. snip Lately, I observed that my pictures aren't any good compared to what fellow tourists take primarily with their PS or sometimes with Canon EOS Rebel (2 of my friends have this one). Neither the focus is as great (clarity misses out), Blurry pics are due to mis-focusing and camera shake. Are you sure you're focusing properly, and have set a reasonable shutter speed? nor is the color, brightness and contrast. Given a good exposure, this has more to do with the film and processing used than anything else. Underexposure can screw with these properties too. Are your negs well-exposed? Somehow, something is always missing in my pictures. If they were in focus and well-exposed would you like them? I had read quite a few books on photography while in the US 3 years ago and had felt that I knew what I was doing when I put the camera in Aperture priority mode, and click at f8 or f16. Obviously, I am wrong somewhere. This should work ok if you've got enough light and you don't have the spot meter accidentally selected. Then lately, I started using the 50mm/f1.7 manual focus thinking that the prime might be much better. The results are hardly any good compared to 28-200. I mostly shoot Kodak or Fuji films of speed 100 or 200. I have changed my developer couple of times and did see some difference but nothing major :-( You need quite a bit of light to shoot at f/16 and ISO 100. Are you using a tripod? Also, I have been able to make use of DoF and regret this. Try as hard as I might, I can hardly figure that something is indeed going out of focus at small apertures (i.e., wider openings). Are you saying you don't understand this, or you can't see it in the finder? Any tips, criticism, suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks!! I am relatively new to PUG and so pardom me if I have violated the charter/norms of the mailing list. Welcome aboard, you're remarkably on-topic. All I can suggest is to make sure the camera is set at a decent shutter speed if hand-holding (1/focal length), that the spot-meter isn't on (set it to matrix), and that exposure compensation is set to 0. It might be helpful if you could scan and post some of these photos you're talking about. Good luck. tv - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Gaurav, I have some suggestions for you. 1.) Shoot slide film and use the camera in manual mode to teach yourself how to expose correctly. It sounds as if you might need a refresher course. 2.) Practice proper technique. Perhaps your hands are too shaky. Relax as you take the shot. Invest in a tripod, even a small table top one. 3.) Purchase good film. I stick with Provia 100F and Velvia for slides. It is tough to beat Superia-Reala for outdoor portraits. If I need speed, NPZ is the way to go. Don't settle for cheap film. When it comes to film from my experience you get what you pay for. 4.) Force yourself to stick with the 50mm prime for a while to keep things simple for a while. You will soon understand its limitations and what to expect from this focal length, which will help you understand your zoom better. 5.) Find images you like, then do some reading on how to duplicate them. Then experiment to see if you can. The more you try, the better a photographer you will be. Good luck. Sherwin Abesamis mailto:[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 .
Odp: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Original Message - From: Gaurav Aggarwal [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1 I have 2 lenses: FA 28-200mm Pentax and A 50mm/f1.7 Pentax (manual focus) that I bought used. I usually used the 28-200 lens even though I know that such large-range zooms will never give very good performance. However, I liked the ability to capture landscapes at 28-35mm as well as subjects of interest at 120-150mm when travelling as a tourist. Unless you enlarge your prints over 13x18cm, the difference between ultra zooms and normal zooms or even primes may be unnoticeable. I emphasize the word may because the final result depends on you. That FA 28-200 is actually the Tamron lens with SMC and it's a good tourist lens... Lately, I observed that my pictures aren't any good compared to what fellow tourists take primarily with their PS or sometimes with Canon EOS Rebel (2 of my friends have this one). Neither the focus is as great (clarity misses out), nor is the color, brightness and contrast. Somehow, something is always missing in my pictures. Well, one thing you must find out is whether your pics are really out of focus or just aren't sharp - and it's a substantial difference. If they are out of focus, then it can be due to AF system malfunction, but it's but a one possibility. It's also IMHO hardly possible, because if the camera focused unproperly, you would easily notice it in your viewfinder. The PZ-1 has a very narrow focusing area - perhaps your focusing technique is wrong. Perhaps you focus on wrong elements. Perhaps your camera is set to a Servo AF mode, and you press the button before the focusing. And if your pics simply aren't sharp, then it's more than obvious that it's due to the camera shake. Have you tried using a tripod? Especially with the 28-200. Do you know such a rule: the slowest shutter speed, that prevents the camera shake to be recorded on a film, while handholding that camera, is 1/actual focal length? Thus if you use your 28-200, you can try to shoot at 28mm with 1/30sec, but at 200mm no less than 1/250 sec (and i's good to increase the margin by at least 1 to 2EV - the longer the focal lenght, the greater the margin; for example at 28mm - 1/60sec, but at 200mm - 1/1000). If you can't get that fast with your slow zoom then go for faster films - let the ISO400 be your standard (I truly recommend the Kodak Supra 400 - very sharp, no grain). Besides, are your lens clean? If you have problems with color, brightness and contrast, then there can be several different causes of it. If you bought used lenses, then maybe the lens coating is damaged. Maybe your film was too old. Maybe you didn't apply necessary exposure compensation, while your metering system was fooled by too bright or too dark elements of the scene (don't worry - all metering systems are fooled that way:)). Perhaps you could scan some of those bad pics and put them somewhere on the Net so we could see them and judge... Then lately, I started using the 50mm/f1.7 manual focus thinking that the prime might be much better. The results are hardly any good compared to 28-200. I mostly shoot Kodak or Fuji films of speed 100 or 200. I have changed my developer couple of times and did see some difference but nothing major :-( See above... - use faster films so you can use faster shutter speed. Buy a tripod. Focus carefully. What could I be doing wrong? Is the metering mode on my PZ-1 set incorrectly?? I do not have its manual with me. I usually leave the camera in HyP mode, and select either Aperture (when taking lanscapes or portraits) or Shutter (when photographing traffic or waterfalls, river). I typically never use the spot-metering. Always look for your fault first - not the camera's. If you always use the matrix, then most probably there must be something wrong with your technique, since that matrix (8 segments) is one of the best:) Unless it's damaged, which is IMHO unlikely... Also, I have been able to make use of DoF and regret this. Try as hard as I might, I can hardly figure that something is indeed going out of focus at small apertures (i.e., wider openings). Just watch carefully - there's a big difference between f5,6 and f11. Try to watch some brighter elements since the smaller the aperture, the darker the viewfinder while in DoFP. You must notice it... HTH Greetz Artur -- Tego nie znajdziesz w zadnym sklepie! [ http://oferty.onet.pl ] - 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 .
unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
Hi all, I bought a used PZ-1 in the US a few years ago but hardly used it. Subsequently, I moved to India and have been using it off and on, more as a tourist photographer only. I have 2 lenses: FA 28-200mm Pentax and A 50mm/f1.7 Pentax (manual focus) that I bought used. I usually used the 28-200 lens even though I know that such large-range zooms will never give very good performance. However, I liked the ability to capture landscapes at 28-35mm as well as subjects of interest at 120-150mm when travelling as a tourist. Lately, I observed that my pictures aren't any good compared to what fellow tourists take primarily with their PS or sometimes with Canon EOS Rebel (2 of my friends have this one). Neither the focus is as great (clarity misses out), nor is the color, brightness and contrast. Somehow, something is always missing in my pictures. I had read quite a few books on photography while in the US 3 years ago and had felt that I knew what I was doing when I put the camera in Aperture priority mode, and click at f8 or f16. Obviously, I am wrong somewhere. Then lately, I started using the 50mm/f1.7 manual focus thinking that the prime might be much better. The results are hardly any good compared to 28-200. I mostly shoot Kodak or Fuji films of speed 100 or 200. I have changed my developer couple of times and did see some difference but nothing major :-( What could I be doing wrong? Is the metering mode on my PZ-1 set incorrectly?? I do not have its manual with me. I usually leave the camera in HyP mode, and select either Aperture (when taking lanscapes or portraits) or Shutter (when photographing traffic or waterfalls, river). I typically never use the spot-metering. Also, I have been able to make use of DoF and regret this. Try as hard as I might, I can hardly figure that something is indeed going out of focus at small apertures (i.e., wider openings). Any tips, criticism, suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks!! I am relatively new to PUG and so pardom me if I have violated the charter/norms of the mailing list. Gaurav Bangalore, INDIA. Looking for a job? Visit Yahoo! India Careers Visit http://in.careers.yahoo.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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
It is nothing wrong with your equipments. I tried several times to draw pictures but results from other artists were much much better. After changing paint brushes several times I stayed with my cameras. Andreas Wirtz Gaurav Aggarwal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi all, I bought a used PZ-1 in the US a few years ago but hardly used it. Subsequently, I moved to India and have been using it off and on, more as a tourist photographer only. I have 2 lenses: FA 28-200mm Pentax and A 50mm/f1.7 Pentax (manual focus) that I bought used. I usually used the 28-200 lens even though I know that such large-range zooms will never give very good performance. However, I liked the ability to capture landscapes at 28-35mm as well as subjects of interest at 120-150mm when travelling as a tourist. Lately, I observed that my pictures aren't any good compared to what fellow tourists take primarily with their PS or sometimes with Canon EOS Rebel (2 of my friends have this one). Neither the focus is as great (clarity misses out), nor is the color, brightness and contrast. Somehow, something is always missing in my pictures. I had read quite a few books on photography while in the US 3 years ago and had felt that I knew what I was doing when I put the camera in Aperture priority mode, and click at f8 or f16. Obviously, I am wrong somewhere. Then lately, I started using the 50mm/f1.7 manual focus thinking that the prime might be much better. The results are hardly any good compared to 28-200. I mostly shoot Kodak or Fuji films of speed 100 or 200. I have changed my developer couple of times and did see some difference but nothing major :-( What could I be doing wrong? Is the metering mode on my PZ-1 set incorrectly?? I do not have its manual with me. I usually leave the camera in HyP mode, and select either Aperture (when taking lanscapes or portraits) or Shutter (when photographing traffic or waterfalls, river). I typically never use the spot-metering. Also, I have been able to make use of DoF and regret this. Try as hard as I might, I can hardly figure that something is indeed going out of focus at small apertures (i.e., wider openings). Any tips, criticism, suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks!! I am relatively new to PUG and so pardom me if I have violated the charter/norms of the mailing list. Gaurav Bangalore, INDIA. Looking for a job? Visit Yahoo! India Careers Visit http://in.careers.yahoo.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 . Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! - 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: unable to take good pictures with my PZ-1
I would suggest the following tests: take shots of distant object/landscape with both lenses so that the focus is set to infinity. If the pictures turn out out-of-focus, then your cam body is likely to be screwed (unlikely for both lenses to be bad). If both are in-focus, cam body is good. Also if you set lens to infinity focus, looking thru viewfinder the distant landscape should appear sharp (this would mean your prism system isnt screwed). To see if the AF of the cam is not working well: focus on somebody standing nearby, switch to MF mode and see if you can get sharper focus than that selected by camera. Does the lack of quality seem like due to light leakage ? You can test that by say loading film, wrapping a black cloth all around the body so only the lens is sticking out, shoot some pics, develop the photos and see what happens. basically eliminate possibilities one by one... or you could just find a good repair place nearby and have a lookover done :) and yeah, indian weather is excellent for fungus growth. So check that out in your lens first. On Fri, Feb 08, 2002 at 06:10:01AM +, Gaurav Aggarwal wrote: Hi all, I bought a used PZ-1 in the US a few years ago but hardly used it. Subsequently, I moved to India and have been using it off and on, more as a tourist photographer only. I have 2 lenses: FA 28-200mm Pentax and A 50mm/f1.7 Pentax (manual focus) that I bought used. I usually used the 28-200 lens even though I know that such large-range zooms will never give very good performance. However, I liked the ability to capture landscapes at 28-35mm as well as subjects of interest at 120-150mm when travelling as a tourist. Lately, I observed that my pictures aren't any good compared to what fellow tourists take primarily with their PS or sometimes with Canon EOS Rebel (2 of my friends have this one). Neither the focus is as great (clarity misses out), nor is the color, brightness and contrast. Somehow, something is always missing in my pictures. I had read quite a few books on photography while in the US 3 years ago and had felt that I knew what I was doing when I put the camera in Aperture priority mode, and click at f8 or f16. Obviously, I am wrong somewhere. Then lately, I started using the 50mm/f1.7 manual focus thinking that the prime might be much better. The results are hardly any good compared to 28-200. I mostly shoot Kodak or Fuji films of speed 100 or 200. I have changed my developer couple of times and did see some difference but nothing major :-( What could I be doing wrong? Is the metering mode on my PZ-1 set incorrectly?? I do not have its manual with me. I usually leave the camera in HyP mode, and select either Aperture (when taking lanscapes or portraits) or Shutter (when photographing traffic or waterfalls, river). I typically never use the spot-metering. Also, I have been able to make use of DoF and regret this. Try as hard as I might, I can hardly figure that something is indeed going out of focus at small apertures (i.e., wider openings). Any tips, criticism, suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks!! I am relatively new to PUG and so pardom me if I have violated the charter/norms of the mailing list. Gaurav Bangalore, INDIA. Looking for a job? Visit Yahoo! India Careers Visit http://in.careers.yahoo.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 . - 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: My PZ-1 was insulted!
My beloved PZ-1 was insulted today when I was offered $75 for it in my local camera shop, KeepitShoveit in Palo Alto. Don't be surprised. That's how they make money. regards, Alan Chan _ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - 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: My PZ-1 was insulted
From: Juan J. Buhler [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: My PZ-1 was insulted! My beloved PZ-1 was insulted today when I was offered $75 for it in my local camera shop, KeepitShoveit in Palo Alto. So, I decided to put in on ebay, without reserve and a starting bid of $250, for the body, FA28-80 and Sigma 75-300, plus a bunch of filters and a case. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=1276289779 If you win this item and mention the Pentax list when you contact me, I'll give you a 5% discount on your final bid. Jeeez Man. That street photography stuff must be tough! I've got a ME-Super, Program Plus and a Super Program... and all three together ain't as beat up as that PZ-1 of yours. g Happy eBaying HEY!... you're looking for a smaller, less intrusive camera, I'll swap ya even-steven for a Pentax Auto 110. Eh? I'll even toss in that 70mm lens everyone on eBay says is so damn hard to find. Deal? Free shipping. I'll even toss in the original packaging. Why... with that 110, you'll get more dates with women than if you walked around with a puppy, or your tie was actually your tongue. g Scoot - 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 .
Sv: My PZ-1 was insulted!
Hi Juan I just had mine repaired (impact damage) for more than that! Now I'm considering buying a Z1-p or a MZ-S as suplementary body! Jens Fra: Juan J. Buhler [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dato: 2001/09/18 Tue AM 07:50:41 CEST Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Emne: My PZ-1 was insulted! My beloved PZ-1 was insulted today when I was offered $75 for it in my local camera shop, KeepitShoveit in Palo Alto. So, I decided to put in on ebay, without reserve and a starting bid of $250, for the body, FA28-80 and Sigma 75-300, plus a bunch of filters and a case. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=1276289779 If you win this item and mention the Pentax list when you contact me, I'll give you a 5% discount on your final bid. Trying-to-get-money-for-a-50-Summicron-but-don't-worry-I-still-have-an-MX,-MESuper-and-ZX5n, j = -- Juan J. Buhler http://www.jbuhler.com __ Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - How can you help? Donate cash, emergency relief information http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Emergency_Information/ - 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 . - WebMail fra Tele2 http://www.tele2.dk - - 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 .
My PZ-1 was insulted!
My beloved PZ-1 was insulted today when I was offered $75 for it in my local camera shop, KeepitShoveit in Palo Alto. So, I decided to put in on ebay, without reserve and a starting bid of $250, for the body, FA28-80 and Sigma 75-300, plus a bunch of filters and a case. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=1276289779 If you win this item and mention the Pentax list when you contact me, I'll give you a 5% discount on your final bid. Trying-to-get-money-for-a-50-Summicron-but-don't-worry-I-still-have-an-MX,-MESuper-and-ZX5n, j = -- Juan J. Buhler http://www.jbuhler.com __ Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - How can you help? Donate cash, emergency relief information http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Emergency_Information/ - 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 .