Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On 12/19/2010 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: This sounds like Larry's P&S situation, but with a twist. I was at a family gathering yesterday when my young niece handed me her newly acquired K-x (my recommendation, btw) and asked sweetly why her shots were so dark. I have a K100Ds and a K20D, both of which I'm pretty familiar with, but I wasn't prepared for the K-x at all. I managed to undo negative exposure comp -- I think! -- and I cranked up the ISO since she had only the 18-55 kit lens. That helped, but I bet she was getting some serious shake in those shots under the usual indoor crappy incandescent lights. I loaned her my spare 540FGZ flash and she had a great time with that. But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing auto-focused on? I was trying to verify that I had altered the settings properly and I felt so useless staring though the viewfinder and getting no feedback at all. It seems like such a P&S interface, and I mean that in the most pejorative possible way. Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to HCB standards and censored it? Sounds like a card read/write error. Could those images be copied off the card later? -bmw -- Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom! --Marvin the Martian. -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Dec 20, 2010, at 3:06 PM, Charles Robinson wrote: > On Dec 20, 2010, at 13:23, Eric Weir wrote: > >> On Dec 19, 2010, at 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: >> >>> Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing >>> images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had >>> no clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up >>> to HCB standards and censored it? >> >> I got that on a shot with a *ist DS a couple days ago. > > I had that happen *frequently* with my *ist-DS when it was close to the end > of its extended warranty. > > Batteries/Cards.. didn't make a difference. It went in for repair 3 times. > Finally, they just replaced it with a K200D (yay). Only once so far for me. The camera has not been used that much. It had had only 2000 or so shutter actuations when I got it last summer. Don't know how many I've added. Certainly not very many compared to what might be expected over the life of the camera. Unfortunately, I don't have any warranty. Keeping my fingers crossed. Not ready for a K-x -- or K-r -- yet. Haven't learned all this camera has to teach me. -- Eric Weir Decatur, GA USA eew...@bellsouth.net -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Dec 20, 2010, at 13:23, Eric Weir wrote: > > On Dec 19, 2010, at 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: > >> Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing >> images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no >> clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to >> HCB standards and censored it? > > I got that on a shot with a *ist DS a couple days ago. > I had that happen *frequently* with my *ist-DS when it was close to the end of its extended warranty. Batteries/Cards.. didn't make a difference. It went in for repair 3 times. Finally, they just replaced it with a K200D (yay). -Charles -- Charles Robinson - charl...@visi.com Minneapolis, MN http://charles.robinsontwins.org http://www.facebook.com/charles.robinson -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Dec 19, 2010, at 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: > Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing > images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no > clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to HCB > standards and censored it? I got that on a shot with a *ist DS a couple days ago. -- Eric Weir Decatur, GA USA eew...@bellsouth.net -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 1:38 AM, Bruce Walker wrote: > But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus > confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing > auto-focused on? I was trying to verify that I had altered the settings > properly and I felt so useless staring though the viewfinder and getting no > feedback at all. It seems like such a P&S interface, and I mean that in the > most pejorative possible way. Remember the ZX-5n and its 'wide' & 'narrow' focus area? It's like selecting the 11 & the 5 focus points on the K-x; there are no focus indicators other than a beep/light in the viewfinder that says something (in the given area) is in focus. Having used the MZ-5n (ZX-5n) and the MZ-3 transitioning to the K-x was relatively easy even with my aging eyes. In the K-x, I usually keep it set on the 5 focusing points or the single center for critical situations. -- Bong Manayon http://www.bong.uni.cc -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
I have the same issue with the images coming out pretty dark, but I always just assumed that had more to do with the brightness of the LCD. I turn that down as far as I can to give me a reasonable expectation of what my shot's going to look like, though it's still considerably brighter than the images are out-of-camera. As for the auto-focus issue, I've always used spot focusing in AF-S, and then recompose once I get the focus indicator. It is tough to get used to if you've ever used one with focus indicators, but fortunately, I'd only used one camera for a very brief period of time that had them -- a friend's Canon Digital Rebel. As for camera shake, I gather that is a bit of a problem for some K-x users, but I've always just compensated in crappy conditions by shooting in shutter priority at around 1/8 second or faster and put it in ISO-auto mode, which seems to do the trick for me. Then, tell her to get ready to pull her hair out when she starts using any manual primes. :-) It did take me a while to get used to the camera, but I do love it. My only beef with it is the over-brightness of that LCD now. Best of luck! Walt On 12/19/2010 11:38 AM, Bruce Walker wrote: This sounds like Larry's P&S situation, but with a twist. I was at a family gathering yesterday when my young niece handed me her newly acquired K-x (my recommendation, btw) and asked sweetly why her shots were so dark. I have a K100Ds and a K20D, both of which I'm pretty familiar with, but I wasn't prepared for the K-x at all. I managed to undo negative exposure comp -- I think! -- and I cranked up the ISO since she had only the 18-55 kit lens. That helped, but I bet she was getting some serious shake in those shots under the usual indoor crappy incandescent lights. I loaned her my spare 540FGZ flash and she had a great time with that. But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing auto-focused on? I was trying to verify that I had altered the settings properly and I felt so useless staring though the viewfinder and getting no feedback at all. It seems like such a P&S interface, and I mean that in the most pejorative possible way. Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to HCB standards and censored it? -bmw -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
Those AF points are a funny business. Some folks ignore then and other use them all the time. I used to always set center point, AF and recompose. I'm trying to get used to switching the AF point. The former may be a better method if you (or your niece) has trouble with what's in focus. On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 3:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: > On 10-12-19 2:23 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: >> >> On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 9:38 AM, Bruce Walker >> wrote: >>> >>> ... But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus >>> confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing >>> auto-focused on? ... >> >> I look at the focusing screen and determine whether the camera focused >> what I wanted properly, override what it did when it didn't. I turn >> off all the indicators ... They're distracting. > > Sadly for me, I just don't have the excellent eye-sight required to do that. > If I had the time I'd have adjusted the diopter setting (I'm far-sighted and > require reading glasses) which would have helped, but without a ground glass > or split prism, and better light or at least a bright point of light in the > scene, I just can't focus accurately with the plain VFs anyway. > > I find the Pentax indicators to be pretty low-key and unobtrusive so they > are super easy to ignore when I don't need 'em. I've never had the > inclination to turn them off. (Can they even be turned off?) > > -bmw > > -- > 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. > -- Steve Desjardins -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On 10-12-19 2:23 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 9:38 AM, Bruce Walker wrote: ... But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing auto-focused on? ... I look at the focusing screen and determine whether the camera focused what I wanted properly, override what it did when it didn't. I turn off all the indicators ... They're distracting. Sadly for me, I just don't have the excellent eye-sight required to do that. If I had the time I'd have adjusted the diopter setting (I'm far-sighted and require reading glasses) which would have helped, but without a ground glass or split prism, and better light or at least a bright point of light in the scene, I just can't focus accurately with the plain VFs anyway. I find the Pentax indicators to be pretty low-key and unobtrusive so they are super easy to ignore when I don't need 'em. I've never had the inclination to turn them off. (Can they even be turned off?) -bmw -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 9:38 AM, Bruce Walker wrote: > ... But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus > confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing > auto-focused on? ... I look at the focusing screen and determine whether the camera focused what I wanted properly, override what it did when it didn't. I turn off all the indicators ... They're distracting. -- Godfrey godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On 10-12-19 12:52 PM, David Parsons wrote: On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing auto-focused on? I was trying to verify that I had altered the settings properly and I felt so useless staring though the viewfinder and getting no feedback at all. It seems like such a P&S interface, and I mean that in the most pejorative possible way. Even with indicators, you never really know what was focused on, especially in messy scenes. Does the K-x not have the AF lines scribed into the focusing screen? Not as I *recall* (but I could be misremembering). Pretty sure I was just looking at a completely clear view with, of course, the little stop-sign and a few other indicators along the bottom. The focus indicators at least tell you what ballpark it's in though. But yeah, I never use my own cameras in free-wheeling mode. I always set the AF point manual selection mode. Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to HCB standards and censored it It's an error message. I get that very occasionally with mine. It's most likely due to a card error. Have her try a different card and see if it happens again (or note which cards it does happen with). Ah! Good to know. So there's a really good reason for sticking with the SanDisk cards then. My brother-in-law bought her a cheapie 8Gig SDHC that was on sale at the camera store when he picked up the K-x, and that's likely a PoS. Thanks, David! -bmw -- 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.
Re: I'm supposed to know how to work this ... K-x?
On Sun, Dec 19, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Bruce Walker wrote: > But here's a question for the K-x owners: with no viewfinder focus > confirmation points how on earth do you figure out what the thing > auto-focused on? I was trying to verify that I had altered the settings > properly and I felt so useless staring though the viewfinder and getting no > feedback at all. It seems like such a P&S interface, and I mean that in the > most pejorative possible way. Even with indicators, you never really know what was focused on, especially in messy scenes. Does the K-x not have the AF lines scribed into the focusing screen? > > Oh, and what's with the "image cannot be displayed" BS? While reviewing > images, every so often we'd get that message over a black screen. She had no > clue and I was no better off. Has the K-x decided the image wasn't up to > HCB standards and censored it? > It's an error message. I get that very occasionally with mine. It's most likely due to a card error. Have her try a different card and see if it happens again (or note which cards it does happen with). > -bmw > > -- > 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. > -- David Parsons Photography http://www.davidparsonsphoto.com Aloha Photographer Photoblog http://alohaphotog.blogspot.com/ -- 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.
