Will the Pentax K-mount ever be "de-crippled"?

That seems to show what good lenses the A series are

These were some results I got Pentax_A 50mm f/1.7
Expodisc is better than a white area and a reading
should be taken 1st and then a Custom WB set in the
camera.... I messed this one up the RGB wasn't the
same across each line, but I later did it again
and wasn't too far out.


======Paste============================
K-5
Pentax_A 50mm f/1.7

WB Custom via Expodisc

Av Aperture set from Dial

f/1.7 114 112 126
f/2.0 108 106 120
f/2.8 099 097 110
f/4.0 105 101 115
f/5.6 102 100 113
f/8.0 102 100 113
f/11 105 103 106

WB Set again from Expodisc

f/11 106 106 108
f/4.0 105 105 107

Seems OK from f/2.0
All slightly too dark

===========End Paste=====================



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The Green Button metering or the apertures on an
M series seems to vary... this was the results after
removing the aperture lever on an M28. I then used
Av on an Expodisc.

Note indicated speeds don't look too bad, but they
could well be rounded off by the camera. Possibly
the exif might help. Some variation is expected
because the light could change, shouldn't effect
the exposure though.... using Av.

28mm f/2.8 M after Dremelling off the aperture lever

200 ISO

f/2.8 102 105 124 1/640
f/4 115 118 137 1/320 Nearest to 117/118 = Correct Exposure
f/5.6 131 134 151 1/160
f/8 131 134 151 1/80
f/11 145 148 165 1/30

This seems to indicate that just de-crippling the
lever will not fix things.
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I must disagree with those who dismiss this as an unnecessary frill, for the simple reason that the lack of this simple feature helps make Pentax uncompetitive in today's camera world. There are an awful lot of photo aficionados out there, young as well as old, who love fooling around with old lenses and finding bargains hidden in the haystack that is the internet -- or at their local second-hand shop. Now more than ever, people are into "retro".

My Olympus PEN meters with any lens I put on it, respecting the aperture ring. It also meters accurately. My Pentax meters only when I press the green button, and this is notoriously inaccurate. My k-mount lenses are a pleasure to use... on the MFT format camera.

This is stupid.

I don't think anyone has said that, or even disagreed that it would be nice to have.
I wouldn't disagree with this either - but the point is that given all the things they ought to be doing to make themselves more competitive, enabling the aperture ring by re-introducing the stop-down coupling, is probably not high on the list.

Not as high as fast, responsive, predictive AF, for example, or any of plenty of other features that people have been asking for.

Possibly so, but...
... this is not true of the recent Pentax bodies. Certainly stop-down metering is pretty good on the K-5, and I believe this is true of all post K20D bodies.

Given that even with Ricoh at the helm, the R&D budget isn't going to be unlimited, it's much more important for them to be addressing the big problems than the little ones.

If Green-button metering was still as rubbish as it was in K10/20 days, then I'd strongly agree with you, but it really isn't.

I've used the Green Button stop down metering on my KX, KR and K5 and found it excellent when for example playing with manual extension tubes.

As to what's important in the present day, friends with cameras that for example don't have AF motors in the body, or a green button equivalent or the mount has changed altogether seem pretty impressed at the backwards legacy of Pentax.

The big thing I'd like is more new lenses and affordable variants from Tamron, Sigma etc of lenses that currently pass the K mount by.

If your going to make statements like that on a Pentax site then you really need
to back it up with some evidence So where can we see the grey card test results! :

I don't need to do anything to prove to myself what is blindingly obvious to me and every other user of MFT. The camera meters, accurately. And this is true whether statements are made on Pentax sites or anywhere else. Facts are like that.

You imply, however, that either I am lying deliberately or in possession of false data. If you wish, I will test it for you, at my usual rate. Work for you for free? No.

To be fair most (let alone "every") MFT users wouldn't have a clue what you were going on about. They have cameras and lenses and take pictures and don't worry about any of this tedious guff.

People involved in these technical exchanges are very much in the minority which is overall a very good thing.

Absolutely, so nothing to get over-excited about.

I don't think there is any danger of that whatsoever.

I agree with John. I use several 'M' lenses on my 'older' Pentax K100D Super and they work really well - exposure is excellent and it's certainly no more work taking a shot with these lenses as it was in the old days with aperture rings.

Well said we don't want any people with brains using Pentax cameras
They might find out how to work them and then we can't moan to Pentax
about our lack of brains and can they please update the firmware

I find it quite unbelievable the number of people complaining
about poor AF when they don't even know how to use it!


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