Just for your info.

There is a Pentax SMC A series 50mm f2.8 MACRO on Ebay presently. It ends tomorrow so you better get your skates on!

I have one of these - it's absolutely the business.

You don't need feeding stations in South Germany - the perishers dive bomb the road traffic to drop carcasses in front of vehicles. The birds have learned that it is easier to eat once their dinner has been run over! When a six foot wingspan zooms past the windscreen you get a right fright - bin there, done it, missed the birdie!

Fantastic pictures of these ones however - thanks for sharing them.

David

Assuming you are using a modern dslr, have you given the camera permission to release the shutter when a lens is set to anything other than 'A'? (manual lenses don't have 'A' so they come in this category).

There is a specific menu item towards the end of the 'capture' or 'custom' series. It is set by default to 'NO!' You need to change this to 'YES'. The menu item is sometimes listed in a very cryptic style. On the K5 it is the next but last item under 'custom'.

Once you've fixed it, you will not have any control of the aperture - it can't be done - so you will be shooting wide open.

I recently hit the *delete* button instead of the playback button and expected the confirmation dialogue to appear. (I wanted to blank the screen and return to *capture* mode).
I had also forgotten that I had zoomed the image and not restored it to normal size. I was very surprised when the image resumed its normal size instantly.
Hitting *delete* when viewing a zoomed playback image restores the image to normal size on both *ist DS and the K5. There doesn't appear to be anything about this in the manuals of either. ........ it's very convenient!

David

I just got a K5 and I was amazed at the near silent operation in contrast to my older *ist DS. The hair-trigger shutter release was a shock too!

David

This was taken today with a manual lens on centre point focus. The focus point was top left of the bracket fungus where it joins the log. Hold the half-press once the focus is achieved and pan around to compose the shot. It's much easier than trying to retain the focus with an auto lens.

David

I got hold of a Pentax A 35-70mm zoom the other day and it looks very much as if the 'Profile' version is the identical animal. The knurling on the zoom ring is slightly different and the colour of the paint in the engraved numbers is different. There is no engraving on the front ring where it would say "PENTAX SMC etc etc ". Otherwise, set the two side by side and you can't tell the difference.

David J

Some basic theory for the numerate to explain please....

We all know that there is a lot of information engraved on lenses and there are more used to describe them. I understand the focus ring, the aperture ring and the DOF scale but I am endlessly puzzled by the basic descriptor (for example)" 1:2.8 50mm".
I know it is f2.8 wide open but I don't know the significance of the "1:" that precedes it. It looks like a ratio of some sort(?)
Similarly, in EXIF data you find "Aperture=" and below that, "Aperture value=". What is the difference?

C'etait ce que j'ai dit .... cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un, BANG!

Like, you mean, "10, 9, 8, 7. 6...." and so on?

No, that doesn't count, it just goes BANG! when you get to zero!