All Forum Comments
Comment by Don posted on K10D locked up at 22/04/2011 - 21:55
Oggy wrote:
Remember the "off switch" is not an off switch. It does not interrupt power from the battery, it simply tells the camera to ignore you until you turn it on again. This is why you have to take the batteries out.
It should also stop what Don did being a problem.
unless the "Off" command (switch or "auto off" input) while writing to card cause a glitch in the firmware to lock up the camera....Remember the "off switch" is not an off switch. It does not interrupt power from the battery, it simply tells the camera to ignore you until you turn it on again. This is why you have to take the batteries out.
It should also stop what Don did being a problem.
but FWIW, that video file was corrupted...unreadable..
Comment by Don posted on K10D locked up at 22/04/2011 - 21:44
From the bunny's mouth to your ears, you heard it here first!
Comment by Don posted on Happy Easter at 22/04/2011 - 19:38
OldTaffy wrote:
Thanks, chaps, for these comments. They motivated me into putting some coins etc on my desk and photographing them (a) in Program mode, (b) in macro mode and (c) in Auto Pict mode. I hope I won't get thrown off the forum for admitting to the latter. All at ISO 400, with a tripod.
Program mode set the camera to 1/60 sec and f/4.5
As you predicted, Macro mode stopped down just a little, to f/5.6 with the exposure *prolonged* proportionately to 1/45 sec. But no mirror lockup - the makers wisely assumed that a lot of users would not have the camera on a tripod, and one really does not want a 2 second mirror lockup if you are hand-holding! And no cropping of the image either.
The interesting finding was that Auto Pict also set it to 1/45 sec and f/5.6. However, a careful check on histograms and colour balance revealed that the Macro Mode (same exposure & aperture) produced a perceptibly brighter image across the spectrum, with the overall histogram shifted about 2% brighter in Macro than in Auto. The exif ISO figure stayed at 400 in each. I haven't looked closely enough to judge if the sharpness differs in any of them.
Personally, I think that the changes in choosing Macro Mode are too trivial to be worth having. Again, personally, if I'm setting up something that needs macro, I'll have my old manual Tamron SP 90 f/2.5 on the front of the Pentax.
Thanks for answering my idle query in a way that provoked me into actually doing some practical tests
Martin
learn something new... I guessed it would engage the two second timer....Thanks, chaps, for these comments. They motivated me into putting some coins etc on my desk and photographing them (a) in Program mode, (b) in macro mode and (c) in Auto Pict mode. I hope I won't get thrown off the forum for admitting to the latter. All at ISO 400, with a tripod.
Program mode set the camera to 1/60 sec and f/4.5
As you predicted, Macro mode stopped down just a little, to f/5.6 with the exposure *prolonged* proportionately to 1/45 sec. But no mirror lockup - the makers wisely assumed that a lot of users would not have the camera on a tripod, and one really does not want a 2 second mirror lockup if you are hand-holding! And no cropping of the image either.
The interesting finding was that Auto Pict also set it to 1/45 sec and f/5.6. However, a careful check on histograms and colour balance revealed that the Macro Mode (same exposure & aperture) produced a perceptibly brighter image across the spectrum, with the overall histogram shifted about 2% brighter in Macro than in Auto. The exif ISO figure stayed at 400 in each. I haven't looked closely enough to judge if the sharpness differs in any of them.
Personally, I think that the changes in choosing Macro Mode are too trivial to be worth having. Again, personally, if I'm setting up something that needs macro, I'll have my old manual Tamron SP 90 f/2.5 on the front of the Pentax.
Thanks for answering my idle query in a way that provoked me into actually doing some practical tests
Martin
Comment by Don posted on What use is the Macro Mode in the K-x? at 22/04/2011 - 18:30
my kr did it once.
I conclude it to be a user error.
I was shooting video with it, the first day, and by force of habit, I switched the camera off as I set it down.... it was still writing to the card and it locked up.
I take that incident and compare to what others have experienced (even on Canon's forums) and conclude that IF you or the cameras "Auto off" attempt to power the camera down WHILE it is still accessing the memory card, it will lock up.
That is my theory.
No actual evidence to back it up though, as I turned off my "Auto off" function and haven't made the mistake I made the first day since. Hasn't happened since either....
I conclude it to be a user error.
I was shooting video with it, the first day, and by force of habit, I switched the camera off as I set it down.... it was still writing to the card and it locked up.
I take that incident and compare to what others have experienced (even on Canon's forums) and conclude that IF you or the cameras "Auto off" attempt to power the camera down WHILE it is still accessing the memory card, it will lock up.
That is my theory.
No actual evidence to back it up though, as I turned off my "Auto off" function and haven't made the mistake I made the first day since. Hasn't happened since either....
Comment by Don posted on K10D locked up at 22/04/2011 - 15:55
Algernon wrote:
This was predicted in the mid-seventies by people who said
"Never buy a camera that relies on batteries"
my k1000 ran for years with no battery! it was also my weapon of choice in the Acrctic when my mz5 got too cold to work!This was predicted in the mid-seventies by people who said
"Never buy a camera that relies on batteries"
Comment by Don posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 22/04/2011 - 14:33
I'd hope that the macro mode would bias the camera settings towards both faster shutter speeds, and smaller apertures, as well as the 2 sec timer to lock the mirror up before firing the shutter...
but i hope it does not pull the "point and shoot" camera stunt of cropping the outer 25-50% of the image area off to enlarge the center of the frame...
wouldn't know for sure.... my camera dial might as well be crazy glued to "M"...
but i hope it does not pull the "point and shoot" camera stunt of cropping the outer 25-50% of the image area off to enlarge the center of the frame...
wouldn't know for sure.... my camera dial might as well be crazy glued to "M"...
Comment by Don posted on What use is the Macro Mode in the K-x? at 22/04/2011 - 14:14
Smeggypants wrote:
I hope this isn't a stupid question, but does the K-5 ( and for that matter the K-20D and K10D, etc ) actually have a mechanical shutter? When I change lenses I can see the sensor behind the mirror. Is there any need for a mechanical shutter with a DSLR?
I cannot see how that is possible... if the mirror is down, then you cannot see behind it, you'd see a reflection of the focus screen and maybe the view from the eyepiece..I hope this isn't a stupid question, but does the K-5 ( and for that matter the K-20D and K10D, etc ) actually have a mechanical shutter? When I change lenses I can see the sensor behind the mirror. Is there any need for a mechanical shutter with a DSLR?
if the mirror is up (say for cleaning) the shutter would be open...
the focal plane shutter is soon to be obsolete, replaced by global shutters or dlp mirrors in future cameras...
Comment by Don posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 22/04/2011 - 02:35
what is your camera settings for powering itself off?
these guys found turning the "auto power off" to off worked around the same issue...link
these guys found turning the "auto power off" to off worked around the same issue...link
Comment by Don posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 22/04/2011 - 01:31
can you try a different memory card in the mean time? check for firmware updates?
Comment by Don posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 22/04/2011 - 00:45
I would have thought (hoped) that either would have checked that there was nothing important going on before it was enacted.