Try RawShooterEssentials 2005 from www.pixmantec.com . It's a very capable piece of software, has batch processing capability, and most importantly . . . its free. It works with ist-D & DS. DL compatibility to follow.

For anyone who might be interested, there are 2 grips for the ist-D available in UK on 'that online auction website' at the moment. One can be seen at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PENTAX-Grip-D-BG1-for-Penatx-ist-D-digital-SLR_W0QQitemZ75...
The same seller has two available.

NOTE: This grip will only fit the *ist-D camera, not the later models for which, as far as I know, there is no additional battery grip available.

HTH, Pete Smith.

I bought this one, item number 7593068479 and the seller assures me that they facilitate focussing at infinity.

Check his other items for the same description and you should find one. The seller's reply to my question "Is it a Pentax made item etc" follows:-

Quote:
No, it's not made by Pentax. They quit making them about 10 years ago. They never really made them at all, just imported them with thier name on them. This is exactly the same, brass plated with chrome, allows for infinity focus with any lens. I have multiples so you can use BIN then wait a few it will get listed again, use BIN again, then go through checkout and pay.
UnQuote:

Mac,

Is your adapter a pukka Pentax one or a third party copy ?

I need to buy one and I'd rather not have the same issue.

Cheers.

This might seem a dumb question too but I have absolutely no experience of M42 lenses, never even seen one ('til my first one arrives next week).

Assuming I don't have any screw mount bodies, do I fit one adapter per M42 lens, and leave it on it. Or is only one adapter fitted to the body, and when switching M42's, unscrew and refit the next M42 lens?

And isn't that confusing?

Under the section 35mm SLR lenses (auto & manual focus), they include fixed focal length lens lengths making no mention of the lens series.

Further down, they state that most M series lenses can't be repaired.
Further down still, they say that all M series and 'older' A series are subject to parts availibility.

There is no mention of the original SMC Pentax (K) series lenses, one of which I have that needs cleaning.

Even the pricing table overlaps lens lengths. I have a 400mm in need of some TLC, which price bracket does it come under when there are two (I can guess, the more expensive one). Actually, on re-reading and taking the 150mm boundary as an example, I think the 400mm on the third line below should read 401mm (I hope).

Fixed Focal Length up to 150mm £25.00 £40.00 £70.00
Fixed Focal Length from 151mm up to 400mm £30.00 £45.00 £75.00
Fixed Focal Length from 400mm up to 1000mm £40.00 £75.00 £120.00

Others more knowledgable than me might correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the MZ-60 has the aptly dubbed 'crippled' 'K' bayonet mount which means that pre 'Pentax-A' lenses (Pentax-M and older) can't be used at any aperture other than fully open. You may not even be able to release the shutter.

If you can get a second hand MZ-S, MZ-6 or even MZ-7 your older lenses will work with some restrictions.

The MZ-60 is an excellent, but entry level (beginners) SLR.

I think you will find that this is normal behaviour for a lens construction where its overall length changes as you adjust the zoom. Older Pentax/Takumar zooms (mine is a Takumar-A 70-200mm Macro circa 1984) have a dual-function sliding/rotating barrel to adjust the zoom/focus and the overall length of the lens (front element to rear mount length) remained the same at any specific focus point. If focussed at the long focal length, the image remains in focus at all times when zoomed to a shorter focal length and back again. The difficulty is holding the zoom/focussing barrel at the correct focus whilst zooming as the one barrel performs both functions and it is all too easy to inadvertantly adjust the focus. That said, my old lens is mighty heavy when compared to a modern equivalent but the images are superb.

Hope this helps.

Police helicopters throughout the world are now equipped with 'night-vision' infrared video cameras. I guess these must employ an AF system that does work in infrared to keep track of their target. I seriously doubt if these are focussed manually, but I guess they could be. After all their 'hot' subject, translated to white in the recordings, would be in steep contrast to their 'cold' surroundings shown as grey to black.

Truth is, if you can see it, it ain't infrared. The human eye, which is what most of us are equipped with, can't 'see' wavelengths that fall into the infrared part of the light spectrum as it is outside our range of visual sensitivity at wavelengths longer than about 800nm.

The red light that you can see is within our visual range and has a wavelength of about 640 - 700'ish nm.

That is not to say that there is no infrared component in a focus assist beam, just that you can't see it if there is.

Second point is, how much light other than wavelengths in the infrared band does an IR filter let through? IR filters appear dark because they block light having wavelengths shorter than around 700nm (anything from a very deep red through to the blue end and ultraviolet), but that is still within our visual sensitivity range, but only just.

For everything you ever wanted to know about light, colour, and vision, but were too afraid to ask, take a look at http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html

Curiously, rattlesnakes and other members of the viper family can detect infrared radiation, not with their eyes but with special heat (not light)receptors in a 'pit' beneath the eye (only one eye I think, but not sure). Hence the name pit viper. They use this pit to detect a potential meal by being able to 'feel' the heat, rather than see the light, eminating from their prey animals body at night and in poorly lit burrows, caves etc.

Tomorrow . . . quantum physics . . . not.