I have the Metz 50MZ5. Not sure if the battery packs are similar...
like Don I had two packs. One was duff, so I disassembled it, bought 7 (I think) AA NiMH industrial batteries (the ones with metal tabs on), soldered them in the same configuration and replaced the cells

Metz gear is built to be serviced, so it's no too difficult to do!

I have seen batteries appear on ebay too. Alternatively you can check the online second hand companies (like Ffordes, MXV, LCE group etc).

Hope that helps!
Matt

The typical cheap NAS uses a fairly low power CPU running Linux. 3MB/s is quite typical They are underpowered for 1000Mbps networks
You've got to throw some serious money to get something that'll begin to make use of that bandwidth.

In fact, it's probably faster using a USB2 drive and sharing it through one of the PCs Cheaper too!!

Matt

Actually, my image sales have only been "in person"! People seem to prefer to see the actual product, rather than have it on the web
I've had many positive comments about the Photium site, but nothing sold through it yet.

However, I will say that the ease of use of Photium is second to none

If you're going to roll your own, then the SimpleViewer tool is very good - free too! I started with that. It's still there - check the gallery at http://www.photon.me.uk/mattmatic/
& http://www.airtightinteractive.com/simpleviewer/

The folks who did SimpleViewer have more options now:
http://www.airtightinteractive.com/viewers/
(AutoViewer looks nice.)

They are all loaded through XML - which can be dynamically generated too via SSI or PHP code on the server.

Hope that helps!
Matt

I "rolled my own", and in the end gave up and went with www.photium.com - excellent service and cost
(Run by Will - who did a lot of the ePhotozine web site)
Matt

Just to add...

The quickest way to B&W:
* Add a new "Hue & Saturation" adjustment layer
* Set Saturation to -100
* Click OK
* Now change the blend mode to "Color"

This gives you a nice perceptual B&W, rather than the standard - which assigns the same weight to all colours.

Have fun!
Matt

Hi TerminalFunk (and welcome to the forum)!

First, AF:
In the K10D custom menu you can stop the "auto-focus-on-half-press". Then you use your thumb and press the little "AF" button on the back. I generally use centre focus only - allowing me to point, hit the AF, and reframe really quickly

Secondly, remote flash:
If you get an AF360 or AF540 flash gun (preferably the AF540) the the K10D can trigger it using the pop-up flash. However, since there'll be lots of other lighting around - this may interfere with the signalling (and besides, I think the K10D will try and strobe the pop-up as an attempt to get a better focus lighting!).
There are plenty of simple remote trigger systems available - either InfraRed or Radio triggered.
As you're on a budget, something like the Pentax AF500FTZ can be had for less than £80, and that's quite a beefy gun. You'll get the benefit of being able to use it on the camera too!

Ok, so you won't get P-TTL flash control. However, in your situation I'd recommend using "A" on the flash and "M" on the camera - setting the camera to a shutter speed less than 1/180s and the aperture and ISO to match the flash's settings.

Only trouble is, for what you want you'll need trailing curtain sync - so you can select a slow shutter speed and get the movement looking "correct" (otherwise it looks like people are walking backwards ) I'm not sure whether this facility is available on the wireless/IR remote triggers.... (it is in the P-TTL mode of the expensive Pentax guns).


I'd recommend - get a cheap flash gun that has "A" and "M" modes only (can be so old it doesn't have dedicated Pentax contacts) and play around with the "M" mode of the camera

Matt

It is possible, but unlikely, that the flash has damaged the K10D.

I'd recommend these tests:

1) Set "M" mode on camera. Camera on tripod (if poss). No flash connected at all. Press the green button to get a "correct" metering. Increase the shutter speed by 1 stop. Take shot.

2) Leaving all camera settings as-is, connect the SEF-36. Keep the flash powered off. Take shot (should be identical to 1)

3) Power up the flash. Take shot. (Probably identical to 1 if the flash isn't working at all)


You might be into slightly uncharted territory with warranty issues - using a Pentax body with a Samsung flash...
But yes, it sounds like the flash has gone AWOL
Matt

Here's a quick sample:


http://www.pbase.com/image/102980908



Simon - I'll remove this if you don't approve

Matt

Darkmunk... to answer your question (and hopefully help others), here's a few quick suggestions for creating some "punch" in B&W with Photoshop:

Full Photoshop only
* Add a new adjustment layer "Selective Color"
* Select the "Whites" and drag the "Black" content to the left a little
* Select the "Blacks" and drag the "Black" content to the right a little
* You can also select the "Neutrals" and move the black slider - but this often isn't needed.

Photoshop Elements & Photoshop
You can play around with the magic of layer blend modes. In this example, here are a couple of suggestions:
* Add a new Levels adjustment layer.
* Leave the settings "as-is"
* Change the layer's blend mode from "Normal" to "Soft-Light"
* Reduce the layer opacity to between 50 and 75%
That'll give some punch to the blacks & whites and stretch out the histogram somewhat. Incidentally, you can double click the Levels layer and move the centre (grey) slider to 'skew' the contrast.

You can adjust the sky in a similar way:
* Add a new Levels adjustment layer
* Leave the settings "as-is"
* Change the layer blend mode to "Multiply"
* Now fill the mask with black
* Pick the gradient tool with "Foreground-to-Transparent", and 50% opacity
* Stroke the gradient from the top across just the sky.
This will darken the sky.


Of course, there are many variations - but that's a basic principle

Hope that helps!
Matt


...sorry to all about not finding the time for the online Photoshop masterclass...

If you're doing functions in dim lighting with a flash then there are a couple of things that will really help:

1) Add an external gun. The AF360, for example, provides a "Spot Beam" focus for low lighting. It casts a red image onto the target - that's the great red auto focus light (it's on the AF360 & AF540. Might be on the newest smaller flash too...)

2) Disengage the "auto-focus-on-half-press". It's in the custom menu. Then, you press the "AF" button on the back with your thumb. This is invaluable in these type of situations. I usually have centre-only focus point, then point the camera at the subject (like the eyes), press the AF button and get a lock, then quickly reframe and press the shutter. No messing. Kind of like "auto focus on demand".

Oh yes, and make sure you are on the latest firmware

Each make (and model even) of camera has different abilities and strangths. Comparing the K10D image quality to the 20D (and even 30D) at the same event, of the same image, and the K10D definitely had the edge on image quality.

Hope that helps!
Matt


PS. I removed your duplicate comment on the other thread. Please do not double post - it makes for a very confusing forum when there are duplications!