Yup
The CD normally contains JPG image versions of the 35mm images. Do be aware that the quality of the scanning varies from lab to lab
But, yes, it's a quick way to Photoshop your slides or negatives.
Matt

Thanks Jeff
The fisherman and guitarist were taken with the SMC-F 50mm f/1.4 lens - which is mind blowingly sharp.

The shots of the kids were lit by a remote Pentax flash (camera left) shooting through a brolley and a reflector (camera right). The brolley was very, very close (literally just out of shot), and the combination of light and reasonably small aperture - probably around f/8 or f/11 - means you get plenty of contrast... which results in detail. Full size they are incredibly sharp
(Plus I shoot in RAW and use Silkypix which has some very good sharpening algorithms).

Hope that helps
Matt

I've had a few of the SMC-FA 28-70 f/4 lenses. They are all a bit like that, alas. But don't let that put you off
Pentax put some excellent glass in this lens, and it is very capable of superb results. It will come into its own when trying portraiture and the like - shooting at 70mm at f/4 or f/5.6. You'll find the out of focus background all buttery smooth with a very "3D" feel to the image

Unfortunately I have had two of these that "misted" up. One of the rear elements was prone to fogging. However, if you have a clear version it'll probably stay clear. Just keep it clean and dry (ie don't store it in a damp environment!)

Have fun
Matt

Lilly,
Lens metadata is just a four digit hex value (e.g. 02DA).
Because Sigma reverse engineer the protocol between body and camera (and don't pay for the ID numbers for their specific lenses) then you get into all kinds of mess

In the Pentax browser there is a simple text file that describes the metadata ID number and gives a textual name. In Bridge & Lightroom it's probably an XML file somewhere... might rootle around to see if I can find it for you.

When you've found it you can edit the ID-to-name list to match the lenses you actually have (though there is always the danger with Sigma that there'll be a duplication somewhere).

EDIT: Which version of Bridge do you have? (Mine doesn't display lens data at all )

Matt

Now go wash your mouth out

That's a great and colourful splash
Matt

Wow! Great story
Matt

MXV ( www.mxv.co.uk ) have two MX's (£99 and £69 with a ding), and an MZ-5 (£79) for sale.
Might be worth telephoning them
Matt

Ok...
First: download the plug-in anyway. It's the easiest way of loading RAW files - because you're only dealing with one application. However, there are still a set of controls in the Adobe Camera RAW interface that need mastering. Google for some tutorials

Second: The Adobe Camera RAW is ok, but not the best - from an image quality point of view. My personal preference is Silkypix Developer Studio - I hardly do anything in Photoshop when it comes to adjustments (only manipulation, dust removal, etc). There is a free version of Silkypix available too.

Third: Use the Pentax RAW converter. That's a no-brainer really. After a while you may find it a bit limiting, but the image quality is excellent - it's based on Silkypix

If you are dealing with K10D ISO 800 to 1600 images, then I would strongly recommend using Silkypix. I've written a couple of sticky guides - one for Silkypix and one for Capture One LE (which comes free with Sandisk Extreme III cards at the moment, though version 4 is now out).


Options 2 & 3 require you processing the RAW into a JPG or TIFF and then loading that into PS.


Final thought: the world of RAW is a big one... and definitely worth the investment in time and effort But don't expect to master it in 5 minutes (any more than you would with darkroom development).

Matt

The plug-in update is freely downloadable:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=106&platform=Wind...

(This package includes the stand-alone RAW converter that takes most RAW formats and converts to DNG format)

There are definitely better ways to do RAW processing... and there are many threads on this good forum
(e.g. Silkypix, Capture One )

Matt

Don't forget that a tilting screen needs two extra layers of casing. What with the SR mechanism and the beefy electronics needed to run everything I don't suppose there was any room! (Or the body would have had to been deeper.)

(From the internal views of the K10D that I've seen there's almost no room for movement... let alone two extra case skins)

The tooling costs are considerable. We've had direct experience in plastic case tooling here at work, and believe me, it's not a fun exercise and more expensive than you can imagine

Obviously we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe the 160 degree LCD will be bright and lovely and will cover most needs... let's hope so
Matt