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Comment by slowtour posted on Adapter for old lens onto K5 at 30/03/2012 - 07:24
davidstorm wrote:
I have also been following this post with interest. If you get a decent quality flush-fitting adaptor (you don't need to buy the genuine Pentax ones as there are alternatives at a fraction of the price that do fit properly) you won't need a locking pin, especially with a small, light lens like the 50mm.
The better quality ones fit quite tightly (at least, mine do) and are sufficiently snug to leave no possibility of the lens accidentally slipping off the mount. I have removed all of the metal spring clips from mine and fixed them permanently to my various M42 lenses, including a Tamron 300mm F5.6 Adaptamatic, which is quite a large and heavy piece of kit.
Thanks also from me, David. I started this discussion a while back and was considering returning the lens but now I will definitely keep it - and remove the spring clip. Now I just need to master the lens - which is proving a fun challenge.
By the way any tips on how to improve my focus skills with this lens will be noted
I have had no issues whatsoever and my M42 lenses are now as easy to use as my K-mount ones, albeit they only work in manual. Please see the link below for the ebay supplier I use; I have had many adaptors from this supplier and all have fitted perfectly. They are flush fitting, so maintain infinity focus.
link
Hope this is of assistance.
Regards
David
(slowtour)I have also been following this post with interest. If you get a decent quality flush-fitting adaptor (you don't need to buy the genuine Pentax ones as there are alternatives at a fraction of the price that do fit properly) you won't need a locking pin, especially with a small, light lens like the 50mm.
The better quality ones fit quite tightly (at least, mine do) and are sufficiently snug to leave no possibility of the lens accidentally slipping off the mount. I have removed all of the metal spring clips from mine and fixed them permanently to my various M42 lenses, including a Tamron 300mm F5.6 Adaptamatic, which is quite a large and heavy piece of kit.
Thanks also from me, David. I started this discussion a while back and was considering returning the lens but now I will definitely keep it - and remove the spring clip. Now I just need to master the lens - which is proving a fun challenge.
By the way any tips on how to improve my focus skills with this lens will be noted
I have had no issues whatsoever and my M42 lenses are now as easy to use as my K-mount ones, albeit they only work in manual. Please see the link below for the ebay supplier I use; I have had many adaptors from this supplier and all have fitted perfectly. They are flush fitting, so maintain infinity focus.
link
Hope this is of assistance.
Regards
David
Comment by slowtour posted on Adapter for old lens onto K5 at 30/03/2012 - 07:21
Thank you everyone out there. This has been a very interesting set of replies. jeffstclair - I am looking forward to hearing how your modifications go. My lens looks & sounds precisely the same model so whatever works for you should work for me.
Being able to take the lens off quickly is important to me as I really don't like having the body open for the extra time it takes to unscrew the adpater - so the modifications sound ideal.
I have two weeks to try the lens & adapter and I can return for a refund within that time, so I will hold off doing the modifications until I hear how it has gone for you.
Being able to take the lens off quickly is important to me as I really don't like having the body open for the extra time it takes to unscrew the adpater - so the modifications sound ideal.
I have two weeks to try the lens & adapter and I can return for a refund within that time, so I will hold off doing the modifications until I hear how it has gone for you.
Comment by slowtour posted on Adapter for old lens onto K5 at 17/03/2012 - 19:37
Hi.,
By chance the other day I saw a cheap second hand 50mm F1.4 lens in a Camera shop. It is an SMC Takuma 1:1.4/ 50. The shop sold an adapter (Pentax K Mount Adapter) which screws onto the lens so that it can be mounted on the K5. With this lens I need to manual focus and calculate aperture and for some reason it also seems to disable the anti-shake on the Pentax. These are minor issues for me and the manual focus is a real pleasure to use.
However, the only way to remove adapter is to unscrew the lens (which leaves the adapter behind on the camera) and then using a fingernail, slip the catch and unscrew the adapter from the body. This is very awkward and leaves the body open to the elements (dust etc) for longer than I am comfortable with.
Are there better adapters out there or are they all like this for this lens?
By chance the other day I saw a cheap second hand 50mm F1.4 lens in a Camera shop. It is an SMC Takuma 1:1.4/ 50. The shop sold an adapter (Pentax K Mount Adapter) which screws onto the lens so that it can be mounted on the K5. With this lens I need to manual focus and calculate aperture and for some reason it also seems to disable the anti-shake on the Pentax. These are minor issues for me and the manual focus is a real pleasure to use.
However, the only way to remove adapter is to unscrew the lens (which leaves the adapter behind on the camera) and then using a fingernail, slip the catch and unscrew the adapter from the body. This is very awkward and leaves the body open to the elements (dust etc) for longer than I am comfortable with.
Are there better adapters out there or are they all like this for this lens?
Comment by slowtour posted on Adapter for old lens onto K5 at 17/03/2012 - 07:44
Hi David, Pete and others,
I now have some detail on the fault - it was printed on the invoice that I hadn't discovered on the cardboard box...
"Repairs required: Shutter will not release and shows battery depleted
"Service Report: S/F New main PC board"
And that is it. So a new main PC board.
Lets hope that it is a one-off.
I now have some detail on the fault - it was printed on the invoice that I hadn't discovered on the cardboard box...
"Repairs required: Shutter will not release and shows battery depleted
"Service Report: S/F New main PC board"
And that is it. So a new main PC board.
Lets hope that it is a one-off.
Comment by slowtour posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 12/01/2012 - 06:33
The K5 is back!
I sent my camera for repair on 18 November and it finally arrived back home on 05 January. Great to have it back and it is working like a dream. Unfortunately there is no indication of what went wrong or how they repaired it.
I will send an email to see if they will tell me something...at least it was repaired under warranty.
Dave
I sent my camera for repair on 18 November and it finally arrived back home on 05 January. Great to have it back and it is working like a dream. Unfortunately there is no indication of what went wrong or how they repaired it.
I will send an email to see if they will tell me something...at least it was repaired under warranty.
Dave
Comment by slowtour posted on K5 Shutter Jamming at 07/01/2012 - 19:20
By the way Archie/ Helios - I agree that those images are stunning!
Comment by slowtour posted on Which lens to compliment K5 with 18-135 WR at 19/12/2011 - 10:16
The Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF) also has some great reviews. Do you think that this would give the flexibility at the lower range that I am looking for? I am not sure if being F4 (rather than F1.4 or F2) would make that much difference when I have a K5.
So would the Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF)be suitable for landscape and some portrait or is that asking too much of the lens in this case?
One more thing that intrigued me - I read somewhere that using a very 'fast' lens could mean slower focus because the focus has to be very exact with a narrow depth of field - is this right? Sorry for all the questions but I want to learn more about all this...
So would the Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF)be suitable for landscape and some portrait or is that asking too much of the lens in this case?
One more thing that intrigued me - I read somewhere that using a very 'fast' lens could mean slower focus because the focus has to be very exact with a narrow depth of field - is this right? Sorry for all the questions but I want to learn more about all this...
Comment by slowtour posted on Which lens to compliment K5 with 18-135 WR at 19/12/2011 - 10:15
Wow thanks for the replies so quickly! As I try to work it out, I have quoted a few bits of your advice below.
Thanks Mat, you have summmarised my dilemna well. "I have the DA*300 and it is dreamy - and so is the DA*200! I believe the 60-250 is too. The big sigmas are good value"... there is a lot to chose from and it all sounds good.
Hmmm, John, this sounds interesting, especially the flexibility with landscape. "50mm f1.4, 55mm f1.4, 70mm f2.4 or the 77mm f1.8.."
"for me the ideal on digital is the 70mm or 77mm. It's possible to get nice close crops with these. They are also excellent for landscape shooting."
Mike and the Dr recommend Sigma 85mm f1.4 for the portrait work and this sounds tempting.
Helios mentions a 15mm lens which also sounds interesting - not being very knowledgeable on these things, I worry that something that close would distort the view (apologies for the layman terms) - is this right or is this not really a factor?
Sterretje, since I am not yet game to take on a wedding solo (I leave that to the professionals and take additional photos), I won't be investing in a second body for the forseeable future, but you do remind me that I probably need a better flash at some stage.
You have helped me to clarify what it is that I am looking for. With the fast lens, I suppose what I would be trying to achieve is to catch people in natural poses, so they will often be moving a bit, laughing, moving their arms around etc - so I want to be able to freeze the action indoors while keeping the ISO quality as high as possible. In the past it is these type of shots that have been valued most by other people and I enjoy trying to capture the character of someone in an unguarded moment.
With a longer zoom I would be aiming to catch the occasional wildlife and bring certain features of the landscape closer. Nothing unusual there I guess.
I will think some more about what I love most about landscape photography... thanks again and keep the comments coming - it is great to hear your opinions
Dave/ slowtour
Thanks Mat, you have summmarised my dilemna well. "I have the DA*300 and it is dreamy - and so is the DA*200! I believe the 60-250 is too. The big sigmas are good value"... there is a lot to chose from and it all sounds good.
Hmmm, John, this sounds interesting, especially the flexibility with landscape. "50mm f1.4, 55mm f1.4, 70mm f2.4 or the 77mm f1.8.."
"for me the ideal on digital is the 70mm or 77mm. It's possible to get nice close crops with these. They are also excellent for landscape shooting."
Mike and the Dr recommend Sigma 85mm f1.4 for the portrait work and this sounds tempting.
Helios mentions a 15mm lens which also sounds interesting - not being very knowledgeable on these things, I worry that something that close would distort the view (apologies for the layman terms) - is this right or is this not really a factor?
Sterretje, since I am not yet game to take on a wedding solo (I leave that to the professionals and take additional photos), I won't be investing in a second body for the forseeable future, but you do remind me that I probably need a better flash at some stage.
You have helped me to clarify what it is that I am looking for. With the fast lens, I suppose what I would be trying to achieve is to catch people in natural poses, so they will often be moving a bit, laughing, moving their arms around etc - so I want to be able to freeze the action indoors while keeping the ISO quality as high as possible. In the past it is these type of shots that have been valued most by other people and I enjoy trying to capture the character of someone in an unguarded moment.
With a longer zoom I would be aiming to catch the occasional wildlife and bring certain features of the landscape closer. Nothing unusual there I guess.
I will think some more about what I love most about landscape photography... thanks again and keep the comments coming - it is great to hear your opinions
Dave/ slowtour
Comment by slowtour posted on Which lens to compliment K5 with 18-135 WR at 18/12/2011 - 19:39
Hi., I am new to the forum and a newbie to SLR photography (about 6 months). My current kit is a K5 with 18-135 WR lens and a good polaroid filter. I know this is a bit of an 'unanswerable question', but I am looking for advice on which lens I should buy next.
I am tempted to go for something with a longer reach and am trying to get quality lens - like the Pentax DA 300mm, but I like the flexibility of a zoom, so the Pentax DA 60-250 F4 is also attractive, and about the same price...but it duplicates part of the zoom range I already have. Just to complicate things, the Sigma 50 - 500 is also around the same price, perhaps with some compromises on the highest level of quality (and the weight).
Now you might ask what I like to photograph. Well I prefer landscape and have plenty of opportunities in beautiful Tasmania, but I am also getting lots of requests for family portrait/ action photography in lower light situations...and a couple of weddings...so I am also looking at lens like the Pentax FA 50mm F1.4. I am not going to be able to get them all at once of course but I need to start somewhere...
Your thoughts? What would be portfolio of quality lenses to cover a broad range of indoor & outdoor situations? My budget stretches to a 'good' lens up to $1,500 every twelve months or so... at least until the obsession forces me to start selling body parts.
I am tempted to go for something with a longer reach and am trying to get quality lens - like the Pentax DA 300mm, but I like the flexibility of a zoom, so the Pentax DA 60-250 F4 is also attractive, and about the same price...but it duplicates part of the zoom range I already have. Just to complicate things, the Sigma 50 - 500 is also around the same price, perhaps with some compromises on the highest level of quality (and the weight).
Now you might ask what I like to photograph. Well I prefer landscape and have plenty of opportunities in beautiful Tasmania, but I am also getting lots of requests for family portrait/ action photography in lower light situations...and a couple of weddings...so I am also looking at lens like the Pentax FA 50mm F1.4. I am not going to be able to get them all at once of course but I need to start somewhere...
Your thoughts? What would be portfolio of quality lenses to cover a broad range of indoor & outdoor situations? My budget stretches to a 'good' lens up to $1,500 every twelve months or so... at least until the obsession forces me to start selling body parts.
Comment by slowtour posted on Which lens to compliment K5 with 18-135 WR at 18/12/2011 - 05:21
Thanks for the comments David, I will now keep my 50mm lens and adjust the adaptor as you have suggested.
Cheers