I need to operate my Pentax cameras *ist and MZ6 inparticular, but might add the MZ-M. All use electro-magnetic shutter release, but I can find no Pentax cables for PocketWizard.

Has anybody obtained such a lead, or alternatively have they made a lead. It cannot be very difficult to make a lead up, but what connectors does the PocketWizard use, and can it be obtained, or will I have to buy a Canon or Nikon cable and reterminate it.

The Pentax connector seems to be a standard 2.5mm jack, and the remote merely shorts the sleeve to the middle for wake up/focus, and additionally shorts it to the tip for shutter release.

Any help appreciated.

Regards

Taliety

I like the general consensus here. I feel a dedicated ads section would be a good idea. If such existed, then it would be reasonable to ban ads on any other forum. Restricting the entry of ads to registered users would preserve the cameraderie and feeling that we are benefitting each other. However, this could have the desadvantage of dissuading casual visitors.

Having ads in the other sections definitely detracts from their appeal, but it is interesting to note that the ads which we have seem to have the greatest number of view hits of any of the topics.

Taliety

Hi,

Just put a Beattie screen in my MX, then read that some cameras meter off the screen, not direct through the lens. A rough check on the meter, seems to indicate that the MX is one of these, and I'm getting about 1.5 stops more brightness than I should. Has anybody else used these screens in an MX. If so, what were your metering experiences?

I presume that the best method of compensating for this is to dial up a slower film speed. Otherwise, you can always meter and then correct by 1 or 2 stops. I think I prefer the former method, but I'll probably forget sometime.

The gridded screen is quite a help in aligning horizons and dividing up the scene. It would be helpful if the thirds were marked, but the grid can help estimate it.

Taliety

Yes, I find that prefocus is best for the pan or head on shots, but the motor is useful for the exciting bits, like when somebody overcooks it, or there's a tangle.

I find I'm usually using a long lens with multiplier, so autofocus when available doesn't work, as the maximum aperture is around f8. You just have to be a bit nifty with the follow focus, but caressing the release just isn't fast enough, so you have to be a bit more agressive. this in turn means that you're liable to end up with a lot of blurred photos.

I used to do a lot of rifle shooting, and the trigger caress is essential to an accurate shot. Lots of lessons to be learned in getting a steady camera, but I'm finding a monopod gives much steadier results if a tripod can't be used.

Taliety

Thanks Kim.

I'm not sure "need" describes my interest, just "want". I have no application, but currently have no faster drive than about 2.5fps. I do find this quite slow if I'm taking sports and car racing photos. Quite a lot happens in 400ms. In fact, I sometimes find I get better results by using a quick finger on the button.

Yes, I have found the descriptions are sometimes a bit wayward. This can only be resolved by a photo (on ebay). Just seen an LX motor drive sold on ebay, only one bidder, but got £95.

I've not long had the MX, so have only just started thinking about a motor drive.

Taliety

Hi,

I know that the MX had a motor drive available, 5 frames a second, but I've not seen one for sale recently (plenty of auto winders). Anybody got any ideas where I should look for one? I think it uses external batteries, in common with the LX. Are they normally sold separately, as I've not seen the battery pack available either.

Is the LX motor drive the same, or will I end up buying an LX as well. Always wanted one, but definitely don't need one.

Taliety

I have both ME Super and MZ-M. I bought the MZ-M as I needed an SLR with full manual for the course I was doing. I'm quite happy with shutter or aperture priority, if I need a particular aperture or speed, I just dial up the one available until the camera gives me what I want. Unfortunately, though, I had dropped the MES, and the exposure was all wrong. I think it is a good value camera, and gives a little more than the MES. I don't know about the Program A which I wanted at one time. I use the MZ-M a lot of the time as it doesn't attract much attention and uses all the old PKA and PK (aperture priority only) lenses.

I keep my *ist for photo hunts and holidays. The MZ-M is quite light and small, so is useful to keep around. It's not as small as the MES, but lighter. The build quality is reasonable. I don't think it'll take hard use, but it is used in colleges quite a lot as a loan camera.

Second hand autofocus MZ5N or MZ-6 are quite a good alternatives. Both have full manual, but to use the autofocus, you'll need to update your lenses. Both will use your old lenses in the appropriate modes.

Taliety

This has been a topic of other threads.

If using slave flashes for studio work, or when trying to boost the power available for cameras with built in flash and no socket/hotshoe, many of you have found that the P-TTL/E-TTL and other pre-flash operations cause the slave to fire the other flashes before required.

Electronically, it must be simple to just count off the slave flash output, and then fire the other flashes after a selected number of preflashes. Is there nothing out there already, that will do this? Alternatively, cannot some bright spark (flash) design an adapter for this purpose.

If there are no takers on this, maybe I'll dust off my electronics knowledge and have a go. Has anybody got some knowledge of the output of a slave flash sensor, and how a flash is normally fired, (thyristor?). What sort of latency can be tolerated between the master flash and the flash trigger? Any help appreciated.

Cheers

Taliety

I have an ME Super, and it did give quite a loud click on releasing the shutter. Unfortunately I dropped it, and it developed several faults. The high shutter speeds were totally wrong, giving up to 2 stops underexposure. However, the fault it developed after it had been "serviced" (as well as the underexposure) meant that it didn't always fire the shutter after a film advance. This also meant that you could continue advancing the film, frame after frame, without firing the shutter. After a while I worked out that it would only do this if a lens was fitted. Removing the lens and replacing it would usually cause the first frame or two to operate correctly.
I'm still hoping that somone can fix this camera, I bought it new in the 'States in '80, and am very much attached to it, regardless of now having a plethora of Pentax cameras, including another ME Super.
Maybe one of the faults I describe is similar to the one you're experiencing.
Cheers

Taliety

I think there are some clues in the two manuals. What seems to happen is that the flash fires several times, exposing strips of the negative, as the shutter apperture traverses the negative. The total power available from the flash decreases as the shutter speed is raised, so it fires smaller flashes more frequently, as it hasn't the inverter power to give full power flashes in quick sequence. I'm not sure how it ensures that the flash exposure is constant across the whole negative, as I would have thought that there would be some overlap between the strips.

Don't know if anyone has any better ideas?

Cheers

Taliety