OOps, forgot to log in. That was me as "guest."

Ted

I asked a question on another (US) forum about fitting my Vivitar 200 in M42 to the *ist DS and wondered if the focal length would therefore be somewhere in the vicinity of 360mm. I got a curt answer to the effect that a 200mm lens is always a 200mm lens and that if I wanted a longer lens I should just go buy one. Could use a bit of info here.

Ted

Thanks, George, and yes, Kim has a point. The Zeiss news is all over various camera forums. As for me, I'll not be a Zeiss customer as I quite like my Takumars.

Ted

I've got a bunch of Super Takumar lenses in M42 that I use on my Spotmatics. I just bought the M42 to K/M mount Pentax adapter. Obviously I set the *ist DS on. What else do I do? Put it on Av?

And, then, what happens in the viewfinder and the LED readout on the top plate?

Advice appreciated.

Ted

Thank you, Arthur, for the opinion, and it's well-founded. I do believe I'll stick to Pentax lenses as they've served me so well lo these many years. Merely a matter of saving up for one. By the way, I actually like the kit lens that came with the camera, and, at least for now, it's wide enough. What I don't understand about the camera is that 'sometimes' I get a sharper image when it's set on the smiley face than when set on landscape. I'm not really sure about this as there are so many variables. I guess I must be patient. Learning a camera as complex as a DSLR obviously takes time. Shot some sunset desert stuff today (weird rock formations) with my beloved black Spotmatic and using it seemed, in comparison, amazingly simple, plus I knew pretty much exactly what I was going to get.

Well, said, George. I try, each day, to live by the Riley Rule. Alas, there are those bleak days when my pocketbook simply isn't up to it. But all is not lost, as saving one's daily pocket treasure of left-over, unspent coins will one day lead to Pentax lens acquisition.

(Actually, this is what I do. I have a one gallon glass pickle jar into which I toss my pocket change each night, which, here in the US consists mostly of quarters, and when the jar is somewhere in the neighborhood of a third full, I have the requisite $400 to renew my annual auto license fee (03 VW Passat), and as I have begun to top that level it shouldn't be too long. The trick to this is that, when the sales clerk says, "That'll be $10.35," I never reach in my pocket for the .35 cents, but instead hand the clerk a dollar bill. More change. Sounds a bit stupid, but I find it an effortless way to save a small sum). A note of caution: Never try to lift a one gallon pickle jar full of coins.

Is this at all worth buying? I'm asking the question because I saw a new one go from Wiloughby's on ebay for something like $98USD. However, I suspect such a focal-length spread probably dooms it in terms of quality images.

Perhaps someone on the forum actually has one and could comment.

Ted

Well I would tend to agree with you there, Kim. However, it remains a very good place to get Spotmatic information. As an example, it was while visiting that forum that I learned about the existence of Eric Hendrikson, the retired head (apparently) of the Pentax repair department, who does CLA's and other repairs on Spotmatic bodies and lenses. He returned three basically unusable bodies I sent him and they are now like new spotties.

I, too, don't much care for the banter regarding ebay camera prices.

Ted

Peter:

The most knowledgeable bunch, specifically regarding Spotmatics, are to be found at Yahoo Groups: Spotmatic. It's subtitled Asahi Pentax Spotmatic Users Group. These are Spotmatic users, collectors, and experts from all over the world. I belong, and its been a real learning experience for me, even though I've been using the cameras since 1965 and thought I knew them quite thoroughly. Boy, was I wrong.

Ted

Thank you for your reply, Tony. I know my query was a bit OT, but it seemed, from a read of this thread, that I was in the right place to get an answer or two.

Ted