After reading this discussion with interest, it occurs to me that perhaps you folks could tell me:

1. how many JPEG images I can take before the 1 GB card is full.

2: how many RAW images I can take before the 1 GB card is full.

Also, what are the advantages of downloading the latest Pentax firmware for my *ist DS? Is this latest firmware necessary to shoot RAW?

I'm now in my fouth week with the camera. Initially I was mildly disappointed as images seemed a bit soft and underexposed. The exposure part was easily fixed, not so the softness.

But suddenly I've taken some very sharp pictures (this is all in JPEG as I have yet to try RAW until I get Photoshop CS - I don't think PS 2.0 will do RAW) and have sold a few of them. Huzzah! Perhaps all of this is simply that the camera and I are getting to know one another.

Like it more every day.

Ted

Thanks, John, Matt. Did not know about the 'thingy.' Will make sure I get one.

Ted

Revealing for all to see my ignorance here, but on ebay I can buy a an adapter that allows one to use M42 lenses on a K mount camera.

Having said that, is my new *ist DS a K mount?

Ted

Thanks so much for all the wonderful stuff you folks have made available to me. I'm plodding along with my usual slow learning curve when it comes to computers (when I bought the *istDS I didn't fully realize that I was actually purchasing a computer with a lens attached to it) and am getting some better pictures.

HOWEVER, I am not a fan of the 18-55 kit lens. I photographed a 1943 Harley Davidson US Army olive drab motorcycle (45 cubic inch flathead) in orginal condition for a client. Lighting was perfect, colors were just right, but the images had a certain softness to them that I found surprising. Camera was on a tripod to boot. Fortunately the client was pleased anyway.

Which Pentax lenses for the *istDS might be a distinct improvement? Zooms are handy in photojournalism, but if they're all like the 18-55 then perhaps primes are the way to go.

In Pentax Super Takumar M42 lenses I've got all the way from 28mm to 200mm. But the 28 turns into something like a 42mm lens? Not wide enough. On the other hand, the longer lenses would benefit - I assume - from the multiplcation factor.

But I'd much rather use lenses made specifically for the camera.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Ted

PS: OT: It actually got down to 36 degrees fahrenheit last night. We were all in shock.

Oops. Just looked at the firmware download, and it does involve the camera. I'm wondering if it's worth the effort as it seems mostly to allow the use of a 2GB SD card. But what do I know...

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, available light. I virtually never use flash.

Yes, lens was on the "A" setting, which I assume means autofocus.

I will try to set the ISO overide to at least 400 (it's pretty bright around here)
as I have no idea what the auto-everything ISO might have been.

I will also check for latest firmware which downloads, I again assume, to the computer and the Pentax installed software, rather than to the camera itself.

Ted

Having been an avid reader of this site's forum, I think I may have at least done a few things properly. Camera arrived yesterday. I formatted the 1GB SD card in the camera, set time and date, and that I wanted the camera to download to a PC, and pretty much left everything else alone. It was too late last night to try using the camera.

However, today, the Pentax got a real workout. I had taken a couple of autumn leave shots of the trees in my yard, one of the rear of my Passat, and drove off to do a few errands. I am a photojournalist with a presscard and so, when I rounded a corner or two and ran upon a very nasty car accident I jumped out, flashed the presscard and began shooting away. To make sure I got the shots I first used my Kodak DX6490 (Schneider-Kreuznach lens) because I know what it does (and quite a good job at that), then donned the Pentax and basically replicated the shots from essentially the same positions from which I took the Kodak pictures. It was a rather static scene. Both smashed vehicles certainly weren't going anywhere. There were, of course, brightly colored fire engines and flashing red and blue lights and lots of people milling about.
Fortunately, the two young women with small children were all uninjured due in the main to the airbags deploying properly. The other driver, in a pickup, wearing a seatbelt, was also lucky.


The main difference between the Kodak and Pentax pictures was that the Pentax pics were somewhat underexposed. As I said, I had not had the time to do much manual reading, so the camera was set on autofocus and the mode dial was on "autopict." The Kodak pictures were spot on.

What is the procedure for correcting the Pentax' tendency (at this point) to underexpose?

The next problem was that, with USB cable connected from camera to computer (Dell, Windows XP, Pentax software installed), the images downloaded but I could not figure out how to save them, so I was able to save them, oddly enough, in the Kodak program. Also, suddenly the battery symbol (new batteries, of course) went totally white and I was told the batteries were exhausted - this was after the download.

But, when I turned the camera off, then back on after a moment, the battery symbol was again all black. I disconnected the USB cable and installed a second set of fully charged AA NiMh's as I really don't know whether the first set were discharged as indicated.

So that is where things stand. The MAIN DIFFERENCE between the Kodak and the Pentax is speed. The Pentax has no discernible delay between snapping one shot and the next, just like my Spotmatics. The Kodak's viewfinder goes black for about five seconds, during which important shots can be missed. Also, zooming in or out is at least twice as fast with the Pentax as with the Kodak. Lastly, the Pentax viewfinder is vastly superior.

So I don't know how to adjust the tendency to underexpose, and I don't know how to download the pictures to the Pentax program.

Should I just try downloading directly to Photo Shop?

Ted

(I apologize for the long post)

I have several Asahi Spotmatic bodies. They all have 'SP' on the top plate. Two have serial numbers beginning with 1 and 2, respectively and, according to a retired Pentax repair guy, indicate the first and second years of production. I believe he said 1964 and 1965.

Ted

I do not know what the lens element design differences are between the K mount 28/3.5 and the M42 screwmount Super Takumar 28/3.5. Having owned the latter for years I can say with the authority based on experience that it is a very fine lens and a bread and butter money-maker in both photojournalism and (in some situations) landscape and architecture photography.

It would be nice to know how this lens has evolved over time (assuming it has, other than becoming multicoated).

Ted

Thank you, John. Reason I inquired about the battery charger: no instruction leaflet.

Ted