Great EXIF viewer, but it won't let you change any of the camera info (at least not for .PEF files)

Thanks for the info, but I'm using Lightroom on the Mac, not on PC - however, I'll rummage around the internet for a similar Mac based EXIF editor now you've given me the idea

Does anyone know how to change the Lens metadata setting for a photo in Lightroom 1.2? I know that sounds like a daft thing to want to do, but when using older lenses with the Pentax istD, the lens data is set to "K,M lens" or "A lens" & I'd like to change this to show the focal length of the relevant lens.

Having just found and sorted a large box of old flashguns we used to use (with IR slaves) for cave photography, I thought I'd check the trigger voltages of any that still worked.

Those units listed below all measured voltages between 200v - 300v, so do not connect to your digicam or modern electronic camera!!! Ok to use as light-triggered slaves, though - and some of them do have impressively high guide numbers. Some are really ancient - between 25 and 30 years old - so I was surprised they still work.

Sunpak GX33
Sunpak Auto30SR
Sunpak Auto30DX
Sunpak Auto 112
Sunpak MX 118
Sunpak Auto 114
Agfatronic 401 CBS
Nissan large hammerhead style, no model number marked.

Regards

tekno.mage

MY 20mm f4 was no Ferrari even in 1982, and I neither want or expect a modern equivalent now. I use my istd* as a manual camera with manual SMC K-mount lenses. I've have no need for a super-fast, super-wide, auto-focus, auto-aperture, limited edition lens claiming perfect optical performance with huge great front element & price tag to match!

The lens I want is not in current production. It's manual focus, manual aperture (with aperture ring). I don't *want* autofocus, auto-aperture, or auto anything else, just a manual lens with a FOV of 94 on my istd* and of optical quality similar to Pentax SMC that will physically fit the istD* body (with adapter giving correct infinity focus.) An old M42 preset with manual stop-down ring would be fine... & the price I'll pay just reflects this.

tekno.mage[/img][/i]

The ist D* is a lovely camera, & digital cameras are convenient, quick (and save scanning in all those damned slides) etc... BUT
I miss my Pentax SMC-M 20mm f4 ultra wide angle rectilinear lens...

So I'm looking for an *affordable* something equivalent for the istD*. Focal length around 14mm, SMC or similar coating, *must* be rectilinear with no barrel or pincushion distortion, no dark or fuzzy corners. Providing it will fit onto my istD* (with infinity focus) I don't care what it is. Manual everything, fixed aperture (F8 please if so), no filter thread (or stripped filter thread) on the front, cheap & nasty focusing ring, whatever - so long as it is optically as good as my 20mm was for 35mm. Be really nice if it were as compact as my old 20mm f4 just 30mm long and weighing 150grms.


So far I've wondered about using a Raynox 0.66X converter with my existing 20mm (fear disappointing image quality from past experiences with add-on converters), decided the Russian "Zenitar-K" f/2.8/16mm Fish-Eye *will* bend straight lines near the edges of the frame, and so have been looking out for some ancient, M42 or even M39 manual ultra-wide lens with excellent optics...

Any ideas? Miserly budget of around 50-75 pounds, possibly stretch to 100 for the right item.

Thanks in anticipation
tekno.mage

I've had that 300 f4 M* since 1984ish. It's intended to be fast enough to be hand-held! Not a chance for me, although my partner manages it quite well.

As the lens doesn't have a tripod bush we use it with the camera mounted on a tripod either a big sturdy cullman camcorder thing that's heavy enough not to fall over, or a more compact low-line ball&socket head type.

The 300 f4 works really well on a bean bag over an open car window, on a wall, on a branch, over a friends shoulder etc.

I've even used it (carefully) on a sturdy mini-tripod! If you are out walking you could always cut yourself a thumbstick and just rest the lens in the fork of that.

regards, tekno.mage

I'm certainly not an "early adopter" of technology - having got my first digital SLR (a refurbished ist D) about 6 months ago - and so far I am very happy with it.

What I like about the ist D is all the manual over-ride capabilities and the fact it takes my SMC-M K-mount lenses. But no camera lasts forever, and I was wondering if a second-hand/refurbished K10D would make a decent upgrade/replacement for my istD in a few years time (as a replacement ist D body might be rather hard to obtain by then.)

Is the K10D a better camera, if so why? (I'm not all that interested in additional auto capabilities, shake-reduction, special effects etc to be honest - what is more important is backward capability with my manual lenses, flash guns, etc. I only ever take pictures using RAW format.)

Are the controls in the same positions as on the istD?
Is there the same manual over-ride capabilities as the istD has?

What additional facilities (as from extra M-pixels) does the K10D have to make it worth changing to a body that uses expensive non-standard batteries (instead of cheap NiMH AAs) which need a special charger, and a different type of memory card?

I've read that the K10D is "weatherproof" - does this mean that light rain won't bother it? Is it more robust that the ist D? I've been careful NOT to get my ist D even slightly damp as the manual warns against this.

Thanks in advance for your comments

tekno.mage

Hello everyone,

Glad to have found these very helpful Pentax User Forums.

I've been a user of Pentax lenses since the early 1980s (albeit on Ricoh XR-7 bodies!) and was finally tempted to go digital when I recently found a reconditioned *istD at a very good price, and realised I would wait forever for a full-frame DSLR that will take my existing lenses (or a 35mm digital back for a Ricoh XR-7)!

So far I have been very impressed with the camera - mainly because it handles like a camera, not like a silly gadget & it lets me switch nearly all the "auto" features off - so I end up with an almost manual digital camera!

Maybe I'm odd or just old-fashioned, but I prefer using manual focus lenses, with aperture rings (and the viewfinder of the *istD is nice & bright for focusing) and I'm used to a mostly-manual SLR film body (I miss the shutter speed dial).

I did get a Pentax DA 18-55mm zoom with the *istD. It's smaller & weighs less my old K-mount Tamron 35-70mm & probably has better optics, but I hardly ever use auto-focus, and find the manual focus ring on the lens rather light and not as precise as focusing my old manual lenses.

So I'll just continue to add to my collection of Pentax SMC-M prime manual lenses - so far I have a 300mm f4, 135mm f3.5, 50mm f1.7, 28mm f2.8, 20mm f4, 17mm f4 fish-eye, plus a 70-210 Tokina zoom & a Sigma 600mm mirror. I'd like to add the Pentax 35mm, 85mm and maybe 100mm Macro lenses to my collection if I ever find examples of these within my budget!

I was pleased to note that my manual ring-flash works fine with the istD* as well (using the PC flash-sync socket on the camera.) My other manual flashguns all work too - I slave these using Firefly flash slave units left over from my days of cave photography.

The ability to check focus and histogram after each shot that digital photography gives you is absolutely brilliant, as is the RAW format (although it would be nice if the camera saved the files faster!)

Regards
tekno.mage

I've done this for years - with my film SLRs the largest filter size of my "normal" range of lenses was 58mm - so I bought good quality polariser & monochrome (red, green & yellow) filters in this size plus step-down rings to 52mm, 55mm & 49mm.

The only real disadvantages I've found was the bigger filter meant you couldn't use the built-in hood on some lenses, and fitting the ring & filter to the lens was fiddly outdoors in cold weather when fingers are numb and clumsy.

I have tried using various friend's square filter mount systems, but personally found them even more fiddly to get on with than simple round filters - but I don't often want to fit more than one filter to a lens at once, or need to swap between filters quickly so perhaps I didn't have incentive to persevere.

tekno.mage