With the advent of it's digital bodies Pentax has dispensed with mechanical aperture setting connections between the lens and body. I could begin a rant about that but I won't. Simple K mount lenses don't have and electrical contacts so the camera has no way of knowing what the aperture is set to. To use one of these lenses from any manufacture you have to change a custom function, through the custom menu, to allow the shutter to fire when the lens is set off A. Now you have two exposure modes available, M, (manual), and Av, (aperture preferred), at maximum aperture only. Manual mode with the DL allows you to do stop down metering, one of two ways. !.) Set the aperture you want and press the AE-L button. The camera stops the lens down and sets the appropriate shutter speed for you. 2.) Hold the DOF preview lever in. The meter stays on while the lens stops down. You can use the wheel and aperture ring to set the proper exposure while holding the DOF lever. I find both easier to do than to explain. However if you have the A setting, (i.e. electronic connections between the camera and the lens), you get all exposure modes and don't have to worry about manual or stop down metering. Which is why it's so much easier to find the K mount Komin, than the A. The A is much sought after.
Matt Kelch wrote: >I'm not very familiar with the limitations I will have to deal with >using a K mount lens. Could you or someone explain them to me? Also, >why is it I'm having such a hard time finding the Komine lens in a KA >mount? I'm pretty sure they were made, but all the ones I have found >lack the 'A' apperature mode. > >Thanks. > >P. J. Alling wrote: > > >>Of the series one lenses the Komine lens is the way to go. The Cosina >>version doesn't have nearly the same reputation. The Pentax lens is >>actually better than either of the Vivitar lenses, though not as fast. >>So I guess I would recommend the Pentax over the 4th version of the >>series one lens. If you don't think you need the A capability and can >>live with the limitations of a K mount on the *ist-DL then you might >>look for a the second version of the Series 1. It's about a 1/3rd stop >>faster. I have one and it's very good. The first version is very good >>as well but very heavy in comparison. >> >> >>Matt Kelch wrote: >> >> >> >> >>>Hello everyone, My name is Matt and have just recently gotten into >>>photography with the purchase of a Pentax *ist DL. I've been taking >>>lots of pictures around town, and having the camera for less than a >>>month I've taken over 1500 shots. Feel free to check my gallery at >>>http://vulc4n.com/v/Photo/ >>> >>>Now that I have had the camera for a month I have found that I really >>>need a lens with more reach than the 18-55mm kit lens. I don't have a >>>lot of money to spend (maybe around 100.00) Basically, I want something >>>thats reasonably fast (at least f4), is decent optically (something on >>>par with my 18-55 Pentax kit lens), and a zoom range somewhere within >>>the area of 50-220 mm. I have been doing a good bit of research and >>>have more or less settled on a few lenses. I have been successful i >>>finding two of them, but the third has proven rather hard to find. >>> >>>Here is my lens list: >>>1. Vivitar Series One 70-210mm f/2.8-4.0 (v3 made by Komine) [with A >>>appature mode] >>>2. Pentax SMC A 70-210mm f.4.0 >>>3. Vivitar Series One 70-210mm f/2.8-4.0 (v4 made by Cosina) >>> >>>The last two lenses are relatively easy to come by, as is the first >>>without the A appature mode [can it be found with the A appature >>>mode?]. The question is, if the first cannot be found, which of them is >>>going to perform better? The primary use for the lens other than >>>shooting random stuff around town will be taking pictures at sporting >>>events. So, lots of use for high speed action in relatively bad >>>lighting. This makes me think that the Cosina made 70-210mm might be >>>the right way to go if the Komine made lens cannot be found. Has anyone >>>compared the Pentax lens to the Cosina lens? I'm curious how much worse >>>the Cosina lens is optically. For that matter, how much worse is the >>>Cosina than the Komine? >>> >>>Also, if anyone has another lens that fits the bill please let me know. >>>I'm a noob and know next to nothing about pentax lenses. >>> >>>Thanks, >>>Matt >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> > > > > -- Things should be made as simple as possible -- but no simpler. --Albert Einstein -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
