Someone else has probably already told you this, but using an Analog TTL flash with the *ist-D is easy as pie. Just mount the flash as normal, (for the Super Program), set the ISO to 400, (it's a bit less finicky on exposures at that ISO. The *ist-Ds works better with TTL, but you should still get decent results if you don't expect perfect consistency, and turn on the flash. When the capacitor charges the shutter will be set to the proper speed and you're ready to go in any shooting mode except manual. In manual mode you'll have to select the shutter speed you want to use, the camera won't select if for you unless it's already above X sync, (1/150 sec), where it will automatically set to X.
D. Glenn Arthur Jr. wrote: > ... and now I'm not. > > Thanks to the kindness and patience of another list member, I've > had an *ist-D in my hands for a few days now, experiencing what > digital photography _should_ be like. The contrast between the > *ist-D and my non-Pentax point-and-shoot is ... well there's no > comparison except to repeat the complaints I made earlier this > month, and at this point I'd rather just think about niftiness > of the *ist-D than concentrate on the p&s. > > So far I haven't noticed that I'm learning new things from > shooting a DSLR (hey, it's only been a few days), but I have > noticed something I thought worth mentioning: > > This fancy camera doesn't seem to be making any > of my old manual-camera skills obsolete; it just > makes applying those skills easier and quicker. > > Oh yeah, I'm shooting mostly on the 'P' setting, but when I > notice I'm in a fool-the-meter situation, or want to use a non-A > lens (I was hunting birds who were hunting insects yesterday, > and I used an old 400/6.3 preset lens to do it), or just want to > take over from the computer for a couple of shots, the controls > are there and the skills are here and I don't always > particularly notice that I'm switching gears as I do it. > > When I first read about HyperProgram and HyperManual modes here > on the mailing list, I knew they sounded like something I'd find > useful. Even so, I underestimated how much I'd like > HyperProgram (I haven't really done much with HyperManual yet; > when I've had the *ist-D in 'M' mode, I've so far just treated > it like plain old-fashioned manual-mode -- I'll get around to > it). > > It's a sweet camera. (From reading the mailing list and looking > at the B&H catalog I know there are sweeter Pentax DSRLs. > Doesn't matter. Can't afford 'em anyhow. I'm enjoying this one > a lot.) > > A friend came over last night to drop off a scavenged rack-mount > computer and share some Guinness. Of course, I had to show off > the camera. (IIRC, he shoots Minolta for film and Canon for > digital.) And he had to try it out. He had as much trouble > putting it back down as I do. Y'know, a gigabyte of storage > fills up pretty quickly when a camera is being handed back and > forth over a couple bottles of Guinness. And suddenly the 30G > hard drive in the computer he brought doesn't seem all that > large after all. > > I am so very much looking forward to shooting swordfighters with > this thing this summer. > > In the meantime, I'll have to search the list archives for clues > about how to use a 'TTL' flash from the Super Program era (as > opposed to a 'P-TTL' digital-era flash) on it, and how to make > it not get confused when I use a pinhole lens. (When I can > afford a #89 or #87 filter, I'll need to figure out whether the > metering system can see IR or not - I know the camera records > IR. I also need to get around to building the IR-LED array to > use as an IR flash, like I'd planned to do a while back.) > > The single biggest thing I like about it is admittedly something > most folks probably take for granted (and should, if shooting a > DSLR): the fact that it fires when I press the button (unless > the AF has to hunt), not a random interval later. Just like my > film cameras and in huge contrast to my digital point-and-shoot. > > My single biggest complaint about it is that, being slightly > smaller than the PZ-10, it's a little too small for my hands. > I've already been advised to try a grip strap, and I've been > contemplating how to shape a thingie that'll attach via the > tripod mount and wrap around the grip on the right-front to make > it a wee bit larger -- I have a Dremmel, scrap wood, and a chunk > of aluminum, and I'm not afraid to use them. (If it were not > for that battery comparment / handhold, the PZ-10 would be too > small for me as well; it's not as big on the *ist-D. The KX was > a good size for me.) The battery-grip accessory sounds like it > would be useful, but it also sounds like something I should > postpone looking for seriously until I've managed to pay for the > *ist-D first. > > -- Glenn > > PS: Next on this evening's agenda: an M42->K adaptor and the > bellows, because I want to shoot something that's too small for > the Sigma 50/2.8 Macro. Wheeee! > > -- Vote for Cthulhu. Why settle for a lesser evil... -- Dr. Jerry Pournelle -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
