Hi Aleksandar: You're English is plenty good enough - my (assuming you are Russian) Russian is non-existent! See below for detailed responses.
John Coyle Brisbane, Australia On Thursday, January 10, 2002 10:03 AM, A K [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote: > Hi everybody, > <SNIP> > > Just got myself a secondhand MZ-S in absolute mint condition. But alas, no > manual! Amazing! I am surprised there are any second-hand MZ-S's out there! > I figured out almost everything by myself (kudos to Pentax for excellent > user interface!!!) but I'm having problems with > a) "pentax functions" (only got some general idea what they are from couple > of PDF documents) and > b) advanced flash techniques (I have an old AF280T for now). > > Does anybody now where I could find scanned or PDF manual on the web? > I can't order it, since there are no Pentax representatives in my country. > The manual would be too big, but if you will give me a day or two I will scan the wallet-sized reference sheet for the functions. > > Some more questions: > > 1) When using manual focus A, K and M lenses I can't select other focusing > points than central - is that normal? I think so. > > 2) When using old screw mount Takumars with original Pentax screw mount > adapter, I don't have focus confirmation at all - why is that? There is a function to set for this - it may be set off. > I also tried (non Pentax) K mount macro bellows and lenses converted to K > mount using T2 adapters, but they didn't offer focus confirmation either! A tricky area - don't know about this. On > the other hand, russian Zenitar 2.8/16 K mount fisheye works! How on earth > MZ-S decides what works and what doesn't, since all these mounts are all > mechanical without any electrical contacts? The only difference is absence > of aperture lever and coupler, on the bellows and the two adapters. Can I > make my M42 Taks work? > I think the focus confirmation works by examining edge contrast in the viewfinder, but I'm open to correction on this. > 3) When using manual focus A, K and M lenses there is some sort of focusing > "latitude" - when rotating focusing ring, focus confirmation LED "signal" > IMO stays on longer that it should. > > When I focus with my KX or my LX using microprism collar at 1 meter, the > image is in focus only at 1 meter - with MZ-S i get focus still confirmed > when I move focusing ring to the left. Only a little bit, but enough to make > me worry if focusing was dead on accurate (especially with large apertures > at close distance). This may depend on DOF or depth of focus of the lens - I have generally found the MZ-S to be absolutely reliable if it gives confirmation. > > I discovered that I should start focusing VERY SLOWLY from infinity mark and > stop immediately when I get focus confirmation - this way I get identical > result with my other Pentax bodies (mounted on a tripod, using the same lens > of course). > > But what do I do when I can't focus very slowly? > Is this normal? > I think so - for the reasons noted above > I also got a new FA 24-90 AL/IF zoom. Any experiences/comments on it? > > Sorry - no. > Some observations: > > I traded my old Canon EOS 50E (ElanIIE in USA i think) with 28-105 USM and > battery pack (I was waiting way too long for decent metal Pentax AF body) > for the MZ-S body. > Compared to older, cheaper and out of production Canon camera, MZ-S AF > system sucks! I am amazed at this - my MZ-s will focus rapidly in light such as a 60 watt-bulb 3 metres from the subject and not shining directly on to it! > Well, maybe it is not that bad, but when you get used to something better... > Is it so hard to get cross sensors in your flagship camera!?!? I have read, although it is not in the Pentax documentation, that the central sensor is sensitive to both horizontal and vertical lines, thus fulfilling the role of a cross sensor. > I miss the illuminated focusing squares on the viewscreen - very useful in > low light, or on dark subjects. Don't they get in the way of your composition? > No red light AF assist beam on the body for low light, high ASA, no flash > photography. Pop up the flash, and the AF assist beam will fire, to allow focussing. Hold down the shutter release at the half-way position - voila, no need for IR. Incidentally, any of the Pentax IR-capable flashes will work too. > AF is louder, hunts more and sometimes (rarely, but it happens) when it says > it is in focus, it actually is way off (visible by naked eye in the > viewfinder), something that never happened to me with Canon. Have you checked your dioptre setting on the viewfinder? In my experience the MZ-S focussing has never been off in the viewfinder. Yopu may need to check which sensor is capturing focus. > > The viewfinder was a big disapointment too - it is much smaller and even > darker than my 25 years old KX! Don't have the KX, but this is a common complaint with most modern cameras. <SNIP> > Since it is not my native language, I'm also sorry for my english. > > Happy New Year, And to you, too! > Aleksandar - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
