Re: Vs: Orgin Myths
Daniel J. Matyola wrote: You guys are really depressing me with all this age talk. Anyone else over 60? I still have two cameras older than I am, a Leica and a Speed Graphic! Dan -- Daniel J. Matyola mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Stanley, Powers Matyola mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Suite203, 1170 US Highway 22 East http://geocities.com/dmatyola/ Bridgewater, NJ 08807 (908)725-3322 fax: (908)707-0399 Well I had a Crown Graphic outfit which I sold much to my eternal regret now. My three Series 3a Leices I sold because for me at any rate they were not as versatile as the S1a I acquired. I still use two Spotmatics but I must also be honest and say my Nikon F (see- everything is so old- what hope has Pentax of selling me anything new hey?) is a much nicer camera to use. Oh yes, I'll be sixty in a few months time. Tempus Fugit they say. Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA
Hello there: I'm back!
I'm back! For almost a week it has been deadly silent here in cyberland. Not a single mail from the PDML. I had sent off a couple of posts but I never saw the replies: everything just died. I thought it might have been something to do with the server being shut down, perhaps virus bombs or whatever. But eventually I found out it was MY mail server rejecting mail. I dunno why. Still waiting for a reply from their support. Anyhow I changed servers. So here I am again. Greetings. Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 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 .
Re: Digicams and 35mm--Warning! Long post
Shel Belinkoff wrote: A very interesting comment, Mark, and one I don't understand. First, how can you prep a shot with one camera and then make a second keeper with anything but a static subject. IOW, if you're shooting a living, breathing entity, the second shot will not be the same as the first shot. All you can hope to do is get a general idea of what the final shot will be like, but if the light changes or the subject is no longer there, you're out of luck. To which Mark Cassino responded: You are quite right, Shel - and I should clarify that I'm not using the digital to do this kind of work with dynamic objects. You really can't test-shoot a candid or wildlife, or macro of a living subject. The other area is still lifes. I never did much with those either, but again the digital lets me experiment, reject things that don't work, and ultimately shoot something good with a 35mm. I have often pondered on the prospects of getting really superb candid shots. I mean such as where the exposure is absolutely spot-on, the grain is just perfect and the composition is perfect. I know that this is the sort of suggestion that might bring forth a certain amount of comment but really what is intrinsically wrong with posing a studio shot like this? I suggest that we all know the realities of life in any of hundreds of day to day actual situations and the fact that someone has gone to lots of trouble to make a perfect set-up which mimicks a real-life situation should be as acceptable as for example taking a shot under adverse and at times compromising circumstances. I assume that the aim of such reportage will be to convey an image-based message of what life is like in any given situation so why not stage it? What is intrinsically wrong with a set-up which portrays life as distinct from a live shot? - 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 .
Confessions of an old timer
One of the list members wrote about his journey into photography the other day and what he said really started me off thinking about my own experiences. I feel that some things he said were so relevant to our situation even to-day that I would like to take up a little time in this manner. Well, I started off in 35mm photography with a Japanese 35mm camera which had a really amazing spec. It had a focussing lens, yes you focussed it by turning the front element and reading a distance scale marked thereon. The f-stops were set by twisting a ring around the lens and of course if you were unsure as to the exposure then you simply had to use an exposure meter of some sort. No ways could you see the f-stop or the shutter speed in the viewfinder, oh yes, the shutter had four (yes four) speeds from 1/25 to 1/250. Later I bought a Leica 3a and then a Leica 3b. Man were they bad: the viewfinders were so small you had to have eyes on stalks and as for the rangefinders well they did work if you could see them in the dark. And the lenses- they screwed on and off. It took simply forever to change a lens and then to go with it all the longest tele lens was 135mm and f4 IIRC. Man was it slow. You had more shutter speeds but the flash synch came on at 1/40 sec on the one which WAS synchronised, the other wasn't. You couldn't see through the lens either- so close-ups were not on and long tele work was a field on its own which meant that for me it wasn't. Then I bought a Pentax S1a. A new world opened up. I could see through the lens now and I could do macro work. I could also buy any number of great lenses of all sorts and focal lengths. But hey, I still couldn't see the shutter speeds in the viewfinder so I never knew what speeds I was using. There was no TTL meter either so I had to use a hand-held job. Naturally f-stops in the viewfinder were quite irrelevant. And hey, look at the slow flash speed. I don't want to harp on this subject but changing lenses was a schlep. Man just try when there is a wind blowing or it's raining. Later I added a Spotmatic F and gained TTL metering. By now everything was really marvellous. I had TTL metering and could ditch my hand-held meter (fortunately I didn't) but those slow screw thread lenses were really, well, undesireable. How I ever managed to take all the shots I did over the years remains a marvel. I must have been a really marvellous sort of person to get it all together with such primitive gear. I say must have been since I must confess to eventually buying a Minolta X700 which opened my eyes to the marvels of the new camera age. Hey look, bayonet lenses! Change in no time. Hey look, TTL auto exposure metering! No need to see any reading in the viewfinder any more, even it was there. Things were now really looking up. It was at this stage that I got misled and fell into great error and bought a Nikon F3. Well, does anyone wonder why I haven't yet gone over to digital? But now I'm not so certain about things any more. I see to my amazement a list member of standing who doesn't crave a meter! I see he also uses a Leica! No doubt a marvellous model greatly improved on mine. There are also some people who use Pentaxes without meters, or even use hand-held meters when they have Pentaxes with meters in them already. So somehow anti-new. I can't think of a word to describe the situation. Fortunately I still have my old Weston meter. And my S1a. When the brave new order collapses I'll be ready. Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: THE NEW PENTAX
At 11:44 AM 17/09/01, you wrote: I think most of us are comfortable with being backward-looking. I know I am. I appreciate and enjoy Pentax M42 screwmount equipment and SMCP-M equipment particularly. But how many of us are willing to be FORWARD LOOKING as well? How willing are each of you to come along for the ride? I'm not asking if you'll switch over to digital--I have yet to see it written that if you use digital, you can't also use K2s, LXs, and MZ-Ss. But WHERE are you in your understanding of the new ways of making pictures, and HOW DO YOU FEEL about becoming forward-looking as well as backward-looking, and...will you still BE LOYAL to Pentax when most new product introductions are digital??? Well I for one am really very interested. I've been into photography now for more than 40 years. The days when I developed and printed my own BW stuff are long gone. Increasingly I am finding that my requirements are being met by digital in one way or another. I have no need to make huge enlargements or murals. It is a pain to set up my projector, screen, load magazines and arrange a slide show. The shelves in my study are loaded with full photo albums. Many never get looked at, except to go on nostalgia trips. It is s very convenient to load scans into my pc and sit back with a minimum of effort to watch hours of image viewing which is perfectly acceptable and pleasing to me and any friends who might be visiting. Nothing to clear up afterwards. No space to stack things. When I communicate with friends by Internet I send them a colour or BW photo is less time than it takes to write all this. Naturally backups are made just in case but this should be standard procedure for anyone who uses a pc anyhow. My needs have obviously changed. So I see have the needs of newspaper photogs around the place. At the moment digital is still just a wee bit too quick in development although it is significant that there are certain models which appear to be having a extended life by digital standards. As far as I am concerned new camera gear is not on the map. My cupboard full of Pentax and Nikon stuff is more than I'll ever need. But didgital is where I think I must go. It is the logical development of my progress. Maybe not for many folks but for me, I think yes. But as for always being loyal to Pentax well, I don't know. My admiration for Pentax was and still is based on their old equipment, the Sla, SV, Spotmatic and such like and of course in later years on the K1000, the MX and the LX. I lost respect for Pentax with the MZ series which seems to me very flimsy and very unlike the things I just mentioned. Maybe that is one of the serious reasons I bought into Nikon. If they produce a digicam which works well, and I am NOT asking for a technological whiz-bang wonder but for a simple camera which will take fine digital pictures of moderate resolution which will be adequate for my needs, then I will certainly support them. If there are others who come before then well, who knows? Should I hand out and wait for what might never come? Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: Browser survey
Well in the past I used Internet Explorer. Now I use Netscape 6 and Opera (the preferred browser) Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 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 .
Advice about MZ-M
Listen all, As some of you will know by now I have a considerable investment in M42 lenses, both Takumars and aftermarket types. Many of these lenses are really excellent and fully as good as my Nikkors so I have absolutely no desire to get rid of them. But the M42 bodies are getting a bit long in the tooth now. My only surviving Spotmatic F is still OK and so is my S1a but I have been using the M42 lenses with the screw to bayonet adaptor on both the MX and the Program-A. A while ago there were several posts on this group about the viewfinder of the MZ-M to the effect that somehow it was not all that good. From what I can recall, nothing much was said about what the defects actually were. I have had a look at an MZ-M with the view to getting one as a replacement for my Spotmatic-F (in case it should pack up). This means of course that I will use the screw adaptor on the MZ-M a small price to pay for the lens quality which I already have. But what is the actual problem with the MZ-M viewfinder? I had a look through one recently and I could not see anything special, but then in actual use maybe somethings turn up which make it unsatisfactory in use. I do wish that the MZ-M was not battery-everything powered. This is the main reason why I have never gone over seriously to autofocus. But there appear to be no serious replacements for the M42 cameras to-day. I already have a Praktica MTL50 and it seems fine but of course it's not a Pentax. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - 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 .
Focussing problems
Greetings once again! Just the other day I started a mini-thread about focussing problems and so on. Since then I have been experimenting somewhat with the various Pentaxes in my collection. I have been using a diopter correction lens in the clip-on attachment with the rubber eyecup which fits the earlier models such as the Spotmatics and the SV, S1a and so on. The problem I encountered was that this attachment removed my eye still further from the viewfinder than usual so that even less of the focussing screen was visible. For a spectacle wearer the situation becomes unpleasant and even untenable. As an experiment I cut and ground a rectangular (not circular) +1.5 correction lens to fit inside the actual viewfinder of my Spotmatic. Once shaped and ground to size I held it in place with a little model cement. The results are spectacular. I am now able to bring my eye right up to the viewfinder eyepiece and see most if not all of the focussing screen even with my specs on. Greatly encouraged I did this also for my MX and this is the greatest success story of all. The viewfinder is transformed. It is better brighter and larger than even my Olympus. I am really very impressed. OK so fitting a lens like this looks somewhat home made but man does it work! For the information of those who would want to try this: ordinary reading glasses using acrylic lenses can be cut up and ground to shape with a bit of practice for a fraction of the cost of glass correction lenses. And the results are really amazing! - 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 .
In the interests of sharpness
Thanks to everyone who answered my enquiry about using other makes with Pentax lenses. I do appreciate all the help and advice. Further to this matter of focussing, there is something which has puzzled me a lot for some time now. I note on this (and other) discussion lists that there is often a pre-occupation with wide aperture lenses. To-day f1.8 and f1.4 is commonplace. When I started out about 40 years ago f2.8 was considered a pretty good lens speed and f1.4 was not even dreamed about from what I remember. So I have over the years been very much the sort of person who adhered to the f8 and be there idea. Even though I now have f1.8 lenses on my Spotmatics and (golly) even an f1.4 on the F3 I very seldom ever used them until fairly recently and then the results were pretty disappointing. How do people manage to shoot at f1.8 or even wider and still get their image sharp? For goodness sake, even my 105mm f2.8 has a depth of field at f2.8 and close up (about 2 metres) of less than 12 cm! With my 55mm lenses at f1.8 if I don't focus exactly spot-on perfect dead accurate the results are not acceptable. I have taken endless head-and-shoulders portraits by available light at f1.8 or f2 to find to my chagrin that the tip of the nose is sharp but the eyes JUST out of focus, or else the ears look great but pity about the rest of the face. What is wrong here? How do the available light men (and women) get their overall sharpness at big f-stops? Excepting for the fact that large aperture lenses make lovely bright images to focus by (I like) what good is their large aperture for actual shooting? Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: Old Cameras, Old Lenses, Old Emulsions
Well the oldest camera in my possession is a Zeiss-Ikon Contina 35mm folder with a Novar Anastigmat f3.5 lens in a Prontor shutter. Although somewhat worn by now it still works (I used it recently just to check it out). Like many cameras of that day the viewfinder is small and the rangefinder even worse. The second oldest camera is a Pentacon FM SLR with a 50mm f2.8 CZ Tessar. It still works but occasionally the shutter makes odd sounds and the winder goes erratic. I really must clean and lube it but I hardly ever use it so??? My Spotmatic SP gets used most of the time, with my Spotmatic F. The S1a also gets used quite a bit. I hardly ever use the MX or the Program-A. In view of all this, can anyone imagine modern lenses in my possession? But there are a few none for M42 thread though. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: Nikon's New Manual-focus SLR kicks butt!
Well, the main reason I sold both my FM and FM2n and my first MX was the diode readout. I found that in bright daylight I simply could not see the diodes. (I wear spectacles). On the other hand, the meter needles in my FTn and Spotmatics are just fine, excepting in the dark of course- when I use the second MX or the F3 :-) Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: "Bruce Dayton" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 7:06 PM Subject: Re: Nikon's New Manual-focus SLR kicks butt! For the very same reason as Alin, I moved from the Olympus OM-1 to Pentax MX. Couldn't see the needle working with spotlights. The LED's were a godsend. I'm very happy I made the move to Pentax those many years ago. I would never want to go back to a needle again. Bruce Dayton Sacramento, CA - 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 .
Re: Brand wars [WAS: Re: MZ-S is really good ?]
I use both Nikon and Pentax equipment (all old) having on the Nikon side the Nikkormat FTn, FE, F3, N2020 and on the Pentax side Spotmatic, SP-F, ES-II, K1000, MX and program-A. One great thing about them both is that (as far as I can see anyhow- maybe I'm missing something) both marques have retained backward compatibility for decades which allows you to use your existing old lenses even on new equipments and also (not as well known) that the lenses work in the same way, that is the focussing rings turn in the same direction, the f-stop rings ditto and so on. But my own preference is that the Pentax lenses have a certain luminosity which some of the Nikkors lack. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: "Paradiso" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Pentax Mailing List" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 6:50 PM Subject: Brand wars [WAS: Re: MZ-S is really good ?] As the lively chats between Doug Brewer and "Pentax Clover" continues, I'd like to say this: I began photography 21 years ago in 1980 with a Spotmatic II, then over the years went through a K1000, Super Program, 2 MX's and finally an LX in 1996. But in 1998 I finally jumped into the AF foray, not with the Z-1p but a Nikon F90X. For my money the F90X was a much better buy than the Z-1p. I later added an FE2 as MF backup. As much as I enjoy my expanding Nikon system (no flames please), my pride and joy will *ALWAYS* be my LX with its FB1/FC1 finders, LX winder and grips A and B. I now use my LX system with SMCA 24/f2.8, 35-105/f3.5 and 50/f1.8 and AF280T flash (after selling all my other Pentax gear). To lose my LX is akin to losing a limb. Whenever anyone asks me what brand of camera equipment I use, I proudly tell them I own and use both Pentax and Nikon, noting that it's not the brand(s) that matters most, but rather the pursuit of the art of photography and how you wish to capture images that reflect how you see the world. My $0.25. Kenneth Kuo - 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 . - 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 .
Re: Additional comments to Tanya.
- Original Message - From: "Tom Rittenhouse" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Pentax Discussion Malling List" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Tanya Russell Mayer" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 1:03 AM Subject: Additional comments to Tanya. Most real pros only replace their equipment when it wears out, so are often using what most amateurs consider obsolete junk. Amateurs think cameras make pictures, don't fall into that trap. You make pictures, your camera is the tool you use to do that. --Tom Some while ago I sold an M42 lens to a chap who turned up here to see if it fitted and worked on his camera. I was rather surprised to see that he brought with him an old Zenit SLR, the type with a meter on top but no TLR metering. He bought the lens (a Vivitar zoom) with great joy and went on his way rejoicing. I suppose he saw a strange expression on my face so he said that he took wedding photos on a part-time basis to supplement his income. He was quite pleased with his results too and apparently in his community (which was financially challenged) his work was in some demand. From what I know he is by no means the only one of his kind. Whenever I read about all the equipment used by affluent society photogs I tend to remember this chap and the many one never hears about. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: New List Rules! Read This!
Oh no please don't This list (and another I subscribe to) is absolutely charming in a manner no other has ever been, due mainly to the characters of its members which makes it worth reading day after day. Sometimes it's dreary I admit, other times one might even find something of real value but always you find a great sense of fellowship which is unique! Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: "Alan Chan" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 2:24 AM Subject: Re: New List Rules! Read This! With this approach, I think both the size of mails and the amount of members would reduced significantly. I am not saying I would challenge your authority though. 8-( regards, Alan Chan Ok, people, listen up. This off-topic trash has gone on long enough, and I have been forced to take draconian measures. You are permitted one off-topic post per week. The posting of a second one will result in a stern warning letter, and posting three will result in being kicked off this list permanently. You are also limited to two on-topic messages per week. I'm sick of having to read 100+ messages per day. It wasn't like this back in the good old days when Pentax ran things. So shape up or ship out. In about a month I'll be introducing a new aspect to the list. I call it "PDML Survivor." Each week we will vote one of our list members off the list. This should keep the bad elements out of the list, as well as provide amusement for the rest of us. Enjoy! P.S. I will be the judge and jury of off-topic posts. If I don't like what you have to say, or if you just piss me off, you're history. -- Douglas Forrest Brewer Ashwood Lake Photography [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alphoto.com _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. - 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 . - 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 .
Lens advice please
Hello all Some advice from you knowledgeable people please. Sunday morning I want to take a few shots of the Cape Argus Cycle Tour which goes right around the Peninsula and happily right past my house. But I know that the leaders race past at breakneck speed just about sunrise when the light is poor. It is not a good idea in my opinion to use flash so I want to use the available light with 200 ISO colour film (which I tend to use most of the time anyhow). I have the following lenses I could use: Super-Tak 55/1.8, SMC-Tak 55.1.8, Pentax-A 50/2 and Pentax-A 50/1.7. I know there is not much difference between them speed wise but which one will be the best performer at about f2? Alternatively I could use the 50/1.4 Nikkor on my F3 but I would like to use the Spotmatic if at all possible just for old-times sake so I am hoping the vote will be for one of the two M42 lenses. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: PUG comments, part III
Thanks for the comments. I was fortunate I think. These chaps were having a great time but there was nobody around really so when I turned up I was spotted at once, more so since I stood near the spot where they turned about to go back again. This particular chap kept rushing up at me and executing leaps and somersaults so I came to the conclusion he was doing it for the camera and shot several of him. The range was close, maybe about 50 feet or so. The selected area is about half of the whole. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: "Chris Brogden" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2001 10:46 PM Subject: PUG comments, part III " Oops " by Conrad Samuels, South Africa Great shot! I love seeing Spotmatics and other MF cameras used for photos like these. You've nailed the timing beautifully; I just wish we could see more detail in the boarder's face. Did you have to crop much, since you were using a 135mm lens? - 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 .
Re: Bodies Roll Call UPDATE 62
- Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, February 26, 2001 8:13 PM Subject: Bodies Roll Call UPDATE 62 TOTAL ANSWERS: 330 members MANUAL FOCUS: Screw Mount: - SP500...10 - SP1000...8 - Spotmatic...30 - Spotmatic II13 - Spotmatic IIa1 - Spotmatic SP22 - Spotmatic SP II..5 - Spotmatic F.33 - Spotmatic F MD...2 - Spotmatic MD.3 - ES..13 - ES II...20 - ElectroSpotmatic.3 Bayonette: - MX...108 - ME31 - ME SE..1 - ME Super.102 - ME Super SE2 - MV.6 - MG12 - LX...105 You know, I wonder if anyone else has noticed this yet? Frequently one reads that the MX (108) owners are just outnumbering the LX owners (105). But has anyone noticed that the Spotmatic owners far outnumber either of them? Taking all the Spotties but not the ES types you get 127 in all if you include the MD models. If you add the ES-models then the total Spotmatic ownership shown stands at 163. Also look at the ME and its close variants- 154 in all and I haven't included the Program models either! Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: What's good technique?
ken Archer wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 2:28 AM Subject: Re: What's good technique? Using a H1 when I first started was the best training I ever had. I didn't have time to use a meter on many jobs, so estimating the exposure become second nature and my negs where pretty uniform. If I had any doubts, I developed by inspection. FWIW I started with a couple of simple 35mm cameras in the late 50's when such things as TTL metering were AFAIK not even thought of for ordinary folks. After that there were the manual Prakticas and my S1a (which I still have and use). I used handheld meters at first, Weston, Metrawatt, Sekonic but eventually got wise to the Sunny-16 rule and variants thereof which worked for 90 percent of my subjects. In recent years I felt I needed a TTL camera so I bought a Nikon FM and an FM2n but I found them very slow and irritating to use. Oddly enough I also bought a Nikkormat FTn and a Spotmatic which I preferred because in the daytime the needle is easier to see than diode readout. But really, the F3 and the Program-A are to me just perfect. I have become so used to working out the exposure and the settings in general before I take a shot that to fiddle matching needles and diodes is just too much bother. In any event, if you are going to use the camera system anyhow then you might as well settle for Program mode. OK I know it is not always called for but certainly in most cases it does deliver the goods. Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA - 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 .
Re: Help for shooting in an office
Just one thing: IIRC the Yashica D has a Yashikor lens (check this out- not a Yashinon). The Yashikor is a triplet and the Yashinon is a Tessar design which is far better. So now, unless you stop down f5.6 or smaller you MIGHT have some unacceptable falloff around the edges. I owned several TLRs so this seems to ring a bell. What it boils down to is that IF this is the case then you might as well use the Pentax since the results will likely be better over the negative area and you will be able to use the whole negative instead of cropping. Maybe you should use both. Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: "Bill Johnson" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "pentax discuss" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 5:10 AM Subject: OT: Help for shooting in an office If warranted, I have the opportunity to borrow a Yashica D tlr medium format to take the picture (if the fixed "normal" lens provides a usable fov). Thoughts on this? I'm tempted to stay with my Pentaxes if for no other reason than to see how well color 35mm stands being enlarged this much without me spending any money. TIA for your help. William in Utah. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - Buy the things you want at great prices! http://auctions.yahoo.com/ - 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 . - 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 .
Re: What is the 'best' M42 pre-spotmatic camera?
I believe there is a Praktica discussion list of some sort. I cannot find any reference to it though. Anyone know how one can contact them and whether it is in English? I still also have Pentacon FM camera with Tessar 2.8 lens Conrad Samuels Kirstenhof SA - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 1:31 AM Subject: RE: What is the 'best' M42 pre-spotmatic camera? Prakticas are nice, simple, rugged (somewhat. Shutter is rugged, steel. Rest of camera is less, although I have had dropped cracked Prakticas stop metering but still their shutter was all speeds spot on). They are the K-1000 of European camera world - simple cameras great for begginers, cheap. Most photographers started on them, here. They are capable cameras, if a bit ugly (only the L series, though). And had excellent Carl Zeiss Jena lenses usable on them. Frantisek (as you can see, Praktica fan in a way :) - 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 . - 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 .
MX Winder
The other day someone posted something to the effect that the MX winder sometimes gives trouble. I will be grateful for more details, such as what the symptoms are and what the cause of the problem is. Thanks Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof RSA - 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.
Screw mount lens
Yet another question please. I promise not to speak again for a while.. Amongst my various screw mount Pentax lenses is a Vivitar 28mm f2.8 lens which at first sight looks like a Pentax screw mount. Yet when you screw it in it stops about 20 degrees short. In other words the diaphragm activating pin stops about 4 o'clock on the camera flange so that it cannot be stopped down by the camera stop down mechanism. Now I've looked at it from every angle I can, even dismantled it but there is just no way one can adjust or re-set the thread. Does anyone on this list know whether there is a similar thread which almost but not quite matches the M42 thread? Conrad F. Samuels Kirstenhof RSA - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Visit the PUG at http://pug.komkon.org.
