Microprism screen for *istD

Hi, I just read about this pretty neat trick. A guy in Finland put a microprism/splitscreen focusing screen from a MX to his *istD. First of all he noticed that the *istD indeed has interchangable screens. Since the MX has larger screens he had cut it a bit to make it fit. Once in place, the MX

Q: Pentax 5,5x lupe

Hi, I did some research on the Pentax 5,5x lupe. Judging by the specs it seems to be one of the best alternatives for a photographer with glasses - mainly because of it´s big eye relief. The thing is that there are totally contradictory verdicts on a possible distortion problem. Three reviews on

Q: Motor Drive A

Hi, how does the shutter release on this motor drive work? Is it completely electrical unlike the Winder ME II, which has a vibration producing mechanical release? All other comments are also welcome on the Motor Drive A. Thanks! -Matti

Re: 180mm lens for Pentax 35mm

Shel wrote: Is there anyone making a 180mm lens comparable in quality to the A*200/2.8 that will fit or can be adapted to the K mount? No need for auto focus, just good optical quality. Tamron SP 180mm f:2.5 LD [IF] is a beauty. Two low dispersion elements and focuses to 1,2 meters with a

Bad PR

From Pentax USA concerning the *ist D: *Compatible lenses: K, KA, KAF, and KAF2 mount lenses; screw mount lenses, 645, and 67 series lenses (adapter required). Some functions may not activate depending on the choice of lens. Still it wouldn't surprise me if the production version of the *ist D

Kalimar MC Auto 35-135mm f:3.5

Hi gang, does anyone know anything about a Kalimar 35-135mm f:3.5? According to the third party cult classics page (http://medfmt.8k.com/third/table1.txt) it appears to be introduced in 1984 and it´s got a macro mode. One of these lenses just might be related to the Kalimar: kiron35-135

re: *ist and the lens mount.

Roland wrote: In a sense, this is a logical move since the *ist is entry level (replaces the MZ-60, MZ-7 and MZ-6). I believe that the two more upmarket models (the replacement for the MZ-3/5n and the MZ-S) will feature KAF3 with full backwards compatibility. I don´t see how there could

Re[2]: KAF3 lens mount already here?

Alin wrote: Until they come up with serious technological propositions like IS/USM that really tempt the users to buy new lenses, abandoning full K mount compatibility is not an option. Well put, I totally agree. Nikon introduced the manually challenged F80 in 2000 and the lens it

Re: KAF3 lens mount already here?

Arnold wrote: Boz, you keep repeating the same wrong speculation, so I will quote again what Pentax USA writes: This is what they write on the *ist: Usable lenses - Pentax KAF2-(power zoom not available), KAF-, KA- and K-mount lenses (Autofocus possible with KA- and K-mount lenses using

Updating the big zooms

Hi, the 28-70 and 80-200/2.8 FA*´s are getting older and don´t match the modern Pentax AF line very well in terms of apperance and features. If Pentax intends to make replacements for them why not introduce a totally new line of high grade f:3.5 zooms? Just think about it: smaller, lighter and

*Ist focusing issues

Hi gang, a couple of focusing issues crossed my mind concerning both new cameras. The bodies have the new Safox VIII AF, but will they also have a AF motor stronger of as strong as the MZ-S? It would be nice if some MZ-S owner got a hands on with the film *ist and could compare the AF speeds.

Re: Ist der *ist der DSLR?

Alin wrote: I still can't see where you drew your conclusions about K/M incompatibility with higher models. After all, Pentax makes few dollars from cutting off the mechanical coupling, but it does make money from putting pressure on the customers to buy new lenses. *ist is the

Re: Sigma 24/2.8 Super Wide II

Hi, I recieved my Sigma EX 24mm/1.8 just today. I can't comment on the optical quality yet (other than no distortion visible), but the mechanical side could be better. Focusing from 18cm to infinity in a quarter of a twist takes getting used to since I use only manual focusing gear. The focus

Image stabilizers on Pentax

From the Minolta users group: But, just in case you didn't know, a UK magazine (Outdoor Photography) quotes Sigma as saying that the new 80-400mm F4/F5.6 Optical Stabilised lens will be made available in both Minolta AF and Pentax mounts later this year. Canon and Nikon Mount versions should be

RE: A new DSLR standard emerging?

Hi gang, I bet Pentax has all this time been waiting for the sensor technology to upgrade on a level that a good quality 5 mpix 17x13mm chip can be made. The Digital Auto 110 would be something ;) -mte

Q: Winder ME II

Hi, I have a question about the Winder ME II, which I seldomly use with my Super A. The winder seems to lengthen the shutter delay of the camera and I´m really not too happy about that. AFAIK, after pressing the shutter release button on the winder the motor starts winding and _after_ that the

TTL-flash metering

Just wondering about the TTL-flash metering pattern of the Super A/Program. Is it centerweight or average full frame? How about the newer Pentaxes? Is there any multisegment metering done for TTL-flashes like in E-TTL for EOS? -Matti - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To

Re: Build quality of 3rd party lenses

[3rd party talk] (and until recently a manual 80-200 2.8 SD zoom) and they are all well built - ver much like Pentax MF lenses. Sturdy, maybe slightly heavy, lots of metal, solid. I'd always consider a Tok. I have Tamron 80-200/2.8 and 24/2.5 adaptall-2 lenses. I have aquired both of them

P-TTL?

Hi, I just read an old Photokina report by Ralf Engelmann (http://www.mtu-net.ru/penta/archive/4/exhibition/photokina_eng.htm) and made some observations on the new flash. I haven't heard of a P-TTL flash before. Maybe this is a 6-segment TTL flash metering mode? Does anyone have good

Re: Back Lit Birds

Opinion: Flash photography of wild animals is invasive. Just to throw some gasoline to fire up this thread: For 90% of the birds: Im still wondering what ever happened to the poor flying squirrle (Pteromys volans) photographed by a known finnish natute photographer Benjamin Pntinen. He used