Need your help: Using SMC-M lenses on the K5

[ashwinrao1]

Hi everyone,
I need your help! I trying to use older SMC-M lenses (50 mm f/1.4 SMC-M and 100 mm f/4 SMC-M) on the M9, but can't get the camera to take a picture with these lenses mounted on the camera. On the FA limited, there is an "A" option, which allows the camera to control the lenses aperture, but these SMC-M lenses are entirely manual lenses, with no electronic connection to the camera. When I have these lenses mounted to the camera, regardless of mode (Aperture or Manual), all I get through the viewfinder is a flashing "F--", and the shutter won't release.

Can you guys help me in using these lenses on the Pentax K5?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ashwinrao1]

Got it to work....needed to enable use of the Aperture ring on the camera. Still not sure how to adjust aperture. Moving the ring on the camera does nothing to stopping the lens down....

 

[shadzee]

I addition to enabling the Aperture mode... there is another golden nugget ;-)

the GREEN button!

You can shoot in the Av mode, manually adjust the aperture on the lens, and the camera will choose the shutter speed for you, or...

Set the camera in the M mode, and adjust the aperture ring, and then click the green button, and the camera will adjust the exposure, and then you can manually adjust the shutter speed up and down and set the exposure as you wish.

I use the green button all the time.

 

[Sapphie]

Hi Ashwin

With the M lenses, you really need to set the camera in Manual exposure mode. In this mode you need to set the ISO value manually and the camera uses centre-weighted metering.

To 'quickly' set the correct exposure, set the desired aperture, then press the green button on the back. The camera will stop down and select an appropriate shutter speed. Otherwise, the camera always assumes you have the lens wide open and meters for that.

One other thing, if you have the camera in some other mode, say AV, the camera always meters for wide open and actually uses that aperture, regardless of the setting on the aperture ring.

Good luck!

Lee

 

[Sapphie]

Regarding my last point, I have to remind myself it is true and I think it is. Just been hunting the small print in the manual and the table on page 337, for M lenses, refers to footnote 10, which is over the page (338), in modes other than M, the camera uses

"Av Automatic Exposure with the aperture open (adjusting the aperture ring has no effect on the actual aperture value)"

Had me fooled for a while!

Sam, do you agree with this?

Lee

 

[shadzee]

One other thing, if you have the camera in some other mode, say AV, the camera always meters for wide open and actually uses that aperture, regardless of the setting on the aperture ring.

I don't have an M lens currently to try. I think you're right.

Either way, M mode and the Green button is the way to go... even sometimes with the new lenses.

 

[ashwinrao1]

Thanks to you all. This is very helpful. I found that using the manual focus mode and green button, once setting the aperture, seems to have worked the best for me. For some reason, I couldn't figure the aperture priority metering, and your comments above explain why.

Best, & Thanks

Ashwin