Pentax camera/lens combo - practical?

Good day, and thank you in advance for your assistance.

I am beginning to look for a digital SLR - never had digital. I want an SLR
because more things are eventually possible by varying lenses, not because I
have really great skills. Also, I'm going to Alaska this year so I want to
be able to take the best shots I can. Anyway...

Between us, my father and I have two Pentax film cameras and we like them.
He uses a Pentax model #SF1n and has a few lenses for it.

I've read Pentax's Web pages and it seems that the lenses that we have for
the SF1n will mount to and function with either the Pentax DS or the *istDS.
So I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on using those lenses, which
were made for a film camera, on a digital body...

Thank you again.


Steve E.

"Serious_Practitioner" schrieb im
Newsbeitrag
...
I've read Pentax's Web pages and it seems that the lenses that we have for
the SF1n will mount to and function with either the Pentax DS or the
*istDS. So I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on using those lenses,
which were made for a film camera, on a digital body...


I have heard of no problems so far.
But I would nevertheless buy the kit lens, too. It is good.

In article
,
"Serious_Practitioner" wrote:

Between us, my father and I have two Pentax film cameras and we like them.
He uses a Pentax model #SF1n and has a few lenses for it.

I've read Pentax's Web pages and it seems that the lenses that we have for
the SF1n will mount to and function with either the Pentax DS or the *istDS.
So I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on using those lenses, which
were made for a film camera, on a digital body...

Which lenses do you and your dad have? Any of the lenses for the SF1n
will work on the DS.

I have a DS and besides the kit lens (which is surprisingly good) I use
an FA 50mm 1.4 which is just wonderful. It works perfectly on my camera.
I also us an SMC-A 80-210mm manual focus lens which I also like very
much. It also works perfectly on the DS, without autofocus of course.

The excellent viewfinder on the DS series allows for easy manual
focusing and there is a visual and audible focus assist indicator.

Keep in mind the crop factor when using film lenses on the DS. Multiply
the focal length of a film lens by 1.5.

The DS and *istDS are the same, and have been superseded by the DS2.

I've been extremely happy with my camera and don't hesitate to recommend
Pentax.

--
One is always considered mad when one perfects something that others can
not grasp.*- Ed Wood

My apologies. I'm in the wrong group.


Steve E.




"Serious_Practitioner" wrote in message
...
Good day, and thank you in advance for your assistance.

I am beginning to look for a digital SLR - never had digital. I want an
SLR because more things are eventually possible by varying lenses, not
because I have really great skills. Also, I'm going to Alaska this year so
I want to be able to take the best shots I can. Anyway...

Between us, my father and I have two Pentax film cameras and we like them.
He uses a Pentax model #SF1n and has a few lenses for it.

I've read Pentax's Web pages and it seems that the lenses that we have for
the SF1n will mount to and function with either the Pentax DS or the
*istDS. So I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on using those lenses,
which were made for a film camera, on a digital body...

Thank you again.


Steve E.

Actually this is exactly the group you want, lots of Pentax users using
their cameras for good not evil!

"Serious_Practitioner" wrote in message
...
My apologies. I'm in the wrong group.


Steve E.




"Serious_Practitioner" wrote in
message ...
Good day, and thank you in advance for your assistance.

I am beginning to look for a digital SLR - never had digital. I want an
SLR because more things are eventually possible by varying lenses, not
because I have really great skills. Also, I'm going to Alaska this year
so I want to be able to take the best shots I can. Anyway...

Between us, my father and I have two Pentax film cameras and we like
them. He uses a Pentax model #SF1n and has a few lenses for it.

I've read Pentax's Web pages and it seems that the lenses that we have
for the SF1n will mount to and function with either the Pentax DS or the
*istDS. So I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on using those
lenses, which were made for a film camera, on a digital body...

Thank you again.


Steve E.

when you guys say kits lens , which one did you mean the 18-50 lens ???

--

http://photobucket.com/albums/b216/corks67/my-bikes/


"John Meyer" wrote in message
...

I have a DS and besides the kit lens (which is surprisingly good) I use
an FA 50mm 1.4 which is just wonderful. It works perfectly on my camera.
I also us an SMC-A 80-210mm manual focus lens which I also like very
much. It also works perfectly on the DS, without autofocus of course.

Probably, they are pretty reasonable, mind you for 4 or 5 times the price
you can get the Pentax 16-45mm ED AL, very sweet.

"corks" wrote in message
...
when you guys say kits lens , which one did you mean the 18-50 lens ???

--

http://photobucket.com/albums/b216/corks67/my-bikes/


"John Meyer" wrote in message
...

I have a DS and besides the kit lens (which is surprisingly good) I use
an FA 50mm 1.4 which is just wonderful. It works perfectly on my camera.
I also us an SMC-A 80-210mm manual focus lens which I also like very
much. It also works perfectly on the DS, without autofocus of course.

The lenses with your father's SF1n should be F ones and they should be
fully compatible with the *ist DS.

The major concern instead is the 1.535X focal length multipler. Just
say if you used to have a SMC F 28-80/3.5-4.5 standard zoom lens
mounted on the DS, it will become a 43-123 lens in terms of the same
Angle of View. Afterall, you shall need to get also the kit lens, say,
18-55 (I got mine at only $60), which is equivalent to 28-84 in film
sense) to cover the missed wide side and this will become the new
standard zoom.

Also just wish to remind you that if you have older TTL flashgun with
your old SF1n, don't get the *ist DL as it don't have the TTL flash
metering sensor and thus TTL auto flash is not possible. For more
details, see:-

http://www.geocities.com/ricehigh/P-TTL_Vs_TTL.html

Best Regards,
RiceHigh
http://www.geocities.com/ricehigh

Thank you all. I have to digest this and do some more reading, but this
raises another question. Why does the focal length of the lens "multiply"?


Steve E.




"RiceHigh" wrote in message
ups.com...
The lenses with your father's SF1n should be F ones and they should be
fully compatible with the *ist DS.

The major concern instead is the 1.535X focal length multipler. Just
say if you used to have a SMC F 28-80/3.5-4.5 standard zoom lens
mounted on the DS, it will become a 43-123 lens in terms of the same
Angle of View. Afterall, you shall need to get also the kit lens, say,
18-55 (I got mine at only $60), which is equivalent to 28-84 in film
sense) to cover the missed wide side and this will become the new
standard zoom.

Also just wish to remind you that if you have older TTL flashgun with
your old SF1n, don't get the *ist DL as it don't have the TTL flash
metering sensor and thus TTL auto flash is not possible. For more
details, see:-

http://www.geocities.com/ricehigh/P-TTL_Vs_TTL.html

Best Regards,
RiceHigh
http://www.geocities.com/ricehigh

Actually the physical focal length doesn't change. It's just that the
size of the CCD sensor is changed. 135 film is in 36 x 24 mm and thus
the diagonal length is 43mm. APS-C DSLRs like Pentax *ist D series ones
are with CCD of size 15.7 x 23.5 mm (approx.) and thus with a diagonal
length of 28mm.

With the change of the sensor size, the image is *cropped* and thus the
effective Angle Of View (AOV) or Field Of View (FOV) is narrowed. In
order to obtain the *same* AOV, one must use a wider lens and the
conversion factor between the "old" and the "new" for equivalent AOV is
the "mulitplying factor" or commonly called the "crop factor". In this
case, the crop factor is simply calculated by 43mm/28mm which is
roughly equal to 1.535X.

Hope this explains clear enough for your ques.

BR,
RiceHigh
http://www.geocities.com/ricehigh