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Prntax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Stopped-Down Metering On The Pentax K-m

CCD Resurgence: Stopped-down metering on the Pentax K-m allows the use of legacy, manual, or adapted lenses without electronic aperture communication.

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The Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US), a compact digital SLR camera with a 10.2MP CCD APS-C image sensor, was introduced on September 22, 2008. The entry-level camera was fitted with a K_AF2 lens-mount system and was supplied, for the twin lens kit, with the lightweight and KAF2-specific SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 AL and SMC Pentax-DA L 50-200mm 1:4-5.6 ED lenses.

The K_AF2-mount, a follow-up from the K_F, K_A, and K_AF mounts, was Pentax's development sequence for adding auto-focus features to its lenses. The first K_A-mount, for example, allows the lens's aperture opening to be set by the camera body. This enables shutter priority and program auto exposure modes.

The KAF2-mount, however, does not have the aperture coupling lever to tell the camera what aperture the lens is set to, which means that the older generation of manual focus lenses, when fitted to the camera, will not be able to communicate their aperture setting to the camera. Vice versa, the camera cannot put the lens into auto-aperture mode either.

A legacy Pentax-K lens, say the SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4, can still be used on the Pentax K-m digital SLR, both in fully manual mode and stopped-down manual mode, with the proviso of a couple of caveats.

First, for image stabilization functionality, the lens's focal length must be indexed to the camera's lens registry, done on power-up, where the 'Input Focal length' menu is displayed, and the focal length (from 8 to 800mm) is selected from the display bar.

Second, for the stopped-down manual mode, the metering function of the camera needs to be activated to measure the scene and record the aperture setting for the lens before releasing the shutter, and when the shutter is released, set the lens aperture to the reading automatically.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

This is done by first pressing the 'Green' button, or in the case of the Pentax K-m, the 'Exposure Compensation' button, before releasing the shutter button. When observing the scene through the camera's viewfinder, you will notice a slight darkening of the viewfinder when you press the 'Exposure Compensation' button as the camera runs the metering option for the correct lens aperture opening.

The steps may sound rather complex initially, but once you get the hang of the routine, getting the correct exposure for your shots with the stopped-down metering method is all but a breeze. All the best!

The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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The Galleria, Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4

CCD Resurgence: The Pentax K-m/K2000, and a vintage legacy SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4 for a bright 75mm equivalent manual-focus telephoto portrait lens.

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An early morning "Start of Day" shoot with the SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4, a highly regarded vintage prime lens known for its compact size, superb build quality, and excellent, high-contrast performance. The lens, though, which was in production from 1975 to 1977, is more often wrongly misrepresented as the later version SMC Pentax-M 50mm 1:1.4 (1977 to 1984), which is lighter, more compact, and has almost similar image characteristics.

And just as well, the lens series was not officially referred to as a K-series lens by Pentax, a designation given to later K-mount lenses (such as the M, A, F, FA, and DA series) produced in tandem with later model cameras.

Introduced by Pentax with the launch of Pentax K-series 35mm SLR film cameras, the lens was in production from 1975 to 1977. It is an all-metal and glass 7-element in 6 groups (with SMC coating) 35mm full frame lens, has an automatic 8-blade diaphragm, and an aperture ring with a range from f1.4 to f22.

The SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4 is an all metal and glass 7 elements in 6 groups (with SMC coating) 35mm full frame lens, with an automatic 8-blade diaphragm, an aperture ring with a range from f/1.4 to f/22, a compact dimension of 63mm (diameter) x 43 mm (length), a minimum focusing distance of 45cm, weighs 265 grams, and takes 52mm filters.

It is rated for Sharpness at 9.0, Aberrations at 8.6, Bokeh at 9.4, Handling at 9.5, and Value at 9.1 on PentaxForums.

Reviews indicate that images are rather soft wide open at f/1.4, with sharpness improving markedly from about f/2 to f/2.8 onwards, with very good central and edge quality when stopped down. Bokeh is smooth and creamy.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

The Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US) is a compact, entry-level 10.2MP CCD DSLR from 2009, noted for its ease of use, light weight, and fast autofocus. The camera, with built-in shake reduction and good high-ISO performance, is ideal for beginners for its ease of use and automated features.

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4 III

CCD Resurgence: The street scene with a Pentax K-m, and SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4, a perfect kit setup as both comes with the standard Pentax K-mount.

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Had the chance to take out the 10MP CCD Pentax K-m, mounted with the SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4, for an early morning street shoot at the Balai Baru Farmer's Market, or Nat, at a suburban center on the outskirts of Kangar, the capital of Perlis.

The word Nat, or a farmers' street market, offering fresh produce and household necessities, is synonymous with the two northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, Kedah and Perlis, held alternatively at differing locations each day.  Normally starting after the dawn prayer, the Nat peters out as the sun rises and ends around midday.

This one here, in Balai Baru, is held thrice a week, with the main market day being on Saturdays, while the other two supportive days, with a smaller crowd of buyers and sellers, are on Mondays and Wednesdays. The market activities, aside from being housed under a covered area built by the municipality, sprawl along both sides of the road frontage, making it a slow crawl for motorized traffic and a leisure shopping experience for the pedestrian shoppers.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4

As for the compact and handy circa 2012 10MP CCD Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US), the camera is as good as it comes and still works flawlessly despite its age. The SMC Pentax-A 35-70mm f/4, the only 35-70mm Pentax lens with a fixed aperture, is equally competent at capturing the essence of the morning event, shooting against the sun and all. For CCD digital camera enthusiasts, the Pentax K-m is worth a look at, not too many around on the auction market though, with prices that tend to be slightly higher than average.