Houston, we have camera!!

[Dragoness]

ok i am going to c/p part of this from another post i made on my moms board

Today I saw my mom and I got the old Pentax 36mm fil SLR and 3 lenses that will work on my Pentax K100D that I ordered tonight!
camera
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6222&A=details&Q=&sku=438218&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

camera bag
, but in blue
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=176&A=details&Q=&sku=321693&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

and a cleaning kit



The film camera has...
1:1.4 50 mm lens

a pentax flash with like a million settings on it, can anyone tell me what they are for?

1:2.8 28 mm lens, it says auto focus

and
Vivitar series 1 70-210 mm 1:2.8-4.0
macro focusing zoom

a few filters, including a polarizing one


I am so excited! And the best part is I remember my mom taking me all kinds of cool places and taking photos with this stuff. I remember her letting me use it too (she set it up)

I am so excited! So I will shoot in film for a few days while waiting for digital. Time to start reading, there are so many numbers!!!

Can anyone tell me about the menses and what they are good for?

 

[dinodan]

Congrats!

I'm not a Pentax guy, but I can give you some generic info.

The 50mm lens is considered "normal" in 35mm photography. It gives a range of vision comparable to what the human eye sees. Due to the so-called digital "crop factor" (not sure exactly what this is with Pentax), this will give a much narrower field of vision on a digital camera. This makes 50mm a pretty good portrait lens in digital. The f/1.4 aperture is very good for shooting in low light. Just remember that your depth of field is very shallow at this setting.

The 28mm lens is a moderate wide angle in 35mm film photography. In digital, again because of the crop factor, it's more akin to slightly wide "normal" lens in film (42mm or so). I have a 28mm lens that I use a lot on my digital camera. I would guess that this is the lens you'll be using most of the time.

The 70-210 zoom, on your new digital camera, will be a moderately powerful telephoto (roughly 105-315 35mm equivalent). This should work well for sports, etc. as along as there is a reasonable amount of light. Actually, the 2.8-4.0 aperture range is pretty decent.

Not being a Pentax guy, I can't help much with the flash. Modern flashes are pretty much no-brainers though. Whenever possible (if the flash you got permits it), "bounce" the light off a ceiling or wall to get the best results. The owner's manual will tell you everything you need to know.

It sounds to me as though you've got everything you need for a great start. Have fun!

 

[Alex_B]

Congratulations

 

[avcabob]

My mom also had some old Pentax equip. and that's the same reason I went and bought a K100D. I also have a Vivitar series 1 and probably my favorite lens.

One tip, get some CVR3 batteries. They are basically 2 AA in one package, but the camera will go thought AA like nothing. When I first got my camera, and was taking pictures of anything learning it's ins and outs, I had to change the batteries daily until I got the lithium's. And they last me about 2 months, and I use the camera on an almost daily basis.

As for the crop factor, the Pentax is a 1.5. So multiply the focal lengths of the old lenses to find out how they will look with the new camera. If you look through a lens on the old 35mm, and then put it on the digital and look at the same thing, it's easy to see the difference.

I also got a flash with more setting then I knew what to do with, but unfortunately, the bulb had gone out and it wasn't something that can just be replaced so I can't help you with that. Best bet would be to try and find the manual to the flash on the internet. Same goes for the old camera as well. It'll help with finding out what all those "numbers" mean.

 

[Dragoness]

thank you everyone, i will try and search the flash later today.
i am sending hubby out for those batteries too.

i have a question about the 35mm... what the heck would i have to have done to shred the film in the canister while rewinding it???

 

[DSLR noob]

I have the same Vivitar for my Canon AE-1 the guy who appraised it said that it is rediculously sharp, and he is right.

 

[Don Simon]

Just a bit of advice - the circuitry in many modern cameras can't handle the voltages used with older flashes. Not only will some older flashes not work but attempting to use one with an excessive voltage can short out the camera's flash circuitry. Before attaching that flash to the K100d I would check its voltage - this site is for Canon EOS users but I believe a similar voltage limit applies.

By the way, do some of the lenses have an "A" on the aperture ring? If so you will be able to meter with them as with a modern lens, and can control the aperture from the body and use aperture or shutter priority mode. If not you will need to stop down the aperture (use DOF preview) when metering, and will have to select aperture on the lens. Either way the lenses will work, and it sounds like you have some good ones there.

 

[Dragoness]

Oh I will check into the flash thing, thanks!

There is an "A" on one lens for sure, let me check them.

ok 28 mm doesn't

50mm does, its a fisheye lens

the telephoto does as well

 

[dinodan]

50mm "fisheye"? That does not compute... 15mm would be a fisheye, but not a 50.

 

[Don Simon]

Well if it's a 50mm f/1.4 it's definitely not a fisheye. Also if the 28mm doesn't have an automatic aperture setting then AFAIK it can't be autofocus.

 

[Dragoness]

ok well my mom said it was a fisheye, apparently its not

 

[table1349]

Houston, this is one small step for man, one giant leap for photography.

Now get off the fourm board and don't report back until you have some photos to share.

Good luck and have lots of fun.

 

[Dragoness]

But I'm still waiting for it to arrive, and its driving me batty!

 

[table1349]

Ok, you can stick around until the the package arrives, but then...........


I do feel your pain. When I order from B&H I always try to order at O dark thirty in the morning so it ships by the time I get home.
:smileys:

I hate waiting.

 

[table1349]

Dragoness

Has the camera arrived yet???????????????????????????