light meter on side of viewfinder

[davidhampshire]

i wish they had a light-meter arrow on/in the viewfinder for using manual lenses,   you know?   as i think i remember seeing on some older film cameras,  for using with manual lenses,   or is this just another of my amateur-hour thoughts......     



dave   

[Ron Kruger]

I remember the old arrows, or needles, but the overexposure/underexposure scale in the viewfinder does exactly the same thing.

[davidhampshire]

i was thinking of my dad's canon tx,   which i used as a kid a couple times,     with that you could ,  if i remember correctly,   change the aperture with the ring,  and shutter speed somehow.... don't remember that part.....   and the little arrow on the side of the viewfinder would point to the middle if you had the right exposure ?    so you could be looking through the viewfinder and adjust those til the arrow lined up .    manual lens. 

dave

[Ron Kruger]

I only used a couple of old manual lens a few years ago, but I believe you can do the same thing with the wheels. Or you can use the apature ring by enabling it in the custom menus. Not sure about the K5, but with the K20D, you had to press the green button first.
Hank or Tim should know a lot about this. Between them, or maybe separately, they have every lens ever made.

[calsan]

My K10 and K7 show the little meter down the bottom of the viewfinder with  +/- 2ev, but you need to be in M mode.
They haven't completely abandoned the old fogeys.

[davidhampshire]

yeah,  the exposure meter thing is there on the k-5,    i know that,   it shows how much compensation you select,       this other meter confirmed your exposure,  as is the intent of the red dot or green light for focus confirmation,  sort of,       but i know there is no substitute for ' knowing what you are doing '     it was just a thought.       the green button is a good feature,   too,   with manual lenses to give me a start for correct exposure;      the old arrow thing was sort of like ron's program mode,   almost....     ok,   forget about it  .

dave 

[blackcloudbrew]

Hmmm...seems like we got to an answer here. Dave I think I know what you mean. Apparently with the K5 the indicator for Ev in the view screen will show either Ev or the electronic level. If the level is on Ev are displayed as +/- X to the right of the level. Turn the level off and the K5 works like the K10/K20 does. I actually didn't realize that until now. Anyway, yes the green button is the magic tool with old lenses.

[Pacerr]

Let me wander off on the usual tangents here.

First, let's not confuse the +/- EV compensation flag with the over/under exposure readout shown in Manual mode. The first is a persistent, intentional correction, the second acts much as the moving needle or colored LEDs in older bodies and is a shot-to-shot variable.

Second, here's where picking up a cheap ME, ME-S or MX film body would come in handy even if you don't intend to ever shoot film today. The hands-on experience just using those older bodies as a light meter can be quite instructive. And I believe there's something to be learned just by experiencing the 'feel' of the older, pre-ZX-type bodies and view finders even if it's just the ambiance of the era and an appreciation of the craftsmanship in those older 'pre-plastic' cameras.  You might find one today with one of those choice SMC M lenses included for the price of a fast-food lunch in a garage sale. (A ZX-M would work but isn't anywhere near the same 'feel'.

The last point is a habit building exercise. Many of the ol' f@rts here still have memories, if not actual habits, of pre-calculating each exposure from the days before TTL metering. (I thought I'd died an' gone to camera-heaven when I could afford my first Spotmatic so I could avoid doin' the "math" for macro shots.) Make time for a coupl'a walk-abouts where you estimate the exposure for various lighting conditions and subjects then manually set your best guess and shoot. Then use the auto exposure features and duplicate the shot. Compare the results with the histogram and 'blinkies' and rigorously debrief each shot in the browser. You'll learn a lot quickly and gain confidence in your judgement of good and bad exposures. And, you may soon be surprised that your SWAGs will sometimes turn out to be more appealing than the AE metered shots -- leading to the first step in developing a personal "style".

H²

[davidhampshire]

you are right,  pacerr,    that +/- thing  is supposed to function as the needle did,   and isn't working in manual mode  now,   wonder if something is going on with my camera,     don't remember seeing it work for a long while now.    thanks,   and i do have an old pentax k1000 that came with a 50 f2 lens i bought , before i knew a 50 f2 isn't the greatest lens,   so i could mess around with that a bit.   sometimes you seem to know as much as ron does.    what the heck.      dave

[Pacerr]

. . .  you seem to know as much as ron does. 

   

Yeah, well I told 'im I'd teach 'im how to build a camera if he'd teach me how to make money with one!

[spyglass]

Perhaps a tangent off of the tangent in terms of discussion...... but one recommendation I would offer is to buy yourself a small Sekonic hand held light meter. A light meter is a great tool that you can use to evaluate the shot you intend to take. Sure you can use your camera to obtain possible exposure settings, but the light meter reduced all the "camera distraction" and allows you to see the many exposure options open to you mapped out at once. Light meters also allows you to read both incidental and reflected lighting. This can be very handy when working with reflectors and their placement. It is a great learning tool that can be picked up at little cost.

http://www.sekonic.com/Pr...ducts/L-208/Overview.aspx


If you can make time, go online and read up on Ansel Adams "Zone System". It was a mandatory read when I took photography in school. It will expand your ideas on scene evaluation, and offers a linear guide of characterizing subjects / element within your photo.





Spyglass

[Pacerr]

Just makin' a wild guess here (as I'm still happily befuddled with a basket full'a K200's) but if you've pressed the Green Button you'd zero the manual TTL exposure and center the needle/flag making it appear there was no adjustment readout. I can't imagine that function failed without other serious problems as well.

Ref: "In manual mode, pressing the green button sets the shutter speed and aperture as they would be in program mode (using the metered value and selected program-line)."  -- so there'd be no un-centered +/- indication present.

H2

[davidhampshire]

that sounds good,  then spy,   i'll get one of those light meters,   never used one,   though i have heard of them of course,   and i'll read that ansel adams theory as well,   thanks,

and pacerr,  something is definitely going on with my camera  --  in manual mode,   today,   with a k30mm manual lens on ,    the shutter went crazy,  three,  five,  and more,  several shutter actuations with one press of the shutter,  then back to normal,  one,  then multiple again,    it's getting worse too.     this is not good.     dave   

[spyglass]

David, multiple firing.... it sound like your camera is in "burst" mode.

Another thing you may want to do is to return your camera to it factory default settings (making sure to observe and alter any setting pertaining to the use of manual lenses). The manual will tell you how to easily perform it.

You should also check to see if you have the latest firmware install. Many people assume that when they buy a device that it is up to date. I have purchased brand new devices, released less than 3 months, that have been 3 firmware updates out of date.

Check to make sure the lens contact pins on your body and on your lens are clean.

Hopefully your camera is fine. Please keep us updated.


Spyglass

[davidhampshire]

ok,   i'll re set things,   and try those others too,   thanks.