pentax lens compatibility

[captain canuck]

i'm looking at purchasing the pentax is ds, and one factor is going to be if i can use my lens from my 35mm pentax. the front of the lens say "smc pentax-m 1:1.7 50mm" near the joint on the camera side there is a "fp" as well as an x. does anyone know if this would be compatible or point me in the right direction to find out ? thanks

brett

[jeisner]

One of Pentax's advantages IMO (shows respect to their customers) is that ALL Pentax K mount lenses will work on the *ist DS

This includes K series, M series (such as your lens), A series, F series, FA series and obviously the new DA and DFA series lenses...

The old M42 lenses will even work, but you will need an adapter obviously to mount them...

[Bronson]

Well, as long as the subject has been breached...

We purchased our first DSLR tonight, the Pentax *ist DS.

We also have owned a pair of basic K1000's for many years, so naturally we have a few lenses that we assumed were useful on the new *ist.

But, when I mount up the lenses and try to use them, the F stop indicator (in the view finder) is flashing "F_ _ ", and it disables the camera. On all settings, including manual. It's like it's dead.

What, pray tell, is this newbie doing wrong?

I assume it's novice related, user error.

Help?

[jeisner]

In the custom menu there is an option to enable 'apeture control via ring' or something like that, if you haven't found it by the time I get home (about an hour) I will check on mine and tell you the exact menu option..

Basically just turn this on and it all works, I am not certain why they just don't leave this on by default...

[Bronson]

AHA!

THANKS! I feel like Dr. Frankenstien after he gets the creature to awaken.

"It worrrrrrrrrrrrrrksssss!"

One other question is this.

Should all, some, or none of the older autofocus lenses function automatically (true autofocus mode)? We have an 80-200 AF that's probably 10 years old at least, and it does not work fully. It's fine maually now, but...

I presume that the technology is too developed now? Or is it just another setting I need to alter?

[jeisner]

It should work I have never heard anyone complain of a lens that did not work on the DS? My SFX has some trouble with AF functions of some Sigma lenses but everything works on the DS?

What do you mean exactly by work fully?

[Bronson]

EDIT: I started thinking about it more, and it's a manual lens... It was a hand me down and I presumed it was an AF. I just found a description of it on the web...

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/lenses/z...0f4.7-5.6.html

http://www.pentaximaging.com/product...ital_35mm_zoom



Thanks so much...

[jeisner]

Thats not an AF lens ;-)

It is an A series lens they were not AutoFocus... Pentax-A lenses had an 'A' postion (as the name suggests) so they allowed aperture control from the camera, but are still manual focus...

Only F, FA, DA and DFA series lenses are auto focus.

Strangely some A series (MF) lenses are still made, including that one, I guess there are enough people still using Pentax MF cameras (I still use my P30n from time to time) to warrant making them still...

[Bronson]

I was stunned to see it on the pentax website still..

shoot!

I'm such a newbie to the auto everything camera!