Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

single frame: Butterfly bush branch

Jim Grey
15 comments on single frame: Butterfly bush branch
Butterfly bush

Butterfly bush branch
Pentax K10D, 50mm f/2 SMC Pentax-M
2017

Photo blogger Dan James has long sung the praises of his digital Pentax K10D SLR as a way to shoot his vintage Pentax lenses. This is an older DSLR, introduced in 2006. I found one used for a good price and bought it.

I’ve only just started experimenting with it, but I was able to make good images right away. There are a couple menu settings to set right, and a couple extra steps to take with each frame. But these cameras are made to take even the oldest K-mount lenses. And with an adapter (which I haven’t bought yet), they’ll work well with the older screw-mount Takumar lenses, too. I really want to put my 35mm f/3.5 SMC Takumar on this camera!

Comments

15 responses to “single frame: Butterfly bush branch”

  1. Dan Cluley Avatar
    Dan Cluley

    I will be interested to see what your thoughts are on this as you go along.

    I have a K-x which is a couple of years newer than the K10d. I bought it last winter with the idea that I would only need a body since I already had an assortment of K mount lenses. Quickly missing the convenience of the autofocus & zoom from my point & shoot digital I did pick up a modern 18-55 which gets used most of the time.

    I do find that my primes are great for night shooting when the extra f stops come in handy, and my 200mm has a lot more reach than the P&S zoom.

    Overall I really like it, and have probably shot twice as much this year.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I’m looking for a 28-80 AF lens for it, for everyday shooting. But first, to buy that K-to-M42 adapter…

      Reply
  2. dan james Avatar
    dan james

    Jim, really excited to see and hear of your future adventures with the K10D and manual lenses…

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Looking forward to getting back to it. I don’t know which box the K10D is in … still unpacking.

      Reply
  3. conspicari Avatar
    conspicari

    Lovely colours Jim. I am tempted as I have a few K mount lenses.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I picked up the body for a hundred bucks — that was the upper limit for me to give this a whirl.

      Reply
  4. bodegabayf2 Avatar
    bodegabayf2

    I will be watching this experiment with anticipation! I was close to buying a Pentax digital for this very same reason.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      FWIW I got my K10D body for about $100, and if I don’t like it I could sell it for that, so except for shipping this would be a zero-sum game. That’s how I justified this experiment to myself, at any rate!

      Reply
  5. tbm3fan Avatar
    tbm3fan

    I have a bunch of M42 Takumar lenses but only a handfull of K mounts.Nonetheless, when I decided I would buy one very good used digital SLR it was going to be Minolta. Minolta was my first real camera back in 1971 and I am very attached to them. My Minolta collection is extensive. Since I had a bunch of A mount lenses for the Maxxum 7000 I could use them on a digital. Took several years to find a nice body Maxxum 7D which cost around $225.

    Not a ton of megapixels but it was very expensive in it’s days and apparently well thought of and then Minolta left the field. Reading the manual was like studying for an organic chem final compared to older manuals. I don’t use it as much so I have to refresh my memory in some of the menu button locations. The older auto focus Minolta lenses are great lenses to begin with. Minolta flash guns had bad reps so I found an NOS Metz flash which works well but you will do it in manual which is fine with me.

    I last used it here on a FM2 Wildcat. As you will note my screen name of tbm3fan relates to the TBM3E Avenger which I had the chance to restore in 1999-2003 as I am a big Navy fan.
    http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/showthread.php?t=61615&page=47

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I considered buying a Sony body to go with the passel of alpha-mount lenses from the various Maxxums I’ve owned. But I decided to get out of the Minolta world, except for the old all-mechanical, all-manual stuff, because I had so much trouble with failing bodies. In the end I think I’m solidifying around Pentax and Nikon as my two platforms. I will probably keep my Minolta SR-T 101 and a Canon FD-mount body just for kicks but that will be that.

      Nice work on that plane, both the resto and the photos!

      Reply
  6. Christopher Smith Avatar
    Christopher Smith

    I use a Pentax K-x (digital) with M42 adapter for all my M42 glass make sure when you buy an adapter you get one that will focus to infinity.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      I gather the original Pentax adapters allow it, and that off-brand adapters offer the risk of getting stuck on the camera. So I’m looking for an original Pentax adapter.

      Reply
  7. The Writing Waifu Avatar
    The Writing Waifu

    Very nice. :)

    Also, I nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award. If you want to participate, awesome. If not, I still think you and your blog are awesome. (I know these things can come off as a bit spammy, but I genuinely enjoy seeing your posts and wanted to give you a shout out.)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Oh, thank you for the nomination! I’m so happy you enjoy my little blog.

      Reply
      1. The Writing Waifu Avatar
        The Writing Waifu

        You’re very welcome. :)

        Reply

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