This thread is a quick reference to the camera and instruction manual and is intended as a guide for those receiving the camera.
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This thread is a quick reference to the camera and instruction manual and is intended as a guide for those receiving the camera.
This Idea is now an official Project here. I have just wrapped up the camera and some gear and packed it off to Pat. Looking at the shipping options for what I was sending it made sense tp go with the USPS priority Flat rate Medium size box. Everything fit perfect and the boxes are available at all post offices here in the USA. They can also be used for international..but thats pricey. As it is my initial hopes of doing this for around $10 didnt pan out. Shipping with $200 insurance was $16.95 ( this is the value of the gear I have sent by current Market prices) .I was initially only going to send a camera and small lens. I've since upgraded that..
heres what I have sent
pentax DSLR *IST DS 6.1 MP camera
auto focus Lens SMC 18-55 mm F3.5-5.6 AL with Uv filter as a protector and its caps.
manual focus 50 mm prime F2.0 SMC
Nissen Bounce flash works well with the camera and AF lens
3 each 2 GB SD cards
1 USB SD card Reader
Pack of lens Tissue
small bottle of lens cleaner liquid
1 cleaning cloth.
Awesome rugged cushioned and protective water proof case
also Pat .. The Camera and Flash have batteries.
Attachment 94298
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... Please see note on the battery door of the flash..it'll send batteries flying everywhere if you don't lightly tape it shut..Electrical tape is what I use...an elastic band may work too.
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Attachment 94323...
..
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Attachment 94324....
So there you have it everyone.
When Pat get the camera , friday I am guessing, she can post her impressions and maybe some pics soon after.:)
The manual can be found here..
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/engli...-pdf/istds.pdf
One Note..
There is a trick to using manual lens like the 50mm F2.0 I sent. Pentax cameras are backwards compatible with most their lens unlike other mfgs. But because there are no contacts for the lens to communicate with the camera on exposure you have to use whats called stop down metering.. to do so is not hard, on IST DS you set the camera dial to "M" and compose the picture. Before taking the picture theres a Button labeled AE-L press that and sets the camera to the right exposure. Take the picture. Because of this feature we can use lens that go back to the 60s with Pentax. This process is only for the smaller manual 50mm I sent the AF lens works fine in mindless mode..I mean green mode.:bandana:
lastly, when you get this system, don't compare it to what you use today. This camera was one of the first mainstream Dslrs out there and alot of technology has changed in the last decade. At the time it came out it was a pretty cool camera. Close enough to film cameras in operation and looks to make it easy for people to make the jump. Ironically though as you use it, you may realize that though our cameras have better sensors, more functions,more this and that, that really alls you need to take a good picture is not the most expensive high end technological wonder of the second... but just a camera capable of recording the moment.
al
Some more notes to all getting this camera...
DO NOT Mount any other flash units on the camera to try them. They may burn out the Electronics of the camera ..Only use the flash I have sent with the camera for on camera flash photography.Thanks
WHEN SHIPPING...
Looking at the shipping options for what I was sending it made sense to go with the USPS priority Flat rate Medium size box. Everything fit perfect and the boxes are available at all post offices here in the USA. They can also be used for international..but thats pricey. As it is my initial hopes of doing this for around $10 didnt pan out. Shipping with $200 insurance was $16.95 ( this is the value of the gear I have sent by current Market prices) .I was initially only going to send a camera and small lens. I've since upgraded that..
Heres what I have sent ( use it as a check list when repacking)
pentax DSLR *IST DS 6.1 MP camera
auto focus Lens SMC 18-55 mm F3.5-5.6 AL with Uv filter as a protector and its caps.
manual focus 50 mm prime F2.0 SMC
Nissen Bounce flash works well with the camera and AF lens
3 each 2 GB SD cards
1 USB SD card Reader
Pack of lens Tissue
small bottle of lens cleaner liquid
1 cleaning cloth.
Awesome rugged cushioned and protective water proof case
All...I think if we shoot for sending the camera out on a Monday or Tues it would be best, as that way it will arrive before the weekend, giving the receiver the weekend to play with it. Please remember to ship it as I have documented... Use a flat rate medium size box with $200 insurance. Keep the tracking information ...it will be on your USPS receipt.
al
Update: 02-29-16
Hi all,
Phil, next inline is Rick,nc0gnet0.
Lets see if we can make this easier..so far the shipping has been a tad complicated.A couple of members have had the shipping donated to the forum and then they pay for it out of pocket themselves. Though really generous it makes it a bit confusing....so.instead here is what I suggest. The person receiving the camera pays the person shipping it by paypal.. once you receive the camera if you have fun with it and want to send something to forum...by all means please do so using the Donate link here...
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/misc.php?do=donate
This is completely voluntary though...the idea behind this is the camera journey. Contributions outside of shipping fees are up to you guys .
To recap ...WHEN SHIPPING...
Looking at the shipping options for what I was sending it made sense to go with the USPS priority Flat rate Medium size box. Everything fit perfect and the boxes are available at all post offices here in the USA. Shipping with $200 insurance was $16.95 ( this is the value of the gear I have sent by current Market prices) .
CHECKLIST WHEN PACKING:
pentax DSLR *IST DS 6.1 MP camera
auto focus Lens SMC 18-55 mm F3.5-5.6 AL with Uv filter as a protector and its caps.
manual focus 50 mm prime F2.0 SMC
Nissen Bounce flash works well with the camera and AF lens
3 each 2 GB SD cards
1 USB SD card Reader
Pack of lens Tissue
small bottle of lens cleaner liquid
1 cleaning cloth.
Awesome rugged cushioned and protective water proof case
Shoot for sending the camera out on a Monday or Tues it would be best, as that way it will arrive before the weekend, giving the receiver the weekend to play with it. Please remember to ship it as I have documented... Use a flat rate medium size box with $200 insurance. Keep the tracking information ...it will be on your USPS receipt.
Also a note to the Shipper. Please CC Ricardo (rickztahone) the tracking number when you ship it and of course send the number to person receiving it...
Please direct questions to this thread http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...mera-s-Journey.
So the camera arrived today in perfect condition. So first thing I do is changed the mode from auto to Aperture Priority and mounted the speed light and took this. Al, is there a way to lock the speed light to the shoebox?
Oops, to much light.
Attachment 94409
then removed the speed light and went outside and took this
Attachment 94410
and this (my gypsy dog)
Attachment 94411
Came back inside and read the manual on how to change the aperture. Changed it from F8.0 to F4.5 which is the max, mounted the speed light and took this
Since too much light.
Attachment 94412
Removed the speedlight, left the aperture alone and took this. Still not quite enough light so will play a bit tonight. You can see a bit of noise in the photos. The tank is not brightly lite so the auto focus is have a hard time nailing the focus.
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Round two with the camera. This was from Friday evening playing with the sunset and the aperture. I was making the aperture smaller with each picture. Discover a possible shadow on the lens.
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More fish pictures. With Al's help I reduced the ISO sensitivity from 1600 to 400 and discovered the on-board flash. Fish pictures are getting better.
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A few more pictures from my time with Al's camera. This is my little African Grey Marco.
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Al, as far as I am concerned your little camera is as fully capability of taking very nice pictures as my Nikon. It is easy to use, has all the basic controls you could want. I did not try it in auto mode (and perhaps should have) but got some pretty good pictures with what I did. I think it is perfect for this "Camera Journey" and look forward to hearing how others get along with it.
These pictures were taken using the speedlight.
Attachment 94666
I lowered the ISO on this one a bit.
Attachment 94667
When the camera was here I took a few pictures while my farrier was here. For those who may not know a farrier is also called a blacksmith, basely they trim or shoe horses. My two guys are bare foot so no shoes.
This is Clayton's apprentice trimming Jake.
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This is Clayton calming Bucky who was a little unsettled thru the process.
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These cleaned up pretty nice. Used the "aged photo" which leaves a bit of color in the photo.
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Fixed that Keith...
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Hows this?
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Gimp as a filter called "old photo..." would probably work better with a hi res image but you get the drift here...
Attachment 94804
Ok then... best I can do
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A couple of my photos from the traveling camera
I brought this guy home as a juvenile on 02/24/14:
Attachment 95079
I've had this one for 1.5 years:
Attachment 95080
a couple other shots of my fish and my tank, warts and all:
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Good morning Everyone, sorry, I feel like such a slacker on this project, the camera could not have come at a busier time for me... I feel like the minute it hit my desk I have been on the run!
I messed around with it to get a feel for it and took some shots, but I plan to dive further in today and take more...
I have to say I opened the box and there was this folded white sheet of paper with writing on it... I thought maybe it was a letter from Al or something. I open it up to see this awesome drawing and note from Eric, the person who sent me the camera!! I was shocked and thought it was an amazing touch... Check out this guys skills!!!!
Sorry to whoever is after me, I draw about as bad as I take pictures... You may get a stick figure Discus picture!! LOL
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I was trying out the flash on this one and it came out sort of cool, at least to me... Something tells me I will find my mistakes more interesting than my good pictures!
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Here is Mr. Top Hat!
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Here are a few closer ups I tried to reduce the glare... Anyone have windex, geez, water marks are unsightly with the camera yet not so visible to the naked eye...
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Here are some pictures around my shop and some things related to fish and just to the business in general... As some of you may know, my family is in the HVAC Business... My Company is OSI Comfort Specialists and we have been in business over 80 years... My Brother in law and I are 4th generation... Some local people, Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, etc.. Will probably recognize our big green trucks as we have quite a few on the road...
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Here is where I fill up my aging barrel and this is the boiler room for the shop...
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Alright, my first attempt without delving into the manual........
My fish room poses a few challenges to a novice like me. I have a lot of tanks in a relatively small room. As a result, lights from other tanks tend to cast glare on to the subject tank. Same can be said for the room lighting. Now, if I turn off all the lights with the exception of the subject tank, no matter how well lit, the camera seems to think it needs to use the flash. Maybe this is because it is taking it's light reading at the camera body and not the actual subject matter? At any rate, I kept looking for the "Just take the dam picture" button and could not find one.
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscgrllgkz.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps8k4zga45.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psypu0phbq.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps9iewbery.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pspzpypyo2.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pso4gdocud.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pspkaoucbb.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psfbnhkcak.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps5anbuqkn.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pssrukyswi.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pseiyxuxdh.jpg
Now, non-tank pictures are pretty easy......A few of my best friend patiently waiting for me to finish with the camera:
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pstp6xpnk5.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psptcwbhru.jpg
Nice pics Rick for not being able to find the "take the damn picture" button. You could also try using the speedlight. You simply mount it on top of the camera, turn it on and point the speedlight towards the ceiling. The camera will handle the rest. :) If you point the speedlight towards the fish you get something like this which the fish do not care for.
Attachment 95553
I tired the speed light, could not get it to fire. Maybe the batteries are dead. I hate what these digital cameras do with the onboard flash, that whole fire once/meter, fire again/meter and on the third try snap a pic. By the time the flash goes off the third time, the fish are doing about 90 mph....lol. I have the same problem with my Olympus lol.
Ok got new batteries and played around with the speed flash. After I got the hang of how to position the flash, I found myself cursing a lot less :)
I think this pic is the best:
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psxxejprpe.jpg
Now in these shots there is some meth blue in the tank so the color is a bit off:
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps91kr4yke.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psy13pkit9.jpg
And the rest
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psqeamepds.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psz0brivxm.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pswyczp50u.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psfrukngin.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps3jeg7flo.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psbgeheiss.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psig9qyis3.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psoqt8doko.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pskti8bazf.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psy9rrcoiq.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps01ksmzua.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psssxhivs3.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psme5z5ocg.jpg
Ok, With a paper towel diffuser. On some of these I actually used two layers of towel. I am no longer pointing the flash at the ceiling, rather right at the target. Neat trick, to all those amateurs like myself in line for this camera I highly recommend it.
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psambe11xx.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pskkcuqsbl.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psyz1tfcbg.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psvjaxztqs.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psxzuhv3ux.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psgqihtlxx.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pse2dssbvj.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psvwf5qrwj.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pszy84vpie.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psupm3jvqo.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pseqtv26ix.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psekjggrwk.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psewuajzsh.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psfzlvmr2b.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pstb8rvgup.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psloqwxhsz.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps82lg7oe2.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...pssuide2vh.jpg
Just two more pics until I send this camera on it's way to Matt..........
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psrcwrupya.jpg
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/s...psk3tclty2.jpg