SMC - M Lens Question

[Steven Alan106714]

In order to use SMC M lenses you have to use manual mode and use the AE-L button to meter - but that's if you've selected an aperture other than wide open.

If for instance I left my 50 mm SMC M f1.7 at the f.7 aperture all the time (say for portraits), could I just put the camera into AV mode and take pics in the normal way without having to use the AE-L button to meter?

--
Steven Alan

 

[ahblur]

In order to use SMC M lenses you have to use manual mode and use
the AE-L button to meter - but that's if you've selected an
aperture other than wide open.

If for instance I left my 50 mm SMC M f1.7 at the f.7 aperture all
the time (say for portraits), could I just put the camera into AV
mode and take pics in the normal way without having to use the AE-L
button to meter?

--
Steven Alan

F7?

Anyway, All Pentax dslrs has to use M mode with AE-L for non-A lens. It is designed this way. I still miss the good old days of Z1p and other auto camera where Av was more simple.
--
Yongkiat
GMT+7
---------------------------------
Camera doesn't take photograph,
it takes images.
It is YOU,
who take Photographs.

 

[feltmate]

If for instance I left my 50 mm SMC M f1.7 at the f1.7 aperture all
the time (say for portraits), could I just put the camera into AV
mode and take pics in the normal way without having to use the AE-L
button to meter?

Yes, thay should work.

 

[feltmate]

I mean THAT should work.

 

[stell414693]

With the DL or K100,110 you must be in the manual mode to be able to get a meter reading. Then you flip the depth-of-field preview switch to see if you are over or under exposed.

 

[Zvio]

Yes it will work in any mode when the aperture is fully open no matter what setting you choose for the aperture. It will meter in this fully open position as well. Quite a limited use this way though...

 

[Marc Sabatella]

Yes it will work in any mode when the aperture is fully open no
matter what setting you choose for the aperture. It will meter in
this fully open position as well.

Just to clarify, it works this way in P, Av, or Tv modes. M mode works as the other posts in this thread describe. Not sure about the "Picture" modes.

So, the short answer to the original question is yes, most definitely, it does work the way you asked about. Many people don't seem to know about this, which is why some responds say "no, you have to use M mode", but as long as you realize that you are basically limited to using the lens wide open (regardless of the aperture ring setting), then you do in fact get aperture priority metering by default, allowing you to just "point and shoot" (well, if it's an M lens, you still have to focus).

Quite a limited use this way
though...

But it does have its uses. In very low light photography, I basically don't want anything but wide open, so I use this mode quite a bit. And the 50/1.7 is sharp enough for me when wide open - at least, any increase in sharpness I could get by stopping down is neutralized by the slower shutter speed. that results. Of course, I have a DS, so I can't take advantage of SR, but then again, in the kinds of light I'm talking about (eg, concerts / nightclubs), even with ISO 1600, we're often talking about shutter speeds that are already risking subject motion blur when shooting potentially moving subjects (eg, musicians, candids). So even if SR lets me stop down down and get a nicely exposed shot at 1/2 second, that's not much of an option, really.

--
Marc Sabatella