«

Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm Tokina
mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT it's Christmas
day and we've now got a teenager wandering around claiming that it's not a
good idea for a present as it doesn't work!!! He seems to think that its a
problem with the metal connecting flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting
the metal contact buttons on the camera body that is causing the camera to
go apoplectic... any ideas please before he brains me with the mirror
lens???? He almost smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic bag
between the camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix - well sort
of he says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its time to bodge a
little????

If I have cross-posted to the wrong groups please feel free to advise which
ones to try....

On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:01:33 -0000, "Me"
<> wrote:

>Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm Tokina
>mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT it's Christmas
>day and we've now got a teenager wandering around claiming that it's not a
>good idea for a present as it doesn't work!!! He seems to think that its a
>problem with the metal connecting flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting
>the metal contact buttons on the camera body that is causing the camera to
>go apoplectic... any ideas please before he brains me with the mirror
>lens???? He almost smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic bag
>between the camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix - well sort
>of he says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its time to bodge a
>little????

There's an option in the custom menu to allow the use of the
aperture ring. Set it to "on" - yes I know there's no
aperture ring on a mirror lens but the option to use one
must be on.

Get rid of the plastic bag, make sure you're in Av mode (or
manual) and focus switch is set to MF. Then shoot pictures.

--
John Bean

Thanks John - it worked, he now smiles BUT I have to dig out my tripod OR
make the sun shine...

Many, many thanks....


"John Bean" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:01:33 -0000, "Me"
> <> wrote:
>
>>Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm Tokina
>>mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT it's
>>Christmas
>>day and we've now got a teenager wandering around claiming that it's not a
>>good idea for a present as it doesn't work!!! He seems to think that its a
>>problem with the metal connecting flange/plate on the mirror lens
>>contacting
>>the metal contact buttons on the camera body that is causing the camera to
>>go apoplectic... any ideas please before he brains me with the mirror
>>lens???? He almost smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic bag
>>between the camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix - well sort
>>of he says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its time to bodge a
>>little????
>
> There's an option in the custom menu to allow the use of the
> aperture ring. Set it to "on" - yes I know there's no
> aperture ring on a mirror lens but the option to use one
> must be on.
>
> Get rid of the plastic bag, make sure you're in Av mode (or
> manual) and focus switch is set to MF. Then shoot pictures.
>
> --
> John Bean

On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:16:02 -0000, "Me"
<> wrote:

>Thanks John - it worked, he now smiles BUT I have to dig out my tripod OR
>make the sun shine...

Yes, it's not exactly f/8 long-lens weather here in
Lancashire either

>Many, many thanks....

You're welcome, nothing worse than this sort of
disappointment on Christmas Day. Enjoy the rest of it


--
John Bean

Thanks once again john,
He's found the tripod and is talking in words of more that one syllable...
weather forecast doesn't look too good for East Yorkshire for the next few
days for f8 work ;-((


"John Bean" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:16:02 -0000, "Me"
> <> wrote:
>
>>Thanks John - it worked, he now smiles BUT I have to dig out my tripod OR
>>make the sun shine...
>
> Yes, it's not exactly f/8 long-lens weather here in
> Lancashire either
>
>>Many, many thanks....
>
> You're welcome, nothing worse than this sort of
> disappointment on Christmas Day. Enjoy the rest of it
>
>
> --
> John Bean

"Me" <> wrote in message
news:. uk...
> Thanks once again john,
> He's found the tripod and is talking in words of more that one syllable...
> weather forecast doesn't look too good for East Yorkshire for the next few
> days for f8 work ;-((
>
>
> "John Bean" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:16:02 -0000, "Me"
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks John - it worked, he now smiles BUT I have to dig out my tripod OR
>>>make the sun shine...
>>
>> Yes, it's not exactly f/8 long-lens weather here in
>> Lancashire either
>>
>>>Many, many thanks....
>>
>> You're welcome, nothing worse than this sort of
>> disappointment on Christmas Day. Enjoy the rest of it
>>
>>
>> --
>> John Bean
>
>

My reflex is 500mmf5.6 and it can be a challenge. Sometimes I wish it were
f8 instead. A little more DOF would be very nice.

Lens has a M42 thread, bought a M42/Nikon adapter, had to add a extension
ring and recalibrate the focus (easy).

If I had deep pockets, I would get a regular lens. Sigh.

Me wrote:
> Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm
> Tokina mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT
> it's Christmas day and we've now got a teenager wandering around
> claiming that it's not a good idea for a present as it doesn't
> work!!! He seems to think that its a problem with the metal
> connecting flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting the metal
> contact buttons on the camera body that is causing the camera to go
> apoplectic... any ideas please before he brains me with the mirror
> lens???? He almost smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic
> bag between the camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix -
> well sort of he says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its
> time to bodge a little????
> If I have cross-posted to the wrong groups please feel free to advise
> which ones to try....

Well I can tell you that my old Spiratone 500 mm mirror lens works fine
with my Canon 20D.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

"Me" <> wrote:

> He seems to think that its a problem with the metal connecting
> flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting the metal contact buttons
> on the camera body that is causing the camera to go apoplectic...
> it now takes pix - well sort of he says, but they look alright to me..

I use the same Tokina 500mm lens on several Pentax bodies. It works
fine... perhaps your son doesn't understand that a purely manual lens
does NOT use the camera lens mount contact buttons. The only problems
possible are that the lens would not "click" into position when mounted
because it is too tight or too loose, or that it would not focus properly
to infinity when mounted. The buttons are mechanical -- not electrical
-- switches, so your son's plastic bag is not acting as insulation, but
perhaps as a shim to mount the lens more tightly.

On my lens, true infinity focus occurs BEFORE the lens infinity mark is
reached. If you set the lens at the infinity mark, you will focus beyond
infinity... this is true with many lenses of this sort.

The Tokina is a very decent lens which requires practice and familiarity
to use well because of its extreme focal length. Use it on a tripod and
tell your teenager not to be so impatient!

--
Anti-Spam address: my last name at his dot com
Charles Gillen -- Reston, Virginia, USA

Me wrote:

> Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm Tokina
> mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT it's Christmas
> day and we've now got a teenager wandering around claiming that it's not a
> good idea for a present as it doesn't work!!! He seems to think that its a
> problem with the metal connecting flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting
> the metal contact buttons on the camera body that is causing the camera to
> go apoplectic... any ideas please before he brains me with the mirror
> lens???? He almost smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic bag
> between the camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix - well sort
> of he says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its time to bodge a
> little????

Not sure what the camera is doing apoplectically if the plastic
improves things it would seem to be incompatible, he might try just
shooting in manual 'M' mode for the same results. Sounds like it might
not be possible to meter with that lens anyways from what others are saying.

Paul Furman wrote:

> Me wrote:
>
>> Help! I'm in deep trouble - have got our lad a manual focus 500mm
>> Tokina mirror lens to go with his new Samsung gx1-L digital slr. BUT
>> it's Christmas day and we've now got a teenager wandering around
>> claiming that it's not a good idea for a present as it doesn't work!!!
>> He seems to think that its a problem with the metal connecting
>> flange/plate on the mirror lens contacting the metal contact buttons
>> on the camera body that is causing the camera to go apoplectic... any
>> ideas please before he brains me with the mirror lens???? He almost
>> smiled just then as he has put a piece of plastic bag between the
>> camera lens and body/contacts and it now takes pix - well sort of he
>> says ... but they look alright to me.. maybe its time to bodge a
>> little????
>
>
> Not sure what the camera is doing apoplectically if the plastic
> improves things it would seem to be incompatible, he might try just
> shooting in manual 'M' mode for the same results. Sounds like it might
> not be possible to meter with that lens anyways from what others are
> saying.

Oh, one other thought, try setting the aperture ring to max or min & see
if that quiets down the camera. In that case the aperture would be set
by the camera dial and must be set to max/min (I forget).