[photo-3d] twinnable Pentax and Ricoh SLRs

[boris@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hello:

I want to add commentary based on my recent experiments with the new Pentax
ZX-M and Ricoh XR-10M camera bodies.

My brand new Pentax ZX-M bodies have superb sync with only an occasional
glitch.  I am going to keep them for natural light photography.  Shooting
handheld during a recent fast paced session (model was getting
body-painted), I left the cameras on auto exposure (it picks aperture) and
got good matched exposures on all pairs.  The viewfinder has a bright
legible readout, which I like.  It is easy to "exposure lock" both cameras
for special compensation needs.

The very good sync between the cameras, however, is what hurts flash
performance - believe it or not.  I could not get my strobe kit to work
with my special "stereo" PC-sync cord wired across the cameras in series.
(This works on my Pentax K1000.  Only once both shutters have fully opened
is the flash trigger circuit closed.  It's a good failsafe for the K1000,
too.  If the bodies go too far out of sync, the flash stops firing).

I was able finally to make one of the ZX-M cameras fire the flash kit
reliably.  But with only one camera doing the flash trigger, you have a
problem.  What if the non-flashing camera opens up a fraction of a second
late? All it takes is a delay of 1/200sec, and you've lost half the frame
of the non flashing camera. (Synch speed is 1/100 for the ZX-M). And this
is precisely the problem with using flash on the Pentax - you get about a
50/50 chance when you shoot with flash.

The Ricohs sync well with flash for me because one of the cameras is about
1/100 sec. slow to open its shutter.  So I put the flash cord on that one,
and I have good flash sync. every time for speeds up to 1/30.  I examinded
three bodies to find a slow one, and mated it to the next prettier one.
The slight delay is not noticed in natural light photography, unless rapid
motion is occuring.

One thing I really hate about the Ricohs (actually: two things).  The damn
things go to sleep constantly.  When I'm shooting candids I like to keep
the camera up on my face all the time - I mean non stop for minutes at a
time.  It's the only good way to get candid shots.  With these cameras
going to sleep all the time (you have to wake them by depressing the
shutter release a bit), that's a real problem.  And you cannot keep them
awake by periodically pushing the button.  Oh no, the internal timer counts
down its thirty-odd seconds no matter what, then shuts the body down!

The problem might not be so bad except for the really dreadfully bad
internal display (that's the second thing), which might tell you the body
went to sleep, if only you could read it.  Which most of the time you
can't.  So I put the cameras to my face, but if I haven't got a shot after
twenty seconds or so, I pretty much have to give up, look at the top of the
bodies to see them go to sleep, then wake them up again.  Aaargh!  (Anyone
know how to fix that?)

If there only was a way to put a switchable delay on the Pentax ZX-M, that
rig would be perfect for both flash and natural light.  Ah, well.

And then there's my need for bracketting with aperture...  but no need to
get me started on that!

Boris


- Science is the part of culture that rubs against the world.
-
-                                     Stanislaw Lem, _His Master's Voice_

Boris Starosta                        boris@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Stereoscopic Art & 3-D Photography    http://www.starosta.com
usa - 804 979 3930                    http://www.starosta.com/3dshowcase



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