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Astrophotography and Sketching >> DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing

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TrevorW
super member


Reged: 06/21/08
Posts: 168
Loc: Western Australia
Pentax K100D
      #2475396 - 06/22/08 03:42 AM

Please leave a response if you own a Pentax DSLR particluarly a K100d or a Pentax owner who has had trouble with Pentax version of remote assistant. I'm trying to see if anyone has found PC control software that will work with this camera

Thanks


--------------------
GSO 8" RC, Stellarvue Nighthawk 80mm/f7 ED, Stellarvue 10x60 finder, Pentax K100d DSLR (unmod), Canon 350D DSLR (modified), EQ6 Pro mount. Orion Autoguider, numerous other bits and pieces

www.pbase.com/trevrw/astro


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Miguel Lopes
professor emeritus


Reged: 01/04/07
Posts: 694
Loc: Portugal
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: TrevorW]
      #2475860 - 06/22/08 11:30 AM

None works, i gave up...
I even email Pentax to know if they were interested in giving me some information on how i could develop a driver for it but they refused...

--------------------
Astrology is the science for ignorants. Astronomy is the science for those who feel ignorant. - Miguel Lopes


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varmint
I invite more abuse
*****

Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 1209
Loc: Pacifica, CA, USA
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: Miguel Lopes]
      #2476398 - 06/22/08 05:34 PM

Hey Trevor,

I too have a K100D, and found out that it doesn't "talk" via USB to a PC, and I couldn't find any 3rd party drivers that would do that (I sifted through gobs of threads at dpreview in hopes, all in vain, of finding some 3rd party "hack"). Which is quite unfortunate, so it's manual remote switch and stopwatch usage for me.

For Remote Assistance are you talking about the IR remote for the camera or connecting it via USB and trying to use some program on a PC to control all the settings? (I'm assuming the latter).

If you find anything, please let us know!

--------------------
Clear Skies,
Jim
--
"Do, or do not. There is no try."-Jedi Master Yoda

Scopes: CGE925, 80ED, NP127is (w/ADM acc.)
EPs: Naglers: 31, 22, 17, 9, 3.5 Pan’s: 15
Misc: Telrad, 2x&4x Powermate, Sol/OIII/UHC/Var Pol. Filters
Imaging Gear: Pentax K100D, SPC900NC


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BeeZer
member


Reged: 10/28/07
Posts: 62
Loc: Buford, GA.
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: varmint]
      #2476785 - 06/22/08 08:51 PM

hummm contrary information...

http://www.photography-forums.com/t81638-pentax-k100d-pentax-remote-assistant.html

I have a K200D and am going to try using the software just after I send this post.

I also read from the Pentax site that:

Quote:


NOTE: Before you download and install the Pentax Remote Assistant software, please do the following:

Check your camera's current firmware version, to verify that your camera fully supports the Pentax Remote Assistant software. To do this, hold down your camera's MENU button while turning the camera on. Your camera's LCD screen will display the current version of the firmware. Make sure your camera's firmware is version 1.11 or later. If you have an older version of the firmware, please update it to the most recent version (available separately from the Pentax USA download site ).





Does your camera have 1.11 or later firmware?

--------------------
______________

Dean


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varmint
I invite more abuse
*****

Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 1209
Loc: Pacifica, CA, USA
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: BeeZer]
      #2477097 - 06/23/08 12:27 AM

Well, now I feel completely stupid. And I poured through Pentax's site looking for exactly that type of software...

I guess it's because my searches never included the word "assistant."

I believe I have the latest firmware, though I'll doublecheck. It seemed really silly to have a USB connection for downloading pictures only...

I'll have to give this a try, it'll just have to wait a few days (hopefully the Remote Assistant is Vista compatible)...

--------------------
Clear Skies,
Jim
--
"Do, or do not. There is no try."-Jedi Master Yoda

Scopes: CGE925, 80ED, NP127is (w/ADM acc.)
EPs: Naglers: 31, 22, 17, 9, 3.5 Pan’s: 15
Misc: Telrad, 2x&4x Powermate, Sol/OIII/UHC/Var Pol. Filters
Imaging Gear: Pentax K100D, SPC900NC


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TrevorW
super member


Reged: 06/21/08
Posts: 168
Loc: Western Australia
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: varmint]
      #2477162 - 06/23/08 01:22 AM

The firmware upgrade you are referring to relates to the K10D not the K100d different camera (current firware v 1.02). Apparently the Pentax remote assistant program will work on both the K10d and K200d but not the K100d you may ask why and so have I but Pentax will ignore you.



--------------------
GSO 8" RC, Stellarvue Nighthawk 80mm/f7 ED, Stellarvue 10x60 finder, Pentax K100d DSLR (unmod), Canon 350D DSLR (modified), EQ6 Pro mount. Orion Autoguider, numerous other bits and pieces

www.pbase.com/trevrw/astro


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varmint
I invite more abuse
*****

Reged: 02/10/07
Posts: 1209
Loc: Pacifica, CA, USA
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: TrevorW]
      #2477182 - 06/23/08 01:57 AM

I was able to give it a try tonight after all.

I just verified I was at v1.02, v1.11 refers to *istD model firmware (which is the "last" version it was built to, date of the software is 2004). I downloaded and installed the Remote Assistant and tried to get it to work anyway, it doesn't seem able to with the K100D.

The best I got was an error message from the Remote Assistant telling me it lost communication to the camera when I powered it off. Other than that, nada.

grrrrrrrrrr.

--------------------
Clear Skies,
Jim
--
"Do, or do not. There is no try."-Jedi Master Yoda

Scopes: CGE925, 80ED, NP127is (w/ADM acc.)
EPs: Naglers: 31, 22, 17, 9, 3.5 Pan’s: 15
Misc: Telrad, 2x&4x Powermate, Sol/OIII/UHC/Var Pol. Filters
Imaging Gear: Pentax K100D, SPC900NC


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BeeZer
member


Reged: 10/28/07
Posts: 62
Loc: Buford, GA.
Re: Pentax K100D new [Re: varmint]
      #2477412 - 06/23/08 08:00 AM

I didnt have time to go through it in deatail but the program does acknowlege the K200D. Will have more tonight...

Also go look at available software for the K20D, there is version 3.x available for it

--------------------
______________

Dean


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Class A
newbie


Reged: 08/22/08
Posts: 1
Pentax K100D works with Remote Assistant 1.0 new [Re: TrevorW]
      #2597911 - 08/23/08 03:24 AM

Hi,

my K100D (firmware 1.02) works fine with Remote Assistant 1.0.
Initially, the transferred images were corrupted (preview image looked fine but the content was scrambled and only slightly resembled the picture content). However, I figured that I need to set the picture format to RAW with the camera menu. After that the transferred images were OK. All the camera controls work as well. There are some that seem to be specific to the *ist models but most work just fine with the K100D.


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ds1w
newbie


Reged: 09/30/08
Posts: 1
Re: Pentax K100D works with Remote Assistant 1.0 new [Re: Class A]
      #2672910 - 09/30/08 08:56 PM

Did anyone actually get this working with a k200d?

How about Class A. Is there anything else you can tell me about your setup?

I tried Remote Assistant 1.0 on both a Mac and a PC. I could get the PC to actuate the autofocus and the shutter, but never saw any results on the screen and it stopped doing even that in a couple of minutes. Also, it seemed like it killed newly charged batteries in about 5 minutes.

I couldn't get the mac to recognize the connection to the camera at all.

I knew about this limitation when I bought the camera but I looked past it for other features thinking it would surely be updated (the model was new at the time).


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