Pentax Remote Assistant 3

[ericmark]

I have down loaded the remote assistant 3 which says with a Pentax K10D with firmware up-grade to 1.31 it will allow me to control the camera from the computer.

To start with I could not find the lead as I rarely down load direct from camera I normally take the card out and pop it in PC but when I did find it the software did not seem to see the camera.

I tried using direct in case it did not like hub and tried standard down load in case fault with lead which worked.

As far as I am aware nothing else I have uses that lead so very unlikely I have the wrong one.

So next is to see if it works with other Pentax owners. I had hoped to be able to use it to take remote pictures of birds and insects in the garden.

Has any one else used the software and if so where there any problems?

[Ron Cardinale]

I have the same camera and firmware. I have a Mac with OS 10.8.4. If there’s a way to make the Pentax Remote Assistant 3 work with this, I can’t discover it.
Years ago, the Pentax Remote Assistant 3 worked with that camera. However, with an upgraded computer, I can't get that Pentax software to work anymore. It completely ignores the camera even though the computer sees that it’s connected.

I’ve had other issues with Pentax’s software.
The version of their raw conversion software that I’m officially supposed to use won’t run on the newer Macs. In order to install the later Pentax software that will run, you need to have a CD for one of the newer cameras! I haven’t checked lately so maybe they’ve corrected this. I’ve given up on it.

[ericmark]

I do have the CD and I did upgrade using the installed software. Thanks for reply it seems I should give up on this or get the old XP computer running again.

I have given up with Pentax software there seems to be two programs able to convert RAW to Jpeg using the extra information contained in the RAW files. The first is Photoshop and the RAW converter is good. RawTherapee is different to photoshop with some functions working better and some not as good but both are far better then Pentax's own software.

I was like many UK students forced to use Photoshop by the college I went to with non of the free software available. Gimp, Picturenaut, Hugin, and RawTherapee seemed to be dirty words to them. Once guided through the way to use Photoshop to discard what had been taught and start learning to use the free programs instead is a big move. At some time my version of Photoshop will no longer do what I want and I will then move to the free programs but at the moment I am loathed to start all over again learning a new program.

When I got a Nikon D7000 I nearly did ditch photoshop when CS4 would not read Nikon RAW files and CS5 needed more then the PC could provide but then my PC was changed so I could run CS5 so kept with Photoshop.

Oddly although the D7000 is clearly the better camera (Should be for price) I still love the Pentax. I know how to use it and don't really want to re-learn it all.

[ericmark]

Seems you have to right click and open as administrator

[ericmark]

Well I can alter setting on camera and activate shutter but seem to have a problem getting the picture after. the green line bottom right I think is the saving but it does not complete. While writing I had a thought so I re-tried but moved from RAW to Jpeg and hay presto it all worked must be cache size so set to interval timer and all worked A1 next step is to find max file size it can handle.

Had more time to play and the scheduled option allowing time lapse seems very also the bulb feature no longer taking pictures to show earth movement will I need to use a stop watch over 30 seconds I can use the laptop to do my timing. Little things tend to catch one out. One is set camera to User on the program dial or you can't take over that function from program.
Under and Over exposure only shown in manual mode. One surprise is with the computer program you can set limits for ISO in auto mode so unlike when directly using camera you can set auto to go all the way from 100 ISO to 1600 ISO.
Setting to Bulb min exposure is 1 second maximum 60 minutes and 59 seconds but also allows composite shots to be set up. OK normally I would do that in Photoshop another is to bracket the exposure time each exposure to can increase time from the last.

After looking at this I wondered about my Nikon D7000 and looked to see if there was software to do the same. It would seem Nikon do software but not free like the Pentax and also my Nikon D7000 is not in the list of cameras the software with work with.

Some of the controls work on either PC or camera like the shutter realase. Setting made with the software stay set on the camera once disconnected so once set in the remote assistant that green mode goes 100 to 1600 ISO then even after unplugging using USER on the dial gives on green mode with 100 to 1600 ISO but going to green gives 100 to 400 as normal.

Oddly playing with the PENTAX REMOTE Assistant has taught me more about my camera for example I had not realised how I could select where my camera focused before.

[ericmark]

PK_Tether it seems was written because Pentax Remote assistant 3 would not work with the latter Pentax cameras however it is very different to Pentax Remote assistant 3. PK_Tether is not as intuitive I looked at the G-7 button for a time before I realised it was colour cast and some functions don't work the author states it's work in progress with the Jpeg option it seemed one could only save as a 2M version however it transpired you could not alter in green mode but could in auto mode and when returning to green mode the setting were retained.

It does not need opening as administrator and it works in RAW without a problem.

The advantage of all these computer control programs is you get a large picture as soon as the shutter is released not the tiny thing shown on camera back plus it extends auto controls.

Periodic shooting can be done with a plug in timer I know and with plug in timer likely battery in camera would last longer but I already have USB lead and laptop so this is a no cost option and it works well. The K10D buffer is a limited size about 7 RAW pictures and it can take 15 seconds to transfer picture to PC so at times of less than 15 seconds there is a limit to how many can be taken.

Bulb mode offers three methods "Normal" shutter open while release pressed, "Start/Stop" press once to open then again to close, "Timer" this extends the cameras 30 second maximum exposure timer so timed exposures of if required minutes can be made. Earth movement etc.

Software bracketing also extends what camera will normally do, the 0 - 2EV is extended 0 - 3EV and the 3 or 5 exposures is extended to 3, 5, or 7 exposures.

Although it allows use of cameras self timer is does not have the delay feature of Pentax Remote assistant 3. The use of the cameras own buffer seems to have removed the problem of it stalling with large file downloads two screens are shown on the PC last photo as large picture and pictures in buffer as thumb nails. There is an auto safe or you can save pictures in buffer manually. However there seems no way to direct where pictures are auto saved they end up in same folder as the program.

It makes SM Tether used with the Nikon look rather basic. I don't have two Pentax cameras so don't know if it will work two cameras like Pentax Remote assistant 3. However all in all it's rather a good program and for free.