Second opinion on what to buy

[jpcc]

i am going to be a pentax user soon. Hopefully by tonight....

I was a brief user of Nikon D50 but I am brand agnostic and thankfully, has few
lens baggage. I have some accessories, e.g. tripod, lens cloth, dry-cab
My fav subject is environment portrait.

Here's my shopping list:

1) K10D body
2) 43mm/1.9 lens
3) vertical grip n battery
4) remote (if avail)
5) lens blower

I do have the crumpler 5million dollar, but I am not sure whether I should buy the
lowepro AW100 slingshot bag.

I quite like the design and weight seems to spread better (good news for my back).

However,

a. any other comments on what to buy?
b. is AW100 adequate for K10D + vertical grip?
c. If buying flash, i may be aiming at 540 and a stofen or lumiquest.
But would prefer to take it slowly (less strain on the wallet too :> ).

[fengwei]

Welcome to Pentax family And hope you enjoy staying here ...

As to what to buy, I guess you've got a nice list already.

The FA43 is great for environment portrait.
If you are looking for a wired remote, you can get the OEM one for Canon 300D/350D/400D, won't cost more than $20.
The AW100 slingshot is a nice bag, quite compact, should be good enough for the body+grip,a flash, and a couple of small lenses. I almost bought one, but got a backpac (Lowepro Orion Trekk) because I need a bag not just for camera stuff, but some other stuff too
The 540 flash is the best you can get for Pentax nowadays, and I'm using the Sto-Fen Ominbounce w/ it.

The others to buy, I guess you've got plenty SD cards, so you've got a great start already

Hope you'd become a Pentaxian tonight

Good luck.

[dnaxe]

The 5 million is probably enough for the listed gear. Try it before considering upgrades.

I would get a wireless remote - it's only $25.

The 43 1.9 is an interesting choice - but perhaps consider the 77 1.8 instead? Note that while the field of view of the 49 on a DSLR is similar to a 77 on film, the telephoto effect (i.e. flattening of facial features) is identical on a DSLR as on film...

[the mac 13]

Originally Posted by dnaxe I would get a wireless remote - it's only $25.

Where? What/which kind?

[the mac 13]

Originally Posted by fengwei If you are looking for a wired remote, you can get the OEM one for Canon 300D/350D/400D, won't cost more than $20.

Like this?
http://clubsnap.com/forums/showpost....65&postcount=3

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by the mac 13 Like this? http://clubsnap.com/forums/showpost....65&postcount=3

Yes, the RS-60E3 one It works for all Pentax dSLR cameras

[dnaxe]

Originally Posted by the mac 13 Where? What/which kind?

Remote Control F. $25 from AP (SLS) last I checked. the remote control even has a dedicated storage slot in the K10D's grip.

[macrob]

Originally Posted by dnaxe Remote Control F. $25 from AP (SLS) last I checked. the remote control even has a dedicated storage slot in the K10D's grip.

Sigh, I got one from CP @ $40

[slacker]

Amazing... I have the grip and see no space left for anything else other the battery and a slot for SD card.

[dnaxe]

Originally Posted by slacker Amazing... I have the grip and see no space left for anything else other the battery and a slot for SD card.

Eh. from:

http://www.pentaxslr.com/accessories

Quote: The D-BG2 battery grip, exclusively for the K10D is weather resistant and has a vertical release, green button, exposure compensation button and two mode dials. The battery tray holds a D-LI50 battery, doubling the battery life of the camera, and allows the storage of a spare SD/SDHC card and remote control.

[istDeS]

Originally Posted by slacker Amazing... I have the grip and see no space left for anything else other the battery and a slot for SD card.

You must be kidding. The grip showed a small icon of the remote control to show how to slide in the remote control into another slot. Can also refer to page 11 of the manual that comes with it.

[the mac 13]

Originally Posted by dnaxe Remote Control F. $25 from AP (SLS) last I checked. the remote control even has a dedicated storage slot in the K10D's grip.

Does it have a lock for long explosure?

[istDeS]

Originally Posted by dnaxe Remote Control F. $25 from AP (SLS) last I checked. the remote control even has a dedicated storage slot in the K10D's grip.

Thinking of getting one but don't know if it is reliable compared to the wired one. Seen someone's wireless remote failed when want to use.

[jpcc]

Just an update:

1) Went down full of excitement expecting all things in for bbb
2) i actually had a tamron 90 lens and hence need adaptall
3) reach there, they say only got adaptall, 43mm not avail
4) sian 1/2 but still honor the purchase, bought sigma 17-70
5) came back realised the SLR price quoted is more than e-quote
6) sigma price more than clubsnap posted prices.
7) and they kept assuring me they gave me the best price....

not 100% satisfied but at least got pentax k10d to play with...

Lessons learnt:
-> Always ensure by verifying what u need and shop have them before u go down
-> Always bring along the printed e-quote
-> if in doubt, print out clubsnap price list when force to do last min purchase

[eow]

Originally Posted by jpcc Just an update: 1) Went down full of excitement expecting all things in for bbb 2) i actually had a tamron 90 lens and hence need adaptall 3) reach there, they say only got adaptall, 43mm not avail 4) sian 1/2 but still honor the purchase, bought sigma 17-70 5) came back realised the SLR price quoted is more than e-quote 6) sigma price more than clubsnap posted prices. 7) and they kept assuring me they gave me the best price.... not 100% satisfied but at least got pentax k10d to play with... Lessons learnt: -> Always ensure by verifying what u need and shop have them before u go down -> Always bring along the printed e-quote -> if in doubt, print out clubsnap price list when force to do last min purchase

who did u buy from?

[jpcc]

don't think it is good to elaborate further on the details as the
lessons learnt should be more relevant to potential buyers.
I could be part of the wrong as I may not have provide enough info
to the seller, but ... yeah, ... learn from lessons lah, for those
who wanted to buy....


Anyway, some questions and thoughts:
1) for third party manual focus lens, e.g. Tamron 90 or Voit 40/2 ,
can Pentax meter with manual mode?
I think Av cannot be used, is that right?
Any operational/functional difference when using such third party lens compared
with an old screw mount Penatx lens (with adapter)

2) Read that jpg files of K10D may not be good for default setting.
I vaguely remembered it is better to change:
- Saturation , +1
- Image Natural (but couldn't find this setting, not sure if i remember wrongly)

Any other settings worth trying to better improve jpg output for K10D

3) firmware is just out, anyone updated the firmware? easy?

4) Am thinking of either a Lowepro AW100 or AW200 for a carry all.
Anyone used them before for comments...

5) WB setting is really interesting, especially the option for manual setting
on GBAM axis....

[Zenten]

Get a flash gun..............

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by jpcc don't think it is good to elaborate further on the details as the lessons learnt should be more relevant to potential buyers. I could be part of the wrong as I may not have provide enough info to the seller, but ... yeah, ... learn from lessons lah, for those who wanted to buy.... Anyway, some questions and thoughts: 1) for third party manual focus lens, e.g. Tamron 90 or Voit 40/2 , can Pentax meter with manual mode? I think Av cannot be used, is that right? Any operational/functional difference when using such third party lens compared with an old screw mount Penatx lens (with adapter) 2) Read that jpg files of K10D may not be good for default setting. I vaguely remembered it is better to change: - Saturation , +1 - Image Natural (but couldn't find this setting, not sure if i remember wrongly) Any other settings worth trying to better improve jpg output for K10D 3) firmware is just out, anyone updated the firmware? easy? 4) Am thinking of either a Lowepro AW100 or AW200 for a carry all. Anyone used them before for comments... 5) WB setting is really interesting, especially the option for manual setting on GBAM axis....

1) It depends on what kind of lens it is (not the maker). Is it a lens w/ A setting (like Pentax A series lenses) or without? If it has A setting, you can use the lens as a modern auto focus lens but MF only, you'd be able to use all exposure modes (Av/Tv/M or whatever available). If it doesn't have an A setting, you can only use it in M mode to get properly exposed result. For an M42 screw mount lens, it can be used like an A lens (in Av/Tv/M or whatever mode you like) but there is no exposure info recorded or displayed.
And yes, Pentax camera can meter in M mode for all lenses. Just press the green button

But K10D might have some problem w/ some old non-A lenses. It tends to be abit over at slower apertures.

2) I don't see an jpg problem w/ my K10D, and I shoot in jpg alot. All set in middle (default settings) in natural color (default as well). It's the third option in the first page when you press the menu button.

3) Both AW100 and 200 are good bags, and I've had them all (and 300 as well). All depends on how much gear you'd bring along in the bag. AW100 is very small, probably not big enough if you have the battery grip on.

4) Firmware was out quite a while ago. It is very easy. Just read through the ReadMe.txt file and follow exactly as instructed. I guess most if not all users here at the forum have their K10D cameras upgraded to the latest firmware version already.

5) K10D has alot more MWB options than any other Pentax dSLR camera

Good luck.

[jpcc]

1) I like the build quality of Sigma 17-70 better as i familiarised with it.
Focusing ring is not very solid but maybe it is designed for ease of mechanical
turning for AF and (of course) cost reasons...

2) Autofocus on low light is so-so, but the focusing screen of K10D is quite bright,
i think the pentaprism is a good job over here....

3) website dcresource's review of K10D has the setting for jpg:
JPEG at +2 sharpness, +1 contrast

and the following comments,
"Shooting JPEGs straight out of the box isn't a good idea, as they'll be soft and dull in color.
You can resolve this by shooting RAW, increasing in-camera harpening/contrast/saturation,
or just using the bright image tone setting."

But i think it is a personal perference lah...

4) wah, now i know bag collection can be addictive and a norm for photo enthusiasts...


5) I am now aware of how to take a test photo for WB by using the off-on-test_photo
switch. A good UI design, together with the green button
I also think that the buttons positions are quite well-thought out, i.e. spread out
comfortably to avoid pressing a wrong button due to proximity and yet convenient
enough for thumb, index finger operations. Too bad, ISO and file size selection
is not a one-button affair. But alas, Sv and TAv is good design principle...

6) Flash purchase have to wait.
Maybe after 43mm . MMmmmm, but i am not sure whether i will swing for another
77mm .... before taking the flash.
(but i think 77mm is quite close to my current Tamron 90mm if i can get use
to the MF and lack of metering options)
But i would think that will be six months to a year time, mmmmm, i hope...
not too soon, as bbb virus is too contagious and not healthy, psychologically, monetarily,
physically...

7) I heard many good things of the family of LTD lenses. But I think they should standardise
the lens diameter, such that people can buy one standard filter size... (just a feeble rant)

[jpcc]

just a note that for non-A lenses, one would need to configure at custom setting.

Use Aperture ring -> Permit