Why a pentax??

[ardnirun]

ahhh...a fren brought me to camera workshop...i like the customer service definitely..as compared to John 3:16

tried the d70s and the k100d...

had a crash course on bokeh too yesterday....learnt how different lens makes it easier...so fun..like dun wanna put it down..

now just to decide..
i definitely liked the d70s controls..i cud figure out wat is what very easily even though never touched a dslr b4..it was a very forgiving camera...

k100d...pretty ok..colours were good.....AA batteries were also a pro...shake reduction too..definitely a plus..auto focusing was a tad slower than the d70s though.



i quite like the shop too..
the uncles there were quite open to other brands like pentax..he did offer me good pricing for a 1st hand d40kit once he found out i was a beginner..

i have come up with the following in my brief exposure to dslr.....for ppl like me..who know nuts...dun buy so expensive yet beginners just want to take pictures....no need so many advanced features ... its the lens that helps u more than the body..u just have to pick the system..start experimenting....enjoy taking pictures...

even my fren who is a photographer for quite a while(nikon d300 user) kinda liked the k100d except for its controls..but had not much to comment due to the fact that he prefer his nikon

ahh the choices we have to make...

 

[jlpk007]

Notice you're posting on other equipment threads too... :think:
Sorry but I think you just don't get it. You just have no idea what you want and nobody can help you here. Any camera can take pictures. Instead of all the posting to get opinions, asking this and that, just go to a decent camera shop and try out. Ask the salespeople what cameras they have available within your budget. So simple.

No need to tell us your thought process... especially on a PENTAX equipment thread. :nono:

oops..sorry if i offended you.......

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

I have no real complaints with my K100D apart from the handgrip which seems so much smaller than when I first tried it. The K200D is a significant improvement in this respect but I think I might have to move up to a K10D/K20D sized camera for the ergonomics.

The rest of the downsides (small buffer, slow read/write times, 6MP, relatively slow AF, no BG, no Kelvin WB, etc) have not limited my photography greatly so far.

 

[P3ntx]

I had a lot of attachment to the k100D having used it for at least three years ... It never says die ...very tough body... I got tempted into getting a K20D ... This cam really push me further ... I am now attached to the K20D despite being, nitty gritty about this and that b4 I own it.. the resulution is so good that my K100D cannot match... but when I want to sell it ... I want to keep my k100d ... though have not used it, since I owned the K20D... so next time I carry two cam for model shoot.

Have a visit at Pentax Gallery ...u can see alot of samples. Flowerpot has a few pics there ...
really really nice ones.. . I wonder how many Pentaxian had their photos in Pentax Gallery.

 

[istDeS]

I wonder how many Pentaxian had their photos in Pentax Gallery.

1005 Pentaxians as to date.

 

[creampuff]

I had a lot of attachment to the k100D having used it for at least three years ... It never says die ...very tough body... I got tempted into getting a K20D ... This cam really push me further ... I am now attached to the K20D despite being, nitty gritty about this and that b4 I own it.. the resulution is so good that my K100D cannot match...

Another happy K20D owner. :bsmilie:

 

[DrTheo]

i am a minolta / sony user and have for some time been thinking about getting into pentax as a second system, but i know very little about the lenses and IQ of the cameras. what i am curious about is, how are the shots at 100% i am a pixel peeper and like to print large large prints. with sony minolta gear (G lenses) i am able to do that no problem with no real post processing. is this possible with pentax? and what are the top of the line lenses for pentax?

 

[skypacker]

i am a minolta / sony user and have for some time been thinking about getting into pentax as a second system, but i know very little about the lenses and IQ of the cameras. what i am curious about is, how are the shots at 100% i am a pixel peeper and like to print large large prints. with sony minolta gear (G lenses) i am able to do that no problem with no real post processing. is this possible with pentax? and what are the top of the line lenses for pentax?

K20D IQ is superb up to ISO 1600, compared to it's peers.:thumbsup:
Pentax gurus like Fengwei and Denis should be able to advise you on the more exotic and rare lenses;I can suggest that from the 'commonly' available lenses:
the DA* (16-50/2.8, 50-135/2.8, 200/2.8, 300/4),
DA Limited (21/3.2, 35/2.8, 40/2.8, 70/2.4)
and FA Limiteds (31/1.8, 43/1.9, 77/1.8) are very good. The Limiteds are the crown jewels among the Pentax primes:heart:. Most of the 'normal' DA lenses are also pretty decent.

 

[skypacker]

Another happy K20D owner. :bsmilie:

Is there any other kind?

 

[fengwei]

i am a minolta / sony user and have for some time been thinking about getting into pentax as a second system, but i know very little about the lenses and IQ of the cameras. what i am curious about is, how are the shots at 100% i am a pixel peeper and like to print large large prints. with sony minolta gear (G lenses) i am able to do that no problem with no real post processing. is this possible with pentax? and what are the top of the line lenses for pentax?

Pentax is known to have some best prime lenses, including all the FA limiteds, FA stars, DA pancakes. And most current DA lenses are pretty decent too. I don't see why you can't get good results even at 100% level w/ Pentax gear if you can do it w/ your Sony gear.

K20D is currently the top of line Pentax dSLR cameras, and it's a great camera w/ very good value. But to be honest, if you are buying Pentax for a second system, I think you should look at the K200D or K-m plus several DA pancakes

 

[ardnirun]

I was reading thru photo.net articles..

came across "Building a digital SLR system"


I quote, "It is much better to get a lens with a fixed focal length, learn to recognize scenes where that lens can be used effectively, and then add additional lenses once that focal length has been mastered"

How many of you Pentaxians agree or disagree with this?

 

[night86mare]

I was reading thru photo.net articles..

came across "Building a digital SLR system"


I quote, "It is much better to get a lens with a fixed focal length, learn to recognize scenes where that lens can be used effectively, and then add additional lenses once that focal length has been mastered"

How many of you Pentaxians agree or disagree with this?

i agree. every focal length (or at least, range).. be it ultrawide, wide, normal, telephoto have very vastly different methods and tricks to composition.

handling an ultrawide for example, would be significantly different from handling a wide. the idea is simplification, but many end up capturing the "vastness" of everything and end up with a jumbled photograph.

of course, everyone should aim to have an end point, where one looks at a scene, and knows what is the best few focal lengths to use and use them in fashion.. rather than approaching every scene with one focal length all the time (like i do sometimes).

after all, you won't cut a durian with the same tool you use to cut an apple, would you? :angel:

 

[jlpk007]

are the lens harder to find (compare to the C and N)?

 

[Limited]

Pentax Lenses are everywhere, new or used. The only thing I feel hard to find is $$$$.

 

[ardnirun]

was looking thru Pentax B&S..
for lenses i see ka/k mounts..
m42
(Pentaxmount)..

when they say pentaxmount..does that fit without additional adapters(safe to assume that it is a k/ka mount?
pardon the ignorance..the first few easy to understand to a noob like me..

but when i read (Pentaxmount)...wat kind is it?

 

[hamustar]

The Pentax-K / KA mount is a bayonet mount.

The M42 is a screwthread mount, meaning u actually screw the lens in like a bulb into a socket. It was initially introduced by East germans through Zeiss/Prakticar. But Pentax also adopted this mount when they created the Spotmatic series. Hence it's also popularly known as the Pentax screw mount.
Any cam Pentax / C / N / Oly / SonyM can use the M42 lens with an appropriate adapter. There is also another concurrent thread on the M42-Pentax K adapter.

This writeup would provide more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount

 

[ardnirun]

The Pentax-K / KA mount is a bayonet mount.

The M42 is a screwthread mount, meaning u actually screw the lens in like a bulb into a socket. It was initially introduced by East germans through Zeiss/Prakticar. But Pentax also adopted this mount when they created the Spotmatic series. Hence it's also popularly known as the Pentax screw mount.
Any cam Pentax / C / N / Oly / SonyM can use the M42 lens with an appropriate adapter. There is also another concurrent thread on the M42-Pentax K adapter.

This writeup would provide more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M42_lens_mount

i see

hmm
so..for the following 2 links...

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=432181

and

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=429660

what would these 2 fall under?

m42?
K?
KA?
cos they just say pentax mount.

 

[alanswan]

The first link looks like a KAF2 mount and the second link looks like it's KA.
It's best to confirm the mount with the sellers though.

There is a pretty good writeup in this thread on the different Pentax mounts and their differences.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=269055

 

[harrytran]

Hi,
I am new to DSLR, and I am considering Pentax K20D and Pentax Lens. May I know whether it is difficult to get Pentax Lens in a Singapore Camera shop, or we have to buy online ? I am using it to take scenery, travel, so may I know which lens i can use ? Thanks very much

 

[fengwei]

Hi,
I am new to DSLR, and I am considering Pentax K20D and Pentax Lens. May I know whether it is difficult to get Pentax Lens in a Singapore Camera shop, or we have to buy online ? I am using it to take scenery, travel, so may I know which lens i can use ? Thanks very much

Most DA lenses (made for current digital SLR cameras) should be easily found in our local stores, and they are good enough for scenery and travel photography. The dual kit lenses (DA18-55 and DA50-200) should be a very good start. But if you want something faster or better, you probably can think about changing the wide zoom lens to a DA16-45, DA17-70, or third party ones like Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigam 18-50/2.8, Sigma DC17-70 and etc. Of course Pentax got two pro level zoom lenses: DA*16-50/2.8 and DA*50-135/2.8. These two should be good enough for most use.

If you want faster lenses, Pentax got quite some prime lenses to choose from: FA50/1.4, FA31/1.8, FA43/1.9, FA 77/1.8, DA*200/2.8, DA*300/4. And Pentax also got some cute little pancake lenses: DA21, DA35, DA40, DA70 and the coming DA15.

Plus millions of old manual and auto focus lenses in Pentax K or M42 mount, you'd have far too many to choose from