Pentax general discussion

[sabrinadv1]

OK thanks. I just kept reading that the 50mm lens was good for low light and portraits. I will only be buying one more lens in the near future.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I finally ordered mine after months of researching and drooling . Now someone explain the lens thing to me. I love to take "portraits". I will be adding more accessories in the future. For now from what I have read I need a 50mm prime lens? There are too many choices. I don't understand the difference in them. I will be taking a class but, it doesn't start until next month. Help me please! I tried the pentax forums but, I am still overwhelmed. Dumb it down for me if you will.

I am so excited. I even paid for 1-day shipping!

Did you get a K-X???If so, WHAT COLOR?
PS assuming you did, one noob to another, my OPINION is you should (as another said) use the lens that comes with the camera for a while. I lucked up and got some cheap manual lenses, but I have had much less success with them. You want to (first and foremost) enjoy your camera, and you won't enjoy it if your having crappy luck with manual lenses.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND!!! I'm not saying they are worse by ANY means!!! I'm just saying they take more knowledge, and I'd concentrate on seeing what you can do in AUTO with stock lens, and learn the camera for several months before you jump out there with manual. After you have played with auto THEN experiment with the "stock camera settings", and THEN try manual and more adjustments. In other words take baby steps. I have played with P&S cameras all my life. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got this. I'm loving it, but its a LOT to learn!!!!

 

[sabrinadv1]

I got black. It was cheaper. Considering I really wanted the purple one none of the other colors really mattered to me.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

PURPLE????

 

[ukcatfan]

PURPLE????

http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/

They are only available directly from Pentax and at full retail. I want the blue one. It is UK blue

 

[RBennett]

http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/

They are only available directly from Pentax and at full retail. I want the blue one. It is UK blue

Unfortunately it doesn't come in Notre Dame blue & gold.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I knew you could buy like 100 different colored ones if your in Japan. Even rainbow with different colored pieces, but I didnt know they made the new colors for the US yet!
Sweet! The orange one is super cool. I think I'd still have gotten the red though. My neck strap is red and black and my tripod has red on it as well, I also have a completely red mini-tripod. So it all matches.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I own both the ST and the Super. I bought the ST first as a basic flash. For that, it has worked flawlessly. I started doing some portrait work for my DGD's school events. I needed a wireless off camera flash and purchased the Super. I can't compare it to the Pentax or Metz, but both have worked great for me. The DW didn't want anything real fancy so she has the ST in her kit and I carry the super. The only thing I would recommend is to add a diffuser like a Sto-Fen C Omni Bounce.

I got the ST yesterday.
I also saw where you reviewed this on another site Gianna'sPapa

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Lazarus

 

[MinnieForMe]

I just started reading Understanding Exposure. I'm suppose to adjust my shutter speed until the camera's light meter indicates a correct exposure. Okay -- I don't know where the light meter is located or what symbol it is. Is it the greenish octogon symbol I see when I look through the viewfinder? I can't believe how stupid I feel but I'm determined to figure shooting this camera if it takes me years which at this moment it probably will. LOL.

Thanks for any help!

 

[JoeDif]

My guess is the green octagon is focus confirmation. I'm sure one of the Pentax users will be able to assist you.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Thank you to the above poster! One more thing noted!

I think I just found my answer. Is the last number I see in my viewfinder my light meter? When it is set at 0, it is "perfect" exposure?

 

[zackiedawg]

Yes...in Manual mode, when setting the exposure yourself, the last line of numbers in your viewfinder which typically show your EV setting becomes your light meter. Any numbers in the - mean you are underexposed, and any numbers in the + are overexposed...according to the camera's metering. Don't forget that you don't necessarily HAVE to be at 0 - sometimes it is desirable to under or overexpose.

 

[ukcatfan]

Thank you to the above poster! One more thing noted!

I think I just found my answer. Is the last number I see in my viewfinder my light meter? When it is set at 0, it is "perfect" exposure?

Yes and No. Yes, it is the meter. No, that does not mean that it is the "perfect" exposure. It is just the exposure that the meter thinks is correct. You will learn more about what I mean by that as you get farther in the book.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Yes and No. Yes, it is the meter. No, that does not mean that it is the "perfect" exposure. It is just the exposure that the meter thinks is correct. You will learn more about what I mean by that as you get farther in the book.

I do understand that it might be a more creative picture if I underexpose or overexpose according to the light meter that's why I used the quotes around perfect. LOL. I'm sure there is soooo much more than is going to blow my mind!

I keep telling myself someday I'll understand it. I actually got a few good pictures today using manual settings but it was pure luck. Some days I just want to go back to auto settings!

 

[ukcatfan]

I do understand that it might be a more creative picture if I underexpose or overexpose according to the light meter that's why I used the quotes around perfect. LOL. I'm sure there is soooo much more than is going to blow my mind!

I keep telling myself someday I'll understand it. I actually got a few good pictures today using manual settings but it was pure luck. Some days I just want to go back to auto settings!

Creative is actually not what I am talking about. The meter can be confused by a scene because it is simply not intelligent. An overwhelming presence of certain colors can confuse it. A lot of black, white, green, etc. makes it tell you an incorrect exposure. This is the same concept as using exposure compensation in a semi manual mode. He covers this topic in detail in the book.

 

[boBQuincy]

I keep telling myself someday I'll understand it. I actually got a few good pictures today using manual settings but it was pure luck. Some days I just want to go back to auto settings!

If we set the manual settings so the meter reads "0" then we have set the camera to the same exposure that it would have set in Auto or Program. To my way of thinking we have then essentially done nothing and taken far more time to do it then if we let the camera do it.

If we set the manual settings to + or - 1 or 2 stops then we have done the same as using Auto with exposure compensation. I see *very* few times when using manual will result in a better exposure than Auto or Program but a lot of times when manual could result in missing a photo due to rapidly changing light conditions.

Ymmv...

 

[MinnieForMe]

See how much I have to learn! It's embarassing to be this ignorant about photograpy!

 

[boBQuincy]

No need to be embarrassed or to feel ignorant. The issue of using Manual vs Auto is one of the great philosophical debates of photography, where some believe we are nothing of a photographer until we always use manual exposure settings. Too often the result is to push beginners into using Manual too quickly and to make beginners feel ignorant because they do not understand the settings (and then rarely get good results with Manual).

I do not subscribe to the "only Manual" philosophy and usually let my camera sort out the exposure, modifying it with the compensation buttons as required. My photos have not seemed to suffer...

 

[MinnieForMe]

No need to be embarrassed or to feel ignorant. The issue of using Manual vs Auto is one of the great philosophical debates of photography, where some believe we are nothing of a photographer until we always use manual exposure settings. Too often the result is to push beginners into using Manual too quickly and to make beginners feel ignorant because they do not understand the settings (and then rarely get good results with Manual).

I do not subscribe to the "only Manual" philosophy and usually let my camera sort out the exposure, modifying it with the compensation buttons as required. My photos have not seemed to suffer...

Thanks! I'm only trying to shoot manual to follow the book I'm reading. I'm much more comfortable using AV and the programmed modes. I've been finding myself taking the same picture multiple times to see the settings the camera decides is best and then playing around to see if I can do any better. In most cases, the camera is winning.

At this point, I'm grateful for Photoshop Elements as it has saved some of my mistakes!