Pentax general discussion

[ukcatfan]

Im on the pentax fence. So tell me why I should buy a pentax insted of a canon. Also What prices do lenses run? What kind of lenes would you reccomend (my first DSLR here).

You have IS on every lens. This saves ALOT of money if IS is important to you. The K-x has the best high ISO performance in its class. Probably only the Canon 7D has better high ISO for an APS-C sensor (non full frame) but it costs three times as much. There are tons of used lenses available for Pentax going back for more years than I have been alive. Sure, many are manual, but there are some incredible lenses out there because in film days Pentax was really popular. To me the feel of Pentax was the best. Plus, the color choices!!!

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Im on the pentax fence. So tell me why I should buy a pentax insted of a canon. Also What prices do lenses run? What kind of lenes would you reccomend (my first DSLR here). Also which model is a good model for a beginer on a budget? Im thinking pentax cause I like the way it fits in my hand. The rebel was kinda big.

I'll tell you what sold it for me... I went to the Walmart website and watched the video for the Pentax K-x from the details section. The video sold it for me. I realized that EVERYTHING I wanted was FINALLY on ONE SINGLE CAMERA!!!!! I had liked one feature on the Canon, and another feature of the Nikon, and yet another feature of the Olympus, etc. None of them had the right combination of features. This one had EVERYTHING! Not only did it have all the features I wanted, but it was almost half the price of the Nikon D5000, which I felt to be it's closest rival. PLUS it had the cool color that gets attention. Anyone who has seen my van knows I'm not scared of getting attention.
I thought of this... I know it's a LONG SHOT... but say your somewhere and you see another person with a DSLR, and it's RED... Your gonna look down and make sure yours is on your neck!!! (Especially if he is running!!!) Everyone has a black camera. I like things that are unusual. The red K-x is the most unusual DSLR on the market due primarily to it's color. It was an easy choice for me! I was considering the white one a little as well, but I thought it might get mistook for a point and shoot, because silver and white often look alike in certain light. The red is gonna be KNOWN for it's bold color. You haven't read ANYTHING about the same camera in white color. It's not getting any attention. The red has stole the spotlight!
Dont get me wrong, the white is a very attractive camera as well, but the red makes a statement.

 

[ukcatfan]

Thats nothing. In Japan... (Just click the link and look at ALL the colors!!!) I actually tried to find a way to buy one of the exotic colors from Japan before I bought mine, but I couldn't find a way to purchase said Beastie.

There is an import site, but the price is high. When I looked it was about $400 more. Now that the US price is down, the difference is probably $500. I wanted the blue with white grips. The blue available here is a navy blue, so not really like UK blue.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Thats nothing. In Japan... (Just click the link and look at ALL the colors!!!) I actually tried to find a way to buy one of the exotic colors from Japan before I bought mine, but I couldn't find a way to purchase said Beastie.

http://forums.steves-digicams.com/pentax-samsung-dslr/159771-choose-your-color-pentax-k-x.html

Its the 5th response down. 20 colors, over 100 combinations... one word... SWEEEEET. When the little colored parts start popping up on ebay I might tacky mine up just for the heck of it!!!

I woulda went with Red and White!

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

And I would make a White Lens cap with a Red Maple Leaf Dead centre!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Sure, many are manual

What does this mean? I thougt all lenses were manual. also what IS? Im so a beginier (whos still kicking herself for not buying that pentax 35mm camera at good will with the macro lens and another lens for $24. It was gone by the time i got back)

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

OMG I never thought of looking at the thrift shops!

 

[Pooh_Girl]

Sure, many are manual

What does this mean? I thougt all lenses were manual. also what IS? Im so a beginier (whos still kicking herself for not buying that pentax 35mm camera at good will with the macro lens and another lens for $24. It was gone by the time i got back)

What he was saying is that the older lenses are manual focus, meaning you have to focus it yourself. All of the newer lenses are auto focus, letting the camera do the focusing. Also, the "IS" means Image Stabilization. That helps reduce blur from the shaking of a hand somewhat. With other brands, the image stabilization is in the lens, thus raising the price of their lenses. Since it is in the camera body on Pentax cameras, that means EVERY lens you use will have image stabilization.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

AHHHH IS is my freind. If your into hunting for cheap lenses www.shopgoodwill.com is a good place to look. Its the site goodwill uses for its auctions.

 

[ukcatfan]

Sure, many are manual

What does this mean? I thougt all lenses were manual. also what IS? Im so a beginier (whos still kicking herself for not buying that pentax 35mm camera at good will with the macro lens and another lens for $24. It was gone by the time i got back)

When it comes to screw mount, they are not only manual focus, but also manual aperture. No information is passed from lens to camera. There are also some K mount lenses that do not have auto aperture(i.e. controlled in the camera), but they are not that difficult to use. It basically just adds another step to the picture taking process.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Sure, many are manual

What does this mean? I thougt all lenses were manual. also what IS? Im so a beginier (whos still kicking herself for not buying that pentax 35mm camera at good will with the macro lens and another lens for $24. It was gone by the time i got back)

Please don't brush off the importance of autofocus. For you as a beginner, autofocus will be very important and LOTS less frustrating. I'd say about 99.999% of DSLR owners are using autofocus lenses.

I'll admit, I don't have any manual focus lenses. However, I can only imagine that it's 1 extra step I have to worry about when I take photos, especially for fast-paced action. And I won't be able to see whether my manual focusing was correct until I get home...which may be too late. I guess I just don't trust myself to correctly focus a lens, especially with a large-aperture lens (small f-number) where the depth of focus is already so small.

It's very easy to be tempted by the very inexpensive prices of old/classic lenses. But I have a feeling that manual-focus lenses will end up causing a lot more frustration to you as a beginning photographer. Autofocusing will give you 1 less (major) thing to worry about and will let you take photos a LOT faster, compared to the process of manual focusing.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you stick with the kit lens that comes with whichever camera you decide to buy. Also, take a moment to review the topic of "autofocus" in your photography books.

Yes, image stabilization is a good thing, and it's also a topic that is also covered in your photography books, too (and several times recently on this message board).

 

[MICKEY88]

Dont get me wrong, the white is a very attractive camera as well, but the red makes a statement.

I talked to a guy at Hollywood studios last month,that was sporting the white one, it looked really sharp

 

[ukcatfan]

Please don't brush off the importance of autofocus. For you as a beginner, autofocus will be very important and LOTS less frustrating. I'd say about 99.999% of DSLR owners are using autofocus lenses.

I respectfully disagree with you. There are many more people using manual focus than 0.001%! Sorry, but to state that is ridiculous. There are even some extremely high quality new lenses that are manual focus. There are also many situations where people with AF lenses turn it off, especially at WDW. I will say that it is not as easy as AF, but with some practice it is not as bad as you think. Anyone seriously into photography should practice doing MF even if all their lenses are AF.

 

[disneyboy2003]

I respectfully disagree with you. There are many more people using manual focus than 0.001%! Sorry, but to state that is ridiculous. There are even some extremely high quality new lenses that are manual focus. There are also many situations where people with AF lenses turn it off, especially at WDW. I will say that it is not as easy as AF, but with some practice it is not as bad as you think. Anyone seriously into photography should practice doing MF even if all their lenses are AF.

I'll admit that I don't have exact numbers, but I figured that of the thousands and thousands and thousands of DSLRs that have been sold in the past several years, a great great majority of DSLR owners are using autofocus lenses.

I don't doubt that there are manual focus lens owners out there, but I would argue that autofocus lens owners far outweigh the number of manual-focus lens users.

Ultimately, though, I was trying to make a point to funkychunkymonkey. Because of her strict budget, she has "focused" her attention to classic, older, manual-focus lenses that are way cheaper than their autofocus counterparts. She's at the very very beginning of her photography learning curve. I'm not sure that I'd recommend manual focus lenses to someone in that situation.

Certainly, when she becomes more adept at photography later on, then manual focus lenses can open up a lot of creative possibilities without having to spend a fortune.

 

[Groucho]

There is an import site, but the price is high. When I looked it was about $400 more. Now that the US price is down, the difference is probably $500. I wanted the blue with white grips. The blue available here is a navy blue, so not really like UK blue.

There's also at least one guy on eBay in Japan who will buy a K-x for you in your choice of colors and ship it to you. IIRC the cost is cheaper than the website that imports them but it is still a decent chunk more expensive (especially now that you can get them for so cheap in the USA!)

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I'll admit that I don't have exact numbers, but I figured that of the thousands and thousands and thousands of DSLRs that have been sold in the past several years, a great great majority of DSLR owners are using autofocus lenses.

I don't doubt that there are manual focus lens owners out there, but I would argue that autofocus lens owners far outweigh the number of manual-focus lens users.

Certainly, when she becomes more adept at photography later on, then manual focus lenses can open up a lot of creative possibilities without having to spend a fortune.

I have an f 2 50mm Manual focus that I have been practicing with a lot. Personally I find it much more gratifying using this lens over the Auto lenses. Its easier to get a better exposed photo (I think) but harder to get the focus down. So when I do get a great pic its a great feeling!

 

[gokenin]

Pentax lens that are autofocus come in the last three lines of lens the F series the Fa series and the DA series lens the F & FA can be found cheaper than you will find the modern DA for the most part. These lines were created for film cameras so they will work on either a film or digital SLR and if Pentax ever comes out with full frame digital you should be good for that as well. The A line will allow you to shot in aperture priority allowing you to set the aperture in camera but are manual focus. The M, K and Takumar series are completely manual lens.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

This is a topic I'm trying to weigh out as well. I have been watching Craigslist and ebay, and the old manual focus lenses are a lot cheaper, but I'm still leaning towards saving up for that $200 Pentax smc DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED Lens (copied from the website... I dont know what half of those numbers mean!!!)
The reason is that "pentax says this lens is made for my camera". Does that mean its the only choice? No. I'm sure there are other choices. I'm wondering if this particular lens will weigh a lot less since the K-x is so light and the older cameras were a lot heavier.
I'm also still undecided about this lens because I really only wanted to get ONE extra lens (for now) and I was thinking a 300 would be better. Not sure why really. So... before I make myself sound any more newbie than I already have...
How about a couple of all-out PRO / CON reviews???

New may be lighter? Is it cheaper made? More to break?
An example: (just stick with me... I'm trying to make a point...)
In home audio and car audio you want OLD equipment. I'm still running 1980s car amps in all my vehicles. They are rated at 25 watts per channel (Orion HCCA 225 hand made in USA) They will flat out DESTROY these new 2000 watt amps that are mass-made today in China. They also (obviously) last longer and can take more abuse. Are lenses the same principle?
In home audio, I run a newer Onkyo 6.1 receiver, because the older stuff don't have the processing effects for surround sound. The older stuff brings TOP DOLLAR (why I sell so much of it on CL) but those buying it are DJs, and old school people who want to jam out to Zepplin and the Beatles.
The sound on the old stuff is a different tone rich sound that some people love. Is the same principles that apply to audio equipment the same principles that apply to camera lenses?

If so maybe I should go get that K-1000 at Megathrift with the 200mm Tamron lens in the old leather tube for $100.

So those of you who know more about this than those of us who don't... Can we get some pros and cons? A sort of way to decide which way to go?

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Oh, and when your considering Goodwill (while I'm NOT a fan of the Goodwill... for MANY reasons) I will advise you to check your local Megathrift store as well. If you have one of course.
2 days ago I got a second Dimage Z2 (P&S) for Craigslist pictures, and I got it for... (drumroll please...) $10!!!
They sell cameras too. Most people go there for clothes, but they often get some great deals on electronics as well. I've also gotten several Disney refillable mugs there!

 

[gokenin]

Pentax has a habit of occasionally making their lens more plastic over time then changing them again examples are the FA-J and the DAL lens these tend to have more plastic on them than the other models. Does it mean they will break easier no it doesn't it just means that people who want more metal in their lens tend not to buy them (although the FA-J lens are considered to be some of the worse lens produced as far as i can tell)
I know we don't usually send people to other sites but you may want to check out the PentaxForums.com there is a marketplace there where you can usually pick up used lens from reliable users. I have to say that 90% of my lens have been bought off the forumn