Pentax K100D - What else to buy?

[Groucho]

At Beach, the difference between the body only and with kit lens is currently $81 - much more than the usual difference in cost. (Both qualify for the $100 rebate.) The kit lens is certainly a solid and worthwhile lens, but for $80, it's worth considering other options if you would want something that was more of an all-in-one lens.

For memory, keep your eyes on the deals... maybe www.fatwallet.com or similar. I was able to pick up a 4gb Dane-Elec card a couple weeks ago for $20 after rebate - so now I'm up to 10g total of SD cards. Nice! That price is exceptionally low, however 2gb for $20 isn't all that unusual. All the Pentax DSLRs (at least, all the ones from the past 2-3 years) can use SDHC (4g+) cards with the current firmwares, so no worries there.

For batteries - you might find a box o' batteries is a good deal. A year or two ago, I was able to pick up a 20-pack of Lenmar 2500mAh batteries from buy.com for $21! Generally, the higher the mAh, the better. A good charger is nice, too - I'm using the La Crosse BC-900 which can also test the batteries, so you can find out if you're got a bum one that is making the whole set fail earlier than it should.

For Raw, you can use the Pentax Photo Browser/Photo Laboratory software that came with the camera. Check their web site, the CD may or may not have the latest version (though you'll still have to install it then upgrade to the latest.)

For a flash, going with the cheaper of the two Pentax models is probably a good choice. I looked briefly at off-brand ones and went with it (the 360GFZ or something like that) and am happy with it - the ability to bounce off the ceiling makes a huge difference for photos at home. Not so much at Disney, where there's rarely a white ceiling to bounce off.

For Arizona, I suspect that'd be a spot where a circular polarizer would help, giving you a nice blue sky in landscape photos. I got my Hoya circular polarizer from a seller on eBay who specialized in Hoya filters, it was cheaper than anywhere else and was shipped very quickly.

If you find the camera weighing heavy on your neck after a while, a better strap is a good accessory, too - I like the Op/Tech Pro strap a lot.

Enjoy the camera and welcome to the family!

 

[ksloane]

Thanks for all the useful info...I added it to my ever growing list of considerations.

 

[Jeanne B]

For Arizona, I suspect that'd be a spot where a circular polarizer would help, giving you a nice blue sky in landscape photos.

We went to Arizona this summer for the first time and I said to myself a few times during the week that I should have brought my polarizer.