Hello all, new to Pentax and DSLR

Hello all, after many years absence, I've come back to the world of trying to take the odd decent photo. I always said I'd only get a DSLR when I could afford really good kit (Eos 5D II being my "Do want" for a long time) as entry level Canon and Nikon was a bit meh, but second hand midrange kit was still expensive. Lo and behold, my wife bought a K10D kit and I couldn't believe the spec for the money!

How could I have forgotten Pentax? An old mate of mine always used Pentax kit and made a bit of coin on the back of it. Yesterday I won a K10D body on eBay, so the quest for lenses begins, ideally in good time for our "big hols" in a couple of weeks.

I put a good few reels of 35mm through a series of Minolta MD bodies many years ago, so I have to now try to teach my fingers that focusing and aperture rings work "the wrong way round"

So, expect to see me in the for sale/trade section and asking stupid questions about the transition from film to CCDs and the world of autofocus (Luddite, me?)

Cheers

Dont you mean the "right way round"

Welcome to the forum Bryan, and are you aware that your K10D is capable of using almost any K mount lens, so there are some bargains to be had if you look around, you may find this link useful; link

There are a few lenses you should avoid as they can become locked onto the camera, (Ricoh K mounts, though not all), if you spot anything just ask on here and someone will give you the OK if its suitable.

Hi and welcome... Hope your search remains fun..

Hi Bryan.

Hi.

Yes once bitten by Pentax, that’s it.
I was first bitten in 1974, when I purchased a Spotmatic II.
Used that up to 2007, when I purchased a K10D.
Spotmatic still going fine, just had to have the light seals replaced a few years back, don’t think you could say that camera owes me anything, a very good servant.

Take care.

Chris R.

G'day and welcome. Plenty of good gear exists to fit the cameras you now have, but the quest can be endless...

You can reverse the rings - it's a setting (somewhere) in the menus.

Thanks folks, suspect it'll be a K mount 50mm 1.4, the DAs seem rather expensive. Is there any issue using K rather than KA mounts, appreciate won't get autofocus, but will there be issues with aperture fettling?

Tempting just to blow a load of cash on nice glass though ; )

With K mount rather than KA mount you'll have to press the green button to meter before each shot, and shoot in M mode. With KA mount you can use the semi auto modes.

Don't forget that a K mount 50mm on a crop-sensor camera like the K10D will feel like a 75mm from your film camera days.

One down - Tamron long zoom. Couldn't really justify the £££ for the 2.8 long zoom

A good starter lens for the K10D would be the newer version of the kit lens link

It's cheap, light, and matches the weather sealing on your K10D. Oh it's not optically too bad either. There are better out there but the weather sealing is just so useful.

Morning all!

Thought I'd pop in and say hello! I'm 'the wife' that Portland mentions in his first post, with a big bag full of Pentax kit and no idea what to do with it!

I'm new to DSLRs and pretty bad at photography in general - no idea why I suddently decided I needed a DSLR, but there you go, these things happen! My previous cameras (except for a film SLR I had about 20 years ago and can't remember much about) were point and clicks, specifically waterproof ones for use when snorkelling. My Dad had a Pentax SLR when I was young so just gravitated to the make automatically. Loving the K10D so far. So many lens with so many moving parts....and so little idea what to do with any of them.

A few beers and ebay access resulted in the purchase of a Tamron 90mm macro on Tuesday night, which has just arrived from Hong Kong this morning - it's fab; I have a flower (a snapdragon) in a glass of water that is now the most photographed flower in the North of England!

Think I might go and stalk round the garden for things to practice on later!

I probably won't be posting much but will be lurking and reading to educate myself. Great forum folks, loads for me to go learn from - thanks!

Well g'day and welcome to you as well then! My first DSLR was a K10 also, and the Tammy 90 macro is a great lens to boot.

Various bits of glass are en route or have been carded for. I'll be abke to create a kit sig soon.

Pentax WR short zoom, Sigma 1.4 50mm, Tamron 90mm macro, Tamron 70-300

Not high end kit, but the short zoom means I'll have something to take snaps in drizzle anyway.

Hello to both of you, may I suggest an excellent lens for your consideration- the DA 35mm 2.4. Standard focal length on an APSc lovely image quality, light as a feather and all for under £150 brand new.

Sounds a nice lens japers, but having acquired some bits, am now trying to resist anything else for the moment, apart from maybe a cheapie manual 24 or 28mm. Need to get the feel of the camera and lenses now stuff's arrived. Hopefully some pics of a non-cr*p quality will result.

Must also resist a backup body - it feels wrong to only have one body!