Many thanks for your prompt opinion.

I'll get both and will look at the difference - if there's any.

Cheers!

hello,

I used a 50mm f1.4 for years as standard lens for my SLR and now I'm on a Pentax-a 24-50mm f4 (on my K20). Somehow I can't get used to a) the zoom b) the f4 minimum value. Plus I can't afford any of the new Pentax prime lenses.

Just wondering - hope it doesn't sound too dumb - if I should perhaps go for a Pentax-a 28mm f2.8 as my standard lens (I've just seen a PENTAX-A 35mm f2 on eBay, but rather pricey...). Or would you advise to stick to a Pentax-a 50mm f1.7?

I tend to mainly do street photography, portraits, and architecture (not too fond of wide angle lenses, though, on an SLR I wouldn't necessarily use a 24 or 28mm)...I suppose that there are differences in terms of perspective, DOB, and the like between a 28mm (intended as a wide-angle on an SLR) and a 50mm (intended as a standard lens on an SLR)?

Thanks!

Thanks Peter.

hiya,

I'm using a Pentax-a smc 24-50mm f4 on my K20D. Will probably consider buying fancier lenses at a later stage (like the 16-50mm f2..

Anyway, I'm not sure how to set the Shake Reduction function with a zoom: would it be a good idea to select the actual focal length each time before taking a photo? Or is it enough to set it at a fixed value (which one? 24? 50?)?

Either way, I suppose I should choose the actual focal length (say 24 = 36, so I'll input 35 in the camera settings), correct?

Matt you made my day I knew I should get a Pentax

Been on Nikon manual SLRs for a couple of decades but never got a feeling for their DSLRs. Somehow with the K20D I feel at home but it feels a bit weird to think colour. It took ages to be able to think b&w...the arteries of change has begun to harden

I'm looking for that shot at Dagenham. Can see anyway that it's better to work on a colour image in photoshop, in spite of my limited experience with this technology. What might save my need for visualising in b&w is a post I've just come across (http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/56909-black-white-shoo...):

"That said, on the Pentax K20D, it is possible to ask the camera to show you a black and white conversion in the preview screen.(...) NOTE that, if you use this option and you shoot raw, you don't lose the color info. You just get a black and white preview and a black and white embedded jpeg."

This would confirm my little test. On the K20D, you can choose to either look at your RAW files on display as colour or b&w JPEG. For some reason, if you choose the b&w, you may conclude that a conversion has taken place when you export the RAW to your PC, as you still see it in b&w. The thing is that colour info gathered by the sensor is there, it's just been temporarily put aside.

If this was really the case, my move to digital is going to be less traumatic than I thought

Is it possible that the K20D never actually converts colour RAW into b&W RAW but simply shows a b&W JPEG version of the pic on the display if you have selected FN > OK (custom image) > BW monochrome (to make people like me happy)?

I've just took a colour RAW and a b&w RAW of the same subject + saved them both as JPEG. Opened the b&w RAW, clicked on Tool>Image Tone>Natural (on Pentax Photo lab), saved it...and this JPEG looks identical to the colour JPEG (converted from a colour RAW). Pixels are the same, only the size slightly differs.

I checked on the camera, and the option for shooting in colour (factory settings) is incidentally called "Natural".

This is not very scientific, I know...if it's not the case I'll stick to your advice and think b&w in front of my pc only!

Hi George,

are you saying that the camera is anyway set to take photos in colour, and that - if I shoot in the monochrome mode - the camera actually converts the photo from colour into monochrome the moment after I took it?

In other words: I noticed that

a) with the K20D it's possible to convert/modify/edit any RAW colour photo in-camera (something I wouldn't do, I'd agree with you, better do it on a computer). To do the conversion, I think (not sure) you need to first convert the file into a JPEG anyway;
b) it's alo possible to (but this is exactly what I'm not sure of) to choose between creating a RAW colour file and a RAW monochrome. I'd assume that the difference is that you can take colours away from a RAW colour but you can't add colours to a RAW monochrome, but other than that...I hoped that either way I'm producing RAW-level quality...

Did I get it completely wrong?

hi everyone,

I've completely new to DSLRs. I've just bought myself a Pentax K20D and am very happy with it. Still learning how to use it, though...

Hope this hasn't already been addressed (if it has, please re-direct me to the right place): in the K20D I've just found out that it's possible to "take black & white photos" (FN > OK (custom image) > BW monochrome). The images appear in b & w on the display.

I'm wondering if there's any difference in terms of quality between RAW files produced in monochrome and RAW files produced in colour? I seem to recall reading somewhere that it'd be advisable with DSLRs to shoot in colour and then convert to b & w...any idea?

Thanks!