I would recommend you buy some older primes without hesitation, even if they are manual. You don't need to program the 'green button', just use the Exposure Compensation button (+/-) and this will do the metering for you in manual mode.

It's more fun taking pictures in manual mode and focussing yourself!

Regards
David

Sirius was not one of the better brands (made in Korea, not Japan), but I've seen some pretty good photos taken with the 28mm f2.8. Take a look at the picture uploaded in today's Pentax User Gallery, 'Golden Cross' by Woj.

Regards
David

Sean

I would be tempted to give some of the zooms a try if I were you! I bought a Tokina AT-X 28-85mm some years ago for my old film camera but it works well on my K-x. In its time it was a top-flight lens (by Tokina standards) and is a solid lump of metal and glass. I think you may find one for about £30 so it's not a big risk.

Regards
David

Dan

I'm not sure about the autofocus correction. It's in a hidden secret menu on the K-x whereas on some other models it's available in the main menu. Maybe Pentax want people to upgrade so they restrict the menu options on the 'budget' models? As for the sharpness, I think this is a matter of taste. I prefer the camera's 'natural' preset but with the sharpness boosted just a little.

I'm sure you will agree that once set up correctly, the K-x can take some stunning pictures. Take a look at the portfolios for Puma and Sandinista for some great examples.

All the best
David

Hi Dan, welcome to the wonderful world of Pentax! I too bought a K-x as my first digital SLR, although I've owned a few film SLR's with the Pentax K-mount in years gone by. I have to say it's one of the best buys I've ever made and I've thoroughly enjoyed usng it for the past 3 months or so. I hope my pics are improving (only others can judge) and I hope you enjoy using your K-x as much as I do!

Just a note of caution; when I first got the K-x I was a little disappointed with the lack of sharpness from some pics, especially with the DA L 55-300mm lens. I've made 2 changes which have absolutely transformed this:

1. Tweaked up the sharpness setting a little in the camera's menu
2. Adjusted the autofocus correction to ensure the camera autofocusses accurately (see http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2010/01/k-x-debug-mode-tutorial-af-adjustment.html for details)

The 55-300mm is now my favourite lens and takes super-sharp photos.

Happy snapping and I look forward to seeing some of your pics in the Pentax User Gallery.

All the best, David

Charlotte, I bought a Pentax-M 28mm f3.5 from ebay in mint condition for £28. Although this is the 'manual only' version of the lens, it is still a great lens and by all accounts is optically one of the best 28mm's. If you don't mind the 'manual only' and can find one I would highly recommend it.

Regards
David

I bought a mint 28mm f3.5 M series for £28 recently, with original hard case and genuine Pentax Skylight filter. Not sure if this represents the same sort of bargain as your K series 35mm, but from tests I've done so far this also seems to be a very sharp and contrasty lens.

Regards
David

I have a mate at work who's just bought a K-R and is not confident enough to post any photos or forum comments - he's new to photography except for using compacts in the past. I know this post is not about people leaving the forums, but I just wanted to make the point that some people are a bit daunted by some of the expert users who post regularly. Maybe that's why there's only a few regular contributors?

I think Bill (wvbarnes) mentioned this earlier - us 'amateurs' find it hard sometimes to say things that are taken seriously and I reckon this puts a lot of people off. I don't mean to say the forums and gallery are really daunting, I suppose it's just human nature?

Regards
David

Simon

K-X does not have it as standard in the menus; you have to force the camera to open a debug menu by hacking it.

Regards
David

It will therefore only operate in fully manual mode and you will have to set your camera's menu to allow aperture setting via the 'A' ring (see your manual). There are teleconverters available with the PK/A mount; these have the automatic electrical contacts to enable all camera functions (except autofocus) and you should be able to pick a good one up from ebay for between £10 and £20 (mine cost £13). Go for a Tokina, Vivitar or Teleplus for a good quality and cheap option and make sure it is a 7 element converter, not 4 element.

Regards
David