Hello Everyone,

Well I'm still very new to the DLSR world and still getting to grips with my K50.

I have just received an email saying that there is a Firmwear update for the K50, and just wondered if I should install this.

The reason I ask is because I have a few good MP3 players where firmwear upgrades are a constant practice.

However, many report that more bugs can be installed with the new firmwear and so better left alone and stay with the original settings.

So I would just like your take on this before I proceed any further.

Regards,

GBR

Hello,

Looking at camera bags and cases I wondered if there is a general safe way (position) in which the actual camera should be placed into a bag or case, and which is ideal for transportation.
I see illustrations of some lens being detached from the camera and packed face down separately, while others leave the lens attached and pack the camera on its bottom. And then of course you have the top loader type bags where the camera goes in lens down.
So please excuse the naivety of this question, the answer is probably very obvious, but just wanted to know if there anyway you can do any damage in carrying the camera the wrong way.
Thanks.

Thanks again,

Firstly, I might be wrong but did they recently release a new 55/300 wr lens to replace the old one?
With this fantastic reach are you always going to need the use of a tripod to obtain a steady shot, looking at some of the pictures of the lens it looks like it extends to the extent of being top heavy, and as I have said I would like a walk about lens to use on the K50.
Mind you I have viewed some of the shots made with this lens and they look great.
Will take you advice and buy new, for the extra £100 it's not really worth taking the chance.
Thanks
GBR.

Thanks everyone, as always indebted to everyone who commented.
As I wrote a while ago, I'm a brand new Pentax owner and complete novice so still floundering quite a bit.
Disappointed with the limitation of the bundled lens 18-55 and looking for something with more variance.
Toss up at the moment between the 18-135wr and 55 - 300wr with the former the favourite at the moment. Both seem really good lenses and your comments would seem to endorse this fact. But to start with I think I would prefer to keep one lens on and not worry about continually changing.
I was going to but new but didn't know there was a classified section on this site so might just wait a few weeks to see if anything comes up.
Really impressed with this forum, where the professionals photographers are quite to talk with and pass on their experience to novices like myself. Thank you.
GBR.

Thank you gentlemen, I will give that company a big miss!
Thanks for the info on the lens, very useful indeed.
Thanks again for taking time out to write and answer such a basic question.

GBR

Hello Everyone,
Not sure if this is the correct section in which to post this, just didn't want to post in one of the professional sections.
Once again I start by sending an apology for a couple of questions I would like to ask that are probably very basic to most on the forum.
Following suggestions on this forum that I might try different lens, I have been searching the net for suitable items.
I was looking at the 18-135wr and 55-300wr and immediately got confused by the technical terms.
Lot's of dealers to sell these lens, but I’m not sure if they are all the same product for they seem to be always listed differently.
For example: Some dealers show the 18-135 mm WR as AF18-135wr
Others refer to it as DA 18-135wr
Others refer to it as SMC 18-135wr
Other refer to it as EDAL 18 – 135wr.
The photos of these lens in the adverts all look similar but don’t know why they are referred to differently.
I also notice that when referring to the DA18-135wr the prices vary drastically. From dealers such as WEX and SRS the retail price new is £379.00 whereas from a company called Microglobe you can pick up the same lens new for just £114.00. Surely there has to be something wrong here.
Well I hope you don’t mind these questions, as I have said before, although learning slowly I am still baffled by most of the technology used.
Thank You for your understanding.

GBR

Well thanks everyone for your contributions of which there is plenty of good advice.
I've ordered the suggested book, I'm going to take up the offer of some one to one and I am going to switch the camera to jpeg. Most importantly as suggested, I am going to get out there and start practising with the camera.
Thanks again everyone for all the fantastic advice.

Sorry David,
Think our posts must have crossed, thanks for answering the question on the lenses. And thanks for the great in depth advice. G

Thanks once again!
I actually purchased he Dummies book to DSLR and couldn't really associate with it, spent half the book talking equipment and computers
So can anyone recommend a better beginners book please?
And bk to the lens issue. Do you think it would be better to start with the 55-300 or the 18-135 and get rid of the 18-55?
Thanks again everyone!

Hello,
Sorry not lost, month end at work and hours of reports and number crunching!
Thanks ever so much for all the fantastic advice and taking the time to answer in such detail.
To be perfectly honest I'm a little scared to get the camera out now, as strange as this might seem.
You were also right that I should have practised before taking it on holiday.
Whether or not this has anything to do with it I don't know, but will mention it any way.
I spent many years with a Sony PD170 video camera, always used it in manual mode. Set the white balance, zoom in to the subject to get the correct exposure, set the corresponding F number, zoom out, frame hey presto.
So, I guess it was going to be as easy as that with a DSLR.
I will take on board your comments about getting hold of a 55-300 lens, the current 18-55 seems to get bad reviews in most of the magazines. They all seem to suggest the 18-135.
I am also going to try and get down to the basics, my biggest enemy is time.
I not looking to become the next David Bailey, just want to master this camera which at the moment is very much mine.
Thanks again for all your advice, its really nice that all you professionals take the time to respond to a completed novice. Thank you so much!