No, it's not.

You have absolutely no idea what you are looking for, so listen to what more experienced people tell you.

NOBODY uses continuous artificial light for still photography.

Why? Let me tell you.

1 It is very difficult to get a good continuous light source with a colour balance which approximates to daylight, and which can maintain that balance consistently.

2 The amount of light you require necessitates huge and expensive light bulbs which generate vast amounts of heat. The equipment in which the bulbs are mounted has to be able to handle all this heat, so is heavy and unwieldy.

3 The heat creates very uncomfortable working conditions, virtually necessitating air-conditioning.

4 Studio flash, as opposed to the pathetic little units built into small cameras, is extremely versatile and can create any effect you care for. It is far and away better than any continuous light source, save the sun, and that is why it is the ONLY artificial light source used by professional and experienced amateur photographers for still photography.

What you want is some form of off-camera flash, which gives you two choices:

1 Proper studio flash, or

2 Good portable flash guns which can be operated remotely from the camera, and which can have their light diffused or in some other way modified. They can be controlled by cables, or wirelessly. This is what Matt is suggesting, and it is an excellent first step.

George

There's no "of course" to "without flash".

Almost all studio work is done WITH flash. Softboxes and brollies and snoots and barn doors and reflectors all help you to control the light from the flash, and make it as soft or hard as you wish.

You have already stated that your living room gets little light, so flash is really your only practical option.

G

Well, first, Hong Kong isn't really China in the full sense of the word. They still have their own (British-based) laws, and a degree of self-government. And, of course, a history of trading with Britain.

http://www.doj.gov.hk/eng/legal/index.htm

And second, the Chinese on the whole are reasonably honest.

And third, you've just had evidence that this particular site is above board, and deliver what they say they will.

And fourth, if you never take the odd risk, you'll never experience even a smidgen of all the riches that life has to offer.

G

Studio lighting usually IS flash, though in very old studios you might find some pre-war tungsten floods.

If you've noticed people using flashguns on their cameras, or the pop-up flash, whilst using studio flash, it is to trigger the latter, not to provide lighting.

G

You almost certainly need flash. But if you are at all serious, get proper studio flash, not flashguns. These are good value:

http://www.digitaldepot.co.uk/acatalog/Elinchrom.html

Studio flash is always manual. Buy an infra-red/radio trigger rather than trip over cables.

Most flash units provide enough power for you to shoot at f11.

Start looking out for suitable models.

G

Get whatever you need, bearing in mind that if your widest lens currently is the 24mm, it will have the field of view of a 35mm on the K10D.

So, if you like to shoot wide, get a wide lens. All your existing lenses will work, but if they are pre-A lenses, you will have to work in manual mode only. Something tells me that won't upset you greatly.

I would strongly suggest getting a hot-shoe-mounted infra-red trigger. Gets rid of all the wires.

He's afraid of the competition if you get a K10D. He'd prefer you to spend more money for less quality.

This is going to be a traumatic time for you. Stick to familiar equipment, and keep your faithful glass.

I'ts just the camera's internal computer program. The *ist D has been around for three years, and has had either one or two updates in that time. They take less than two minutes to load.

Bite the bullet, Peter. The K10D is the best camera on the market, and there's no better time to make the change.

G

A so-called "digital" lens has exactly the same angle of view as a non-"digital" lens of the same focal length.

All that has chnaged is that the lens designer has tried to make the light path from the lens to the sensor as close to a 90 degree angle (to the sensor) as possible. This is because when light hits the sensor at an angle, some of it is not recorded. This leads to the vignetting which is particulary problematic on Canon 35mm-sized sensors.

Much better to have APS-C sized sensors, and wide lenses optimised for them. This is something Pentax offers, but Canon hasn't really got round to yet.

But all this is getting very far from the original purpose of the thread. To keep a picture sharp on a Pentax DSLR, shoot at one speed higher than you would on film. Unless, of course, you have shake reduction switched on, in which case you can shoot at one speed (or 2 with the K10D) slower.

G

You'll have to multiply the focal length by one and a half.

And you'll have to do it for every lens, digital or not.

So for a 100mm lens, you'll have to use a shutter speed of 1/150th of a second.

Not impossibly difficult, I should have thought.

G

Wow. Slough.

Who woulda thought it?

G

PS: Looks good. I have to go to Sludge next week (a certain place in Heron Drive). I'll try it.

Good bit of kit. In July, smoking will be banned in pubs. Now all we need is a device to turn lager to stone, and we'll have pubs with:

No football
No smoking
No lager

Sounds a bit like heaven.

G