All Forum Comments
Comment by johnjbloomfield posted on Am I ready to step up to Dslr - do I need to? at 31/12/2015 - 09:36
Thanks for taking the time to reply I appreciate it.
I think however we are at crossed wires the heavy bag if gear was not a factor in me moving away from photography it was the cost of film and development.
I won't make a choice based on size and weight etc as it isn't a concerning factor. Where size and weight will be an issue on any given day I would just get the bridge out.
I think however we are at crossed wires the heavy bag if gear was not a factor in me moving away from photography it was the cost of film and development.
I won't make a choice based on size and weight etc as it isn't a concerning factor. Where size and weight will be an issue on any given day I would just get the bridge out.
Comment by johnjbloomfield posted on Am I ready to step up to Dslr - do I need to? at 31/12/2015 - 09:21
Hi All
First time posting here and hoping for some insightful feedback.
When I was a kid 15-19 ish I was in to photography in a big way I had a suitcase full of Cannon SLRs and Glass - I used to do my own developing but it was still an expensive hobby that I couldn't really afford to maintain while at UNI.
About 4 years ago my passion for photography was rekindled when after a passing comment I made my wife bought me a bridge camera - a year or so later I thought about a DSLR but decided against it as I didn't want to spend the money when and instead I bought a better bridge that offered full manual control, and I have enjoyed using it over the last few years but there are now a few areas that I think the Bridge isn't meeting my needs as much as it did.
Firstly and perhaps you guys are going to tell me that this isn't a reason to upgrade, autofocus speed and shutter lag. I have a two year old he moves quickly and the bridge often lets me down when doing a bit of candid photography with him as he moves too fast for the camera, and although you do have manual control of shutter speed on the bridge it is within auto balanced limits of the lens and a fast shutter doesn't really help if the autofocus and tracking can't keep up.
I've always wanted a bulb mode for photographing the night sky.
DoF can be difficult to achieve on portraiture given the lens limitations.
Are these good enough reasons to step up? I know a lot of people also say that they upgrade for making large prints etc but to be honest I have never had any issues printing large from the images from the Bridge.
Having done a little research I think Pentax is probably the brand for me for a couple of reasons;
- I particularly enjoy Landscape and architectural photography and 'bad' weather is always an enhancement to me with the WR bodies and lenses I think a Pentax will allow me to enjoy this more instead of spending most of the time trying to protect my gear.
- Stabilization being in the body rather than the lens makes me think I will be able to pick up old glass and get reasonable results from it.
Are these good enough reason to choose Pentax over Nikon or Canon.
At the moment I have about £250 set aside for this and through some connections I can pick up an entry level Nikon or Canon with kit lens for this price or a pentax k50 for not a lot more but I'm not sure that a entry level body is the way to go for me.
The plan at this point is to save for a k3 as I am not the sort of person to regularly upgrade the camera body, I prefer to learn the one I have to the point I can operate it in my sleep and invest my money in lenses and light.
Is this the right strategy - is the K3 worth the extra over entry and mid level models - i'd be really interested in your feedback and opinions.
First time posting here and hoping for some insightful feedback.
When I was a kid 15-19 ish I was in to photography in a big way I had a suitcase full of Cannon SLRs and Glass - I used to do my own developing but it was still an expensive hobby that I couldn't really afford to maintain while at UNI.
About 4 years ago my passion for photography was rekindled when after a passing comment I made my wife bought me a bridge camera - a year or so later I thought about a DSLR but decided against it as I didn't want to spend the money when and instead I bought a better bridge that offered full manual control, and I have enjoyed using it over the last few years but there are now a few areas that I think the Bridge isn't meeting my needs as much as it did.
Firstly and perhaps you guys are going to tell me that this isn't a reason to upgrade, autofocus speed and shutter lag. I have a two year old he moves quickly and the bridge often lets me down when doing a bit of candid photography with him as he moves too fast for the camera, and although you do have manual control of shutter speed on the bridge it is within auto balanced limits of the lens and a fast shutter doesn't really help if the autofocus and tracking can't keep up.
I've always wanted a bulb mode for photographing the night sky.
DoF can be difficult to achieve on portraiture given the lens limitations.
Are these good enough reasons to step up? I know a lot of people also say that they upgrade for making large prints etc but to be honest I have never had any issues printing large from the images from the Bridge.
Having done a little research I think Pentax is probably the brand for me for a couple of reasons;
- I particularly enjoy Landscape and architectural photography and 'bad' weather is always an enhancement to me with the WR bodies and lenses I think a Pentax will allow me to enjoy this more instead of spending most of the time trying to protect my gear.
- Stabilization being in the body rather than the lens makes me think I will be able to pick up old glass and get reasonable results from it.
Are these good enough reason to choose Pentax over Nikon or Canon.
At the moment I have about £250 set aside for this and through some connections I can pick up an entry level Nikon or Canon with kit lens for this price or a pentax k50 for not a lot more but I'm not sure that a entry level body is the way to go for me.
The plan at this point is to save for a k3 as I am not the sort of person to regularly upgrade the camera body, I prefer to learn the one I have to the point I can operate it in my sleep and invest my money in lenses and light.
Is this the right strategy - is the K3 worth the extra over entry and mid level models - i'd be really interested in your feedback and opinions.
Comment by johnjbloomfield posted on Am I ready to step up to Dslr - do I need to? at 31/12/2015 - 08:56
Welcome, and happy New Year. All of your points justify the move to a Pentax DSLR. Most of us are here because of the products good value, high quality and versatility. You can get great results from some superb old manual lenses , and with the shake reduction built in.
You may be surprised at how full featured the Pentax mid range is, and IQ is very high for the price point, so based on what you said about your shooting needs then a K3 may be unnecessary .... Perhaps more spent on a higher quality lens at the start would real more rewards.
There's plenty to toss up between the models, and the K50 is extraordinary value now, but the KS2 offers the very latest in sensor development and interface innovation to be very tempting as well. If you can try any out that's always good for getting the 'feel' of each model, but Pentax handling is always well regarded.
I look forward to hearing about your choice, and there's always help on hand here for any technical or photographic question.