ehehehe and this makes it 4!!!

I just got my new K10 today, after much thinking, I finally decided to buy the second body that is much needed for going pro!!!

Went to SRS for the first time, and had a really nice chat with the guys there. I also tried a load of lenses, and I fell in love with the DA* 300mm... which i'll never be able to afford!

Anyway the only lens I really wanted to try and they didn't have is the 31mm LTD. Does anybody have one I can play with???

I am really happy for the second body, and I look forward to a greater improvement in the next year or so... the K20 wasn't enough for me to upgrade... so let's wait and see!

Cheers,
Nathan

When I first got my K10, in december 2006, I downloaded the manual about a month earlier, and spent about 2 weeks studying it from top to bottom. It actually helped a lot, and as soon as I got the camera I flipped the dial to M and never ever used it in anything more "auto" than Av.

I think that newbuyers should expect a certain degree of complications in the use of a semi-pro DSLR. Obviously one needs to get used to thing, learn how to use manual modes, and camera settings, learn the basics of photography. I think its almost pointless though, for the experienced members of the forum, to try and give advice to beginners who can't be bothered studying the manual, and reading about the complicated camera they are using.

as George said, the only difference between a DSLR and a point & shoot, is the fact that with a DSLR the photographer has the choice. It must be an INFORMED choice though, otherwise what's the point of buying a dslr in the first place?

Cheers,

Nathan

Thank you for the reply.

I know what you mean, I see a lot of other forum members with all the DA lenses and I am a bit jealous...

I have to say that I don't have the 75-300 anymore and I haven't used the kit lens for a long time. I am very happy with the Tamron, which is quite good IQ and really serves its purpose.

Not long ago I decided not to buy zoom lenses anymore, because I don't think that the quality will even surpass the primes and if I do pro work, I definitely need prime lenses.

WOuld you suggest buying the 16-45 or 16-50 as these are definitely superior to what I have, or should i wait some more time and buy a 31 ltd?

Thank you,
Nathan

Hello everybody!

I've had the K10 since december 2006 and my photography seems to increase in volume, so I am seriously thinking of buying a second body.

My first K10 lasted about 10 months, and then it broke, and was immediately replaced by pentax (With a new K10) . Now I shoot a bit more than 10000 frames in 6 months or so. So I think that it would be really wise to get a second body for the serious shoots and also so that my lady is happy to take photos during the few photography trips I have the time to do!

I have carefully looked at the k200 and the K20 and I am not really convinced. After constantly reading this forum, I realised that the K200 is not offering anything better than the K10 and the K20 is better but not that much better. The only thing that I would really like is the live view, but I soon realised that in order to focus on live view the mirror has to close and re-open (very time consuming).

I would like to wait for another K30 but I am afraid I can't go on any longer with only 1 body.

The prices of new K10 (at SRS) are amazing, and I would hope that even reselling a used body i could make some money if one day I wanted to update.

Is this all making sense? Am I going in the right direction? do any of you K20 owners have any precious suggestion for me? Should I wait any longer and risk missing the last batch of K10s?

Any advice is greatly welcome!

Nathan

p.s. by the way, the first time I call SRS, Chris is on vacation... what luck!!!

Hi there,

I often visit my almost local shop, Chiswick camera centre
They are a Pentax retailer, and even if I don't know if they buy directly from Pentax, they always provide valuable information, very very good prices, and a great customer service.

I haven't had the chance of going up to SRS, but a couple of weeks back I went in @ chiswick camera centre, and good look at the K20d. They received the camera at the same time as SRS (if not before - it was the 3rd of March!) i believe.

Cheers,

Nathan

Hello everybody!

I am trying to find a suitable location for a photo-shoot with a Rock band.

Unfortunately I don’t have the budget to hire a place, so I am desperately looking for possible sites.

These would be the requirements;

- In the London / greater London area – but also Berkshire – Buckinghamshire – or other nearby counties. (West / North of London)

- It should be something fairly industrial looking, rough and edgy – to suit a rock band image.

- I would like to shoot during the day, with natural light + a couple of flash heads + reflectors – so I don’t think we’d need extra lighting or electricity.

- As secluded as possible – and preferably not trespassing private property as we really don’t want to get into trouble!

If you have any idea (even not strictly in the requirements), please let me know, I am hoping to do the shoot as soon as possible.

Thank you,

Nathan

I am italian!
But I don't know any Piaggio skrapyard - and I'm not really sure you'd find spare pieces around here...

I know a piaggio shop in Chiswick, London - but its a very fancy one.

Let me know if you need help with communicating with italy, if you want to order something from there

Cheers

Will this forum ever stop to amaze me?

Thank you all for the explanation of this technique. I have been trying it with my M-100mm Macro for 2 years now, and simply didn't know that it could work by keeping the shutter pressed.

I wonder if it could work with the same settings, and the remote control. That would allow for some interesting "hidden" shots of people walking by, or insects flying in the frame.

I noticed that (as Don said) if the scene is backlit or there isn't enough contrast, the camera won't fire the shot. I am using a 100mm Macro, f4, and I wander if a lens with wider aperture (Like the 100 f2. would prove more efficient.

Cheers,

Nathan

Hi Dirk
I just bought a 10-17 as well and I am about to go and get it in ny...
Can you please tell me what angle is the picture you posted Could you also give me some picture info, it doesn't seem wide open, but i wouldn't know.
Thank you,
Cheers,

Hello Everybody,

I live in London, and I have had a K10 since early december 2006 (got it from america)
I recently bought some new lenses, here in London, and spend a fortune on them (Tamron 18-250 £299) (Flash Af 360 - £ 130) (Various Lenses on EBAY - Good deals but old M A lenses...)
We all know the prices of lenses here, and also the availability of DA and FA Pentax that can only be found in very few specialised retailers at astonishing prices.

I don't want to sound arrogant, but I just bought 2 lenses from a store in NY, and spent about half the price I would have paid here.

This is the price comparison: NY store and Amazon UK ( i think the best deals are on amazon, but please find a store that sells for less money )

Pentax DA 10-17mm.
399.95 USD VS £352.93 (the samsung is cheaper I know)

Pentax FA 50 f.14 -
194.95 USD VS £ 182.95

Now to total that, I spent 594.90 USD that in pounds is about £301...

I let you all figure how much is the total of the price if I bought the lenses on amazon, and I figure that in store these would actually be even more expensive.

Now, to the final Dollars price you have to add TAX (8.25%) if you go and pick the lenses up in NY, which I am doing, but then again, I'm sure you'll all have some friends that travel a lot, and Ny is a very affordable and common destination. Or you ship them directly with UPS and the charge is about 56 USD - for a total of 744 USD which is still much less than british price. You might be unlucky and get custom charge (i had to pay it once, but not another time so I don't know how it works) which is about £80 (for K10 + 18-55mm). Still much less than buying it all here in England!

I don't know where you all buy your lenses, but it really seems that the british pound makes it so much harder for pentax users.

This is the store that I use and where I also bought my K10 and received the first shipment in america (nov 2006)and got it first week of Dec 2006.

www.adorama.com
I know that also B&H have the same prices but I never used their site.

Hope this is useful to somebody, let me know what you think about this.

Cheers,

Nathan