Thanks for the advice, and for the link, ChrisA. I now have a K-X with a couple of zooms.

I used to keep a simple and cheap UV filter on all my lenses to protect the front element from damage, dirt, fingers etc. I reckon a polariser (although not quite as cheap) will do the same but also cut down on reflections and improve colour saturation.

I'm off to buy a couple of "Hoyas" now - but not the 62 quid ones.

I'm having a quick rummage thro' t'internet for a circular polariser and, as with most things, there's a huge difference in prices. Presumably, this reflects a huge difference in quality.

So, from a £10 "Kood" to a £62 "Hoya Pro 1", is there really £52 of a difference between them?

Any recommendations?

Ta much in advance.

I bought my new black K-X at Christmas and reckon I made the right choice (camera-wise that is). As the internals are the same, whatever the outward colour, I'm sure you've made the right choice too.

As a fellow newbie, I would offer this advice ...

I bought a kit c/w 18-55mm and 50-200mm zooms and have been found wanting a longer zoom for wild-life. I've read a few reviews of the Pentax 50-300mm zoon and wish I'd gone for that instead. It can be had for not much more that the 50-200.

(PS Anyone wanna Pentax 50-200mm zoom - 2 months old - as new)

Maybe this is the "typical Scot" showing here, but I bought my K-X & lenses recently from Pixmania as no other supplier in the UK could match their prices. I also ended up with an official French manual, however ...

... I printed the English .pdf, double sided at A5 size, and bought an A5 ring binder. Problem solved for 2 quid and 10 minutes of my time.

Hello All.

I'm getting back into photography after a significant absence and have recently bought a K-X along with a couple of lenses (18-55 & 50-200 zooms). I also have a Sigma 600/f8 mirror lens which I used to use for (mostly) wild-life and other subjects.

I've had a rummage through this and a couple of other forums and it would appear that mirror lenses have fallen out of favour somewhat.

I always had pretty good results with this lens using 35mm cameras and, from playing around in the back garden with it, it seems to be fairly compatible with my new DSLR.

Whilst I am fully aware of the pros and cons of these lenses ( I actually think out-of-focus doughnuts add to certain shots) as a relative newbie to 21st century photography, is there something I'm missing with regard to their use with DSLRs?

RAB.

An end to war, world poverty, famine, injustice, etc.

So that's all the big stuff out of the way, now the realistic stuff:-

I hope I, and my wife & kids continue to enjoy good health & spirit.
I hope my kids continue to do well in school and university.
I hope my wife enjoys her new job.
I wish similar for all my family and friends.

Now the selfish stuff:-

I hope to become very familiar with my new camera and equipment.
I hope to be producing some acceptable pics soon.
I hope to be producing some spectacular pics soon after that.
I hope to meet a few virtual friends (and perhaps real ones) on this site.
I hope to go the Isle of Man in June for the TT races.
I hope I get a bottle of 18 year old Bowmore for my birthday on Sunday.
A new motorbike would be nice too - but unlikely.
So much more .....

Best wishes to all for 2010.

RAB.

Hello All.

Just joined up this morning and looking forward to re-igniting my passion for photography. My camera history is :

Polaroid Instant - LOOOOOONG time ago
Pentax ME Super - ~ 1980
Pentax Super A - ~1986
Pentax Z 10 - ~ 1992
(Kids started arriving - no time for photography)
Kodak Digital Compact (sorry) - 2004
Pentax K-X - Just delivered by Santa

I bought (or rather, Santa gave me) the K-X along with the standard 18-55 and the 50-200 zoom lenses, a 4Gb SD card, a Pentax branded carry case and a charger with 4 batteries which weren't included in the original deal. The deal was with Pixmania.com and I am now a happy-bunny.

Tell you wot - the basic principles are the same, but photography has moved on a bit since the early nineties and I have quite a bit of catching up to do. I'm off now to rummage through the forum and hopefully pick up a few tips. Look out for a few questions.

Happy New Year !

RAB