dugger Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 7 weeks ago my entire Canon camera rig was stolen from my car. After the insurance settlement (which never is as much as you think it should be), and alot of research, (with the Nikon/Canon blinders on), I was ready to buy a Nikon D300 kit off of ebay. The hand of God must have intervened as an old friend called me out of the blue, and when the conversation turned to cameras, he suggested a look-see at Pentax. Didn't take long to realize "the error of my ways" and the decision to buy a K20D quickly became a "No Brainer". Anyway just wanted to say hello and am looking forward to a long and happy trek for my own pentaxian moments, with help from you all of course! I'd insert a picture here but don't know how, so here's a link to one of my first Pentax pics. http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/7431305-md.jpg<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Lol... didn't know about the optional link thing... and no, I'm not new ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_ferguson3 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Marvelous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a few images Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the darkside :) Which lens (lenses) did you pick up as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thanks John, Tom... I bought a kit with the 18 - 55 II and the 50 - 200. The pic was shot with the 50-200. I just found an SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 at one of the local pawn shops which I picked up for $20. My LBA list includes the 50 -135 f/2.8, the 16 - 50 f/2.8 and will keep an eye on the Tokina 10 - 22 (?) when a Pentax mount becomes available. But for now, I'm more than content with what I got and will be spending as much time as I can find to learn my new "Dad's Toy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainvisions Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Congrats and welcome. I believe the loss of the Canon system might have been a message. I think you'll like the Pentax system, especially the K20D which should not give up a whole lot to Canon with the CMOS sensor. I have noticed that the K20D does have significantly more DR than the K10D. Now I generally shoot it on DR expansion mode in RAW but when I imported the RAW file into a HDR converter it looks like SEVERAL 1 stop bracketed shots from the previous cameras. I don't really know how much more but I'd guess it's getting 2-3 stops more information. However, this is purely guessing on my part. I'm not too sure the Tokina will become avail in Pentax. Seems like they'd be competing with themselves, that said, I'd love to have the option of Tokina glass as well. Bear in mind there are already two really good lenses in the 10-24 range for Pentax. The Sigma 10-20mm and the Pentax 12-24. I had both briefly and opted for the cheaper, slightly sharper, slightly smaller, and slighter wider angle Sigma. Even after rebate the price difference was close to $200 more. I haven't used either of the kit lenses (18-55 or 50-200) but the the 50-135 is as good as you can get. I've seen conflicting statements and images on the 16-50 2.8 but if you need a weather sealed zoom it's pretty much the only game in town. The new 55-300mm is also an excellent lens. Very compact compared to my Sigma 70-300 4-5.6 and pretty close in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miserere_mei Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Welcome Doug! I guess this is a case of all's well that ends well :-) An SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 for $20! You *must* have God on your side... As for that wide zoom, is it the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8? Or maybe you meant the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5. I'm waiting for Pentax to release its version of the 11-16mm...but hopefully not at $1000 :-D How do you like the DA 50-200mm? I ditched mine in favour of a Sigma 70-300mm APO, which has (IMHO) better IQ at the long end, and a longer long end, of course. You'll find quite a few threads about the DA 50-200mm right on this site. Some people are very happy with theirs, so don't think its a bad lens and you have to sell yours from what I said. Be sure to check out our Pentax corner on Sundays, when we hold the "Photo of the Week" thread. As it says on the can, we all post our best pic (or up to 3, if we've been that lucky) and then just sit back to enjoy everybody else's work..and then complain about how long it takes for the page to load with all those pics. I hope you don't have dial-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose_duclos Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm really liking that turtle. I wouldn't mind sitting outside on a log, getting some sun. welcome to the group, Doug, and all the happy days of shooting Pentax. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thanks again all... I really haven't had much time to play but I haven't been dissapointed yet with either kit lens. It was the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 that I was referring to Miserere. Didn't realize it really wasn't an option at this point, but thanks for the info on the other 2 - will definitely check them both out. Sunday pic-of-the-week? Hmmm... looks like I gotta upgrade to DSL ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kuhne Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 What an awful thing to be robbed of your equipment!! Besides the loss, the feeling of being violated. But thankfully, now you'll have something even better! Not that the D300 would have been a bad choice, for sure, it is indeed a fine camera. But here you have the advantages of in-body SR, and the fine, super-efficient instantaneous shooting control afforded by the unique Pentax Hyper Program and Hyper Manual systems. For example, careful metering of a scene using your spot meter is greatly facilitated by just hitting a button in the Hyper Manual mode. You get an instant meter reading and setting at each point you want to spot meter. You can then quickly adjust shutter speed or aperture from there if not to your liking. If you want exposure to remain set, but want a different aperture, you can use the Hyper system's tandem feature by hitting the exposure meter lock button, adjust your aperture, and the shutter speed will automatically follow suit. Likewise for adjusting the shutter speed- the aperture will follow suit. You might also consider a look at the Pentax Limited line of compact ultra-fine prime lenses, for another uniquely Pentaxian experience. Welcome aboard, Doug! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kuhne Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 BTW, very nice first pic with the K20D! Even the kit lenses are of good quality. The 50-200mm is remarkably small and well-designed, with its non-rotating front, and a lens hood having a removable reach-in window for using rotating filters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagar Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Welcome to the group Doug. I'm glad to know that you have good friends that think of you at the appropriate times! lol. I haven't played much with the wide angles, but I do like the 50-200, and use it frequently despite owning the sigma 70-300.. Anyway, glad you can join us, and you definitely need to upgrade to a hare from the turtle for the Sunday pics :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guy_gervais Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane_mills Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Congratulations on your excellent choice of a fine Pentax dslr and superb lenses. Tom summed it up well with "welcome to the dark side". Now if only we could get the "Imperial March" (aka: Darth Vaders Theme) playing on this thread..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garry_young1 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Welcome welcome, welcome. I love my 50-200. Looking forward to seeing some more turtles racing toward the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_rush Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I want to ask you about that photo, did you do some playing around with sharpness and masking? Only the turtle seems to be in sharp focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 Yes, you caught me Jonathan... I felt there was too much visual competition on the screen as everything was in focus. So I took the liberty of creating a protection mask over the turtle and slightly blurring everything around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_kuhne Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Doug, I wish I knew how to do that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_rush Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 I like what you did, but it is very jarring to me to see the turtle in sharp relief and the log right under him OOF. Perhaps expand the mask to the portion of the environment that is supporting his weight to make it less jarring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc2imaging Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Another welcome... I carry replacement cost insurance on as much stuff as I can. I figure if the insurance isn't going to give me enough to actually REPLACE what I had, what's the point... On the other hand, I'm hoping to score some goodies soon with some insurance checks for recent hail damage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 Good point Jonathon... Here's "version 2"... Blurring a photo really isn't hard to do Michael when you have access to Photoshop. Not sure what degree of control other programs have. I've got PS at work so haven't needed to research the others. And Matthew, do you have insurance through homeowner's, a standalone policy, (i.e. marine insurance), or the one offered here on photo.net? I'm quite interested in finding a good policy at a fair price for a hobbiest.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugger Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 Oops, forgot to blur out the reflected weeds on the left side of the pic... ok, here's the final one, really!<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_rush Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Me likes! My kid likes the turtle pic too. He's a big reptile nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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