martin_engineer

<p>You can add me to the list. 2 returned 16-50's ... the 3rd one's been fine for about a year now. My 50-135 is scaring me because it's starting to stick while focusing. It never did that when it was new. DA*200mm has had no problems at all........yet?<br>

I wonder if Pentax would release the stats on defective products. Like a MTBF figure for lenses. This would certainly affect my future purchasing decesions<br>

There are hacked firmwares that you can apply to the K10d to use screw drive only on Da*, but no way to select between the two in camera.</p>

<p>I would recommend the upgrade do it. Have used an XTi and a 5D Mk2... big difference.<br>

The psychological value of the high end kit is a big plus, not only for you but for your clients as well. </p>

<p>Welcome to the family. My suggestion is to take as many shots as you can. Experimenting with your DSLR is free. - with some rechargeable batteries. You'll get instant feedback so you'll know if you got a good picture. Learn to use the histogram 'cause you cant always trust the LCD.<br /> There is a ton of info on the net. If you're interested in any particular type of portrait photography then all you have to do is google it and learn.</p>

<p>Very nice. I love the water in the second picture. Only thing I'd change is the white balance -set it to Tungsten but only for the first two pictures.</p>

<p>Do you gals/guys ever get a polarizer stuck on a lens?</p>

<p>I was under the impression that DNG is a RAW file. My Pentax can shoot either PEF or DNG format RAW files. DNG is the raw data from my cameras sensor with minimal processing, just as PEF or NEF are. They are simply stored a little differently. <br>

I wonder if there is any software that can create RAW files: PEF, NEF, CR2 etc... or how hard it would be to manipulate the file in a Hex editor to make it look like a genuine RAW file. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>At the time I purchased my K10D, it was comparable in <strong>price </strong>to the Canon XTI and Nikon D80. But <strong>performance </strong>wise it was comparable to the Canon 40d and Nikon D200. <br /> My decision was largely based on the points that Peter covers in the previous reply. You do get a lot of features for your money. <br /> The only faults I've found when comparing the XTI and 40D to the K10d would be it has slower AF and more noise above ISO 800. The difference in AF speed is not earth shattering, nor is the noise.<br>

The 5D mark II on the other hand now.....</p>

 

<p>Never having used a 7D, I'm still confident that you'll be satisfied with a 5d mark 2. With a f1.4 lens at ISO 3200 you can shoot in near darkness with acceptable shutter speeds and still have better image quality than on the 7D. <br>

As for the off camera flash control, you can always pick up a set of e-bay radio triggers for $30 and not be limited by line of sight.<br>

The 24-105 is really quite good at focusing quickly and accurately. I've used the combo (5dMk2 + 24-105) to take pictures of my 9 month old crawling around.</p>

 

<p>Don't do it. You'll never get that kind of high ISO performance from a 1.6 crop sensor, and you'll miss it. I'm a Pentax shooter who got to play with a 5d Mark II for a week, and I gotta admit that I'm extremely jealous of it's high ISO performance.<br>

Unless you NEED a small package for the type of photography you do, don't get rid of your Mark II.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I really like Kubota 4. Fantastic shot Michael.</p><div></div>

<p>The above posts are right. You most defiantly want to use a tripod, although I've cheated a few times and gotten away with putting my camera on a solid object such as a rock or a mail box on the street. <br>

Don't forget to adjust your white balance. You could set it to "Tungsten" but I prefer to take a blank white piece of paper and use it to set my white balance manually.<br>

If you want really sharp photos when you pixel peep, remember to set the mirror lock up and use the 2 second self timer or a remote.<br>

Finally, make sure to keep your ISO low in order to keep the shutter speeds long.</p>

<p>I've actually been looking for a Townhouse / Condo for the last 5 months and have seen some horrible, horrible, ugly, disgusting pictures taken by real estate agents. My first advice for any real estate agent would be to learn a few things about photography and take a minute to compose the picture before you press the shutter button.<br>

I agree with Ben. If you are serious about learning and have a few bucks to spend all you need is a Camera, Tripod and Wide angle lens and a passion for photography.<br>

Equipment wise... a used 6 MegaPixe DLSR will be more than enough. At 6 MP your images will be about 3000 x 2000 pixels in size, while most (in my area) MLS websites consider pictures that are 1024 x 768 to be large, so you'll have a lot of room to play with resolution wise. Even the pro with a $3000 - 24 Mega Pixel camera will need to downsize his pictures for the web.<br>

A kit lens that comes with most DSLR's such as a 18-55 mm lens will do the job, but a wider 10-20mm would be better. <br>

As far as brand goes, (Pentax, Sony, Olympus, etc... ) I suggest you go to the store and play with each brand for 15 minutes, taking pictures and fiddle with the controls. It's mostly a matter of which one feels better in your hands, as the actual image quality is very similar and nearly indistinguishable from one brand to another.</p>

<p>Leaning over the edge at Niagara Falls.<br>

K10d with DA*16-50</p><div></div>

<p>

<p>Your k100D generates images of 3008 dots x 2000 dots. You cant increase that number.<br>

(Note that 3008x2000=6016000 = 6 MegaPixels)<br>

photo.net has a really good article at <a href="http://www.photo.net/learn/resize/">http://www.photo.net/learn/resize/</a></p>

 

</p>

<p>I have used both k10d and k20d for non professional use. <br /> The AF is just a little faster, the image resolution is just a little better, the high ISO performance is reasonably better but if you already have a k10d and no need for a second body to shoot professionally then I suggest you save your money for when the k-7 comes down in price. The upgrade from k10 to k20 is not that big of an upgrade.<br /> Now on the other hand...If you're getting paid for that wedding you should have backup equipment.</p>