Lockport NY: *istDL user getting ready to pull the trigger on a K20D

[MJ²]

Hello,

I'm MJ, from WNY. No clue why I haven't visited here yet, but better late than never.

I've been taking pictures mostly as a hobby for the past two years, after buying an *istDL kit to test the waters and see if I'd actually use it. The little guy has done me well over the past two years including some actual pay work that I came across for a motorcylce magazine, hard cover photo book and framed work.

As nice as the *istDL has been, I'm approaching 40k pictures and I'm feeling an itch to step it up a bit with my next purchase. It has been through many abandoned buildigns etc and has held up quite well, though the sealing on the K20D will be a nice touch.

I look forward to conversing since my motorcycle, hiking, etc forums have all proved invaluable. Here is some sample work.

The old Erie Canal locks at Lockport.


Some street photography:


Local Church:


Portraits:


Urban Exploration:


Horse Shows:


sorry about chessy "frames" but I've been using them to protect the work a bit.

[MJ²]

and for fellow Pentaxians on Flickr:
Flickr: MJ²'s Photostream

[Oldschool]

Excellent work even if the frames are a little 'cheesy' Welcome to the forum.

[kjax7]

Welcome MJ-

I'm Kyle, a newcomer myself, also shooting an ist DL for the last few months.

Sure, the frames on your work are "cheesy" but the overall imagery and perspective are quite appealing. Nice stuff.

Interested in your overall feel about the ist DL... any limitations that have hampered your work? I must say the lightweight and killer price were very appealing to me.

Good luck as you trade up in gear. Keep the pics coming.

KJax7

[MJ²]

Three top things are the better auto focus, an adjustible auto-bracketing system, and more exterior buttons to change settings on the fly.

But mostly I am looking for a second body. The *istDL will become a backup for work (always made me nervous not having one) and my gf can start playing with a DSLR when we go out together.

I'm also high on the sealing sytem as I'm frequently in very dirty locations.

But overall, I don't feel that the *ist has actively held me back. And I always enjoyed having the cheapest camera when shooting with friends but still getting some very nice images. But the price and decent reviews are what got me started. I has served me very well.