Pentax K-50 tips

i-dont-know-my-name · 11-01-2014, 04:33 PM

Hello,
I just got a Pentax K-50 with the Pentax DAL 18-55 F3.5-5.6 WR and the Pentax DAL 50-200 F4-5.6 WR.
Has anyone got some great tips and tricks for a better Pentax experience?
I already have a bag (National Geographic Explorer) and a tripod (GIOTTO VT-806).

**ramseybuckeye** · 11-01-2014, 05:00 PM

Take lots of picture with different settings, post them here for feedback. Read other threads on technique. You learn best by practice.

MarkJerling · 11-01-2014, 05:02 PM

Get out there and shoot! Enjoy your new camera. At some point, see if you can acquire a good prime, (Which can be an old cheap one) which makes for superbly sharp shots.

Rimfiredude · 11-01-2014, 05:05 PM

Shoot and Post.

i-dont-know-my-name · 11-01-2014, 05:11 PM

Okay thanks!
Any tips that will make life easier (reviewing images, leveling, transferring, etc.)

Auzzie-Phoenix · 11-02-2014, 03:35 AM

Read the manual on how to enable functionality for full manual lenses (pentax-m and m42). That way when you get one of those nice old pieces of glass you're ready to go. Get the AA battery adapter for emergency situations and carry around 4 lithium AA's around with you. That way if you forget to charge your battery, or it drains quickly due to cold weather, etc... you have a fallback plan. Weather sealing aside, keep lots and lots of dessicant packets in your camera bag and lens pouches. Use a usb card reader to transfer images to pc rather than using the camera as one.

Turn on the electronic level feature in live view. The tripod bubble level is a good guide, but is never dead accurate, the camera knows when it's level. Learn how to tune the colors for each white balance mode (this will help with getting things to look like they should). Example, I took pictures of our break room microwave at work, the image showed up as white, yet the actual microwave front door is yellowed, and the work walls are painted off-white... I had to adjust the colors to replace what washed out, which took several minutes of test shots and adjustments. Also going to reiterate what everyone else said: practice, practice, practice! And then post the results here.

flaviopetrone · 11-02-2014, 04:30 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by i-dont-know-my-name

Hello,
I just got a Pentax K-50 with the Pentax DAL 18-55 F3.5-5.6 WR and the Pentax DAL 50-200 F4-5.6 WR.
Has anyone got some great tips and tricks for a better Pentax experience?
I already have a bag (National Geographic Explorer) and a tripod (GIOTTO VT-806).

I think that you would find very interesting this page: CLICK HERE

**Des** · 11-02-2014, 05:35 AM - **2 Likes**

Ten tips.
1. Shoot RAW+jpg. Gives the best of both worlds. Jpg for immediate use/sharing, RAW to tweak pix that would benefit from it. You can use the image processing program that came with the camera until your settle on a better one. You might find that in 6 or 12 months when you have more experience in post-processing you can re-work some of your early RAW shots (I wish I had known this).
2. Play around with exposure. Until you work out exposure on your camera and lens combinations for different lighting conditions, try using exposure bracketing with a half- or two-thirds of a stop increments. Delete the ones that you don't need. Don't be afraid to adjust exposure up or down by half a stop or even more if the "normal" shot is consistently under or over exposed.
3. Leave highlight protection on auto.
4. Try TAv as your main option. Let ISO float, but set a realistic limit like 6400. You can switch to Av or Tv if your depth of field or shutter speed is a particular priority.
5. Work out your favourite settings for particular situations (e.g. birds in flight) and save those settings as User 1 or User 2. Then you just flick the dial to that when the occasion arises.
6. Do fine AF adjustment for each lens. (See the manual and several threads about this.)
7. Think about the AF point setting that suits you best. Try selecting a single point rather than leaving it to the camera.
8. Try different exposure metering settings (centre weighted, centre spot etc) and see which suit you best.
9. Experiment with live view. It's particularly good when you want to hold the camera very high or very low (so it is hard to see through the viewfinder).
10. Tripod is a great start. Switch off shake reduction when using it. You can get a remote release cable cheaply (any one that fits Pentax camera will do), but whether or not using the cable use 2 sec delay for slow shutter speeds (as it locks up the mirror before releasing the shutter and therefore avoids the small vibration known as mirror slap).

As everyone has said, shoot lots and have fun..

**TER-OR** · 11-03-2014, 07:53 AM

Des beat me to most of the advice.

TAv is a great tool. It puts the most important parameters at your fingertips.

**ramseybuckeye** · 11-07-2014, 06:38 PM

Download the manual to your computer, it is a searchable pdf file which makes it easy to find anything.

**Des** · 11-08-2014, 05:01 AM

Originally posted by ramseybuckeye

Download the manual to your computer, it is a searchable pdf file which makes it easy to find anything.

Good point. I also keep a copy of the pdf in my smartphone.

MarkJerling · 11-08-2014, 12:50 PM

Originally posted by Des

Good point. I also keep a copy of the pdf in my smartphone.

That's a very good idea. I must do that! Where can I get the pdf for a K-5?

flaviopetrone · 11-08-2014, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by MarkJerling

That's a very good idea. I must do that! Where can I get the pdf for a K-5?

HERE!

MarkJerling · 11-08-2014, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by flaviopetrone

HERE!

You're a star! Thank you!

flaviopetrone · 11-08-2014, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by MarkJerling

You're a star! Thank you!

You are very welcome.

Any other folk who wants the english manual of his/her camera in pdf version, can CLICK HERE.

11-01-2014, 04:33 PM	#1
i-dont-know-my-name Guest	Pentax K-50 tips Hello, I just got a Pentax K-50 with the Pentax DAL 18-55 F3.5-5.6 WR and the Pentax DAL 50-200 F4-5.6 WR. Has anyone got some great tips and tricks for a better Pentax experience? I already have a bag (National Geographic Explorer) and a tripod (GIOTTO VT-806).

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11-01-2014, 05:00 PM	#2
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,295	Take lots of picture with different settings, post them here for feedback. Read other threads on technique. You learn best by practice.

11-01-2014, 05:02 PM	#3
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,421	Get out there and shoot! Enjoy your new camera. At some point, see if you can acquire a good prime, (Which can be an old cheap one) which makes for superbly sharp shots.

11-01-2014, 05:05 PM	#4
Rimfiredude Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Washington Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,176	Shoot and Post.

11-01-2014, 05:11 PM	#5
i-dont-know-my-name Guest	Okay thanks! Any tips that will make life easier (reviewing images, leveling, transferring, etc.)

11-02-2014, 03:35 AM	#6
Auzzie-Phoenix Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,020	Read the manual on how to enable functionality for full manual lenses (pentax-m and m42). That way when you get one of those nice old pieces of glass you're ready to go. Get the AA battery adapter for emergency situations and carry around 4 lithium AA's around with you. That way if you forget to charge your battery, or it drains quickly due to cold weather, etc... you have a fallback plan. Weather sealing aside, keep lots and lots of dessicant packets in your camera bag and lens pouches. Use a usb card reader to transfer images to pc rather than using the camera as one. Turn on the electronic level feature in live view. The tripod bubble level is a good guide, but is never dead accurate, the camera knows when it's level. Learn how to tune the colors for each white balance mode (this will help with getting things to look like they should). Example, I took pictures of our break room microwave at work, the image showed up as white, yet the actual microwave front door is yellowed, and the work walls are painted off-white... I had to adjust the colors to replace what washed out, which took several minutes of test shots and adjustments. Also going to reiterate what everyone else said: practice, practice, practice! And then post the results here.

11-02-2014, 04:30 AM - 1 Like	#7
flaviopetrone Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Reggio Emilia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,153	Originally posted by i-dont-know-my-name Hello, I just got a Pentax K-50 with the Pentax DAL 18-55 F3.5-5.6 WR and the Pentax DAL 50-200 F4-5.6 WR. Has anyone got some great tips and tricks for a better Pentax experience? I already have a bag (National Geographic Explorer) and a tripod (GIOTTO VT-806). I think that you would find very interesting this page: CLICK HERE

11-02-2014, 05:35 AM - 2 Likes	#8
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,423	Ten tips. 1. Shoot RAW+jpg. Gives the best of both worlds. Jpg for immediate use/sharing, RAW to tweak pix that would benefit from it. You can use the image processing program that came with the camera until your settle on a better one. You might find that in 6 or 12 months when you have more experience in post-processing you can re-work some of your early RAW shots (I wish I had known this). 2. Play around with exposure. Until you work out exposure on your camera and lens combinations for different lighting conditions, try using exposure bracketing with a half- or two-thirds of a stop increments. Delete the ones that you don't need. Don't be afraid to adjust exposure up or down by half a stop or even more if the "normal" shot is consistently under or over exposed. 3. Leave highlight protection on auto. 4. Try TAv as your main option. Let ISO float, but set a realistic limit like 6400. You can switch to Av or Tv if your depth of field or shutter speed is a particular priority. 5. Work out your favourite settings for particular situations (e.g. birds in flight) and save those settings as User 1 or User 2. Then you just flick the dial to that when the occasion arises. 6. Do fine AF adjustment for each lens. (See the manual and several threads about this.) 7. Think about the AF point setting that suits you best. Try selecting a single point rather than leaving it to the camera. 8. Try different exposure metering settings (centre weighted, centre spot etc) and see which suit you best. 9. Experiment with live view. It's particularly good when you want to hold the camera very high or very low (so it is hard to see through the viewfinder). 10. Tripod is a great start. Switch off shake reduction when using it. You can get a remote release cable cheaply (any one that fits Pentax camera will do), but whether or not using the cable use 2 sec delay for slow shutter speeds (as it locks up the mirror before releasing the shutter and therefore avoids the small vibration known as mirror slap). As everyone has said, shoot lots and have fun..

11-03-2014, 07:53 AM	#9
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	Des beat me to most of the advice. TAv is a great tool. It puts the most important parameters at your fingertips.

11-07-2014, 06:38 PM	#10
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,295	Download the manual to your computer, it is a searchable pdf file which makes it easy to find anything.

11-08-2014, 05:01 AM	#11
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,423	Originally posted by ramseybuckeye Download the manual to your computer, it is a searchable pdf file which makes it easy to find anything. Good point. I also keep a copy of the pdf in my smartphone.

11-08-2014, 12:50 PM	#12
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,421	Originally posted by Des Good point. I also keep a copy of the pdf in my smartphone. That's a very good idea. I must do that! Where can I get the pdf for a K-5?

11-08-2014, 12:53 PM	#13
flaviopetrone Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Reggio Emilia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,153	Originally posted by MarkJerling That's a very good idea. I must do that! Where can I get the pdf for a K-5? HERE!

11-08-2014, 12:55 PM	#14
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,421	Originally posted by flaviopetrone HERE! You're a star! Thank you!

11-08-2014, 12:56 PM	#15
flaviopetrone Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Reggio Emilia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,153	Originally posted by MarkJerling You're a star! Thank you! You are very welcome. Any other folk who wants the english manual of his/her camera in pdf version, can CLICK HERE.