K30/DSLR ease of use

andrewf · 08-19-2012, 09:44 AM

Hi,
Thinking of getting first digital camera, but find the complexity a bit daunting. Just read a review of the K30 on this site which said it took the reviewer a few hours to learn how to focus a 50mm lens at f1.2 !!! Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click.
K30 seems rather appealing - WR etc. and I already have Pentax 50mm 1.4 and 135mm f3.5 lenses which I hope I could use on K30. These are SMC M lenses. If I got a K30 I would probably go for the kit 17-55WR zoom and a 35mm prime, So my questions are, can I use my old 50mm & 135mm lenses on K30 and would I find using digital too complicated and getting in the way of taking the picture ?
Thanks

treebeard · 08-19-2012, 09:53 AM

I use quite a few MF lenses on my K-r and even some M42 lenses with adapters and I have never had any issues, even with the stock focusing screen. I don't nail it 100% of the time but sometimes I trust me more than my AF lenses! I don't think you would find it too complicated.

ChooseAName · 08-19-2012, 10:04 AM

I imagine that going from film to K-30 would be pretty easy. You can use the K-30 in a complete manual mode. Any SMC-M lenses will be usable on the K-30. If I were in your position, I would skip the kit lens and try to get the K-30 body only; save the money for another lens purchase!

I was never a film shooter but I have not found digital to get in the way of taking a picture. With digital, you can afford to be a bit sloppy and go for quality of quantity. I know that's probably a horrible thing to say but most of the time it's true.

Philoslothical · 08-19-2012, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by andrewf

Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click.

For some reason this made me chuckle. For a LOT of people who start out on digital, film seems very daunting for just the reason you feel it's simple. I think that you will have no trouble at all going the other way, from film to digital. Just being able to "chimp", to instantly review your shots on the camera, that has to make it a lot easier to find your way through settings and finding the proper exposure, as you get used to it. I'd say don't even worry, try one out in a shop if possible, and then go for it.

LeDave · 08-19-2012, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

For some reason this made me chuckle. For a LOT of people who start out on digital, film seems very daunting for just the reason you feel it's simple. I think that you will have no trouble at all going the other way, from film to digital. Just being able to "chimp", to instantly review your shots on the camera, that has to make it a lot easier to find your way through settings and finding the proper exposure, as you get used to it. I'd say don't even worry, try one out in a shop if possible, and then go for it.

This is for me, I was planning on taking a Intro to Photography class but you have to use film SLR and that just overwhelmed me so I skipped it for now. I started off at the digital age with just a K2000, then upgraded to a K-7, then to a K-5. Been shooting for 3 years and only have experience with digital. Film just seems overwhelming because of the dark room portion and having to manual focus which I rarely do. Alongside with the complexity of film is you only have one shot and you have to learn to save shots to preserve film. Changing film is also scary which I've never done before either.

nulla · 08-19-2012, 02:30 PM

Andrew

I recommend you consider looking at the 18-135 lens bundle.... I am impressed with this lens ...good value for money even though I like to shoot most of the time with primes this lens and the K-30 is a good combo.

cheers

Neil

**ramseybuckeye** · 08-19-2012, 03:03 PM

Originally posted by andrewf

Hi,
Thinking of getting first digital camera, but find the complexity a bit daunting. Just read a review of the K30 on this site which said it took the reviewer a few hours to learn how to focus a 50mm lens at f1.2 !!! Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click.
K30 seems rather appealing - WR etc. and I already have Pentax 50mm 1.4 and 135mm f3.5 lenses which I hope I could use on K30. These are SMC M lenses. If I got a K30 I would probably go for the kit 17-55WR zoom and a 35mm prime, So my questions are, can I use my old 50mm & 135mm lenses on K30 and would I find using digital too complicated and getting in the way of taking the picture ?
Thanks

I learned film SLR years and years ago, had a long period of no SLR and then started using a Nikon DSLR at work about 8 years ago, then bought my Pentax K20D in 2009, and now a K-30. So many things about shooting film and digital are the same. You can shoot just like you do with film, and yes, you can use any Pentax lens on the camera, same as your MX, with an M42 adapter for Takumars. The differences I notice are subtle, but can mean a lot.

The DSLR initially costs more than a film camera. Instead of film you buy a memory card and use it over and over. I bought a new SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Class 10 UHS-I for $23 to use in my new camera. I put about 300 RAW photos and 35 short videos on the card one night and did not come close to filling it, one I downloaded those file to the computer, I reformatted the card and it's good to go again. With digital you never have to pay to develop film, you may need to buy software if you don't like the Silkypix that Pentax bundles. I use Lightroom 3, cost me $90 since I bought it when Lightroom 4 was about to be released. Printing, up to you, I print very few photos, view most on the screen. I send them off to print, very economical.

With autofocus they took away the split prism while focusing, you can buy them as an extra and they are not cheap, Pentax has added focus peaking in the K-30, this really helps manual focus, but probably only on a tripod unless you want to hold your camera like a cellphone cam.

With no film you can't choose a film speed, capture speed is similarly set in camera with ISO instead of ASA, higher ISO will create more noise, similar to grain in higher ASA film. Kind of a wash, .... nope. You can change this setting on every exposure instead of having to use a whole roll of film, and you can set it to auto, a huge advantage.

With digital you have the opportunity to examine any photo you take immediately after taking it to check your exposure, etc.

With film you may set shots up more carefully because of the expense of each exposure. I have found myself taking 20 photos of the same subject, different angles, exposures, etc, because I can.

The K-30 has a lot of features that may seem daunting, but they really are not and some you may never use. The manual is online, I have download it to my PC so I can search it if I want to find something quickly. And for those times that the manual language seems odd, well that's where Pentax Forums can help. I've learned more on this website than anywhere else. You can function with the camera pretty quickly, and then keep learning more as you become more confident with the camera.

If you get the K-30 I think you love it.I just got mine bundled with the 18-135 WR lens and I already had the 100 macro WR, so I've got two lenses that are good for any weather. And the low light capabilities make all my lenses faster. There are a lot of other improvements over the K20D, you'll see the same with film.

andrewf · 08-21-2012, 12:46 PM

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful, especially about using the older Pentax lenses which will be a big saving for me. Interesting comments about people finding film daunting, guess it's what you are used to. I would say, if you haven't tried film, do so - looking at a Velvia slide on a lightbox really has that Wow factor. I will look forward to getting a Pentax K30, won't be giving up the film habit though, I think there is a place for both.

08-19-2012, 09:44 AM	#1
andrewf New Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4	K30/DSLR ease of use Hi, Thinking of getting first digital camera, but find the complexity a bit daunting. Just read a review of the K30 on this site which said it took the reviewer a few hours to learn how to focus a 50mm lens at f1.2 !!! Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click. K30 seems rather appealing - WR etc. and I already have Pentax 50mm 1.4 and 135mm f3.5 lenses which I hope I could use on K30. These are SMC M lenses. If I got a K30 I would probably go for the kit 17-55WR zoom and a 35mm prime, So my questions are, can I use my old 50mm & 135mm lenses on K30 and would I find using digital too complicated and getting in the way of taking the picture ? Thanks

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08-19-2012, 09:53 AM	#2
treebeard Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Windham, NH Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 793	I use quite a few MF lenses on my K-r and even some M42 lenses with adapters and I have never had any issues, even with the stock focusing screen. I don't nail it 100% of the time but sometimes I trust me more than my AF lenses! I don't think you would find it too complicated.

08-19-2012, 10:04 AM	#3
ChooseAName Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Southeast USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 390	I imagine that going from film to K-30 would be pretty easy. You can use the K-30 in a complete manual mode. Any SMC-M lenses will be usable on the K-30. If I were in your position, I would skip the kit lens and try to get the K-30 body only; save the money for another lens purchase! I was never a film shooter but I have not found digital to get in the way of taking a picture. With digital, you can afford to be a bit sloppy and go for quality of quantity. I know that's probably a horrible thing to say but most of the time it's true.

08-19-2012, 12:44 PM	#4
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by andrewf Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click. For some reason this made me chuckle. For a LOT of people who start out on digital, film seems very daunting for just the reason you feel it's simple. I think that you will have no trouble at all going the other way, from film to digital. Just being able to "chimp", to instantly review your shots on the camera, that has to make it a lot easier to find your way through settings and finding the proper exposure, as you get used to it. I'd say don't even worry, try one out in a shop if possible, and then go for it.

08-19-2012, 12:47 PM	#5
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067	Originally posted by Philoslothical For some reason this made me chuckle. For a LOT of people who start out on digital, film seems very daunting for just the reason you feel it's simple. I think that you will have no trouble at all going the other way, from film to digital. Just being able to "chimp", to instantly review your shots on the camera, that has to make it a lot easier to find your way through settings and finding the proper exposure, as you get used to it. I'd say don't even worry, try one out in a shop if possible, and then go for it. This is for me, I was planning on taking a Intro to Photography class but you have to use film SLR and that just overwhelmed me so I skipped it for now. I started off at the digital age with just a K2000, then upgraded to a K-7, then to a K-5. Been shooting for 3 years and only have experience with digital. Film just seems overwhelming because of the dark room portion and having to manual focus which I rarely do. Alongside with the complexity of film is you only have one shot and you have to learn to save shots to preserve film. Changing film is also scary which I've never done before either.

08-19-2012, 02:30 PM	#6
nulla Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1,560	Andrew I recommend you consider looking at the 18-135 lens bundle.... I am impressed with this lens ...good value for money even though I like to shoot most of the time with primes this lens and the K-30 is a good combo. cheers Neil

08-19-2012, 03:03 PM	#7
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,292	Originally posted by andrewf Hi, Thinking of getting first digital camera, but find the complexity a bit daunting. Just read a review of the K30 on this site which said it took the reviewer a few hours to learn how to focus a 50mm lens at f1.2 !!! Currently I'm a film user (Pentax MX and Rolleiflex medium format), so picture taking is very simple - just set aperture, shutter speed, frame, focus and click. K30 seems rather appealing - WR etc. and I already have Pentax 50mm 1.4 and 135mm f3.5 lenses which I hope I could use on K30. These are SMC M lenses. If I got a K30 I would probably go for the kit 17-55WR zoom and a 35mm prime, So my questions are, can I use my old 50mm & 135mm lenses on K30 and would I find using digital too complicated and getting in the way of taking the picture ? Thanks I learned film SLR years and years ago, had a long period of no SLR and then started using a Nikon DSLR at work about 8 years ago, then bought my Pentax K20D in 2009, and now a K-30. So many things about shooting film and digital are the same. You can shoot just like you do with film, and yes, you can use any Pentax lens on the camera, same as your MX, with an M42 adapter for Takumars. The differences I notice are subtle, but can mean a lot. The DSLR initially costs more than a film camera. Instead of film you buy a memory card and use it over and over. I bought a new SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Class 10 UHS-I for $23 to use in my new camera. I put about 300 RAW photos and 35 short videos on the card one night and did not come close to filling it, one I downloaded those file to the computer, I reformatted the card and it's good to go again. With digital you never have to pay to develop film, you may need to buy software if you don't like the Silkypix that Pentax bundles. I use Lightroom 3, cost me $90 since I bought it when Lightroom 4 was about to be released. Printing, up to you, I print very few photos, view most on the screen. I send them off to print, very economical. With autofocus they took away the split prism while focusing, you can buy them as an extra and they are not cheap, Pentax has added focus peaking in the K-30, this really helps manual focus, but probably only on a tripod unless you want to hold your camera like a cellphone cam. With no film you can't choose a film speed, capture speed is similarly set in camera with ISO instead of ASA, higher ISO will create more noise, similar to grain in higher ASA film. Kind of a wash, .... nope. You can change this setting on every exposure instead of having to use a whole roll of film, and you can set it to auto, a huge advantage. With digital you have the opportunity to examine any photo you take immediately after taking it to check your exposure, etc. With film you may set shots up more carefully because of the expense of each exposure. I have found myself taking 20 photos of the same subject, different angles, exposures, etc, because I can. The K-30 has a lot of features that may seem daunting, but they really are not and some you may never use. The manual is online, I have download it to my PC so I can search it if I want to find something quickly. And for those times that the manual language seems odd, well that's where Pentax Forums can help. I've learned more on this website than anywhere else. You can function with the camera pretty quickly, and then keep learning more as you become more confident with the camera. If you get the K-30 I think you love it.I just got mine bundled with the 18-135 WR lens and I already had the 100 macro WR, so I've got two lenses that are good for any weather. And the low light capabilities make all my lenses faster. There are a lot of other improvements over the K20D, you'll see the same with film.

08-21-2012, 12:46 PM	#8
andrewf New Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4 Original Poster	Thanks everyone, this is very helpful, especially about using the older Pentax lenses which will be a big saving for me. Interesting comments about people finding film daunting, guess it's what you are used to. I would say, if you haven't tried film, do so - looking at a Velvia slide on a lightbox really has that Wow factor. I will look forward to getting a Pentax K30, won't be giving up the film habit though, I think there is a place for both.