[BerndM]

Over the last 2 years, I have bought, and returned, more cameras than you can shake a stick at including the Pentax K-01, K-30 and now I am seriously contemplating returning the K-50.
I have sadly come to the realization that no matter how good the equipment's capabilities are, MINE will never rise to the same level.
It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use.
I'm still not 100% sure I'll return the K-50 (2 lens kit) but I'm heavily leaning in that direction.
I'll just satisfy myself with my reliable, and apparently suitable to me, Sony HX-100/v superzoom and call it good.
Ya gotz to know your limitations, and I apparently have discovered mine.
Regards
Bernd

BTW....I think the K-50 is the best DSLR I have had the fun to try.

[Genesis]

I think that it must have something to do with out timezone... ;-) I live in Denmark, and having all most the same problem with my gear - But I am glad to see your post, because I was allmost ready to buy another Pentax to see if that could do the trick, but now I will hold myself back... at least for a couple of days to see if the virus disappear :-)

[VoiceOfReason]

Here's what I would advise for you before giving up. Put the camera in auto mode. Shoot RAW. WHen you go into Photoshop or whatever program you are using look at what the camera picked on the shots you liked the best. Shoot at those settings in the same ambient conditions.

Here's a tip for the best sharpness on outdoor pics in decent light. Put the aperture at f/5.6 to f/8, and shoot in Av mode. Limit your ISO to between 100 and 3200. Give that a try for a bit.

If you're in bright light and you really want to freeze action put it in Tv, again with the same ISO limits, and crank the shutter speed to 1/500 or even 1/1000 or more and see if you like the results. Just get out and play with it, take tons of pics, and remember what you did. If you're only keeping 10% of them then remember what happened with that 10%. That is the best teacher by far, and cards are cheap, the camera can take thousands upon thousands of pics with no problem, and by then you WILL learn to use it and make beautiful things.

[psychdoc]

It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use. I'm still not 100% sure I'll return the K-50 (2 lens kit) but I'm heavily leaning in that direction. I'll just satisfy myself with my reliable, and apparently suitable to me, Sony HX-100/v superzoom and call it good. Ya gotz to know your limitations, and I apparently have discovered mine.

The modern adage of 'try and try again until you succeed' is foolish. It makes people feel like a failure if they have to give up.

Knowing when to stop is also a virtue.

But if you post something like this on a camera forum you will get a lot of people who will tell you to keep trying. Of course its not easy for a third person to know whether its early or late to give up. If you are comfortable with the decision, its ok. I know plenty of people who have bought dslrs and gone back to shooting with a point and shoot.

[monochrome]

It takes a long time to develop muscle memory alone with a tool like a camera, much less to learn how the system processes light and color to create an (approximation) of what you eye and brain see. I think we all suffer from gear churn - we succumb to the allure of "the next great device" before wew've had enough time and experience with whatever we have currently to use it well. I'm just now getting reliable images out of my K10D and K-01. The Q is still a mystery.

I will get a K-3, just because, but I don't think I'kk buy another dSLR for a long time.

Now lenses, that's a horse of a different color.

[Genesis]

It takes a long time to develop muscle memory alone with a tool like a camera, much less to learn how the system processes light and color to create an (approximation) of what you eye and brain see. I think we all suffer from gear churn - we succumb to the allure of "the next great device" before wew've had enough time and experience with whatever we have currently to use it well. I'm just now getting reliable images out of my K10D and K-01. The Q is still a mystery.

I will get a K-3, just because, but I don't think I'kk buy another dSLR for a long time.

Now lenses, that's a horse of a different color.

You actually beat me - especially with the last line
I was happy with my K-20D with the kit lens, but when I got the 35 mm limited I got even happier,and the 70 mm limited even..... and I got the 21 mm limited the other day, and even with bad autumn weather, the first couple of images with the K-01 had something in them that I never had seen before. It is amazing (for me anyway) what lenses can do. And about the Q - I just bought them for fun - and they really are that.

[OldNoob]

I always loved my Sony DSLRs . they were always reliable and the menus simple. The old Minolta glass always was sharp. Yet when Sony went all DVF, i just had to walk away, i just feel disconnected looking through an digital viewfinder. So here i am with PENTAX ,, yet with my new k-30 lest than a week old, ive had three freeze ups already.
I like the Pentax menus and controls I tried the Nikon and got totally lost in sub minus and multiple button functions.

I know its frustrating. sometimes it's good to set camera to complete manual, turn off all image processing that you can and just take a week relearning in full manual mode.

[macdaddy50]

Over the last 2 years, I have bought, and returned, more cameras than you can shake a stick at including the Pentax K-01, K-30 and now I am seriously contemplating returning the K-50.
I have sadly come to the realization that no matter how good the equipment's capabilities are, MINE will never rise to the same level.
It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use.
I'm still not 100% sure I'll return the K-50 (2 lens kit) but I'm heavily leaning in that direction.
I'll just satisfy myself with my reliable, and apparently suitable to me, Sony HX-100/v superzoom and call it good.
Ya gotz to know your limitations, and I apparently have discovered mine.
Regards
Bernd

BTW....I think the K-50 is the best DSLR I have had the fun to try.

Look @ Voice of Reason below. If you are new to the DSLR world, take your time. Put the darn thing in auto and just let the camera do the dirty work for you. Read the manual but don't try to absorb the whole thing. I wouldn't say the manual is real user friendly but it will help. Then after a couple weeks of just "fun" shooting, start to try the other options. Read threads here on the forum, ask questions (No question is too dumb) and things will slowly start to come together. My wife, bless her soul, is about as technically challenged as there is and she will use my K-30 if I have it in auto. She said the other day that she'll use the "big" camera instead of her Canon P&S because it takes better pictures. So don't let it get you down. You're probably trying to jump right in and be a pro before you learn how to just have fun. Give it some time. If you've had a K-30 and now have the K-50, you won't get much better than that from any other maker out there. Just go and have fun, experiment later, and then go see your Dr. for LBA......it is very contagious!!

[jimr-pdx]

...I have sadly come to the realization that no matter how good the equipment's capabilities are, MINE will never rise to the same level.
It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use.
...Ya gotz to know your limitations, and I apparently have discovered mine.
Regards
Bernd

BTW....I think the K-50 is the best DSLR I have had the fun to try.

You would know best where to invest your time and funds, but certainly we'd love to keep you here . Creativity waxes and wanes for us all, and I'm also very gear-heavy for what I am able to do right now. I know that will change soon though, and I can look forward to it. Good luck with your decision, and keep having fun whatever the images show!

[BrianR]

...It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use....

All the technical camera advice in the world won't overcome this flaw, but it is something you can work to develop. If your superzoom helps to free you from the technical tidbits and concentrate on building up the creative muscles, then simplifying your gear isn't a bad idea.

My simple advice towards the creative, irregardless of the camera you use- read Freeman Patterson's books, read art books, read about photographers work you admire, and shoot stuff you are passionate about independent of your photography hobby. Also, have fun

[DeadJohn]

Photography takes practice. I've found my photography niche in astrophotography and nature - technical pursuits that don't require great creativity nor artistic vision. Macro is another technical area I hope to learn more about.

In other words, if money isn't the main constraint for returning the camera, keep using the K-50. But if you need the money for other hobbies or other priorities, goodbye.

[causey]

My advice is this: take a couple of years to learn the technicalities of your camera, and let yourself enjoy this learning. Don't care much about composition. Learn about aperture, focal distance, shooting modes, bokeh, sharpness, noise, etc. Try as many lenses as possible (buy used & old). Try to use a flash, or more flashes at once. Learn to change lenses, clean the sensor, etc. Get out and take macro shots, then streets shots, then landscapes, then portraits, etc. (not necessarily in this order). Again, don't be upset if you're not satisfied with the compositional quality of your pics. Try to get the technical details right: focus, corner sharpness, bokeh, lighting, noise. If you have time, learn to process raw files. Your composition will get better as you learn the technical aspects of photography, and the more you master these aspects, the more you will have for composition. Once you have internalized technical control, you'll find room for creativity--which is to an important extent a result of experimentation.

[normhead]

Creativity is often just being aware of what you can do with a situation, and picking the best approach to the conditions you have. +1 to Freeman Paterson, The Art of Seeing a book I've been recommending to photography students for over 20 years. I Even had my own copy in my classroom for students to borrow, and also George Barr, Why Photographs Work. It's not just how should I take this picture, it's "what should I be thinking when evaluating a scene?"

[IchabodCrane]

Over the last 2 years, I have bought, and returned, more cameras than you can shake a stick at including the Pentax K-01, K-30 and now I am seriously contemplating returning the K-50.
I have sadly come to the realization that no matter how good the equipment's capabilities are, MINE will never rise to the same level.
It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use.
I'm still not 100% sure I'll return the K-50 (2 lens kit) but I'm heavily leaning in that direction.
I'll just satisfy myself with my reliable, and apparently suitable to me, Sony HX-100/v superzoom and call it good.
Ya gotz to know your limitations, and I apparently have discovered mine.
Regards
Bernd

BTW....I think the K-50 is the best DSLR I have had the fun to try.

Here's one idea to consider:

Don't worry about trying to take better photographs. Just accept that the ones you do take (and the AUTO suggestion is a good one) will probably look a little better with the K-50 than they would with the HX-100/v. Over time, you'll feel yourself getting more comfortable using the Pentax and very possibly you'll start trying to capture photos you never considered before.

[wildman]

I have sadly come to the realization that no matter how good the equipment's capabilities are, MINE will never rise to the same level.
It has FINALLY sunk thru my thick German skull, that I don't have an ounce of creative imagination with which to put any of these fine cameras to use.

I hear you.

I went through the same thing - great gear, crap images.
That was around 1960 and the cameras were a Nikon S2 rangefinder and a gorgeous Rollie 2.8. I'm still fighting the good fight.

You have a big advantage over many - you know it's you and not the gear.
Suggestion - lay aside the DSLRs and get a 50 buck PS. Point it at anything that catches your fancy and pull the trigger. Get the files up on the monitor and look at them and think about what works and what doesn't and why you pulled the trigger in the first place. Take it with you wherever you go. Don't think just see.

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