Pentax Newbie

Sundowner · 12-21-2011, 05:47 PM

I'm not much of a gear-head and I only have one Pentax, but I'm starting to grow rather fond of the thing and I thought I'd actually register on the forum rather that simply browsing anonymously. So, thanks - belatedly - for all the great information that I've found, and thanks in advance to whomsoever manages to answer my forthcoming inane questions.

**eaglem** · 12-21-2011, 05:52 PM

Welcome to the forum, glad you decided to join.

The only inane question is the one you don't ask because asking creates learning.

Victor Collins · 12-21-2011, 05:54 PM

i used Pentax 645 back in the 70's and unfortunately moved to digital now i am trying to get back into the medium format 645N camera. The ease of use and the quality of the equipment is awesome. I have photos from negatives that i created 30 years ago that are still as beatiful as the day i took them. Welcome and good luck with your photography.

SpecialK · 12-21-2011, 05:56 PM

Welcome to the forum. Just remember everyone has an opinion and most of them are wrong :-)

Sundowner · 12-21-2011, 06:29 PM

Originally posted by SpecialK

Just remember everyone has an opinion and most of them are wrong :-)

Yeah, I get told that a lot, for some reason.

**baro-nite** · 12-21-2011, 06:41 PM

SpecialK is wrong about the second part.

Sundowner · 12-21-2011, 06:43 PM

Originally posted by Victor Collins

Welcome and good luck with your photography.

Thank you on both counts...I need all the luck I can get. I'm really bad at it...but it's keeping Kodak and Oriental and Sprint in business.

wolfiegirl · 12-22-2011, 01:05 AM

Originally posted by baro-nite

SpecialK is wrong about the second part.

*snarfs*

welcome to the forum. may your time here lead you down the merry pentaxian path without too many LBA hiccups. *grin*

Sundowner · 12-22-2011, 05:48 AM

I had to look up LBA. I'm not too much into buying lenses. I have one lens for my 645 and can only think of a second that I might want, and I have a tendency to only use one or two lenses anyway, even out of the arsenal of glassware I have for my Nikons. With that said, I'm probably going to start any day now.

Victor Collins · 12-22-2011, 07:52 AM

I don't take as many photos as I use to but I am planning to do more in the new year. Personally, I think using youe 645 will make you a better photographer. I see so many of my friends that have digital cameras that shoot without putting much if any thought into their photographs. I find that with the medium and large format cameras force you to slow down and thnk about what you are doing. These skills will carry over to your digital photography. Like SpecalK said it my opinon and more than likely iit is wrong but maybe it is food for thought.

Sundowner · 12-22-2011, 12:05 PM

Originally posted by Victor Collins

These skills will carry over to your digital photography

I own a digital camera? Huh, I didn't even know that! AWESOME! I love finding stuff I didn't know I had!

You bring up a good point...using the big film camera slows me down a lot. I was out with someone the other day that has a brand new D5100, and after two solid hours of shooting in rapidly-changing afternoon/evening light we totaled up how many frames we'd shot. Results: I shot exactly 32, because I only allowed myself two rolls of film...and he shot <drumroll> 655.

Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome, by the way. Great forum!

wolfiegirl · 12-22-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by Sundowner

I had to look up LBA. I'm not too much into buying lenses. I have one lens for my 645 and can only think of a second that I might want, and I have a tendency to only use one or two lenses anyway, even out of the arsenal of glassware I have for my Nikons. With that said, I'm probably going to start any day now.

Ah... my bad. Was in LBA frame of mind and didn't even think about spelling it out for you.

Glad you found it out on your own.

"I'm probably going to start any day now" - *snarf* and so begins the slippery slope.

FWIW, I started off with the two kit lenses and stuck with that for 5 years.... never even crossed my mind to "upgrade". It's taken me this long to figure out what I need, and even now with my *looks at coffee table* 30+ lenses, I still don't know what I need...

Opethian · 12-22-2011, 02:36 PM

30 lenses! OMG and they said that K-mount doesn't have enough lenses! (I'm assuming they're all K mount that is)

wolfiegirl · 12-22-2011, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by Opethian

30 lenses! OMG and they said that K-mount doesn't have enough lenses! (I'm assuming they're all K mount that is)

30 lenses is nothing compared to some of the others here. Keep an eye out for RioRico and ducdao on the forums. They have 200-400 or so respectively I think. Mine's probably in the 30-50 range. I took them all out last night for a clean, but I'm not sure I've got them all there, since the count's around 30 or so and I thought I had 50....

In fact, the bellows and the enlarger lens are somewhere still in the spare room...

Having said all that, not all mine are k mount. A few are m42 screw mounts, which you then buy a Pentax adapter to convert them into k mount. See, Pentax originally made their lenses in m42s. Then they changed over to the ks. but you can still use the old Pentax lenses (and by default lots of other branded lenses with the same mount). So really, the world is practically your oyster when it comes to getting lenses.

Anyway, enjoy your photographing... try your best to not let me or anyone else here corrupt you into buying too many lenses. It's a slippery slope and can get scary exxy if you don't have a budget!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have if you get stuck or want advice should you choose to get more though. TONS of expert advice on here that I for one have been absolutely grateful for.

**baro-nite** · 12-22-2011, 02:44 PM

Sometimes I wish there were only 30 K-mount lenses.

There are more than 30 prime lenses just in the original "K" series. There must be well over 200 K-mount lenses made by Pentax alone. Then there are all the third-party lenses ...

12-21-2011, 05:47 PM	#1
Sundowner New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 22	Pentax Newbie I'm not much of a gear-head and I only have one Pentax, but I'm starting to grow rather fond of the thing and I thought I'd actually register on the forum rather that simply browsing anonymously. So, thanks - belatedly - for all the great information that I've found, and thanks in advance to whomsoever manages to answer my forthcoming inane questions.

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12-21-2011, 05:52 PM	#2
eaglem Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Perth Western Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 43,146	Welcome to the forum, glad you decided to join. The only inane question is the one you don't ask because asking creates learning.

12-21-2011, 05:54 PM	#3
Victor Collins New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3	i used Pentax 645 back in the 70's and unfortunately moved to digital now i am trying to get back into the medium format 645N camera. The ease of use and the quality of the equipment is awesome. I have photos from negatives that i created 30 years ago that are still as beatiful as the day i took them. Welcome and good luck with your photography.

12-21-2011, 05:56 PM	#4
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	Welcome to the forum. Just remember everyone has an opinion and most of them are wrong :-)

12-21-2011, 06:29 PM	#5
Sundowner New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 22 Original Poster	Originally posted by SpecialK Just remember everyone has an opinion and most of them are wrong :-) Yeah, I get told that a lot, for some reason.

12-21-2011, 06:41 PM	#6
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	SpecialK is wrong about the second part.

12-21-2011, 06:43 PM	#7
Sundowner New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 22 Original Poster	Originally posted by Victor Collins Welcome and good luck with your photography. Thank you on both counts...I need all the luck I can get. I'm really bad at it...but it's keeping Kodak and Oriental and Sprint in business.

12-22-2011, 01:05 AM	#8
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by baro-nite SpecialK is wrong about the second part. snarfs welcome to the forum. may your time here lead you down the merry pentaxian path without too many LBA hiccups. grin

12-22-2011, 05:48 AM	#9
Sundowner New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 22 Original Poster	I had to look up LBA. I'm not too much into buying lenses. I have one lens for my 645 and can only think of a second that I might want, and I have a tendency to only use one or two lenses anyway, even out of the arsenal of glassware I have for my Nikons. With that said, I'm probably going to start any day now.

12-22-2011, 07:52 AM	#10
Victor Collins New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 3	I don't take as many photos as I use to but I am planning to do more in the new year. Personally, I think using youe 645 will make you a better photographer. I see so many of my friends that have digital cameras that shoot without putting much if any thought into their photographs. I find that with the medium and large format cameras force you to slow down and thnk about what you are doing. These skills will carry over to your digital photography. Like SpecalK said it my opinon and more than likely iit is wrong but maybe it is food for thought.

12-22-2011, 12:05 PM	#11
Sundowner New Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 22 Original Poster	Originally posted by Victor Collins These skills will carry over to your digital photography I own a digital camera? Huh, I didn't even know that! AWESOME! I love finding stuff I didn't know I had! You bring up a good point...using the big film camera slows me down a lot. I was out with someone the other day that has a brand new D5100, and after two solid hours of shooting in rapidly-changing afternoon/evening light we totaled up how many frames we'd shot. Results: I shot exactly 32, because I only allowed myself two rolls of film...and he shot <drumroll> 655. Thanks to everyone for making me feel welcome, by the way. Great forum!

12-22-2011, 02:30 PM	#12
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by Sundowner I had to look up LBA. I'm not too much into buying lenses. I have one lens for my 645 and can only think of a second that I might want, and I have a tendency to only use one or two lenses anyway, even out of the arsenal of glassware I have for my Nikons. With that said, I'm probably going to start any day now. Ah... my bad. Was in LBA frame of mind and didn't even think about spelling it out for you. Glad you found it out on your own. "I'm probably going to start any day now" - snarf and so begins the slippery slope. FWIW, I started off with the two kit lenses and stuck with that for 5 years.... never even crossed my mind to "upgrade". It's taken me this long to figure out what I need, and even now with my looks at coffee table 30+ lenses, I still don't know what I need...

12-22-2011, 02:36 PM	#13
Opethian Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London Posts: 57	30 lenses! OMG and they said that K-mount doesn't have enough lenses! (I'm assuming they're all K mount that is)

12-22-2011, 02:42 PM	#14
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by Opethian 30 lenses! OMG and they said that K-mount doesn't have enough lenses! (I'm assuming they're all K mount that is) 30 lenses is nothing compared to some of the others here. Keep an eye out for RioRico and ducdao on the forums. They have 200-400 or so respectively I think. Mine's probably in the 30-50 range. I took them all out last night for a clean, but I'm not sure I've got them all there, since the count's around 30 or so and I thought I had 50.... In fact, the bellows and the enlarger lens are somewhere still in the spare room... Having said all that, not all mine are k mount. A few are m42 screw mounts, which you then buy a Pentax adapter to convert them into k mount. See, Pentax originally made their lenses in m42s. Then they changed over to the ks. but you can still use the old Pentax lenses (and by default lots of other branded lenses with the same mount). So really, the world is practically your oyster when it comes to getting lenses. Anyway, enjoy your photographing... try your best to not let me or anyone else here corrupt you into buying too many lenses. It's a slippery slope and can get scary exxy if you don't have a budget! Feel free to ask any questions you may have if you get stuck or want advice should you choose to get more though. TONS of expert advice on here that I for one have been absolutely grateful for.

12-22-2011, 02:44 PM	#15
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Sometimes I wish there were only 30 K-mount lenses. There are more than 30 prime lenses just in the original "K" series. There must be well over 200 K-mount lenses made by Pentax alone. Then there are all the third-party lenses ...