Greets from Pacific NW...lots of trees to take pics of!

Kjell28 · 03-10-2013, 10:49 PM

Hey all, I'm Kjell and I'm from Eugene, OR.....new to Pentax and new to DSLR, have wore out my P&S.
Jumped in the deep end and picked up a K-5 and look forward to shooting in my spare time. Went with the K-5 because it was a smokin deal in my price range, and I wanted something that will last me for a long time, also, it should hold my interest (in terms of learning the bells and whistles)
Hoping to get a good feel and understanding of my camera before heading to the Midwest in June for a 2 week storm chase.
Lenses are basic kit stuff 18-55 WR/55-200 WR any ideas for an affordable lens for landscapes?? Macro??

Thanks for a great forum.
Kjell

**mike.hiran** · 03-11-2013, 12:29 AM

welcome to the forum! I was in Eugene last week for biz... hung out at Alton Baker for a few minutes eating a sandwich

The 18-55 will do landscapes pretty well though you might want to stop down a bit - maybe around f5.6 or so (put your cam in AV mode and turn the back dial). If you are in a dark area, you'll probably want a tripod so you can keep the iso as low as you can so you have less grain and higher resolution. Make sure you use the 2 second timer to reduce camera shake... If you want a higher quality and wider lens for landscapes, I think I've seen a couple used Sigma 10-20 on the forum marketplace for under $400 recently. If you have the dough, the Sigma 8-16 is very good as is the Pentax 12-24.

For macros, the Pentax DFA 100 2.8 wr is awesome, but if you want to save a bit of $, the tamron 90 2.8 and Sigma 70 2.8 or Sigma 105 2.8 are also very good. In fact, I'll be selling my 105 2.8 pretty soon - I might even be able to meet you down in Eugene in a few weeks if you'd like to see it in person first...

Storm chasing, huh? Sounds pretty exciting as long as the weather cooperates!

Good luck w/ the camera - it's a great hobby, but it does take time to learn.

russell2pi · 03-11-2013, 03:22 AM

Depends on your budget but if at the very bottom end like me - for landscape shoot the 18-55 at 30mm+ (vertical) and stitch, for excellent quality. For macro get some extension tubes and an M, K or A-series lens (although the 18-55 focuses pretty close at 55). I also got a Samyang 14mm/2.8 which is excellent for the price. I don't like ultra-wide landscapes (I got it for urban work) but if that's what you're after it would be good bang for buck.

**Kerrowdown** · 03-11-2013, 06:08 AM

Welcome to the forum, be sure to post those incredible lightening shots.

03-10-2013, 10:49 PM	#1
Kjell28 New Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Creswell, OR Posts: 6	Greets from Pacific NW...lots of trees to take pics of! Hey all, I'm Kjell and I'm from Eugene, OR.....new to Pentax and new to DSLR, have wore out my P&S. Jumped in the deep end and picked up a K-5 and look forward to shooting in my spare time. Went with the K-5 because it was a smokin deal in my price range, and I wanted something that will last me for a long time, also, it should hold my interest (in terms of learning the bells and whistles) Hoping to get a good feel and understanding of my camera before heading to the Midwest in June for a 2 week storm chase. Lenses are basic kit stuff 18-55 WR/55-200 WR any ideas for an affordable lens for landscapes?? Macro?? Thanks for a great forum. Kjell

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Hello from the Pacific NW	jwpdx	Welcomes and Introductions	3	09-30-2012 10:44 PM
Hello from the Pacific NW USA	navaja	Welcomes and Introductions	2	09-29-2012 03:48 PM
Hello from the Pacific NW	blkcrow	Welcomes and Introductions	2	07-14-2011 03:34 PM
How to put lots of tag on lots of pictures in flickr?	Andi Lo	General Talk	10	06-27-2009 02:49 PM
Fun to take pics with a kit lens again (Beware lots of pics)	dsport	Post Your Photos!	16	11-19-2008 06:56 AM

03-11-2013, 12:29 AM	#2
mike.hiran Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Location: portland Photos: Albums Posts: 1,491	welcome to the forum! I was in Eugene last week for biz... hung out at Alton Baker for a few minutes eating a sandwich The 18-55 will do landscapes pretty well though you might want to stop down a bit - maybe around f5.6 or so (put your cam in AV mode and turn the back dial). If you are in a dark area, you'll probably want a tripod so you can keep the iso as low as you can so you have less grain and higher resolution. Make sure you use the 2 second timer to reduce camera shake... If you want a higher quality and wider lens for landscapes, I think I've seen a couple used Sigma 10-20 on the forum marketplace for under $400 recently. If you have the dough, the Sigma 8-16 is very good as is the Pentax 12-24. For macros, the Pentax DFA 100 2.8 wr is awesome, but if you want to save a bit of $, the tamron 90 2.8 and Sigma 70 2.8 or Sigma 105 2.8 are also very good. In fact, I'll be selling my 105 2.8 pretty soon - I might even be able to meet you down in Eugene in a few weeks if you'd like to see it in person first... Storm chasing, huh? Sounds pretty exciting as long as the weather cooperates! Good luck w/ the camera - it's a great hobby, but it does take time to learn.

03-11-2013, 03:22 AM	#3
russell2pi Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Victoria, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 252	Depends on your budget but if at the very bottom end like me - for landscape shoot the 18-55 at 30mm+ (vertical) and stitch, for excellent quality. For macro get some extension tubes and an M, K or A-series lens (although the 18-55 focuses pretty close at 55). I also got a Samyang 14mm/2.8 which is excellent for the price. I don't like ultra-wide landscapes (I got it for urban work) but if that's what you're after it would be good bang for buck.

03-11-2013, 06:08 AM	#4
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,863	Welcome to the forum, be sure to post those incredible lightening shots.