Daunting Leap from manual film SLR to DSLR

ed+ · 09-01-2013, 12:56 PM

Hello. My name is Ed. You can call me ed. I added the plus sign to my username because the minimum character username length is 3. Not very creative huh?

My wife gave me a K-30 for my birthday, and it's helps different from my old P-30. The user manual is some help, but I need something to bridge the gap, I mean chasm of going from manual SLR to DSLR.

I live in Sacramento, California. I have trolled this forum the past few weeks, and really like the posts I have read. I'vejoined forums in the past only to drop out because too many of the replies came from the same small group of users. Hopefully this is a more diverse group. Peace.

**savoche** · 09-01-2013, 01:06 PM

Welcome! I think there's a healthy number of active members here on the forums, and a helpful bunch to boot.

Yes, there are heaps more options on a DSLR than on the old film bodies, but the basics are still the same; nail the focus and get your exposure right and you're all right. The rest are extras.

Oh, and take good care of your wife!

**patrick9** · 09-01-2013, 01:08 PM

Hello Ed and welcome to the Forums.
The K-30 is a fun and very capable camera. It is a definite jump from a P30. I have the P30t which is loaded and I am ready to head out shooting with it . I also have the K-30 which I have come to really enjoy.There are several of us here that shoot both film and digital . Don't be afraid to ask questions as they arise.

**rbefly** · 09-01-2013, 01:31 PM

Hi Ed, welcome to the Forum!
Your film shooting experience will help quite a bit, the general 'rules' of photography still apply. I regularly switch between film (MX, ME Super) and digital (K10D, K-7), in fact yesterday my camera club had a 'Black + White" assignment/outing and I used both formats. Of course, we Pentaxians have the added advantage of being able to switch lenses between formats with no problem!
One thing that threw me for a while was the 'crop' factor, on APS-C digital the lenses become 50% 'longer', because the sensor is smaller than a 35mm frame. Your 50mm will now think it's a 75mm, a 24mm will act like a 36mm, etc. That's great for telephotos, a 100mm is now a 150, etc. Not so good for wide angles.
If you Google digital crop factor, it will explain it better.
The other big change from film is adjustable ISO. You can literally change between shots, from low ISO to high or medium, as needed. Took me some time to get used to. Very handy when the light (and shutter speed!) starts dropping.
But most of your understanding of photography will give you a head start over true novices, just click away!
Good luck!
Ron

**Kerrowdown** · 09-01-2013, 01:32 PM

Welcome to the forum, just use your new K-30 in manual mode and it will be the same ish, but without the wait and developing costs.

ChristianRock · 09-05-2013, 02:12 PM

Welcome! Whatever lenses you have from your P-30, you will be able to use with the K-30. Having those old friends along the ride should make it a bit easier

And of course, there's a whole universe of options to add with time. Enjoy!

Jean Poitiers · 09-06-2013, 08:09 AM

Welcome to PF and bonjour from France ... enjoy the forum and your new K-30 ... hope to see an image or two soon ... J

Jonathan Mac · 09-06-2013, 09:45 AM

Welcome to the forums and good luck with the transition. I think you'll find quite a large and diverse number of contributors here.

Don't let the manual daunt you too much. I'd start off trying to use the K30 in much the same way as your old P30 (I have one of these and I like it a lot) and experiment. You'll be able to use your old lenses on the new camera, though the field of view will be reduced because the sensor is half the size of 35mm film.

tabl10s · 09-06-2013, 10:04 AM

Originally posted by ed+

Hello. My name is Ed. You can call me ed. I added the plus sign to my username because the minimum character username length is 3. Not very creative huh?

My wife gave me a K-30 for my birthday, and it's helps different from my old P-30. The user manual is some help, but I need something to bridge the gap, I mean chasm of going from manual SLR to DSLR.

I live in Sacramento, California. I have trolled this forum the past few weeks, and really like the posts I have read. I'vejoined forums in the past only to drop out because too many of the replies came from the same small group of users. Hopefully this is a more diverse group. Peace.

I'm from Sac too(Natomas) If you want yo check out any lenses, drop my a line.

**TER-OR** · 09-06-2013, 10:53 AM

While they're not necessarily exactly written for your camera, the Magic Lantern K7 book might be worth getting. The menus should be fairly similar, but I haven't played with a K-30. The K-5 is essentially the same control-wise to the K7 and I don't think Pentax has screwed with the menus much.

09-01-2013, 12:56 PM	#1
ed+ New Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 1	Daunting Leap from manual film SLR to DSLR Hello. My name is Ed. You can call me ed. I added the plus sign to my username because the minimum character username length is 3. Not very creative huh? My wife gave me a K-30 for my birthday, and it's helps different from my old P-30. The user manual is some help, but I need something to bridge the gap, I mean chasm of going from manual SLR to DSLR. I live in Sacramento, California. I have trolled this forum the past few weeks, and really like the posts I have read. I'vejoined forums in the past only to drop out because too many of the replies came from the same small group of users. Hopefully this is a more diverse group. Peace.

09-01-2013, 01:31 PM	#4
rbefly Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denver, Colorado Photos: Albums Posts: 2,030	Welcome! Hi Ed, welcome to the Forum! Your film shooting experience will help quite a bit, the general 'rules' of photography still apply. I regularly switch between film (MX, ME Super) and digital (K10D, K-7), in fact yesterday my camera club had a 'Black + White" assignment/outing and I used both formats. Of course, we Pentaxians have the added advantage of being able to switch lenses between formats with no problem! One thing that threw me for a while was the 'crop' factor, on APS-C digital the lenses become 50% 'longer', because the sensor is smaller than a 35mm frame. Your 50mm will now think it's a 75mm, a 24mm will act like a 36mm, etc. That's great for telephotos, a 100mm is now a 150, etc. Not so good for wide angles. If you Google digital crop factor, it will explain it better. The other big change from film is adjustable ISO. You can literally change between shots, from low ISO to high or medium, as needed. Took me some time to get used to. Very handy when the light (and shutter speed!) starts dropping. But most of your understanding of photography will give you a head start over true novices, just click away! Good luck! Ron

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09-01-2013, 01:06 PM	#2
savoche Master of the obvious Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Lowlands of Norway Posts: 18,311	Welcome! I think there's a healthy number of active members here on the forums, and a helpful bunch to boot. Yes, there are heaps more options on a DSLR than on the old film bodies, but the basics are still the same; nail the focus and get your exposure right and you're all right. The rest are extras. Oh, and take good care of your wife!

09-01-2013, 01:08 PM	#3
patrick9 Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Murfreesboro Tennessee Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,458	Hello Ed and welcome to the Forums. The K-30 is a fun and very capable camera. It is a definite jump from a P30. I have the P30t which is loaded and I am ready to head out shooting with it . I also have the K-30 which I have come to really enjoy.There are several of us here that shoot both film and digital . Don't be afraid to ask questions as they arise.

09-01-2013, 01:32 PM	#5
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,819	Welcome to the forum, just use your new K-30 in manual mode and it will be the same ish, but without the wait and developing costs.

09-05-2013, 02:12 PM	#6
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Welcome! Whatever lenses you have from your P-30, you will be able to use with the K-30. Having those old friends along the ride should make it a bit easier And of course, there's a whole universe of options to add with time. Enjoy!

09-06-2013, 08:09 AM	#7
Jean Poitiers Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 18,076	Welcome to PF and *bonjour* from France ... enjoy the forum and your new K-30 ... hope to see an image or two soon ... J

09-06-2013, 09:45 AM	#8
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,897	Welcome to the forums and good luck with the transition. I think you'll find quite a large and diverse number of contributors here. Don't let the manual daunt you too much. I'd start off trying to use the K30 in much the same way as your old P30 (I have one of these and I like it a lot) and experiment. You'll be able to use your old lenses on the new camera, though the field of view will be reduced because the sensor is half the size of 35mm film.

09-06-2013, 10:04 AM	#9
tabl10s Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Sacramento(formerly from B'Ham, England). Posts: 1,424	Originally posted by ed+ Hello. My name is Ed. You can call me ed. I added the plus sign to my username because the minimum character username length is 3. Not very creative huh? My wife gave me a K-30 for my birthday, and it's helps different from my old P-30. The user manual is some help, but I need something to bridge the gap, I mean chasm of going from manual SLR to DSLR. I live in Sacramento, California. I have trolled this forum the past few weeks, and really like the posts I have read. I'vejoined forums in the past only to drop out because too many of the replies came from the same small group of users. Hopefully this is a more diverse group. Peace. I'm from Sac too(Natomas) If you want yo check out any lenses, drop my a line.

09-06-2013, 10:53 AM	#10
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	While they're not necessarily exactly written for your camera, the Magic Lantern K7 book might be worth getting. The menus should be fairly similar, but I haven't played with a K-30. The K-5 is essentially the same control-wise to the K7 and I don't think Pentax has screwed with the menus much.