[Omelyjane]

Hi there! I am a rookie, just bought my very first dslr camera Pentax K50. Everyone I know says Im crazy and should have gone with the big two, Nikon or Canon. But Pentax just felt better in my hands. I just got it in the mail today with 18-55 and 50-200 mm lenses. I am overwhelmed! 300 page manual? What did I get myself into? I primarily need it to take good quality photos of my toddler and baby. Photoshoots are so expensive that I figured I might as well invest in my own camera. Anyways, I just played with it for a little bit while the kids napped and I have more questions than answers. First and foremost. Is there a way to set it so I don't have to use the viewfinder? Can I see what I am taking a picture of on the lcd screen? I am wearing glasses and so the viewfinder is a pain, I have to put contacts in. Well, like I said, I have a TON more questions. But if somebody could answer just this one, I would greatly appreciate it!

[interested_observer]

Hi and Welcome to the Forum,

You want liveview which is enabled with the LV button on the back. The problem is that the camera is somewhat large and holding it out in front of you to aim it via the rear screen can be a chore. Live view is very handy when up on a tripod. Plus, there can be a lag with real time on the rear screen, especially in dark conditions. The sensor needs to collect light before it can be displayed.
______________________
PS - The manual is just an explanation of the controls and you really need to know what your are looking for to begin with. There is another book - an e-book that that helps with the how and why. You can download it and read it on your pc...

• Pentax K-50 & K-500 e-book

[wed7]

Welcome Jane, and congratulations on your new camera. I am sure you can survive using the camera with a bit of browsing its manual,

Re your querry about using the Live View Mode, just Press the LV botton and the camera will shift instantly.

I hope you enjoy it with your kids and share those precious memories here.

[Omelyjane]

Thanks! I am not much of a manual reader, but I did read a whole of 28 pages where I did find the answer to my question I played with it for a bit and so far I really like it. I think I took one really good photo of my daughter and a close up of a flower. Too bad I do not have that EyeFi card, it would make it easy to share those with you. I guess I'll have to read up on how to connect it to my laptop. I am really a novice in all of this, as Im sure you can tell, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[Giklab]

Laptop? Look for a slot about 2 cm long, usually on the front. You can put the SD card there and it will work just like a USB drive.

[geomez]

Welcome! Nice camera choice!
There are some good Photoshop alternatives out there like GIMP. Also might want to take a look at Adobe Lightroom. It's far cheaper and covers much of what a photographer needs for post production.

[Aksel]

...Too bad I do not have that EyeFi card, it would make it easy to share those with you.

ласкаво просимо!
Welcome to the forums!

You don't need EyeFi card (wifi sd card), you have USB cable. Connect the cable (which you got with camera) to the USB port of your camera and the other end to your laptop's USB port - and that's it!
6 Ways to Transfer Pictures from Camera to Computer Without Any Sofware

[zoolander]

Hi and welcome Omelyjane !

Hi there! I am a rookie, just bought my very first dslr camera Pentax K50. Everyone I know says Im crazy and should have gone with the big two, Nikon or Canon. But Pentax just felt better in my hands.

Oh you've definitely made a very good choice, and one day if you get some more lenses like portrait lenses, they will have shake reduction because of Pentax's sensor shift. Plus your image quality is far better with more natural and vibrant colors and contrast.

I am overwhelmed! 300 page manual? What did I get myself into?

Do not panic ! I too was overwhelmed when I first bought a DSLR (a nikon), and it too had a huge manual. But photography is fairly simple and you do not need to worry. But you do need to read the manual at least once, but at the same time, you should have a notebook and take a few notes for your settings like: How you want to save your images, fine or RAW or JPEG; Horizon correction to level the sensor when shooting handheld; expanded ISO settings.

At first, all of this stuff seems really confusing and foreign, but in time you'll get the nack. The simplest way is to put it in Aperture mode and play with the depth of field.

Good luck and don't be shy to ask those questions.

(Edit - Knowing somebody who already has some experience with DSLR's is very handy, and they can also help you get started and familiarize you with the settings. Plus how to approach capturing images. The buddy system ! )

[Omelyjane]

Дякую! You guys are so awesome! I promise to do my homework over the weekend so I know what ISO, RAW and other jargon you use means
My laptop, which I hate, but that's another story, doesn't have an SD card reader, so I'll have to use the USB cable, which is not a big deal, just an extra step. As far as photo editing, I haven't even thought about it yet. But thatnks for the tip, I'll have to do a bit of a research and see what GIMP and Adobe lightroom are all about. Thanks again and happy Friday!

[micromacro]

Omelyjane, sorry for saying it, but you need to read the manual. First it seems like too much and confusing. While you follow, it will be easy. Trust me, I hate manuals too. Not only that, it will be lots of other reading. Keep an eye on Lightroom sales, especially before black friday, like 2 weeks before.
However, that's the smartest thing you have done buying DSLR. Your kids will appreciate good memories later.

[Kerrowdown]

Everyone I know says Im crazy

Welcome to the forum, but around here crazy's good.

[LFLee]

Photoshoots are so expensive that I figured I might as well invest in my own camera.

I hope after a while with DSLR you will understand why they are expensive.

[interested_observer]

There are also a number of video clips labeled as K50 Tutorials - YMMV. They are somewhat of an overview, but certainly shows where things are located on the camera and what they can be used for, also showing functions that you may not realize or understand in the manual - especially for someone just starting out.

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

[zoolander]

Дякую! You guys are so awesome! I promise to do my homework over the weekend so I know what ISO, RAW and other jargon you use means
My laptop, which I hate, but that's another story, doesn't have an SD card reader, so I'll have to use the USB cable, which is not a big deal, just an extra step. As far as photo editing, I haven't even thought about it yet. But thatnks for the tip, I'll have to do a bit of a research and see what GIMP and Adobe lightroom are all about. Thanks again and happy Friday!

I wouldn't worry about Lightroom for now especially in the beginning.

Like I said before just read your manual, and take a few notes about which settings you like (Like if you want to disable the flash, or use it for fill-in flash). Later, these notes can be turned into a flip card for when you forget how things work, and believe me, in the beginning you do tend to forget. Thats because all that information and all the settings are too much at first !

In the beginning people usually use the program mode, and select: Portrait, Landscape, macro, sports etc etc. For the scene they want to take.

I usually keep it simple and switch it into Av (Aperture priority). I can use the control wheel to change the size of the aperture, to increase or decrease the "depth of field" (the area in focus).
The camera sets the shutter speed.
You can set the ISO, or using the green button let the camera set the ISO too (Auto ISO). But when the light gets too dark, then you want to watch that the ISO doesn't get too high.
Then in that case you might want to use the flash.

^^^ and thats it, thats what my buddy basically told me, and I thoroughly enjoy photography that way. ^^^^

[Omelyjane]

Here is a flower I think turned out pretty and of course the beautiful faces, the reason this camera was purchased