[caustichumor]

Hello everyone, I will start by saying I am a complete beginner at photography. I have been happy enough with point and shoot cameras and whatever comes installed on my phone up until now. But decided to jump in and to purchase a dslr. After a week of reading reviews and watching youtube, I know own a k-50. It ticked all the right boxes for me and Durability is always at the top of the list when I buy any type of gear and weather-proofing alone gave the k-50 the edge. I bought it with the kit lens (18-55mm) and am planning on adding a longer telephoto lens and maybe a 50mm prime when funds allow. Being in North Queensland I have a great amount of wildlife available to model for me, and most of my photography will be wildlife / landscapes. I have 2 pre-teen daughters whom I will also need to take more photo's of, so I can look back upon them fondly and remember their smiling faces after they turn into vicious monsters (that's around 14 for girls isn't it?) I also realized that I needed to update my photo editing software from the windows media I have always used, So I have subscribed to Lightroom. I am glad I found this great forum (the gear reviews alone are a massive help to a beginner) and I hope to someday soon be able to hang my pictures on the wall proudly. Thanks Michael...

[RobA_Oz]

Hi Michael, and welcome to Pentax Forums. You have quite a number of fellow Australians on here, as you may already know, even some from FNQ. You seem to have made a good start with your K-50, and when you're ready to move on to other lenses, have a look at the lens samples posted here, in order to help you make your decisions. Enjoy your time here.
Rob

[wizofoz]

Coooeee mate. Welcome aboard. You will doubtless have many questions as you delve the mysteries of photography. The folk around here will fall over themselves trying to help you. Just ask.

[WPRESTO]

Welcome, welcome from a long way away in Messychewbits. Pentaxians of all levels of experience are treated as equals. I have old friends from undergrad years @ Berkeley who have been living in Australia for 40 years or so now (Tom & Pat Rich). M & I once got as close to you as across the ditch in NZ, and Australia is somewhere on our bucket list.Lot's of wildlife near you? I've heard that some parts of Australia are really hopping with wildlife.

[bertwert]

Welcome to the forum!

[hcc]

Welcome to the Forum. There are a bunch of Aussies around.

Good luck for your shooting. The K-50 is a great camera. I shoot my pre-teen and teen children with my Pentax. Lenses are always important. If your budget permit, I would recommend the FA77mm Ltd which is fabulous for portrait. Personally I have the FA77 and I love it as a mid-tele. For editing, I use PDCU 5 (now RDCU 5) provided with the K-3. I use also Silkpix Developer Studio provided with the K-01, but PDCU/RDCU is much more powerful. (Not as user friendly as Lightroom, but very powerful and excellent outcomes.)

Look forward to see your shots and read your posts.

[WPRESTO]

The FA77 is a great lens, one of the best for any camera, but expensive. For portraiture, a less expensive option might be a Sigma 70mm macro which is far less expensive new and can sometimes be found at a bargain second-hand, and it has outstanding IQ.

[Steve.Ledger]

G'day caustichumor.
I'm in FNQ and along with the Pentax Q, MX-1 and K-01, I too own a K-50. Great camera and good choice for beginners AND for someone who knows their way around a DLSR.

[snpsht]

Hi Michael,
this is THE best forum I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with. Nice people from around the globe, lots of useful information and articles, and wonderful photos! Welcome.

I am in Canberra and considering a move to FNQ (Cairns) in the next couple of years now I have retired to make the most of the wonderful landscape and wildlife.

Enjoy your new camera - you made an excellent choice.

[clackers]

. I have old friends from undergrad years @ Berkeley who have been living in Australia for 40 years or so now (Tom & Pat Rich).

Oh, the paleontologists? Awesome.

[WPRESTO]

Oh, the paleontologists? Awesome.

Yes, The paleo-pair. M and I are also a paleo-pair.I knew P&T at Berkeley, and all four of us did our PhD's at Columbia and the AMNH.

[clackers]

Yes, The paleo-pair. M and I are also a paleo-pair.I knew P&T at Berkeley, and all four of us did our PhD's at Columbia and the AMNH.

Very impressive. My wife had one of them as a geology lecturer at university, IIRC.

[PJ1]

Welcome to the Forums, Michael. Lots of us from Oz here, as you can see.

[Des]

Welcome Michael.

I know own a k-50. It ticked all the right boxes for me and Durability is always at the top of the list when I buy any type of gear and weather-proofing alone gave the k-50 the edge. I bought it with the kit lens (18-55mm) and am planning on adding a longer telephoto lens and maybe a 50mm prime when funds allow.

The FA77 is a great lens, one of the best for any camera, but expensive. For portraiture, a less expensive option might be a Sigma 70mm macro which is far less expensive new and can sometimes be found at a bargain second-hand, and it has outstanding IQ.

The 77 is sensational (voted best Pentax lens ever), but if out of budget a DA 50 f1.8 will do nicely for about $150. Lots of samples from this lens on this site.

Re wildlife, one of the xx-300mm zooms would be a great place to start. Have a look at the Pentax DA 55-300 - ideally in WR form to complement the weatherproofing on the K-50.

From there, wiidlife lenses get bigger, heavier and much more expensive. For starting out, I'd say try the 55-300mm first. It's very popular with forum members. Many people find that that's all they need.

The K-50 is an outstanding camera. It will be heaps of fun.

---------- Post added 11-19-15 at 09:51 AM ----------

I have old friends from undergrad years @ Berkeley who have been living in Australia for 40 years or so now (Tom & Pat Rich).

As @Clackers implies, the Richs are legends in Oz. Amongst other things, they made major fossil dinosaur discoveries near Inverloch in Victoria (my neck of the woods).

[WPRESTO]

. For starting out, I'd say try the 55-300mm first. It's very popular with forum members. Many people find that that's all they need..

I'll second the 55-300 as a lens far better than it should for the price. Second hand ones can be had at real bargains, especially the original non-WR which has the identical lens formula as the current version. Two other low priced tele-zooms with very good IQ, either the Tamron or Sigma 70-300, with a slight nod to the Tamron as having a better reputation. These can be purchased new for under $200, an outstanding price if you're on a limited budget.