After years of reading and benefitting from the forums and lens reviews here, I finally decided to become a member.
Hi; my name is David, and I have a Pentax addiction.
I started with Pentax in high school back in '82-83 with a ME Super. It got me through Photography in college and was a really enjoyable camera to use. That was my only camera for many years until I got my first digital camera in '98 - a Kodak DC120. It was pretty cool being the first person I knew who had a 'real' digital camera! I used that and several P&S's along the way... Canon Elphs and PowerShots. Then I got my first DSLR in 2006 prior to a trip to Monteral. Of course, it was a Pentax, since I already had four lenses I could use on it. I never really bonded with that *ist DL (with 18-55mm kit lens), although I got quite a few keepers with it over the years. The battery bug was an issue off an on after a couple years, which tended to make it a pain to use. A Nikon P7000 was next, and I still like that as an 'advanced' P&S.
Still, I wanted / needed something that had faster response, better image quality, and built on the ergonomics that I appreciated from that DL. Amazon came to the rescue with a really good deal on a K-50 three years ago. I've had great luck with that camera, but I always lusted after a K-3 and K-5 before that. This year, I got a 'used' K-3 from Robert's Camera (eBay store) that was advertised as used / excellent condition / 4700 shutter count. What I received was a K-3 body for a great price that still had the protectors on all the LCD's, was packed in the original box, and had a shutter count in the mid hundreds and looked like I had opened the box for the first time. Score! THIS was the camera that I had been searching for. Just holding it felt good. The buttons are where I'd have put them, had I designed it. The menus are logical and responsive. It made my K-50 feel a bit cheap. I get great shots with it. In four months, I think I've used it more than I've used the K-50 and DL combined. Of course, I've had to upgrade lenses a bit. The 50-200 WR has been replace by a 55-300 WR. A used 18-135 has replaced the 18-55 from my DL. Most recently, I bought a K-200 for the lenses it included - a 40MM Limited and a Sigma zoom that a friend wanted (all for the price of a good used 40MM LTD). My original SMC-M 50mm 1.7 from my ME is still in the camera bag, too. I'm trying to cut myself off from any other camera related purchases, unless it's something I really need or is a deal that's too good to pass up. Good luck with that!
Since getting the K-3, I'm realizing how much I really enjoy photography. I've taken shots for a couple friends to use in their portfolios, and they received very positive comments on them. I think doing those is what really did it for me; becoming more involved in the surroundings of the subject, the lighting, distractions in the frame, etc. vs. shots of static objects (though I enjoy general landscape and animal shots, too). I've done very limited PP of my images, other than simple crops, and I think this is due to my old B&W days in photography class where composing the shot was key. Recently, a friend wanted my advice on a 'cheap, used DSLR in the $250-300 range'. Since all I know is Pentax, I found a well-used but perfectly functioning K-5 with six lenses for around $325, and he loves it. It's really cool to be able to help someone who's new to photography learn the relationship of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, how to focus manually, etc. He's especially fond of the manual lenses (even the M42s that came with his K-5!), and we do camera days every couple of weeks. Living in Southern California, we have an almost unlimited range of environments - beaches, deserts, mountains, and almost no seasonal restrictions.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to participating more in these forums when I feel that I have something to offer. In the meantime, I'll keep reading and learning!
Last edited by Davids_CA; 07-13-2018 at 03:08 PM.