hate this thing-so far

Big Tim · 08-28-2018, 10:08 PM - **1 Like**

Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this.

**RobA_Oz** · 08-28-2018, 10:41 PM

Hi, Big Tim, and welcome to Pentax Forums from Tasmania, Australia.

I’ve been shooting Pentax cameras since 1972, so my transition to digital was early in their history. Hate will turn to love, if you approach things in a slow but steady way. You can shoot with full manual control, just like with your old film bodies, or you can leave in on Auto/Program mode while you get the hang of it, and let the camera take care of focus, shutter speed and aperture settings. Shoot JPEG until you feel confident enough with post-processing to tackle shooting in RAW.

The really nice thing is that you don’t need to wait until you’ve finished the roll of film before you see the results. You’ll be fine. Relax and ask for as much advice as you like. The members here are friendly and helpful.

**beachgardener** · 08-28-2018, 11:35 PM

G'day mate and welcome to the forum

**Kerrowdown** · 08-29-2018, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by Big Tim

hate this thing-so far

Welcome to the forum, when and if you get stuck, just yell out in the appropriate part of the forum and you could easily be overwhelmed by the volume of replies.

shawbamos · 08-29-2018, 01:28 AM

Originally posted by Big Tim

Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this.

Welcome! Photography in general was/is quite the learning curve. Digital is another animal. A couple things I've done to alleviate the disappointment when importing photos in for post processing was to; use TAv & Av mode. This has helped immensely with learning the camera and the exposure triangle. Finally had a successful day of shooting little league football on a very sunny day in manual. Also, watch the EV meter in live view and pay attention the histogram on the quick preview. If you really want to get after it, use bracketing. I haven't tried it yet but, you can take 3 shots at once at 3 different exposures. This should help with learning what works best for different scenarios. Another really easy thing to do that has made a huge difference for me, is to take a couple test shots, get dialed in for your environment. Best part they're free! It's really not as daunting as it seems. You'll have it figured out in no time.

MarkJerling · 08-29-2018, 02:19 AM

Welcome to the forum Tim!

Unregistered User 8 · 08-29-2018, 02:53 AM

Hi Tim, and welcome. Good to have you aboard.

victormeldrew · 08-29-2018, 04:33 AM

Hi and welcome to the forum. Don't be scared, it won't bite. Everything that you're already familiar with is there (ISO, shutter, aperture) and it all does the same thing. There is probably a lot more automation available than you're used to, but none of that is necessary and the more you learn, the more you will be advised to try to move to full manual (so you're ahead of most people on that front).

Just take pictures, try to enjoy it, and ask questions if you get stuck.

**ffking** · 08-29-2018, 04:51 AM - **1 Like**

That's the real thing - as others have said - you can treat it like a !980s film camera with the added advantage of AF if you want it, and being able to change ISO from one shot to the next

Welcome from Dorset, UK

**Mikesul** · 08-29-2018, 04:52 AM

Hi! Welcome to the forum. If you go to the Pentax Cameras section and look for the K-50 group you will find lots of experienced people eager to help you.

photoptimist · 08-29-2018, 05:04 AM

Originally posted by ffking

That's the real thing - as others have said - you can treat it like a !980s film camera with the added advantage of AF if you want it, and being able to change ISO from one shot to the next

Welcome from Dorset, UK

Yes, and it's exactly like your old film camera plus a life-time supply of free film and instant developing.

You can hit that shutter button as often as you like and any mistakes can go right in the trash can without a worry that you wasted any money.

Welcome from Colorado, USA.

**twilhelm** · 08-29-2018, 05:35 AM

Welcome to the forum from Florida.

GinaC · 08-29-2018, 06:26 AM

Hey, Big Tim! Welcome to the Pentax Forums.

**Rondec** · 08-29-2018, 06:32 AM

Originally posted by Big Tim

Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this.

Welcome to the Forum. Nothing to be scared of, just start shooting in one of the auto modes -- Av is my favorite or, P works well too. As Photoptomist says, learning is free. Just delete the photos that don't work.

As to why they "killed" the 16-45, I think it was more superseded by lenses that had more focal range -- 17-70, 18-135, and 16-85. No one really has anything bad to say about the 16-45 except that it isn't quite long enough all of the time, but it is a great starter lens.

**DWS1** · 08-29-2018, 06:35 AM

Welcome and don't be scared. I too came to digital with a K50 and must admit I was overwhelmed. But despite all the bells and whistles and capabilities, the bottom line is that it all comes down to aperture, shutter speed, and iso. One thing that helped me was to look at the iso setting the same as the film speed you set when you loaded your old camera (which it is), and you only had to be concerned with aperture and shutter speed. The difference now is you can change that film speed on the fly with each shot instead of going thru a roll film and load a different type to get different shots.

08-28-2018, 10:08 PM - 1 Like	#1
Big Tim New Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Maine Posts: 16	hate this thing-so far Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this.

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08-28-2018, 10:41 PM	#2
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,200	Hi, Big Tim, and welcome to Pentax Forums from Tasmania, Australia. I’ve been shooting Pentax cameras since 1972, so my transition to digital was early in their history. Hate will turn to love, if you approach things in a slow but steady way. You can shoot with full manual control, just like with your old film bodies, or you can leave in on Auto/Program mode while you get the hang of it, and let the camera take care of focus, shutter speed and aperture settings. Shoot JPEG until you feel confident enough with post-processing to tackle shooting in RAW. The really nice thing is that you don’t need to wait until you’ve finished the roll of film before you see the results. You’ll be fine. Relax and ask for as much advice as you like. The members here are friendly and helpful.

08-28-2018, 11:35 PM	#3
beachgardener Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,842	G'day mate and welcome to the forum

08-29-2018, 12:25 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: 57,835	Originally posted by Big Tim hate this thing-so far Welcome to the forum, when and if you get stuck, just yell out in the appropriate part of the forum and you could easily be overwhelmed by the volume of replies.

08-29-2018, 01:28 AM	#5
shawbamos Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Iowa Posts: 45	Originally posted by Big Tim Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this. Welcome! Photography in general was/is quite the learning curve. Digital is another animal. A couple things I've done to alleviate the disappointment when importing photos in for post processing was to; use TAv & Av mode. This has helped immensely with learning the camera and the exposure triangle. Finally had a successful day of shooting little league football on a very sunny day in manual. Also, watch the EV meter in live view and pay attention the histogram on the quick preview. If you really want to get after it, use bracketing. I haven't tried it yet but, you can take 3 shots at once at 3 different exposures. This should help with learning what works best for different scenarios. Another really easy thing to do that has made a huge difference for me, is to take a couple test shots, get dialed in for your environment. Best part they're free! It's really not as daunting as it seems. You'll have it figured out in no time.

08-29-2018, 02:19 AM	#6
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,408	Welcome to the forum Tim!

08-29-2018, 02:53 AM	#7
Unregistered User 8 Closed Account Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,694	Hi Tim, and welcome. Good to have you aboard.

08-29-2018, 04:33 AM	#8
victormeldrew Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: South West UK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,493	Hi and welcome to the forum. Don't be scared, it won't bite. Everything that you're already familiar with is there (ISO, shutter, aperture) and it all does the same thing. There is probably a lot more automation available than you're used to, but none of that is necessary and the more you learn, the more you will be advised to try to move to full manual (so you're ahead of most people on that front). Just take pictures, try to enjoy it, and ask questions if you get stuck.

08-29-2018, 04:51 AM - 1 Like	#9
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,039	That's the real thing - as others have said - you can treat it like a !980s film camera with the added advantage of AF if you want it, and being able to change ISO from one shot to the next Welcome from Dorset, UK

08-29-2018, 04:52 AM	#10
Mikesul Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,594	Hi! Welcome to the forum. If you go to the Pentax Cameras section and look for the K-50 group you will find lots of experienced people eager to help you.

08-29-2018, 05:04 AM	#11
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,127	Originally posted by ffking That's the real thing - as others have said - you can treat it like a !980s film camera with the added advantage of AF if you want it, and being able to change ISO from one shot to the next Welcome from Dorset, UK Yes, and it's exactly like your old film camera plus a life-time supply of free film and instant developing. You can hit that shutter button as often as you like and any mistakes can go right in the trash can without a worry that you wasted any money. Welcome from Colorado, USA.

08-29-2018, 05:35 AM	#12
twilhelm Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,369	Welcome to the forum from Florida.

08-29-2018, 06:26 AM	#13
GinaC Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Brunswick, GA, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 440	Hey, Big Tim! Welcome to the Pentax Forums.

08-29-2018, 06:32 AM	#14
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,662	Originally posted by Big Tim Big Tim from Maine, long time user of Pentax film cameras, KX, MX, LX as well s assorted med. format cameras. Now with Pentax K-50 and scared to death of it. Hoping granddaughter and Pentax Forums will help. Recently obtained the DA 16-45mm (seems to be well-liked, why did they kill it?) and DA 55-300 ( not WR) That should get me by as I wrestle with this. Welcome to the Forum. Nothing to be scared of, just start shooting in one of the auto modes -- Av is my favorite or, P works well too. As Photoptomist says, learning is free. Just delete the photos that don't work. As to why they "killed" the 16-45, I think it was more superseded by lenses that had more focal range -- 17-70, 18-135, and 16-85. No one really has anything bad to say about the 16-45 except that it isn't quite long enough all of the time, but it is a great starter lens.

08-29-2018, 06:35 AM	#15
DWS1 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 1,169	Welcome and don't be scared. I too came to digital with a K50 and must admit I was overwhelmed. But despite all the bells and whistles and capabilities, the bottom line is that it all comes down to aperture, shutter speed, and iso. One thing that helped me was to look at the iso setting the same as the film speed you set when you loaded your old camera (which it is), and you only had to be concerned with aperture and shutter speed. The difference now is you can change that film speed on the fly with each shot instead of going thru a roll film and load a different type to get different shots.