Originally posted by Zephos Dude, you sound exactly like me when I got my K-50! Our areas of interest are pretty much identical too. I also chose Pentax because of the awesome features that nobody else seemed to have, such as focus peeking, weather resistance, etc!
Anyway, welcome.
I am no expert but here is some completely unsolicited advice just in case it helps: the biggest lesson I have learned from my experiences with the k-50 is that photography should be done for yourself first. Take every shot with no intention of ahowing it to anyone... that way you take the shot that makes you happy. If it ends up being something you want to share, great, but that's just a bonus.
My second biggest lesson is that glass is very important. Get some good glass asap. People here can help you do that without breaking the bank. The kit lens will limit what you can achieve in some ways and could lead to frustration. I think my biggest mistake with the k-50 was not finding a way to get better lenses for so long and often feeling frustrated that my images lacked the x-factor that I was seeking.
Thank you for the welcome! That's awesome we share the same interests - so often I see photographer friends are all about portraits and while I get it, it's just not held as much interest to me. I love nature and I love cities so being able to capture the two are my goal. The weather sealing is what made me first consider Pentax - when I saw that I realized it was something no one else was going in the entry level or even most mid range DSLRs!
That's good advice. I think it will be easy to want to constantly share the things I create which is great but it's a good grounding to remind myself that I'm doing this as a hobby for me at the base level.
I definitely want to get some better lens soon - thinking I might start with a wide angle prime!