[Lindsey]

I am getting my very first dslr tomorrow, a dream i've had since I was a teenager. I can finally afford it now at the age of 22. I ordered a kx 18-55 mm and 55-300 mm kit. I love photography, I have always used P&S mostly fujifilm, I recently found out about the pentax brand after looking at canon, nikon, and Sony, I was more leaning toward sony but then found out about the kx. I was having a hard time chosing the kx or the kr but in the end chose the kx. I love animal photography, dogs, cats, wildlife. I will probably get into other types as well when I start using my kx.

i'm now dreaming of my first lense to purchase.

here are some examples of my p&s I can't wait to shoot with my new KX.

[hcc]

Congrats for your new purchase. Enjoy it. Read the instructions manual. Learn to use your kit lenses. (The Pentax kit lenses are regarded as above the average compared to other brands.)

Later you may consider to urchase further lenses and Pentax has a nice collection of beautiful lenses. But beware of LBA ....

[hotmars]

Very nice pet shot.

[KxBlaze]

Congrats and welcome. I got my Kx (my first ever DSLR also) about a year ago and have never regretted not buying something else. In my opinion the Kx is the best entry-level DSLR on the market and that is including the Kr (although since the Kr has dropped in $ it is quickly over taking the Kx in the category). This forum has been a great help for me becoming a better photographer and just learning Pentax/Photography in general. Be sure to take some time and explore as much as you can. Enjoy!

[Chex]

Later you may consider to urchase further lenses and Pentax has a nice collection of beautiful lenses. But beware of LBA ....

It may already be too late she's ordered her first non-kit lens!.

Congrats on finally getting into DSLR's! Glad to see you've found this site so fast to be able to gain the knowledge around here. Hope to see pics soon!

[yucatanPentax]

Welcome to the Pentax Forums. You've already made a good choice in camera and lenses. We'll be looking forward to some of your images.

There is a wealth of knowledge and skill here, along with all sorts of opinions. Take the opinions with a grain of salt and soak up the knowledge and skill!

[bymy141]

I am getting my very first dslr tomorrow, a dream i've had since I was a teenager. I can finally afford it now at the age of 22. I ordered a kx 18-55 mm and 55-300 mm kit. I love photography, I have always used P&S mostly fujifilm, I recently found out about the pentax brand after looking at canon, nikon, and Sony, I was more leaning toward sony but then found out about the kx. I was having a hard time chosing the kx or the kr but in the end chose the kx. I love animal photography, dogs, cats, wildlife. I will probably get into other types as well when I start using my kx.

i'm now dreaming of my first lense to purchase.

here are some examples of my p&s I can't wait to shoot with my new KX.

Hi Lindsey,

Welcome to this forum and congratulations with your K-x camera. It is a very good choice and a great starting point as a first DSLR.

You will be able to make much better photo's with your K-x, but let me share this:
I have seen so many posts of new users on this and other forums complaining and being disappointed by the results of the newly purchased DSLR that a word of advice to you and new DSLR users like you may be helpful.

There are a few things you should be aware off when upgrading from a point-and-shoot camera to a DSLR, I mean any DSLR not just the K-x:

1) A DSLR does not over process image data in camera by default (as a P&S camera does).
A DSLR is capable of making much better photos than a point and shoot camera mainly because of the much larger size of the image sensor.
Mostly you see the differences in: colors, dynamic range (amounts of detail in dark and light areas), noise and detail.
However, the fact that a DSLR is capable of making better photo's does not mean that it will.
A DSLR by default does less in camera processing: less sharpening for instance.
It preserves more detail and leaves sharpening and the like to post processing or the user to change the default in camera processing settings (and there are many...)

2) Better lenses require better focusing.
Lenses can be changed on DSLR's, there is a lot of quality difference between the various lenses.
In many respects the quality of your lens is more important than the quality of the camera. Megapixels is not what counts.
P&S camera's can have 16Mpixels or more, however most often the lenses you find on these cameras, have much less resolution than the sensors.
You'll find phones with 12Mpixels and a tiny plastic lens; madness!
However, if you buy medium or high grade DSLR lenses they can even out resolve the camera sensor.
So what happens here is that people will buy fast sharp lenses, but they will still make unsharp photo's. Their DSLR photos are even less sharp than their P&S photos!
That is because fast lenses with large apertures have a very small depth of field. So, accurate focusing the subject becomes vital and it takes effort to compose and notice, especially in low light situations.

3) You'll be carrying a lot more stuff!
There is a direct relationship between the size of a lens and the size of a sensor.
I.e. in order to achieve the same maginification, zoom range etc one needs a lot bigger piece of glass on a DSLR than on a P&S camera.
It is nearly impossible to make a 25x zoom lens with a good enough aperture for a DSLR.
Prepare to invest in glass after this purchase! You'll be carrying a lot more stuff with a DSLR, many people also have a small P&S for occasional use.
Be aware, larger lenses are much more expensive to make...

4) The better the camera the more difficult to get it right!
It is because the more resolution you are getting from the sensor and lens, the more flaws and errors you will see. It is like looking at an old Video 8 recording on a High Def TV. It looked ok 20 years ago, now it sucks.
Often people display the photo's of their new DSLR on the 24" computer screen, magnify it to the max and see flaws. It will still be not perfect.
However, the better your skills become, the better the results.
In the beginning, just do not print your "lesser results" too large

5) No DSLR can beat a HD camcorder still.
Do not expect to buy one product that does both well. Never mind the sales people.
There are some camera's that do photo and video reasonably well (Lumix), but you'll still loose image quality and lens flexibility.

Finally: the most important thing IMHO to understand is the mind trick.

Besides all the important stuff like: composition, shadows, rule of third, people expect the technical output of the photo to be better. That's what they've paid for.
An DSLR is much more expensive, so it should deliver more detail, sharpness. Many expect perfect results "out of the box", better than their old P&S.

However, better results cannot only be delivered by a better sensor and a better lens.
Next to that a DSLR is a more complex machine, more can go wrong.
You should get some minimal understanding of photography to make it work.
Terms like: Shutter speed, ISO and Aperture should be not only familiar, but also you should understand the effect they have on your photos. There is enough info on the Internet, books etc.

The full auto or scene modes on your great K-x can help you and if you are less experienced, use them.
Then learn to tailor it to your needs and to understand the camera in its details.
Make sure you find yourself a pair of sharp and good lenses over time.
But most of all, try to understand what the camera does when you press the button.

I hope it did not scare you off too much..

- Bert

PS for other readers: this reply is an 80% copy of an earlier post.

[Lindsey]

Thanks for all the comments! I will take all your advice. I took a few shots right out of the box, I am gonna start reading the manual tonight but this is what I got so far.


the ewok


full blast on my 55-300 lens

[K57XR]

i'm now dreaming of my first lense to purchase.
Welcome!

Should you find yourself looking into old manual non-pentax lenses, please be aware of the infamous “Ricoh Pin” which can get a lens stuck on a Pentax dSLR. The topic has been discussed extensively here with solutions offered for people who found out the hard way. Here's one thread:https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/62194-ricoh-pin...ed-remove.html

But beware of LBA ....

I promised myself I’m done buying lenses. I have more than what I need……but on occasion my web browser accidentally goes to eBay and somehow displays Pentax lenses….I need to figure out what’s causing it….

[bymy141]

Thanks for all the comments! I will take all your advice. I took a few shots right out of the box, I am gonna start reading the manual tonight but this is what I got so far.


the ewok


full blast on my 55-300 lens

Like the dog

[rachcobb]

I promised myself I’m done buying lenses. I have more than what I need……but on occasion my web browser accidentally goes to eBay and somehow displays Pentax lenses….I need to figure out what’s causing it….

I am so glad I'm not the only person that has a ghost in my computer that loves ebay and keeps drifting toward pentax lens searches! When you figure out how to stop it let me know....or not!

[rajusa]

Great shot! You'll go nuts with your new dslr. I have the same camera and it's a joy. By the way, this photo looks like a rabbit chasing the dogs.

Enjoy

[JeffJS]

Get control of your exposures (referring to the shot of the parrots feet) and you'll have some great shots there. One can never have too many photos of the Hounds.

Welcome to the wild side of photography.

[DaveHolmes]

But beware of LBA ....

Seriously... Beware... It's very easy to ebay bid on a host of lenses that to be honest... You just don't need...

The 55-300mm is by all accounts a cracking lens...

The 18-55 kit is good but will be the one you want to upgrade from eventually... You can go prime and get several lenses covering the 18-55 field of view... Or get a faster, sharper zoom...

I now have a handful (read a dozen) of pentax and third-party primes as well as a few zooms in my kit bag now... For the most part the Tamron 17-50mm now stays mounted to my K-x almost permanently and my bag is pretty heavy and I'm poor as f**k...

Spend the cash wisely... Work out what lenses will actually benefit your shooting style...

[Chex]

I promised myself I’m done buying lenses. I have more than what I need……but on occasion my web browser accidentally goes to eBay and somehow displays Pentax lenses….I need to figure out what’s causing it….

That would be called a bookmark I know it must be like a virus from the pentax software installation disc.. Just like the heavy gravity on this site always ending up browsing past the marketplace by the end of the night!, I've only been on this site for about a week and I've already bought through the market here! It's criminal how easy PayPal is to use!