Lens Advice for a Beginner

olliedell · 11-15-2011, 02:39 PM

Well I am currently at uni so if I do need it I'll pick it up then. Or maybe look at paintshop pro as Tim mentioned. So much amazing advice coming from you guys, really can't wait for Christmas to come around so I get my new toy

twitch · 11-15-2011, 02:45 PM

Originally posted by olliedell

Thank you so much Rio! All of that was really useful, especially the part about bidding. A friend advised me to go to car boots, charity shops and markets to look for old lenses on the cheap. With an adapter is pretty much any Pentax lens going to be compatible with a K-r? One of the reasons I want one is I thought all of Pentax's lenses could be put onto a K-r with some kind of adapter.

Save up for a bit longer and just buy the DA L 55-300 off ebay. It's not much money, and it's a fantastic lens. There's a reason many people on this forum recommend it over (and over and over....) again.

FoThoMax · 11-15-2011, 03:34 PM

I bought 18-55 + 50-200 and now I;m looking for something faster.
What do you thing about Pentax - F 1:1.7 50mm?

FoThoMax · 11-15-2011, 03:35 PM

or Pentax - FA 1:1.7 50mm

Wheatfield · 11-15-2011, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by Lowell Goudge

When you consider thenscale of landscapes having wider than the kit lens is not a necessity. Going ultra wide makes many far off things seem insignificant. I use ultra wide for architecture and interior shots. In would suggest play with the kit lens first on landscapes

Jumping in late Lowell. Sorry. When I was shooting 4x5 as my primary format, the Nikkor 210mm/5.6 was my go to lens. The bulk of my work was landscape, and I had a 90mm, and later a 65mm, but I used my very short tele more than anything else. Now, I find myself going to the somewhat close 43mm.

**newmikey** · 11-16-2011, 04:37 AM

Originally posted by olliedell

Also once I've got the camera should I also acquire photoshop?

No! (and an emphatical NO at that

)

You have an awful lot to learn with having a new camera, lenses, managing your image folders on the harddrive and as you mentioned: you are pressed for a budget. The last thing you need now is to spend a lot of money on software that will need its own investment in time to get the most out of.

I would suggest starting out nice and easy (and entirely free) with either Irfanview, Google Picasa or any of the other freeware packages available to find your footing and discover what it is you want/need from a software package. I would recommend GIMP as well be it with a warning: GIMP has a confusing gazillion number of options (as does its expensive cousing Photoshop) and it is easy to get lost. Best thing is that it is extremely powerful and comes at the price of 0(zero) dollars.

cats_five · 11-16-2011, 05:38 AM

Originally posted by newmikey

No! (and an emphatical NO at that

)

At least not for now. As mentioned, you have a huge amount to learn, no need to burden yourself at this point.

Take RAW as well as JPG, you can always come back to those later. Also CS6 is due next year - wait until that turns up before getting Photoshop.

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11-15-2011, 02:39 PM	#31
olliedell Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 40 Original Poster	Well I am currently at uni so if I do need it I'll pick it up then. Or maybe look at paintshop pro as Tim mentioned. So much amazing advice coming from you guys, really can't wait for Christmas to come around so I get my new toy

11-15-2011, 02:45 PM	#32
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	Originally posted by olliedell Thank you so much Rio! All of that was really useful, especially the part about bidding. A friend advised me to go to car boots, charity shops and markets to look for old lenses on the cheap. With an adapter is pretty much any Pentax lens going to be compatible with a K-r? One of the reasons I want one is I thought all of Pentax's lenses could be put onto a K-r with some kind of adapter. Save up for a bit longer and just buy the DA L 55-300 off ebay. It's not much money, and it's a fantastic lens. There's a reason many people on this forum recommend it over (and over and over....) again.

11-15-2011, 03:34 PM	#33
FoThoMax New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 4	I bought 18-55 + 50-200 and now I;m looking for something faster. What do you thing about Pentax - F 1:1.7 50mm?

11-15-2011, 03:35 PM	#34
FoThoMax New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 4	or Pentax - FA 1:1.7 50mm

11-15-2011, 06:44 PM	#35
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by Lowell Goudge When you consider thenscale of landscapes having wider than the kit lens is not a necessity. Going ultra wide makes many far off things seem insignificant. I use ultra wide for architecture and interior shots. In would suggest play with the kit lens first on landscapes Jumping in late Lowell. Sorry. When I was shooting 4x5 as my primary format, the Nikkor 210mm/5.6 was my go to lens. The bulk of my work was landscape, and I had a 90mm, and later a 65mm, but I used my very short tele more than anything else. Now, I find myself going to the somewhat close 43mm.

11-16-2011, 04:37 AM	#36
newmikey Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,287	Originally posted by olliedell Also once I've got the camera should I also acquire photoshop? No! (and an emphatical NO at that ) You have an awful lot to learn with having a new camera, lenses, managing your image folders on the harddrive and as you mentioned: you are pressed for a budget. The last thing you need now is to spend a lot of money on software that will need its own investment in time to get the most out of. I would suggest starting out nice and easy (and entirely free) with either Irfanview, Google Picasa or any of the other freeware packages available to find your footing and discover what it is you want/need from a software package. I would recommend GIMP as well be it with a warning: GIMP has a confusing gazillion number of options (as does its expensive cousing Photoshop) and it is easy to get lost. Best thing is that it is extremely powerful and comes at the price of 0(zero) dollars.

11-16-2011, 05:38 AM	#37
cats_five Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Fife, Scotland Posts: 835	Originally posted by newmikey No! (and an emphatical NO at that ) At least not for now. As mentioned, you have a huge amount to learn, no need to burden yourself at this point. Take RAW as well as JPG, you can always come back to those later. Also CS6 is due next year - wait until that turns up before getting Photoshop.

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