[Blackwolfe]

Awhile back I started a thread in this section that I was thinking of getting a Pentax K-3II and asking for recommendations.
Thinking of getting K-3II and lens. Recomendations? - PentaxForums.com

Well I got the K-3II and bought a couple of basic lenses to start with through the market place here. A Pentax SMC DA 1:18 50mm and a SMC PENTAX-DA 1:2.4 35mm AL. I plan on getting additional lenses as finances allow, but may get the HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE as it is available at the ricoh-imaging.com sight for a decent price right now. I think I like the 16-85 and the 60 -250 for the future. I haven't even looked at macro lenses yet.

I need some advice and some recommendations as to what to get for some supplies and accessories. Other than having used a couple of cheap point and shoot digital cameras, this is all new to me and I have a very steep learning curve.

1. I was surprised to see that there were no memory cards included with the camera body, so I will need to get a couple of those to start. Any thoughts on brand, and size. I think I don't want really large capacity, but don't know enough to make a wise choice.

2. The lenses I got have no lens hoods or protective filters. I don't want to make this a debate over protective filters vs don't waste your money on filters. I had thought either a skylight or UV filter. Any thoughts on brands, or a particular kind of filter such as skylight, UV, clear protective, etc. would be appreciated. Along with the filters do I need or should I get some lens hoods? I believe there are some issues with fitting a lens hoods to at least one of the lenses and would need to use the filter threads to do so. Can the hood get stacked on the filter? What are you more experienced folks doing or using?

3. I should probably get some lens cleaning materials and supplies. What is recommended? I have some old Olympus OM series film camera lenses and an old Olympus polarizing filter that will fit one of the lenses. So hopefully what I get for cleaning lenses will be compatible with old and new lenses and filters.

4. Battery. Do I need or should I get an extra battery. Should it be only Pentax brand?

5. Neck strap. The body comes with a strap. Do you use the strap provided, if so, what are it's weaknesses? What should I look for if I upgrade?

6. Camera case. In the old days last century I had a two piece leather camera case. One piece was form fitted around the body and the other piece snapped onto the first piece and covered the lens part. Not sure if those are available or used anymore. I've been looking a little bit and have seen the LowePro top loading style. I like that it gives some protection to the camera and lens, but looks like it can be easily accessed.

7. Camera bag and lens cases. What do you guys use to store your gear and lenses in. My old Olympus Zuiko lenses came in a hard barrel type case fitted to the lens and seemed to offer a lot of protection. I kept all my lenses, flash and camera in a oblong bag with with dividers that I kept the cased lenses, camera, flash, and a few extras inside and a few more extras in some outside pockets. There was a shoulder strap for slinging it around. What do you use or recommend for lens cases and a camera or gear bag.

8. Eventually I will get a tripod, but I know little about them. I see they have ball head, pan head, fluid head and probably others. Just looking for something sturdy and basic. I'm not planning on treaking through the woods, desert, or mountains so at this time I don't need a super light weight wonder pod, but would like something that is somewhat portable yet sturdy.

9. Anything else I should have to get started? I appreciate any suggestions or recommendations. Thank you.

[alamo5000]

You will get 100 responses here.

Once you are all kitted up I will recommend watching at least 24 hours worth of YouTube videos and getting a stack of books to study.

On to other stuff...

Spare battery. Definitely. If it's Pentax that's better imo but not mandatory. Other batteries are the only ones that have ever gone bad on me.

Cards...get at least 4X 32GB cards that are fast enough write speed. Slow cards will get annoying fast.

Bags are totally subjective. Depends on you. Nobody ever took a single photo with their camera still in the bag. This topic of bags is one covered a lot here. Hiking and that stuff is going to have different conditions than say a simple day trip to a birthday party.

Neck strap is also subjective. Me I don't use one anymore. Other options are much better for carrying a camera for a long time. After a full day of walking around with a camera on your neck you can thank me later.

Lens hoods...definitely. I bought a bunch of cheap metal screw on type from ebay. They work great. Filters are a different subject. I've never used them but the hoods will pay for themselves quickly.

As for cleaning get a couple good lens pens and you will be good to go. I bought a sensor cleaning pen too but others may have various opinions about that.

[alamo5000]

FYI In the end you might have 2 or 3 bags for carrying options. Same gear, same kit, different situation will be served by different options.

Also I started a thread a while back about carrying slings (vs neck straps) that has everything you need already there. I am on my phone but hopefully someone can link it here. If not I will link it after I get home.

[pschlute]

Lens hood is a must. Digital is far more prone to flare than film was. Filter is optional.
Get an extra battery. Cant use your camera while the only battery is charging.
Have a look at Op-Tech camera straps. Comfortable and secure. Mine is 10 years old.
Whatever case and bag you get put some silica gel pouches in it, especially when you store it away.
Tripod....get the most expensive you can afford. Cheap tripods are a waste of money.

[Adam]

1. I was surprised to see that there were no memory cards included with the camera body, so I will need to get a couple of those to start. Any thoughts on brand, and size. I think I don't want really large capacity, but don't know enough to make a wise choice.

SanDisk extreme pro >= 32gb

SanDisk SDSDXXG-064G-GN4IN Replacement for SanDisk

2. The lenses I got have no lens hoods or protective filters. I don't want to make this a debate over protective filters vs don't waste your money on filters. I had thought either a skylight or UV filter. Any thoughts on brands, or a particular kind of filter such as skylight, UV, clear protective, etc. would be appreciated. Along with the filters do I need or should I get some lens hoods? I believe there are some issues with fitting a lens hoods to at least one of the lenses and would need to use the filter threads to do so. Can the hood get stacked on the filter? What are you more experienced folks doing or using?

Don't bother with UV filters; they degrade your image quality. Do get a generic rubber hood for your lenses, though.

4. Battery. Do I need or should I get an extra battery. Should it be only Pentax brand?

You get what you pay for, I would recommend Pentax batteries.

[alamo5000]

BTW your 50 and 35mm lens don't have hoods? Wonder what happened to them?

[alamo5000]

Tripod advice: figure out how you plan to use it first. For travel to have an easily packable light tripod is one thing. For more formal work something else might be better.

And as was said earlier. Stay away from cheap tripods period. It will be much more expensive but it beats going through 4 cheap ones before spending the money on a good one.

[BullsOnParade81]

Lens hoods for sure. If you are going to get UV filters get a high quality brand like B&W (I used to use these but do not use UV filters anymore). Definitely an additional battery Pentax batteries are best and last the longest though more expensive. As far as bags I use a lowepro flipside 400 backpack for hiking or if I need my entire kit I also have a Domke f2 messenger bag and a much smaller temba messenger bag if I need to travel light. I have silica packs in all thr bags to absorb moisture. I bought an ape case neoprene neck strap (very comfortable) with a peak design anchor system for quick release. I have a black rapid sling system that connects using the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera but can't use that with a tripod. Lexar makes some good sd cards they are sold in a double pack on Amazon. For cleaning I have a rocket blower and bought some Zeiss lens cleaning wipes. For a tripod the vanguard alta 263ab is a great value.

[pathdoc]

Get a couple of fast SD cards, 32 or 64MB (the latter especially if you shoot raw), sandisk are expensive but good. Remember that it isn't just how fast the camera writes to the card; it's how fast the card then writes to the PC, laptop, etc. Get cards that will clear fast.

Fit the neck strap until you can decide on a better solution.

Get a second Pentax battery. You will want a full backup to slip in when the first is waning.

You have a great professional body and two really excellent prime lenses that despite their basic spec will do great things.

Go out and shoot the hell out of your new camera and lenses, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. That is the benefit of digital.

[alamo5000]

Need Assistance Choosing a Sling (Thanks!) - PentaxForums.com


5 pages about various types of sling options.

[Kozlok]

The most valuable things you can do is Education:

1). I recommend reading the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. My skills and enjoyment took a huge leap forward after reading that book. It's huge, but many photos, and the text is actually very well done.

2). I also recommend joining one of the social groups here on the forums. You can post photos and get critiques. I'd recommend the "Daily In..." group, look here for info: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/26-mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/3...n-thread.html; but there are many photo groups here, and on Flickr, just get a group of people you like that you are comfortable taking honest critique from.

3). Your photos are likely to be terrible at first. It's OK. We all had that problem. Learn, improve, continue.

[mee]

BTW your 50 and 35mm lens don't have hoods? Wonder what happened to them?

the 18-55mm kit, 50 f/1.8, and 35 f/2.4 all did not come with a lens hood afaik. One can buy aftermarket hoods though for each.

The 18-55mm is the trickier of the bunch as there are so many variants... some (such as the WR) did come with a lens hood. The cheapest of the DALs did not.

----------------------------


I have round, metal hoods for my 50 1.8 and 35 2.4 that I bought off of ebay for dirt cheap. Just match the filter thread and away you go.

What others (unless I missed) are not explaining is WHY to get a lens hood. And the reason is to block direct light from hitting the front element, which otherwise (that is, without a lens hood) increases glare which would reduce contrast and overall image quality. Thus you'll want a lens hood. Plus, it works to prevent most things from touching the front element (since it is physically in front of the front element).

I wasted money on UV filters starting out. Newbie mistake. Digital sensors already have a UV filter baked on them. So you don't need a filter on the front of your lens for that... and most lenses have far better lens coatings on the front of them than most UV filters. Plus the UV filter is also another piece of glass in front of your sensor -- reduced IQ. All the way around there is little to no reason for threaded UV filters on the front of your camera lenses. Beneficial in the film era, gimmicks in the digital era to take unsuspecting peoples money.

Neck strap.. ahh if you're using one, I'd get a 3rd party strap. The OEM one is thin and narrow which means much pressure on the back of your neck where the strap is... pressing. Get a wider, fatter strap to increase the surface area of the load. Your neck will thank you. I use some cheapy neoprene ones, but actual material is subjective.

SD cards... you'll want to look at read and write speeds.. 95 Megabytes per second is a nice rate (the number on the card is only the READ speed -- you'll need to look at benchmark charts for the write speed).. And get a USB3 card reader (provided you have a USB 3 connector on your computer) to transfer faster. I prefer Sandisk Extreme (Pro) SD cards but have a few others. In my searching all brands are hit or miss in speeds... it really is down to the card (and not just the speed printed on the packaging). But my Sandisk cards have never erred or failed thus far (while other brands have in my experience). Don't buy your cards on ebay or used.. there is a big issue with counterfeit cards. Buy from a trusted company (B&H, Adorama, Bestbuy, even Walmart).

Tripods.. you could spend a TON of money here. But you don't have to. I'd look for a tripod with a quick release plate system. Arca Swiss quick release is generally the standard. Other brands have their own proprietary quick release system that isn't compatible with others. I use a Vangard tripod with a pan head but that is just me. It has it's own proprietary QR which works. But in hindsight I probably should have just spent a bit more and bought a nice tripod with the arca type QR.

Other issue with tripods is weight. So you'll find aluminum or carbon fiber.... aluminum is cheaper, carbon fiber is lighter. Again you could spend a ton of money on the tripod alone.

My advice is to get a sturdy one that you won't quickly grow out of... 150-200 dollars. Even if you don't go that high (which is actually rather low for a tripod), please don't go to the department store and buy the cheapo chinese special. I did that too.. newbie/novice mistake.

A lot of your questions remind me of me about 7 years ago just starting with the DSLR. Except I never really asked questions, I just plunged in.. you're smart for asking.

[Kerrowdown]

So I got a camera, now what?

I'd be very tempted to say... "get out there shooting", any short comings on equipment would then become obvious.

I certainly wouldn't buy more until I got this current kit mastered, because you'll find your needs change as time goes on.

[mcgregni]

So I got a Camera . Now What ?

Take some photos. ...... Oh, and get a flash or 2 to take even better photos!

[ffking]

5. Neck strap. The body comes with a strap. Do you use the strap provided, if so, what are it's weaknesses? What should I look for if I upgrade?

As one or two people have commented, a neck strap isn't useful for the most part, and the provided one can get sore on your neck after prolonged use - however - I always attach mine, for extra security.
1 - I wind it round my wrist in areas where there are likely to be bag etc snatchers around
2- I put the strap round my neck when changing lenses etc where dropping the camera wouldn't be a good idea and squatting etc isn't an option (in water etc)
3 - I put the strap round my neck when taking pictures of precipices etc, where dropping the camera would be a very poor idea without added security,

So - I would say, attach the supplied neck strap for the above purposes, but there are generally better ways of carrying the camera