[ChristianRock]

These are not from a K10D, but they were shot with a Sony A200 that shared the same exact 10MP CCD sensor. They're were all shot at ISO 800 with the Sony 50mm f/1.8 prime. I don't have the camera anymore, but when I was able to nail the shots, they came out amazing. These were taken at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA back in June of 2013.

Makes me want to pick up a K10D or even look for an old Sony A200 again. That 10MP CCD sensor was full of excellence & win!

I like those a lot. The 4th one is amazing.

There is a K10D with low shutter count in the forums marketplace right now for 70 dollars shipped. I just checked and it's still there. You already have the lenses, so why would you get a Sony with a dim tiny viewfinder when you could have a solid K10D and a pentaprism for less? Especially if you already have K mount glass?

The only Sonys I would consider would be the A290/390 with the last version of the CCD sensor Sony ever did. That 14MP CCD has higher resolution while the noise is a bit better than the 10MP sensor (still not great but a little improvement). And I would use that awesome Zeiss 16-80 3.5-4.5 lens paired up with a Minolta 50 1.4. Good thing I don't have a lot of hobby money, I could get in trouble so easily

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Last edited by ChristianRock; 10-12-2017 at 06:18 AM.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

^ Thanks. If Sony had kept full commitment to the A-mount, I would probably still be shooting with a Sony camera today. They're pretty much E-mount now.

Same here. I'd be in lots of trouble if I had more money.

Found the K10D.

[paulh]

Brand spanking new picnic table! DA18-55:

[rayallen]

Brand spanking new picnic table! DA18-55:

It must be time for a picnic. If only I were closer.

[deeslexia]

That's interesting about the sharing of the 10mp Sony sensor -
I have the Sony A290 and A390 for waist level viewing made for just one year , with the last 14mp variant which seems very similar to my K10d .
I bought the A290 new , but the A390 was £100 with kit lens and Tamron zoom , so an inexpensive option for some .
Because it is seen as a stripped out entry level beginner's camera , they have no value .
The upside is that they attract very little use .
dee

[Dartmoor Dave]

The only Sonys I would consider would be the A290/390 with the last version of the CCD sensor Sony ever did. That 14MP CCD has higher resolution while the noise is a bit better than the 10MP sensor (still not great but a little improvement).

Imagine the camera we could have had if Pentax had ever used that 14MP CCD. I suppose I could use my Taks on an A290/390 with an M42 adapter, which are apparently glassless, but it seems that the bayonet fitting of K mounts forces a thicker adapter with corrective glass. Looks like it would be a lot of hassle for just 4 more megapickles, so on second thoughts I think I'm perfectly happy with 10MP.

Here's one that's not really much of a photo. Just an example of the sort of thing that's becoming depressingly common around here. What's really crazy is that this is 20 minutes drive away from the nearest McDonald's, so their food-like substances must have been cold by the time they got there. (Taken with 17mm Takumar fisheye)

[Dan James]

I like those a lot. The 4th one is amazing.

There is a K10D with low shutter count in the forums marketplace right now for 70 dollars shipped. I just checked and it's still there. You already have the lenses, so why would you get a Sony with a dim tiny viewfinder when you could have a solid K10D and a pentaprism for less? Especially if you already have K mount glass?

The only Sonys I would consider would be the A290/390 with the last version of the CCD sensor Sony ever did. That 14MP CCD has higher resolution while the noise is a bit better than the 10MP sensor (still not great but a little improvement). And I would use that awesome Zeiss 16-80 3.5-4.5 lens paired up with a Minolta 50 1.4. Good thing I don't have a lot of hobby money, I could get in trouble so easily

^ Thanks. If Sony had kept full commitment to the A-mount, I would probably still be shooting with a Sony camera today. They're pretty much E-mount now.

Same here. I'd be in lots of trouble if I had more money.

Found the K10D.

Imagine the camera we could have had if Pentax had ever used that 14MP CCD. I suppose I could use my Taks on an A290/390 with an M42 adapter, which are apparently glassless, but it seems that the bayonet fitting of K mounts forces a thicker adapter with corrective glass. Looks like it would be a lot of hassle for just 4 more megapickles, so on second thoughts I think I'm perfectly happy with 10MP.

Here's one that's not really much of a photo. Just an example of the sort of thing that's becoming depressingly common around here. What's really crazy is that this is 20 minutes drive away from the nearest McDonald's, so their food-like substances must have been cold by the time they got there. (Taken with 17mm Takumar fisheye)

Before I saw the light and got a K10D earlier this year, I had tried a couple of Sonys. First the A350, with a 14MP sensor (CCD I think). I'd already decided my favourite lenses were M42, but just didn't like the lack of viewfinder and un-camera-like ergonomics of my Sony NEX mirrorless so was looking for a DSLR to shoot M42 lenses.

The a350 worked well (Manual mode only, to my annoyance at the time), gave me some great results, and led me (back) down the path of Minolta AF lenses. Some of their original mid 80s line up are fantastic, like the 35-70/4 and 50/2.8 Macro. But the VF wasn't great, and overall the build was a bit plasticky, I didn't love it. Because I wanted to use Av mode back then, I explored further and actually went back in time to Sony's a100. With this one you could use Av mode and M mode with M42 lenses. It was a little simpler to use, and I preferred it over the a100 overall. The 10MP CCD sensor gave me plenty good enough images.

But I still didn't love it, and the VF still wasn't that good. And as great as the Minolta lenses are, I just don't much like shooting AF, so was using them less and less and mostly using M42.

Then I started exploring Pentax again, my first real love when I began getting into 35mm film SLRs five years previous. I came across the K10D, bought it, and found results as good as the Sonys, if not better. Plus the build quality and feel was a whole other world. The Sonys fell like high volume production consumer
SLRs, the type the typical camera/gadget lover would buy, use a dozen times over a year, then upgrade to the next model and throw in a drawer somewhere.

The K10D feels like a proper photographer's camera. Of course to be fair they were aimed at different markets on their release, and were at different price points. So with the K10D it meant I could go easily use M42 and go back to exploring/using K mount lenses again, my second favourite mount after M42.

Part of me wished maybe I'd kept the a350 a little longer rather than sold it so quickly. I didn't realise then the difference between CCD and CMOS, like I didn't realise when I got the K10D that apparently it has the same Sony sensor as I was using in the Sony a100!! But I know the annoyances would remain - M mode only, average VF, plasticky feel. I'd rather take the extra class and quality of the K10D over the extra potential of the a350's 14MP versus 10MP.

Since having the K10D I still shoot M42 a lot (mostly Takumars) but use A series K mount at least as much. Which of course I couldn't have done with the Sony's, so absolutely no regrets.

Cheap as the Sonys are (I think I sold my a100 for about £60, and the a350 for around £100), I couldn't recommend them over a K10D (mine cost £90 with kit lens, my Samsung GX10 clone cost £55 body only) or a 6MP CCD Pentax or Samsung (my GX-1s was about £50) for the extra class and feel you get, plus access to the wonderful world of 42 years' worth and counting of K mount lenses...

Both of the above taken with Samsung GX-10 at ISO400. Whilst ISO100 is my default and is used for 95% of shots, sometimes in very low light I got to 200 or 400. I actually like the soft "grain" you get at 400, reminds me of film...

[paulh]

Just an example of the sort of thing that's becoming depressingly common around here.

Geez, that's depressing. Surprised there weren't more beer cans/bottles like we see around here. Can't imagine trashing a beautiful setting like that. Still, a nicely rendered photo, garbage and all.

re:Sony DSLRs...My wife owned a Sony A300 with the 10 mpx CCD sensor awhile back. I got her a Minolta AF 50mm/1.7 (I think), which produced some nice images. But with that tiny, tunnel-like VF I couldn't imagine using any MF lenses with it!

[ChristianRock]

Before I saw the light and got a K10D earlier this year, I had tried a couple of Sonys. First the A350, with a 14MP sensor (CCD I think). I'd already decided my favourite lenses were M42, but just didn't like the lack of viewfinder and un-camera-like ergonomics of my Sony NEX mirrorless so was looking for a DSLR to shoot M42 lenses.

The a350 worked well (Manual mode only, to my annoyance at the time), gave me some great results, and led me (back) down the path of Minolta AF lenses. Some of their original mid 80s line up are fantastic, like the 35-70/4 and 50/2.8 Macro. But the VF wasn't great, and overall the build was a bit plasticky, I didn't love it. Because I wanted to use Av mode back then, I explored further and actually went back in time to Sony's a100. With this one you could use Av mode and M mode with M42 lenses. It was a little simpler to use, and I preferred it over the a100 overall. The 10MP CCD sensor gave me plenty good enough images.

But I still didn't love it, and the VF still wasn't that good. And as great as the Minolta lenses are, I just don't much like shooting AF, so was using them less and less and mostly using M42.

Then I started exploring Pentax again, my first real love when I began getting into 35mm film SLRs five years previous. I came across the K10D, bought it, and found results as good as the Sonys, if not better. Plus the build quality and feel was a whole other world. The Sonys fell like high volume production consumer
SLRs, the type the typical camera/gadget lover would buy, use a dozen times over a year, then upgrade to the next model and throw in a drawer somewhere.

The K10D feels like a proper photographer's camera. Of course to be fair they were aimed at different markets on their release, and were at different price points. So with the K10D it meant I could go easily use M42 and go back to exploring/using K mount lenses again, my second favourite mount after M42.

Part of me wished maybe I'd kept the a350 a little longer rather than sold it so quickly. I didn't realise then the difference between CCD and CMOS, like I didn't realise when I got the K10D that apparently it has the same Sony sensor as I was using in the Sony a100!! But I know the annoyances would remain - M mode only, average VF, plasticky feel. I'd rather take the extra class and quality of the K10D over the extra potential of the a350's 14MP versus 10MP.

Since having the K10D I still shoot M42 a lot (mostly Takumars) but use A series K mount at least as much. Which of course I couldn't have done with the Sony's, so absolutely no regrets.

Cheap as the Sonys are (I think I sold my a100 for about £60, and the a350 for around £100), I couldn't recommend them over a K10D (mine cost £90 with kit lens, my Samsung GX10 clone cost £55 body only) or a 6MP CCD Pentax or Samsung (my GX-1s was about £50) for the extra class and feel you get, plus access to the wonderful world of 42 years' worth and counting of K mount lenses...

Both of the above taken with Samsung GX-10 at ISO400. Whilst ISO100 is my default and is used for 95% of shots, sometimes in very low light I got to 200 or 400. I actually like the soft "grain" you get at 400, reminds me of film...

Thank you for helping me resist the 14MP Sony bodies Though I basically made up my mind due to the viewfinder. It's worse than the K-r I had - and though I thought that was a great camera, I sold it to buy the K-S1 mainly due to the viewfinder improvement. I haven't regretted it I'm actually getting results I'm very pleased with when using the K-S1 lately with a new package of Fuji film emulations that I have found for RawThereapee... it's only 6 emulations but when they work, they are fantastic. See here: Fuji Film Simulation Profiles – Stuart Sowerby (They work very well on a lot of my K10D images too)

[rayallen]

Here's one that's not really much of a photo. Just an example of the sort of thing that's becoming depressingly common around here. What's really crazy is that this is 20 minutes drive away from the nearest McDonald's, so their food-like substances must have been cold by the time they got there. (Taken with 17mm Takumar fisheye)

Yes, Dave, that is very depressing and, unfortunately, just as common down here. See what eating McDonald's food does to people - it turns them into thoughtless idiots.

[Dartmoor Dave]

Thanks to Dan for the firsthand info about the Sony CCD bodies. You've convinced me to stick with what I've got.

After the discovery of the fast food detritus in the photo above, I've now started carrying a plastic rubbish bag and disposable gloves in my camera bag. This gives me two options: I can either bag the rubbish while keeping my hands clean with the gloves, or the gloves can prevent fingerprints while I use the bag to suffocate the moron dropping the rubbish.

I've been thinking for a while that I should take more photos of the human impact on the moorland environment, and now that the ponies have been rounded up for market it seems like a good time to start. The remaining breeding stock will be hiding from humans for a few weeks up on the high moor, as they do this time every year, but they'll gradually start coming down again as it gets colder.

Here's a British icon that's seen better days, with the 18-55mm WR yesterday.

[BigMackCam]

After the discovery of the fast food detritus in the photo above, I've now started carrying a plastic rubbish bag and disposable gloves in my camera bag. This gives me two options: I can either bag the rubbish while keeping my hands clean with the gloves, or the gloves can prevent fingerprints while I use the bag to suffocate the moron dropping the rubbish.

LOL! The things we photographers have to do...

Here's a British icon that's seen better days, with the 18-55mm WR yesterday.

What a great photo, and the better for capturing that car in the frame - it adds more interest and atmosphere. Lovely stuff

You've gotta love those CCD reds

[subsea]

Hey, Dave, you didn't happen to see my wife in it, did you? She left the house early this morning to go shopping, but she's been known to hang out in these things. This one was in Stratford-upon-Avon and is nicely maintained for the tourists.

[Dan James]

Thank you for helping me resist the 14MP Sony bodies Though I basically made up my mind due to the viewfinder. It's worse than the K-r I had - and though I thought that was a great camera, I sold it to buy the K-S1 mainly due to the viewfinder improvement. I haven't regretted it I'm actually getting results I'm very pleased with when using the K-S1 lately with a new package of Fuji film emulations that I have found for RawThereapee... it's only 6 emulations but when they work, they are fantastic. See here: Fuji Film Simulation Profiles – Stuart Sowerby (They work very well on a lot of my K10D images too)

A good viewfinder is such a big deal for me. I had my Sony NEX 3N as my main digital camera for about three years and loved so much about it, not least of all the accurate exposures, adaptability to so many vintage lenses, and focus peaking. But it doesn't have a VF and doesn't handle like a "proper" camera, and in time (especially as I was using film SLRs extensively at the same time) these things mattered hugely to me and I just didn't enjoy using it much. Hence exploring DSLRs. So having a DSLR with a substandard VF totally defeats the point for me. My initial research was mostly focused more on VF spec of different Pentax DSLRs than the sensor MP, or physical size and weight. The K10D with its 95% 0.95 VF is about as good as we're going to get in an APS-C DSLR. The Sonys fall way behind, and were just constantly frustrating to use with the VFs, despite overall being great little DSLRs.

On the subject on emulations, do you (or anyone else) have any links for b/w presets for LightRoom? For colour, I love what the K10D delivers, and just do a simple LightRoom export from the RAW files. I do want to start shooting b/w though, and would rather still shoot RAW then convert to b/w after, than go with a b/w JPEG option. I'm not even sure if the K10D has the latter option? I've shot quite a bit of colour film in the past and converted to b/w as it's so much cheaper and easier to process than true b/w film. I just desaturated the colour scans - not the purest option I know, but it gave me images I was happy with. I want an equivalently straightforward option for converting colour RAW images from the K10D into b/w images. I like quite contrasty b/w photos, where the blacks are deep and inky and the whites and clean and crisp. I really don't like b/w photos where it's just a series of washed out grey scales. Any ideas? (I hate post processing and do as little as possible!)

Thanks to Dan for the firsthand info about the Sony CCD bodies. You've convinced me to stick with what I've got.

After the discovery of the fast food detritus in the photo above, I've now started carrying a plastic rubbish bag and disposable gloves in my camera bag. This gives me two options: I can either bag the rubbish while keeping my hands clean with the gloves, or the gloves can prevent fingerprints while I use the bag to suffocate the moron dropping the rubbish.

I've been thinking for a while that I should take more photos of the human impact on the moorland environment, and now that the ponies have been rounded up for market it seems like a good time to start. The remaining breeding stock will be hiding from humans for a few weeks up on the high moor, as they do this time every year, but they'll gradually start coming down again as it gets colder.

Here's a British icon that's seen better days, with the 18-55mm WR yesterday.

Yeh I couldn't recommend those Sonys on the VF alone. You'd get great images (see mine from the a350 here) but it just wasn't worth the struggling and squinting and the rather cheap feel of the cameras compared with the K10D.

Love this phonebox shot, it reminds me of one I shot in Wales with my little Olympus XA that was equally weathered!

[Dartmoor Dave]

On the subject on emulations, do you (or anyone else) have any links for b/w presets for LightRoom? For colour, I love what the K10D delivers, and just do a simple LightRoom export from the RAW files. I do want to start shooting b/w though, and would rather still shoot RAW then convert to b/w after, than go with a b/w JPEG option. I'm not even sure if the K10D has the latter option? I've shot quite a bit of colour film in the past and converted to b/w as it's so much cheaper and easier to process than true b/w film. I just desaturated the colour scans - not the purest option I know, but it gave me images I was happy with. I want an equivalently straightforward option for converting colour RAW images from the K10D into b/w images. I like quite contrasty b/w photos, where the blacks are deep and inky and the whites and clean and crisp. I really don't like b/w photos where it's just a series of washed out grey scales. Any ideas? (I hate post processing and do as little as possible!)

Silver Efex Pro is very popular and you can download it free now that it's owned by Google. It runs rather slowly on my ancient ten-year-old computer, but if you've got the processing power it gives you lots of B&W options.

Always great to see a photo taken with the Olympus XA. It was my main camera for most of the nineties, when I'd fallen out of love with lugging a bag of SLR gear around, and it took some of my favourite photos. I've got big prints of two XA shots on the wall right next to me as I type this.