[Des]

Zoe, I'd take up Normhead's point that the less you spend on the body the more you have for lenses. Any of K-30, K-50 or K-5iis would be a big upgrade from your current camera and save you a lot compared with buying a K-3. I see from your profile that you have some good manual lenses but below 80mm you rely on the 18-55 and a 50mm prime. If I were you I'd be looking to fill that gap (ultrawide zoom? better zoom in the wide-normal range? DA 35 f2.4?) before spending all the savings on a K-3. To put it another way, it seems a bit unbalanced to spend the money on a K-3 and then just shoot with the 18-55 kit lens.

Since you often shoot in low light, you would also gain a lot from top-quality noise reduction software, like Topaz or DxO Optics Pro. I have the latter and it's great. What you see on their web site matches my experience.

BTW my mother had Reynaud's (and scleroderma). It's tough in a cold climate.

---

Last edited by Des; 11-22-2014 at 08:36 PM.

[osv]

dxo optics pro rocks.

i used it on a couple of my old k10d raw files, and it really helped to clean up that horrible iso banding that we are so familiar with.

it did a much job than anything that i was able to do with the older versions of photoshop.

i'd call it a must for any camera body that you buy.

[normhead]

ISO banding on a K10D? Why don't I know about this? Actually having used a *ist, K100D, a K20D , a K-x K-5 and a K-3 I have no idea what you're talking about.. do you have examples?

[ZoeB]

Thanks for all the advice! Regarding software and lenses: I only recently bought Lightroom, and I'd prefer to learn the ropes of that before I spend any more money on software. You guys certainly have a point about lenses, although i'm primarily interested in manual lenses that'd be compatible with my film setup. Given the sheer number of lenses to choose between, as well, I've kind of avoided that basket of snakes, because I'm generally pretty happy with what I've got.

[normhead]

I've kind of avoided that basket of snakes, because I'm generally pretty happy with what I've got.

Now that's just crazy talk.
This place is practically the product pusher for people with Lens Bag Addiction. :
Most of us dream about adding an addition to our house to store all the lenses we want to buy,

You better start a club... the "I don't need no more stinking lenses or camera bodies club" for like minded individuals. Most here are obsessed with the next lens, or the next camera, or what they should buy next.... it must be hard for sane people to find each other amidst all the coveting and craving.

[Des]

VoiceOfReason started this pernicious trend away from LBA:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/278166-i-th...ns-i-need.html
(Although he has a few more lenses than Zoe.)

Half the fun is developing your next craving. The other half is spending other people's money. Come on, Zoe, think how much enjoyment you can provide to others! Tip out the basket of snakes.

[osv]

ISO banding on a K10D? Why don't I know about this? Actually having used a *ist, K100D, a K20D , a K-x K-5 and a K-3 I have no idea what you're talking about.. do you have examples?

sounds like your alltimers must be kicking in again

My K20D was acquired 4 years ago, second hand and has had a banding issue for at least the last few years... We did a snow shoe trip last year deep into the bush and I took a series of pictures at one location. Of the 6 frames four were ruined including all the best shots.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/71190-pentax-k20...#ixzz3JvtsrjRf

lol

[Nakedgun]

sounds like your alltimers must be kicking in again




lol

ass.

[ZoeB]

Shit, guys, my 50 is dying. Time to track down an even faster one? Honestly though, next on my list for lenses is probably a 20 or 35-- I tend to prefer shooting primes, and as one of you so astutely pointed out, I'm somewhat lacking in lenses under 50mm.

[Des]

DA35 f2.4 is cheap, light and very good.

It gets harder to get good prime lenses cheaply the wider you go, especially wider than 24mm - which is why many people end up with a wide zoom such as the Sigma 8-16 or 10-20 or Pentax DA 12-24. Good quality and a lot of value for money in those lenses.

DA15 or 21 primes are excellent but quite expensive.

The Samyang manual primes might also be worth considering.

[normhead]

Damn, I have no recollection of that at all, my altimers is definitely kicking in.... but now that I've read what I wrote, the problem is the word banding. I was thinking of banding in terms of the jpeg artifact thing that happens when you try to PP a jpeg. That other banding issue, I never did figure it out. I'll have to talk to my sister, and see if it's still doing it, although from what I understand, she's barely used that camera. I should get i back from her. She has serious wrist issue that makes it impossible for her to hold a DSLR,

[interested_observer]

Going back to bodies for a second. I would think that a K5/II/IIs, K30 or K50 would be excellent. With the K5IIs selling for a pretty low price ~$550, that has pushed the K5 down to the $300-$350 area. A good K5 with less than 20k clicks would full fill all of your needs, possibly leaving some funds for some additional lenses. There are a number of folks (possibly me included) going to either a K5IIs or K3, whose K5s will be coming on to the market place. There are also folks moving their lenses around, and putting some on the marketplace - so, that may provide a good place to look for lenses.

I have never had a problem with an external shutter release in Bulb mode - it just works (K100, K20 and now a K5). I'd get an external shutter release - they run $20 at most (some as low as $5).

I'd also use my family's US address for delivery and then have them send you the equipment as a "gift". That may help with importing.

[osv]

i've seen probably three different types of banding issues in posts about the k10d... the horizontal banding that develops over time, possibly what you were getting:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/245345-l...-old-k10d.html

what i was referring to was the vertical banding that's present in all k10d cameras:
Pentax 10D – A Hands-On Report

it shows up in underexposed areas the worst, and dxo optics pro really helps to clean it up... it even helps with general noise cleanup, basically taking a camera that was largely useless over 400iso into a new level.

[peterjcb]

I would only buy a used camera from a reliable seller.

Why not get a K-5 IIs? They are selling new for $500 which is a fantastic deal on a truly great camera.

[ZoeB]

I've thought about it, but the price difference in Norway, anyway, isn't that significant, and, you know, I'm human. I want the newest, shinyest toy :P