[joefru]

Would you please elaborate? I am a newbie myself

Most DSLRs have a crop factor, in this case 1.5x, so the 50mm lens gives us the same angle of view that a 75mm lens on a film SLR would. It's a pretty narrow angle. It's a bit contradictory, because 50mm lenses are generally the fastest lenses (widest apertures) available, so they're great for natural-light work, but they're hard to use indoors because you can't back up enough.

Joe

[KjetilH]

I'll try to explain:
On a DSLR, the sensor is usually smaller than on 35mm film. It is often common to calculate the equivalent focal length on 35mm, as different brands of camera uses different sensor sizes (usually referred to as "crop factor").
A 50mm would, with the Pentax crop factor of ~1.5x, equal a 75mm. It is a little narrow for use e.g. indoors, as across the table you probably end up with just the face. The "purpose" and popularity of the 50mm focal length on 35mm cameras is that it is a "normal", kind of a balance between wideangle and tele.
A more useful focal length on a DSLR is 28mm.

Maybe a bit too much. But basically: A 50mm on a DSLR is a short tele, that gives narrow photos. Often useful for portraits and general use outdoors, but not for e.g. group shots.

(I have used my 50mm once or twice at social events, and it is not easy to explain why you can't take a picture of your two friends sitting together, as they can't fit into the frame. A 28mm often does the trick better.)

[RiceHigh]

Hi
I just got a K10D on Saturday and was wondering if you had a top 5 tips that would be good for someone new to this camera to know.

Thanks, Paul

1. Expose to the RIGHT by applying proper exposure compensation (+ve usually);

2. Don't shoot JPEG but RAW solely;

3. Don't shoot at high ISO speeds;

4. Use MF instead of AF under low light or tungsten light;

5. Use AF Single instead of AF-C even if AF-C is needed (pre-focus or just doing the AF one time will yield better results)

P.S. The best tips for using a camera is to know the shortcomings of it and try to overcome :-)

[jshurak]

Learn to shoot in Manual mode. Learn the shortcuts of the camera. Like changing
ISO on the fly.

[axl]

my top 6:
1 - shoot
2 - analyze
3 - learn from mistakes
4 - shoot again
5 - analyze again
6- learn from istakes again
.....

[Lowell Goudge]

I can't give 5, i think there are really only 4

1 read the manual
2 read any book on basic photography
3 go out and take photos, try different things you read in both the manual and the photography book.
4 after reviewing the photos, and what you like/don't like/ didn't do right, repeat steps 1-4 over and over again.

you will never stop learning

[paolo g]

Great stuff. There's a real mixture of general photography and specific K10D tips.

Thanks, Paul