What's a decent budget DSLR for a newbie?

**Cerebum** · 08-11-2018, 03:50 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ropuchy

Yeah, I'm already having a tone of fun!
Does the allowance get reset every month or something?
I am on Instagram, but it's more of a personal account. I'll just try to upload photos on this forum or get a flickr account or something similar

Everyone has been more than helpful here, so I might as well ask questions.
I'll try to take a more landscapey shot.

Yeah, I'll add the lens to the database!

Thanks! Good luck to you as well!

Flickr is good for bulk storage. I also have a WD mycloud hooked up to my router. When I get a new lens I photograph everything, flowers, trees, silhouettes, shadows, close ups, bokeh tests, long dof, everything. This is really good practice. Also, format your SD card on a regular basis. Did you get an extreme or an ultra? Both good but there is a noticeable difference in write speed. Also, what image processing are you using? There is lots of help on here for that too.

Ropuchy · 08-11-2018, 04:20 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Cerebum

Flickr is good for bulk storage. I also have a WD mycloud hooked up to my router. When I get a new lens I photograph everything, flowers, trees, silhouettes, shadows, close ups, bokeh tests, long dof, everything. This is really good practice. Also, format your SD card on a regular basis. Did you get an extreme or an ultra? Both good but there is a noticeable difference in write speed. Also, what image processing are you using? There is lots of help on here for that too.

I have 2 1TB drives in my computer, so I've got plenty of space for storage

Oh, interesting!

Why should I format my SC card regularly? I would think that'd be hard on the flash memory.
I got an Ultra, it was relatively cheap at a local Walgreens

I don't think there'd be much of a difference between Ultra and Extreme with my K-5. I'd think the internal computer would be the limiting factor for writing to the SD card and not the card itself.
What image processing am I using? What do you mean?

Thanks!
Here are some more landscapey-ish shots. There isn't much for landscape where I live, though, just lots of fields.

**Cerebum** · 08-12-2018, 12:28 AM - **1 Like**

Ooh there is loads to photograph

you can get in close on a leaf, wide open (f3.5) and see what background bokeh you get, you can shoot tree silhouettes, you have reflections on the water and the car. Are there fish in the river? Get a circular polarizer and play with the water

also, try photographing things from every possible angle, that can get fun results.

re formatting, some never do, some people do it all the time. I think it needs to be done fairly regularly in case the card gets corrupted then you are always ready to shoot, but there is probably a thread on here written by more knowledgeable people than me

re processing, do you use laptop or tablet? And what program?

Ropuchy · 08-12-2018, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by Cerebum

Ooh there is loads to photograph

you can get in close on a leaf, wide open (f3.5) and see what background bokeh you get, you can shoot tree silhouettes, you have reflections on the water and the car. Are there fish in the river? Get a circular polarizer and play with the water

also, try photographing things from every possible angle, that can get fun results.

re formatting, some never do, some people do it all the time. I think it needs to be done fairly regularly in case the card gets corrupted then you are always ready to shoot, but there is probably a thread on here written by more knowledgeable people than me

re processing, do you use laptop or tablet? And what program?

Yeah, I was taking some real close ups of moss and tiny flowers with a diopter kit!
It's not a river, it's a pond. There are minnows, frogs, toads, and all sorts of freaky water bugs that give me the heebie jeebies.
I've been looking at the circular polarizers, they make the water much more see-through!

Ok. I'll do some research on formatting the SD card

The images I've posted haven't been processed, they're just the 4-star Jpegs from the camera

If I were to do any post processing to the pictures, I'd use my desktop because it has good components.
What program would you recommend?

Thanks for all the input!

**Cerebum** · 08-12-2018, 10:08 AM - **1 Like**

Light room is the daddy. Photoshop express is the free version, there are several but a few of the guys on here swear by darkroom, and it is supposed to be free. Re. The polarizer, it removes reflections so you get greener green leaves, a bluer blue sky and clear water. Search for polarizer on YouTube

when you get one, don't by mega cheap. The hoya ones are quite cheap and generally good enough to begin with. It is currently all I use although many here have moved on to other makes. You will have plenty of time to buy expensive glass as you progress

C_Jones · 08-12-2018, 10:39 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ropuchy

I'm sure I will!
Have fun with your K-1 II too!

Thanks.

Ropuchy · 08-12-2018, 10:40 AM

Originally posted by Cerebum

Light room is the daddy. Photoshop express is the free version, there are several but a few of the guys on here swear by darkroom, and it is supposed to be free. Re. The polarizer, it removes reflections so you get greener green leaves, a bluer blue sky and clear water. Search for polarizer on YouTube

when you get one, don't by mega cheap. The hoya ones are quite cheap and generally good enough to begin with. It is currently all I use although many here have moved on to other makes. You will have plenty of time to buy expensive glass as you progress

Ok, I'll checkout Photoshop express. I can't seem to find any free version for Darkroom.
Right, because when the light is reflected off of the water it gets polarized, and the polarizing filter reverses that.

I have a Hoya Diopter kit that's a lot of fun. What specific Hoya polarizer would you recommend? I'd be using 52mm.

And yeah, I'd prefer to keep the cost down for now. Once you start to sink a tonne of money into a hobby it makes things more serious than fun

**aslyfox** · 08-12-2018, 10:46 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ropuchy

. . . I've been looking at the circular polarizers, they make the water much more see-through! . . .

lots of good info here at the forum in the articles

such as:

Polarizing Filter Basics
An article explaining the photographic uses and effects of a polarizer
By bdery in Articles and Tips on Jul 14, 2014

Read more at: Polarizing Filter Basics - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

C_Jones · 08-12-2018, 10:56 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ropuchy

Here's some photos I took with my new K-5!
The one that's really dark and underexposed is the first photo I took. it's of this gigantic caterpillar just outside my window.
The pictures are a little out of focus, but that's alright.
I used my Hoya 52mm diopter kit for the macro-ish shots.

Anywho, what do you guys think?

Just shooting and seeing the results as you are doing is learning in itself. You can also try using the different modes and resort to the camera manual as needed to know what their purpose/guidelines are. I myself have used the TAV and Manual modes mostly. The forum is free, you will also have gallery/album space to add or delete photos as needed or not needed. You can use shortcuts in your posts to reference those images if you want to. You can purchase membership upgrades/donate, but naturally there is no obligation.

Happy shooting!

Ropuchy · 08-12-2018, 11:24 AM

Originally posted by aslyfox

lots of good info here at the forum in the articles

such as:

Polarizing Filter Basics
An article explaining the photographic uses and effects of a polarizer
By bdery in Articles and Tips on Jul 14, 2014

Read more at: Polarizing Filter Basics - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

Looks like I've got some articles to read up on!

---------- Post added 08-12-18 at 11:26 AM ----------

Originally posted by C_Jones

Just shooting and seeing the results as you are doing is learning in itself. You can also try using the different modes and resort to the camera manual as needed to know what their purpose/guidelines are. I myself have used the TAV and Manual modes mostly. The forum is free, you will also have gallery/album space to add or delete photos as needed or not needed. You can use shortcuts in your posts to reference those images if you want to. You can purchase membership upgrades/donate, but naturally there is no obligation.

Happy shooting!

Yeah, just taking pictures and seeing how they'll turn out is much easier with digital than with film

I've been using Av so far, but TAv looks promising! Hopefully I can get good enough with all the other controls before I switch over to Manual mode.

And yeah, someone gifted me an account upgrade, so now I've got more space for photos and whatnot!

**tonezime** · 08-12-2018, 11:39 AM - **2 Likes**

It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too.

You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more.

**tonezime** · 08-12-2018, 11:44 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ropuchy

I've been using Av so far, but TAv looks promising! Hopefully I can get good enough with all the other controls before I switch over to Manual mode.

Some people love using M all the time, others rarely do. With digital I don't find myself ever preferring it to TAv (if I need that much control) except when setting something up with flash. If you're getting pictures you like with Av, don't feel pressured to change just for the sake of it.

Ropuchy · 08-12-2018, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by tonezime

It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too.

You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more.

Ah ok! Darktable looks appealing.
I'll mess around with a couple of the free/open source ones and see what works best for me

Thanks!

**Cerebum** · 08-12-2018, 11:51 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by tonezime

It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too.

You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more.

My mistake

thanks tz

snapseed is excellent but only on phones and tablets

Ropuchy · 08-12-2018, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by tonezime

Some people love using M all the time, others rarely do. With digital I don't find myself ever preferring it to TAv (if I need that much control) except when setting something up with flash. If you're getting pictures you like with Av, don't feel pressured to change just for the sake of it.

I never use flash, I prefer to keep the natural lighting something has. I feel as though TAv or Av is what I'll be using most of the time. Although I'd definitely like to learn how to use M.
And yeah, I'll just do whatever is fun! Don't want to start forcing myself into situations for no good reason.
Thanks!

---------- Post added 08-12-18 at 11:53 AM ----------

Originally posted by Cerebum

My mistake

thanks tz

snapseed is excellent but only on phones and tablets

I have an OTG adapter for my phone, so maybe Snapseed would work well for some on the go photo editing!

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08-11-2018, 03:50 PM - 1 Like	#121
Cerebum Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Lancaster Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,829	Originally posted by Ropuchy Yeah, I'm already having a tone of fun! Does the allowance get reset every month or something? I am on Instagram, but it's more of a personal account. I'll just try to upload photos on this forum or get a flickr account or something similar Everyone has been more than helpful here, so I might as well ask questions. I'll try to take a more landscapey shot. Yeah, I'll add the lens to the database! Thanks! Good luck to you as well! Flickr is good for bulk storage. I also have a WD mycloud hooked up to my router. When I get a new lens I photograph everything, flowers, trees, silhouettes, shadows, close ups, bokeh tests, long dof, everything. This is really good practice. Also, format your SD card on a regular basis. Did you get an extreme or an ultra? Both good but there is a noticeable difference in write speed. Also, what image processing are you using? There is lots of help on here for that too.

08-12-2018, 12:28 AM - 1 Like	#123
Cerebum Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Lancaster Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,829	Ooh there is loads to photograph you can get in close on a leaf, wide open (f3.5) and see what background bokeh you get, you can shoot tree silhouettes, you have reflections on the water and the car. Are there fish in the river? Get a circular polarizer and play with the water also, try photographing things from every possible angle, that can get fun results. re formatting, some never do, some people do it all the time. I think it needs to be done fairly regularly in case the card gets corrupted then you are always ready to shoot, but there is probably a thread on here written by more knowledgeable people than me re processing, do you use laptop or tablet? And what program?

08-12-2018, 08:33 AM	#124
Ropuchy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 207 Original Poster	Originally posted by Cerebum Ooh there is loads to photograph you can get in close on a leaf, wide open (f3.5) and see what background bokeh you get, you can shoot tree silhouettes, you have reflections on the water and the car. Are there fish in the river? Get a circular polarizer and play with the water also, try photographing things from every possible angle, that can get fun results. re formatting, some never do, some people do it all the time. I think it needs to be done fairly regularly in case the card gets corrupted then you are always ready to shoot, but there is probably a thread on here written by more knowledgeable people than me re processing, do you use laptop or tablet? And what program? Yeah, I was taking some real close ups of moss and tiny flowers with a diopter kit! It's not a river, it's a pond. There are minnows, frogs, toads, and all sorts of freaky water bugs that give me the heebie jeebies. I've been looking at the circular polarizers, they make the water much more see-through! Ok. I'll do some research on formatting the SD card The images I've posted haven't been processed, they're just the 4-star Jpegs from the camera If I were to do any post processing to the pictures, I'd use my desktop because it has good components. What program would you recommend? Thanks for all the input!

08-12-2018, 10:08 AM - 1 Like	#125
Cerebum Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Lancaster Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,829	Light room is the daddy. Photoshop express is the free version, there are several but a few of the guys on here swear by darkroom, and it is supposed to be free. Re. The polarizer, it removes reflections so you get greener green leaves, a bluer blue sky and clear water. Search for polarizer on YouTube when you get one, don't by mega cheap. The hoya ones are quite cheap and generally good enough to begin with. It is currently all I use although many here have moved on to other makes. You will have plenty of time to buy expensive glass as you progress

08-12-2018, 10:39 AM - 1 Like	#126
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,077	Originally posted by Ropuchy I'm sure I will! Have fun with your K-1 II too! Thanks.

08-12-2018, 10:40 AM	#127
Ropuchy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 207 Original Poster	Originally posted by Cerebum Light room is the daddy. Photoshop express is the free version, there are several but a few of the guys on here swear by darkroom, and it is supposed to be free. Re. The polarizer, it removes reflections so you get greener green leaves, a bluer blue sky and clear water. Search for polarizer on YouTube when you get one, don't by mega cheap. The hoya ones are quite cheap and generally good enough to begin with. It is currently all I use although many here have moved on to other makes. You will have plenty of time to buy expensive glass as you progress Ok, I'll checkout Photoshop express. I can't seem to find any free version for Darkroom. Right, because when the light is reflected off of the water it gets polarized, and the polarizing filter reverses that. I have a Hoya Diopter kit that's a lot of fun. What specific Hoya polarizer would you recommend? I'd be using 52mm. And yeah, I'd prefer to keep the cost down for now. Once you start to sink a tonne of money into a hobby it makes things more serious than fun

08-12-2018, 10:46 AM - 1 Like	#128
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,582	Originally posted by Ropuchy . . . I've been looking at the circular polarizers, they make the water much more see-through! . . . lots of good info here at the forum in the articles such as: Polarizing Filter Basics An article explaining the photographic uses and effects of a polarizer By bdery in Articles and Tips on Jul 14, 2014 Read more at: Polarizing Filter Basics - Articles and Tips \| PentaxForums.com

08-12-2018, 10:56 AM - 1 Like	#129
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,077	Originally posted by Ropuchy Here's some photos I took with my new K-5! The one that's really dark and underexposed is the first photo I took. it's of this gigantic caterpillar just outside my window. The pictures are a little out of focus, but that's alright. I used my Hoya 52mm diopter kit for the macro-ish shots. Anywho, what do you guys think? Just shooting and seeing the results as you are doing is learning in itself. You can also try using the different modes and resort to the camera manual as needed to know what their purpose/guidelines are. I myself have used the TAV and Manual modes mostly. The forum is free, you will also have gallery/album space to add or delete photos as needed or not needed. You can use shortcuts in your posts to reference those images if you want to. You can purchase membership upgrades/donate, but naturally there is no obligation. Happy shooting!

08-12-2018, 11:24 AM	#130
Ropuchy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 207 Original Poster	Originally posted by aslyfox lots of good info here at the forum in the articles such as: Polarizing Filter Basics An article explaining the photographic uses and effects of a polarizer By bdery in Articles and Tips on Jul 14, 2014 Read more at: Polarizing Filter Basics - Articles and Tips \| PentaxForums.com Looks like I've got some articles to read up on! ---------- Post added 08-12-18 at 11:26 AM ---------- Originally posted by C_Jones Just shooting and seeing the results as you are doing is learning in itself. You can also try using the different modes and resort to the camera manual as needed to know what their purpose/guidelines are. I myself have used the TAV and Manual modes mostly. The forum is free, you will also have gallery/album space to add or delete photos as needed or not needed. You can use shortcuts in your posts to reference those images if you want to. You can purchase membership upgrades/donate, but naturally there is no obligation. Happy shooting! Yeah, just taking pictures and seeing how they'll turn out is much easier with digital than with film I've been using Av so far, but TAv looks promising! Hopefully I can get good enough with all the other controls before I switch over to Manual mode. And yeah, someone gifted me an account upgrade, so now I've got more space for photos and whatnot!

08-12-2018, 11:39 AM - 2 Likes	#131
tonezime Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 445	It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too. You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more.

08-12-2018, 11:44 AM - 1 Like	#132
tonezime Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 445	Originally posted by Ropuchy I've been using Av so far, but TAv looks promising! Hopefully I can get good enough with all the other controls before I switch over to Manual mode. Some people love using M all the time, others rarely do. With digital I don't find myself ever preferring it to TAv (if I need that much control) except when setting something up with flash. If you're getting pictures you like with Av, don't feel pressured to change just for the sake of it.

08-12-2018, 11:49 AM	#133
Ropuchy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 207 Original Poster	Originally posted by tonezime It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too. You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more. Ah ok! Darktable looks appealing. I'll mess around with a couple of the free/open source ones and see what works best for me Thanks!

08-12-2018, 11:51 AM - 1 Like	#134
Cerebum Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Lancaster Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,829	Originally posted by tonezime It's darktable, not darkroom. RawTherapee is worth looking at too. You don't need to dive into all of these right away, though. You can get pretty far with anything that lets you crop, change white balance, and do basic exposure tweaks. e.g. Snapseed, Google Photos, Pixlr, probably many more. My mistake thanks tz snapseed is excellent but only on phones and tablets

08-12-2018, 11:52 AM	#135
Ropuchy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 207 Original Poster	Originally posted by tonezime Some people love using M all the time, others rarely do. With digital I don't find myself ever preferring it to TAv (if I need that much control) except when setting something up with flash. If you're getting pictures you like with Av, don't feel pressured to change just for the sake of it. I never use flash, I prefer to keep the natural lighting something has. I feel as though TAv or Av is what I'll be using most of the time. Although I'd definitely like to learn how to use M. And yeah, I'll just do whatever is fun! Don't want to start forcing myself into situations for no good reason. Thanks! ---------- Post added 08-12-18 at 11:53 AM ---------- Originally posted by Cerebum My mistake thanks tz snapseed is excellent but only on phones and tablets I have an OTG adapter for my phone, so maybe Snapseed would work well for some on the go photo editing!