[seymourpentax]

i just purchased a pentax k200d and im relatively new to the dslr scene... my mother in law works for pentax in golden colorado. my first questions are about batteries and memory? which are the best batteries to use? NiMH rechargeable? what brand? And memory... sd extreme III, cfII?

also... i will be purchasing a macro that will be used for insect photography for my fly fishing website. any suggestions?? stick with pentax glass or?? and since i will be outside during the majority of shooting, should i purchase a few lens filters for protection?

I also have a question about an image sensor cleaning kit... any suggestions? should i buy the pentax kit? how often do k200d owners that shoot outdoor clean their sensors? and how often does an outdoor k200d user check the dust system?

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Last edited by seymourpentax; 12-02-2008 at 03:57 PM.

[bigben91682]

Welcome to the forum!

I think I can help with a few of your questions:

For rechargable batteries, and I think a lot of members will agree with me here, go for Sanyo Eneloop batteries. They hold a charge forever and work very well. I have 24 AA's that I use all the time and haven't had problems.

There are a bunch of good macro options out there. For "insect' photography you are probably going to want a mid-tele focal length, I know a lot of people like the Tamron 90mm macro, but there are 50's and even the 35 limited which I have. It's a great lens but if I were concentrating on insects I would want more working distance.

I shoot outdoors all the time, and change lenses a lot, and I've never cleaned my sensors aside from a quick blow from a rocket blower. If you are careful about how and where you change your lenses, I've found the dust reduction measures built into the camera to be plenty sufficient.

Hope this helps some. Happy shooting

[jglover]

also... i will be purchasing a macro that will be used for insect photography for my fly fishing website. any suggestions?? stick with pentax glass or??

For batteries, Eneloop NiMH rechargeables are the way to go, but I've have just about the same performance from Ray-o-Vac Hybrids as well.

As for a macro, for insects I'd say stick with the 100mm class macros to give you a better working distance from your subjects. Either the Tamron 90, the Pentax 100 or the Sigma 105 would all be good excellent choices. If you really want some good working distance there is also the Sigma 180 macro but it is pricey.

[seymourpentax]

awesome! thanks bigben... i have heard good things about the eneloop batteries.. how about a charger? stick with a cheapie? and the rocket blower, is that the giottos? i can get a really nice discount on pentax glass so ill check into the pentax 100!

Thanks again!

P.S. any suggestions on a memory card?

[seymourpentax]

jglover, it looks like everyone recommends the eneloops... any suggestions on a charger?

thanks!

[Clicker]

jglover, it looks like everyone recommends the eneloops... any suggestions on a charger?

thanks!

Nope i also use RayoVacs Hybrids, same tech easier to find for me over Enloopes, they work extremely well

Both Enloopes and RayoVacs have their own proprietary chargers.

[seymourpentax]

Nope i also use RayoVacs Hybrids, same tech easier to find for me over Enloopes, they work extremely well

Both Enloopes and RayoVacs have their own proprietary chargers.

thanks i have checked around and they seem to be less expensive.. thats always a plus!

[Tyama]

If you're in the US, Costco has a $9 off coupon from $29 package of eneloop batteries: 8 AA, 2 AAA and a charger. I think it lasts until Dec 7

[seymourpentax]

If you're in the US, Costco has a $9 off coupon from $29 package of eneloop batteries: 8 AA, 2 AAA and a charger. I think it lasts until Dec 7

thanks a lot Tyama! i found a coupen online... i will have to go get some tomorrow!

[Mallee Boy]

G'day seymourpentax,
The short answers to your questions are:

Sanyo Eneloops.

Pentax DFA 100mm. (particularly if "Mum" works for Pentax).

Memory cards: really not sure on this one. I have a heap of cheapies, Toshiba 2gig and have never had an issue with them. Also have a Xtreme 111 SDHC 8gig, Panasonic 4gig SDHC & a Sandisk 8g standard.

Use 'em all and can not detect any differences to write home about.

The K200d is a very nice camera.
Welcome aboard the good ship Pentax Forums, if there is anything else you need help with..... just holler..... someone will help you.

Cheers.

[seymourpentax]

G'day seymourpentax,
The short answers to your questions are:

Sanyo Eneloops.

Pentax DFA 100mm. (particularly if "Mum" works for Pentax).

Memory cards: really not sure on this one. I have a heap of cheapies, Toshiba 2gig and have never had an issue with them. Also have a Xtreme 111 SDHC 8gig, Panasonic 4gig SDHC & a Sandisk 8g standard.

Use 'em all and can not detect any differences to write home about.

The K200d is a very nice camera.
Welcome aboard the good ship Pentax Forums, if there is anything else you need help with..... just holler..... someone will help you.

Cheers.

thanks a ton! i love this forum... and everyone has been very helpful! im going to order the dfa 100 after christmas and will be sure to post some pics taken with the new glass... and i will add a couple of different memory cards to my amazon.com wishlist and let my wife/family get whatever... thanks again!!!

[seymourpentax]

also does anybody have a recommendation on a good dslr/laptop case?

[Mallee Boy]

also does anybody have a recommendation on a good dslr/laptop case?

I have a Delsey Pro, which can be found here : Delsey Camera Bags

It has done a few trips across the pacific and around the globe, and it is still like new.
Cheers.

[seymourpentax]

thanks Malley Boy... i checked it out at their website... looks nice and rugged! with sufficient padding... i was hoping to find one in a brick and mortar store in the us so i could go check it out first...

Thanks again