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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-11-2012, 04:36 PM
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Great analogies and explanations! Thanks for the detailed post Dave. This is exactly what I was looking for. You guys have certainly given me some homework. Gotta do some experimenting and practicing - the fun suff!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-11-2012, 02:51 PM
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Thanks for the quick replies. Lots of great info here!
I had no clue what I was doing with the manual lenses, and that clears up quite a few things. I'll be approaching those a bit differently now!
I probably should have done the math on he actuations, haha. I probably won't be taking 100-200 pictures a day, so I agree that I'll likely be looking to upgrade before the actuations get up there.
Thanks again. Great forum!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-11-2012, 11:43 AM
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Hello all! I'm new to the forum and to shooting with a DSLR, so I'm looking for some guidance to help get me started.
About me:
I'm a new dad (for just over a week now - her name is Olivia :)) who has always used point and shoot cameras and I wanted to move up to a DSLR so I can get better quality photos of my family. I'm also a very avid hiker, so I wanted to capture those moments as well.
I took a photography class back in High School and loved it, but unfortunately I didn't retain the knowledge. I've been reading up on photography and trying to learn the craft, but my current knowledge is still very basic.
I spent a while comparing the offerings in my price range from Canon, Nikon, and Sony, but decided on Pentax in the end because, as a brand, they seemed more up my alley - simple, rugged, reliable cameras. I was going to pick up a K5, but happened to find a K7 for sale locally that was too good of a deal to pass up.
Here's what I got:
K7 Body
Tamron 18-250mm zoom lens
Pentax M-50mm F1.7 prime lens
Pentax M-28mm F3.5 prime lens
Pentax Battery Grip
Lens Filter (polarized, I think)
K7 Accessories - strap, charger, cables, manuals, SD card, etc.
So, I've had the camera for couple days and I'll be honest - I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I've gotten about halfway through the manual so far, so I understand the control layout and screen navigation, but I'm struggling to take a decent picture. I get good results with the automatic "green" mode while shooting stationary objects outside under natural light (using the Tamron lens), but anything shot indoors or in motion looks pretty bad. And I'm not sure how to set things while using the Pentax lenses, so I haven't had good results with those.
I understand that shooting with SLR cameras requires a lot of knolwedge and practice to produce good results, and I am excited to learn more and improve my skills. Right now I'm hoping to receive some guidance from those with more experience.
What are some basic settings to use for these types of shots?
-Indoor/low light
-motion
When and how do I use the two Pentax lenses? Likewise, when should I use the lens filter?
How conservative should I be regarding actuations? I think I recall reading that the camera is rated for 100,000 actuations. It had about 2000 when I bought it, but they add up quick when taking shots to test out different settings, and I don't want to be wasting shots.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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