Camera Labs

Hello,

I'm in the final stages of making my decisions to buy my first digital camera (I was loyal to my Nikon F90x up to now) and I think I will go for Pentax's K10D.

I greatly appreciated everyone's comment on the K10D in this forum and you have comforted me with my choice. Here's what I think I will get:

- Pentax K10D
- Pentax DA 16-45mm f4
- Pentax *DA 50-135mm f2
- Pentax AF 540
- remote control
- extra battery

I've got a few questions though...

1. Does anyone have examples of photos taken with the 16-45mm compared to the kit lens 18-55mm? I really want a sharp lens.

2. I've had a terrible experience with a Sigma lens I bought in the past and another friend of mine with a Tamron lens. That's why I don't want to use these products anymore. Were we just unlucky or has the quality change a lot in recent years?

3. Has anyone ever tested Gary Fong's Lightsphere II flash diffuser with a the pentax flash? What other flashes can I use with the K10D.

4. Has anyone ever seen pictures taken with the new *DA lenses? Am I crazy to want a lens no one has ever tested? This lens looks good on paper.

5. Has anyone got the Crumpler pretty boy back back XL bag? It says I can hold up to a 17" laptop but I want to make sure the 17" MacBook Pro fits nicely in it. (I've had unpleasant surprises with supposedly 17" compatible bags)

6. Please tell me that going for the K10D with all these accessories is a much better choice than going for the heavily discounted Lumix L1 (with the beautiful Leica 14-50mm lens) at a local store for 1100€!!!

Hello Cherrylicious, and welcome to the Camera Labs forum!

From my side just a general remark to the Sigma and Tamron lenses:
- Many a people have tried them, some are totally content
- Time and again people complain about bad copy of an otherwise good lens
- Oftentimes you'll find that the last bit of IQ can only be had with the original manufacturers lens. People say "You get what you pay for"
- This delta in IQ may not even be visible on a resolution chart but only in real-life situations: like with contra-light where you have more ghosting with a third party lens.

And as your lenses are the real durable investment, buy fewer, but buy quality!

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thank you for your welcome!



I agree with you! I never had enough money to buy the lens I really wanted with my Nikon F90x. Fortunately, I could borrow great lenses from Art School but I can't now that I graduated + live in another country. That's the reason why I am thinking of going Pentax because I will be able to afford 2 Pentax lenses + a digital SLR body. I must say I would have LOVED to test out the SB800; lucky you!

If you're seriously into studio-shots with flash-lighting, you should consider the Nikon-system. It is the most flexible!

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

ARRGGGHHHH!!!!

Don't say things like that. It has already been difficult for me to choose the K10D.
Nikon lenses are so much more expensive than the pentax ones. I don't think I could ever afford the Nikon ones I want.

Well, sorry Cherrylicious!

But you're talking a system decision here and you wont start over with a new system (body+lenses+flash) every 5 years!
So take your time and start with the system-basis that offers the best growth-path for your personal adventure into high-quality photography.

Look at me: I'm now over 50, before I ventured into DSLR-land. You young ones have much more time to build a good photo-system over the years. Don't hurry, reward yourself with extensions over the years. Grow...

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I have to change the title of this post to New Pentax User.

Yes, I finally made my decision and went with Pentax.

I'm so excited!!!!! Even if I have this huge instruction book to read through.

I got the:

K10D body
DA* 55-135 f2
an extra battery
remote control
Lexar SDHC 4GB card

Thank you so much to Camera Labs for all their reviews as well as everyone on the forum because it has really helped me make a decision.

I can't believe I'm digital today!

C.

Enlighten us, there is no such lens I can find!? You have a link???

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

http://www.pentax.fr/_fr/photo/lenses/index.php?photo&products&gruppe=68&artikel_nr=21660

I got it from a local photo shop. They received the lens yesterday because someone had pre-ordered it but declined to come and get it. They should receive some more in the coming weeks.

Here's a picture of me and my new toy! ^.^

Ah, a 50-135mm/F2.8! So you're still missing a standard-zoom or prime-lens?! What are you targeting there?

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I wanted to get a 16-45mm and then later get the new DA*50-135 because I read everywhere that it was impossible to get it before September at best. So when my local photo shop called us yesterday to say it had received one lens, I decided to get this one straight away and wait a few days/weeks for the 16-45 until my visa card stops smoking! ^.^
Besides it's not so bad because I wanted to do a series of portraits so it's the perfect lens for that.
I must confess it was strange to "test" my camera yesterday with such lens though but so far I'm happy with it.

I'm slowly getting the hang of using a D-SLR. I'm not very quick though so I'll forget Cartier-Bresson's decisive moment for now! ^.^

Hi Cherrylicious, congrats on your new DSLR and lens! Once you've had a chance to use it, we'd love to hear what you think in our User Reviews section. I think there'd be many Pentax owners who'd be interested in hearing what you think of your 50-135mm...

Gordon

Bonjour Cherrylicious,

I'm using a K10D but with the 18-55mm f/3,5-5,6 and 50-200mm f/4-5.6 so I'm highly interested in having your feed-back on the DA*50-135

Best regards from France,

_________________
--- rei_vilo
Pentax K-5 + BG4 + DA* 16-50 + DA* 50-135 + DA* 60-250 + AF-540FGZ
reivilophotography.weebly.com

I'm very happy with my new camera and I don't regret going with Pentax. I can't really do a review because I'm still learning how to use the d-slr (I wasn't even using AF when I was shooting film).
I'm very impressed with the noise when shooting at 1600ISO which was something that worried me (from what I saw in some digital P+S). In the K10D it's very soft and appealing to me.

The DA*50-135 f2.8 is a fabulous lens as well. Once you update the firmware (v.1.30), it's almost silent! It really makes a difference. I think it's pretty quick but as I've said I never really used AF before.
The images are quite crisp and it works wonders even in very dark situations. If you look in my photo gallery (I'm also learning how to use Aperture), the first 3 images were taken in a room where the shutters we closed "à l'espagnol" so there was very little natural light coming into the room.

Many reviews state that the K10D is very heavy so I suppose I was expecting a beast. Not so! Everything is relative of course. Compared to my Nikon F90x, the K10D is lightweight! ^.^ Of course when you attach the 50-135 it's much heavier but again, I was expecting much worse. I do notice though that I tend to tilt to the left so perhaps I really should consider buying a monopod for when I go outside.

I'm still in the learning process concerning the different exposure modes so it would be unfair for me to say anything about them. Overall, I've been happy with the exposure metering (especially since I've been shooting in darkish environment).

http://homepage.mac.com/cherrylicious/K10D-DAstar50-135/

Bonjour Cherrylicious,

The pictures look fantastic, from both technical and artistic aspects. Bravo

Could you share your review / feed-back of the K10D at http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=543

I started this topic a couple of months ago when i received my K10D. Nice to share different points of vue

Best regards from France,

_________________
--- rei_vilo
Pentax K-5 + BG4 + DA* 16-50 + DA* 50-135 + DA* 60-250 + AF-540FGZ
reivilophotography.weebly.com