Tips, tutorials and discussion of photography, cameras and accessories.
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Hello New Friends,
Can you give me your opinions on the Pentax camera? I am new to the digital SLR world and right now I am borrowing a friend's old Canon, but I do want to buy one of my own eventually. My husband and I own a film camera that is a Pentax and we have several lenses...so I thought if I bought a Pentax it would be nice to be able to use these lenses I already have. What do you all think?
Thanks in advance,
Stacy
Hi Stacy :P

I have a friend that has a Pentax. She has never really been happy with it.
My film camera was a Pentax also but when I started looking... I went with the Nikon.

My suggestion would be do quite a bit of research before buying a Pentax.
~kimi~
Gone Crazy... Back Soon...


Gallery ~ a la kimi

My Blog

kimboustany.com
Hi Stacy,

Welcome to our place, hope you come around lots!

The only way to tell is to take the lens (one should do) with you and tell the salesman you are interested in knowing if the current Penatx digitals will use the older lens.

The answer is one of the following.

1 Yes, no problem. ( nice answer, but unlikely).

2. Yes, but some limitations ( such as auto exposure/focus won't work - usable, but painful unless you are into working your camera in manual mode.

3. Yes, but you need an adapter ( most likely with the same limitations as #2 )

4. No, (but they will make you a really good deal on a great additional lens). Probably the most likely, and if you are dealing with a reputable place, no problem. If you don't know, get more opinions.

The new cameras of almost whatever brand are all fairly competitive in terms of features and price, but research and fact-finding is imperative.
John
Hi Stacy. Welcome to the forum. Staying with the same brand of camera is a good idea but contains many what ifs. John put this in perspective quite well. I stayed with Nikon because I had Nikon lenses that I KNEW would work with the digital SLR.
A good place to find out a lot of digicam information is http://www.Imaging-Resource.com or http://www.Steves-Digicams.com or http://www.dpreview.com. Really, there are a boat-load of information sites. Good luck. If you get stumped there are many friendly folks here to assist you.
Chas
Chas's Gallery
f/16 on a sunny day.....:)
Hi Stacy, I can't give you any more advice that anyone John and Chas already have so I will just welcome you to the forum. Hope you sick around and share images from whichever camera you choose.

Kim
My Creations
Canon 40D, Canon 28-135mm IS lens, Canon 300D, Canon 18-55mm lens, CS3


Kimz Kreationz Blog
You are all so nice and I appreciate your help. I am very new to this photography thing...right now I am working my way thru the 12 weeks of classes at Two Peas and hoping to get in a class by Candice Stringham over at Jessica Sprague. Thank you all very much!
Stacy
Welcome to the world of Pentax cameras - I am very happy with mine, the K10d. One of the great things about Pentax is that almost all of their old lenses will work on your brand new digital camera - even lenses from the 1960s. They have used the same mount (Pentax K) for over 30 years. They won't all be auto-focus, of course, but that doesn't mean they can't be used perfectly well. The only drawback with using non-autofocus lenses is that your focusing prism is not the same and it makes it a little harder to focus in dimmer light - but you can even change the prism. I recently bought an old 50mm f2.8 lens, about 25 years old, for my K10 and it worked fine, even if it wasn't quite so easy to focus in dim light.

I find such a strange attitude in North America towards any camera that isn't Canon or Nikon. They've been flooded with Nikon/Canon advertising for so long that nothing else seems to exist. Personally, when I see a photographer around here in Canada with anything other than a Nikon/Canon I have instant respect for them - they've obviously gone that bit further in checking out what's available and done their homework.

My Pentax cost about 30% less than the equivalent Canon/Nikon. It's stronger, more weatherproof and has a range of available lenses that blows their rivals out of the water. It will amaze you with its versatility.
PSE6 on WinXP, Pentax K10d...... and now a Canon G10.

Gallery
Geoff,
If I had started out with Pentax years ago,I'd probably still be using one. There are a ton of folks polarized toward the church of Nikon or the church of Cannon. I really don't think we have to debate the yeas or nays of any brand. It's akin to those who have debated the merits of Ford vs. Chevrolet. BTW I drive a Jeep Liberty... :)
Chas
Chas's Gallery
f/16 on a sunny day.....:)
My first film SLRs were Pentax. They were sold in the US by Honeywell. And they had - of all things - screw thread lenses instead of bayonet mounts! Not exactly quick release.... :o

After a couple years of struggling with that system, I decided to move on. I couldn't afford Nikon, which was the pro photographers' choice, so I chose Canon. Many, many cameras (two film and a variety of digital) later, I've only once left the brand to add a Panasonic P&S. I'd still like to try a Nikon, but I still can't afford them.... :crying:

Reviews for Pentax DSLR's are very good - the K200D rates a "Highly Recommended" nod from DPReview. I used to worry about lens availability and quality for cameras other than Nikon and Canon, but I don't think that's a big concern anymore.

And - at the end of the day - the proof is in the shooting. Geoff has certainly demonstrated to us that a Pentax camera in expert hands is capable of rendering beautiful photos! :)
Chuck
LR2/CS3/PSE6/Canon 450D, G10/Panasonic LX3
Hi,

I am brand new to this , as well. We just got a Pentax k200D for Christmas and it is wonderful. After doing research, this one had high ratings. As a total novice it is user-friendly. Also, the ability to use old lenses, even without autofocus is a big plus. I am still referring to the information from the 2Peas 12 week photo introduction and am on the wait list for a more in-depth class. Good luck.
Mary Ann
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