[atomicbartbeans]

I'm about 2 clicks away from ordering one.

I've wanted an SLR for years, and this one seems awesome for the way I use cameras. I played with my friend's for a while today and was pretty impressed by what I came out with, even with the kit lens.

I like it better than Canon and Nikon's entry-level offering, mostly due to the in-body stabilization and versatile K-mount lens compatibility.

Am I making a good choice?

[atomicbartbeans]

Oops... guess it doesn't matter now.

I'll post a review in a couple days when it arrives.

[Matsu]

Which lenses are you planning on getting? I've always thought that the Pentax primes had a really lovely quality to them.

[BuonRotto]

Gimme coffee? You in Ithaca? I always associate Gimme with Ithaca.

[atomicbartbeans]

Originally Posted by Matsu Which lenses are you planning on getting? I've always thought that the Pentax primes had a really lovely quality to them.

The only one I've ordered so far is the 18-55mm kit lens. Before you call me an amateur, read a couple reviews - it's rather well-liked for a kit lens. I think it's the cheapest way for me to get better at wide-angle shooting before I spend money on a really nice prime.

I also have a Rikenon (essentially rebranded Pentax) 50mm f/2 prime from back in the day - it's not the fastest prime out there but it's sharp and very compact, and of course compatible with the venerable K-mount. I think it'll be great (even if a little too long for my taste) as a starter "default lens" to keep on the camera.

Once I get a better feel for this beast, I'll want to get another fast prime, probably in the wide-to-normal range. I used to drool over Pentax's acclaimed and relatively cheap 50mm f/1.4 prime, but I think that (especially with the cropped sensor) 50 mm is a little bit of an awkward focal length for the walking-around casual shooting that I like to do. Right now I like the 21 mm f/3.2, but I'll probably end up getting an older (yet still capable) manual focus lens from eBay for 1/10 the price.

Originally Posted by BuonRotto Gimme coffee? You in Ithaca? I always associate Gimme with Ithaca.

20 miles north-east. I love Ithaca.

[Dorian Gray]

Lucky you!

Pentax make some lovely little primes. But where's the compact DSLR to go with them? The K200D, nice as it is, is pretty big, partly because of Pentax' insistence on using AA batteries. Trust you've got some nice eneloops on order?

[atomicbartbeans]

How serendipitous - a co-worker just offered to sell me his old 20" LCD display (1680x1050) today; it's tons better compared to my 12" iBook's built-in panel.

Editing the RAW files I shoot is going to be awesome.

[stevegong]

Congrats on the purchase. If you don't mind me asking, I've always been a little curious about people who make the decision not to go with the bigger makers Nikon and Canon. What more specifically drew you to the Pentax?

[Miko]

Originally Posted by stevegong Congrats on the purchase. If you don't mind me asking, I've always been a little curious about people who make the decision not to go with the bigger makers Nikon and Canon. What more specifically drew you to the Pentax?

I was wondering the same thing. looks like this may be the answer.

Originally Posted by atomicbartbeans I like it better than Canon and Nikon's entry-level offering, mostly due to the in-body stabilization and versatile K-mount lens compatibility.

Having the image stabilization in the body rather than the lens does have some perks. I know Olympus also has it and a good friend of mine who is a Pro photographer just ordered two E-3s

[wtd]

When I purchased my K10D I know it was because of the ergonomics. The only camera body I've handledthat feels better is the D200/D300, and that'sin a whole different price range.

I suppose it boils down to Pentax not having a real high-end "professional" offering. This may be a drawback, but it also means they don't put pressure on their engineers to cripple their cameras so people feel the need to go with something more expensive.

[atomicbartbeans]

Got it today... I think it'll take me a while to learn its nuances, but I love it so far. I'll post a couple test shots soon.

Originally Posted by stevegong Congrats on the purchase. If you don't mind me asking, I've always been a little curious about people who make the decision not to go with the bigger makers Nikon and Canon. What more specifically drew you to the Pentax?

It wasn't just to not follow the herd (though having said status is nice) - it was mostly the lens mount, actually, and the in-body stabilization. There's thousands of nice K-mount (and screw mount) lenses for sale, all of which are compatible with this beast (at least to some degree), and all of which can be used stabilized (try that with a Nikon or Canon). Pentax's prime lenses are also really good - some are expensive but I love shooting with fast primes, even older fully-manual ones.

The K10D (from which the K200D was designed) was an awesome camera with great reviews, and they ironed out nearly all the flaws with the K200D, while also lowering the price. It's not a "high-end" SLR by any means, but IMO it's the best entry-level SLR available.

Here's my first okay shot, processed with ACR (click for full size):


And of course, the unboxing pictures!

[Miko]

Bokeh looks good. Nice shot, great focus.

[atomicbartbeans]

Thanks - here's another shot I took to test out the kit lens' bokeh:



And one more semi-related question: which color space is best to use for shooting and editing? I currently have sRGB selected on both the camera and the "Save As" window in CS3. I also have the option of Adobe RGB on both the camera and raw converter. I don't really care about printing my photos just yet, but is this best for uploading to the web?

And another: right now I'm just storing the raw images in a folder and browsing them with Finder, and editing them with ACR in CS3. I save processed JPGs for uploading to a separate folder (but with the same file name as the original DNG). It seems simple and easy right now, but would something like Lightroom make things yet smoother?

[atomicbartbeans]

And also: what's a good place to grab a used (k-mount preferred, but screw mount would do) fast wide-angle prime? I'm looking for 20-28 mm and f/2.8.

[Dorian Gray]

Try KEH.com for used lenses.

[iFerret]

Stick with sRGB in my opinion.