Here comes the summer

[HappySnail]

Two things really.

Firstly I am entering in an upcoming competition at my school and can only enter 3 photos, The competition title is "Here comes the summer". Just wondering if you could help me decide which ones to enter. I know that they are not brilliant and are quite small...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26610166@N06/2760333384/sizes/l/

And also I was looking at getting a DSLR and am unsure which people like most. I was looking at the Samsung GX-10/Pentax K10D and was wondering if anyone recommends it or has regretted getting it, or if there is a camera that you think is better for the price.

Thanks

 

[ChrisA]

And also I was looking at getting a DSLR and am unsure which people like most. I was looking at the Samsung GX-10/Pentax K10D and was wondering

Almost every last beginner makes this same mistake. What you are doing is looking a camera bodies. Don't do that. You have a lot of decisions to make about SLRs the LAST decision should be which camera body to buy. Putting that decision first is backwards. But don't feel bad, almost everyone does it backwards.

An SLR is not just a camera. It's a system of parts. You have as a minimum a lens and a body. Likely you will have a second and a third lens and then maybe a flash or "speed light". Then some day you will want to upgrade the body and of course you will want to use your lens collection so you need to buy a same brand body. In the end what matters most in photography is the lens. Bodies don't do much and they are all roughly the same same for details On the other hand lens can vary radically a 24mm prime is completely different from a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom

As it turns out you will keep the lenses for a long time technology does not change and they can last fo 20+ years but no one wants a 10 year old or even 5 year old dSLR body. They are like computers and become "old" fast.

What you are buying is a "system". Try and figure out what you will want to own in 2 and in 5 years. Will you want a fast wide angle lens for indoor existing light or a big lens for wildlife photography or a macro? Look at which camera brand has the set of parts you are most likely to want to buy in the future. For most people this means either Nikon or Canon but nothing wrong with Pentax. So that is the first step. Pick a brand. You are going to be stuck with that brand possibly for life. Switching brands is expensive because you'd have to ell everything (at a loss) and start over. Next after you have a brand make a list of lenses you might want now and later. Last step is to pick an SLR body that will work with those lenses (Not every lens and body will match up)

Also don't over look used equipment.

 

[HappySnail]

Cheers

Thank you very much for the info, very helpful. I'll look into the lenses a bit. Anyone have any feedback on the photos?

 

[ProwlingTiger]

I stick with Canon, and and a couple Sonys. After I chose Canon, I could focus solely on the camera bodies, and which bodies are best, as I knew all my lenses would work. Ultimately, you can have a good lens, but a POS body, and your photos will still look like crap. The imaging sensor within the body is what gives you the picture you see thru the lens.

But, as the other guy said, pick a brand. I highly recommend Canon, they make some awesome and affordable cameras. Plus, there's a wide variety of lens out there.

PS: I like the photo of the bee in your gallery. I suggest entering that one at least.

 

[gnd]

Old Pentax lenses work great with all new bodies

The best thing about Pentax body is that all 30+ year old Pentax mount lenses will work with it. There are a ton of them on ebay, from the oldest M type that require manual aperture and focus (camera does meter and suggest shutter speed and of course in-body shake reduction works) to superb limited glass ...
I love the feeling of my K100D in my hands, feels as solid as a tank.

 

[HappySnail]

Anyone got any ideas on the competition photos?

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Anyone got any ideas on the competition photos?

The bee, and maybe the beach. They're a bit small, so its kinda hard to judge.

 

[NStocks]

You'll get a lot of advice, on which Camera to get, but it depends on how much you think/are into Photography and what kind of photography you shoot. And how much you can spend on the Camera.

About 10 months ago I was in this situation and I got a lot of help from someone on here, which I met through a Photography forum. He has guided me through it a lot and has taught me as much as I know today. I ended up buying the Samsung GX10, as you know the same as the Pentax K10D. This is because they have great service's I know through experience and from what other people said, they are very good built cameras, and can be used with lenses from 30 years ago ( as mentioned ). I got the GX10 with the Kit lens 18-55mm and 50-200mm. Now I somewhat regret buying the kit because I hardly ever use the 50-200mm zoom lens, so I could have saved a bit of money on that and bought a lens that suited my interest. But the 18-55mm I guess was worth it because it can be used for a ' General ' lens, and it’s still good quality.

Once I learnt a little more about the camera I discovered all the different categories people like to shoot, I chose Macro and I really like it, I was getting good Photo's with the Kit lens but then realized it's not as good as what I have seen. So about 3 months ago I decided to get a Macro lens 9 Pentax 50mm f/1.4 I think), it’s a superb lens and I have not regretted buying it once. I did have a problem with it - it wouldn’t focus correctly so I sent it away to Pentax and they had it fixed and sent back to me within 7 days, all free of charge. The GX10 also had a problem due to me, it got a load of dust inside the penta-prism and I accidentally scratched the focus screen, so that got sent off to Samsung, and they had it fully serviced, cleaned, and replaced the focus screen ( worth £30 ) all free of charge.... What I'm saying is that through my experiences they have both offered great support and help.

You should think long and hard about which Camera to get, you can never do enough research! Looking at you’re Photo's which are great by the way, I think you will like a Macro lens, you can get really creative with them, and the possibilities are endless, ( like any lens really ).

NStocks

 

[HappySnail]

Thanks NStocks and everyone else. I do want to get into macro and i think the back catalog of Pentax lenses will make me eventually buy the Samsung/Pentax but i'll do some more reserch on the other

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26610166@N06/sets/72157606713272365/

Better size images for all those who are interested and want to help me out.

 

[termina3]

As to the competition photos:

Skip all of your photos of the beach. While a few of them are good, the ones that are "beautiful" lack a foreground subject, which you'll be marked off for.

Skip the sunshade photos; they lack any interest.

Try putting the sunscreen and baggage tag into B&W; if they look good in that, go for it. I particularly like the sunscreen, but the colors are a little distracting. My favorite aspect of both of these is that they fit into the contest subject.

I don't like looking at the bee's behind…*don't know if the judges will care.

The other flower shots look good, but I can't tell at this small size. If you submit the yellow flowers crop to get them out of the center (3rds rule).

If I were you I'd submit the white flowers, vertical beach shot in middle left (but cropped to get rid of the distraction on the r side and shrink the sky), and the sunscreen OR bag tag.

Edit: Looked at a few of the larger photos, skip the yellow flower in favor of the white ones.

 

[Telp]

The bee, and maybe the beach. They're a bit small, so its kinda hard to judge.

I agree. I really liked the bee picture or the white flower picture.

 

[hector]

I agree with Termina3, try the baggage tag in BW that might look pretty good.
The prospect of going on holiday fits well with 'here comes the summer'

 

[Janimac]

I agree with gnd and the use of old Pentax lenses

I researched for months on what DSLR to buy. I am not one to follow the lemmings and in the end, I bought the Pentax K10D. The reasons were mainly weather resistant body, the ability to use old lenses, shake reduction and the price.

Because of eBay, I have collected some superb lenses for the Pentax. And believe it or not, 3 of my favorite lenses are all old glass. 2 of the lenses are from the late '70s/early '80s (Vivitar Series 1 90mm Macro 2.5 w/ 1:1 Adapter and Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm) and another from the late '50s (Pentax SMC Takumar 135mm M42 mount). I spent less than $135 for these three lenses combined!

I have been starting to look to upgrade the body to the K20D. I have looked at other brands and Nikon has caught my eye. But when I line up the features between Pentax and the Nikon, the one thing that always brings me back to Pentax is the ability to use old lenses.

 

[termina3]

But when I line up the features between Pentax and the Nikon, the one thing that always brings me back to Pentax is the ability to use old lenses.

You can use old Nikkor lenses…*through the 60's I think.

The biggie about Nikon vs. Pentax is Nikon will always trump in action sports; they've built a wide user base in that genre and will work to keep it. Full disclosure: I shoot sports primarily.

That said, you'll probably find that the Pentax line is considerably cheaper than Nikon.

 

[Phrasikleia]

That said, you'll probably find that the Pentax line is considerably cheaper than Nikon.

Not at the entry level, and not in the lens lineup either (excluding VR lenses, which Pentax has eschewed in favor of in-body stabilization).

 

[termina3]

Not at the entry level, and not in the lens lineup either (excluding VR lenses, which Pentax has eschewed in favor of in-body stabilization).

What about in used lenses? (That's an honest question, not a rhetorical statement)

Also, it's hard to write off VR, considering most new Nikon lenses include VR.

 

[Janimac]

The biggie about Nikon vs. Pentax is Nikon will always trump in action sports; they've built a wide user base in that genre and will work to keep it. Full disclosure: I shoot sports primarily.

Yes, I have heard that for Nikon. Full disclosure: I am primarily a nature/wildlife photographer. So the Pentax system works well for me (weather resistant) and my budget.

As for using old glass, the advantage goes to Pentax in my mind. With the in body stabilization built into the Pentax, it doesn't matter how old the lens is when I put it on the Pentax to take advantage of the stabilization. With the Nikon and others with VR in the lens, the old Nikkor lens do not have the VR, hence you will need a steadier hand!

People will support the system they have invested in and what they primarily shoot. For now, I am happy with my choices.

 

[Phrasikleia]

What about in used lenses? (That's an honest question, not a rhetorical statement)

I don't know enough about used Nikkor lenses to make an informed comparison, but I will say that any Pentax lenses that will autofocus (i.e. A-series and later) still fetch rather high prices on the used market. However, great deals are to be had with the old Pentax MF lenses, which are optically excellent.

 

[Antares]

I like the bee and the white flower shots.