I asked these questions to get an idea of what I may need, beyond
what I have and am contemplating. I know that I will need more
memory and am curious how much better fast SD cards are over
standard. ...
There seems little if any benefit from buying faster than 45x rated cards, but I've noticed lately that the prices of 60x cards are only separated from the 45x cards by a few dollars in some cases.
PSE3 will be purchased some time soon.
I'd make that a high priority as anyone really interested in exploiting the DS full capabilities should have access to a good RAW converter. Pentax Lab 2.1 does a poor job of it.
Lens purchases will go in stages. A wide prime looks like the first
step. (FA20?) So far I have 28, 50, 135 and 270mm covered by my
existing lenses. A portrait lens may follow along with a zenitar 16.
A 20mm lens is only a wide on the 16x24mm format. You have the longer end of the spectrum reasonably well covered in primes. I'd go for a DA16-45/4 rather than an FA20/2.8 prime for more versatility and a wider field of view option on this body. The Zenitar 16mm would be fun to play with as well, but I've avoided it because I don't like the notion of having to do fisheye-> rectilinear conversion processing.
Bag(s) are another thing. I have a medium sized bag for the K but
it is getting old. I would like to go as small as possible. Lately
I tend to take my digicam or the K with a prime or 2. A Nova 2 or
Rezo 160 would hold the camera and my lenses. I may get a zinger
and use a small fanny pack to hold a lens or 2 for my usual trips.
With the K, I tend to use the 28 indoors and 50 outdoors.
I love the Billingham L2 I obtained over the holidays ... perfect size and excellent protection for the DS plus a couple of lenses, plenty of room for all the other junk I tend to have to cart about with me too. But it's expensive. My alternate, with a bit more room when I need it, is a Tamrac Superlight 5 ... inexpensive, nicely made, and hangs well on the shoulder due to its tall/slim design.
If you tend to use a 28 and a 50 with a film SLR, the 16-45 and a fast 35mm would be a good pair of lenses to carry.
... redux: "Am I missing anything?"
A complete kit for my use, drawn from what I've purchased or have been considering purchase, from which you might see other possibilities you haven't thought of.
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DS body
3x 1Gbyte SD cards
Power2000 NiMH AAs (2500mah) with fast charger
CRV3 Lithium battery set (backup)
Hakuba Grip LH hand strap
Sunpak 383 (non-dedicated) or Sigma 500DG Super (dedicated) flash
LumiQuest mini soft box and ultrasoft bounce attachments
Remote Release F and Cable Switch 203
lenses in order of use frequency:
A50/1.4
FA28-105/3.2-4.5
A24/2.8
F100-300/4.5-5.6
M85/2
DA16-45/4
filters: B+W Type 106 ND filter and circular polarizer for the most likely lenses.
Working bag: Billingham L2
Traveling bag: Lowepro CompuTrekker AW backpack
tripod: Bogen/Manfrotto 3444D legs with either Kirk BH-1
or Manfrotto 3265 ball head *
laptop for field work: Apple PowerBook G4 12"
reader: Belkin USB 2.0 8-in-1 card reader
software: iView Media Pro 2, Adobe Photoshop CS
image tank: CompactDrive PD7X or Epson P-2000 (40G drive is adequate)
- were I buying now, I'd go for the MagFiber version legs (a better, nicer column design) instead of the 3444D and would take the Manfrotto 322RC2 Grip Action ball head over the 3265.
currently using a PowerBook G3/500Mhz ... slow but still reliable.
still debating on these ... I like the Epson for its display, but the CompactDrive is much less expensive and uses the same batteries as the camera.
Add a couple of sets of Everready E3 AA Lithiums for travel/backup power.
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I have a few other lenses and accessories, but the above is likely what I'll carry on my upcoming photo trip to the UK/Isleo of Man at the end of May.
Godfrey
I hope all who are going for it also get it. samsclub is a great place to buy a piece of electronics. The return policy is so generous.
