Learning photography with k100d

I got great help from this forum in deciding what camera I should get. I have ordered a Pentax k100d and will be receiving it soon. I have been using a Panasonic fz20 for the past 2 years and I am happy with it. I am mostly interested in indoor photography of my new born daughter. For this reason I decided to get the k100d as fz20 was not good enough.

I am a little overwhelmed getting into DSLRs. I have been mostly shooting in auto mode with my fz20. I am sure I will not get the best out of a DSLR if I were to continue shooting only in auto mode. So, I would like to get some foundations in SLR photography so that I can enjoy photography better.

What would be a good approach for a novice to learn using a DSLR? I am afraid that if I don't learn the right techniques from the start I might end up not learning photography the way it should be. I think it is somewhat like learning to play a musical instrument. Even without learning the right techniques one might be able to play good music, but progress will be severely curtailed if the right techniques are not picked up from the start.

Should I take a photography class? I might not have enough time to take a full photography class. I live in California bay area. Are there any places where I can go during weekends to learn photography that any of you can suggest? How much would those classes cost? Or should I pick some good photography book and try to self learn? If so what books would you recommend?

Hi!

I'm not going to be of much help because I am just learning as well but I can tell you some things that have helped me.

There are two excellent books by Brian Peterson "Understanding Exposure" and "Digital Photography". They are really great and help a lot although the "Understanding Exposure" is really about available light photography it is just incredibly informative.

I have the k100d too, and I found that for indoor, low light shots I needed to get an external flash. I got the Pentax 540, which is the more expensive one, because everyone said the fact that it would swivel as well as bounce was important for shots taken in the portrait position (vertically). It has been great and has helped a lot.

This forum is also a great asset. If you can, check in every day and read the posts that may apply to what you are learning. The people here are very, very knowledgeable and I learn something new all the time just be reading the posts.

Good luck with you new camera.
--
Robin

You don't mention what lenses you got with the K100D. For indoor photography (especially if you don't want to use a flash for every shot) you'll need a "fast" lens (f/2 at least, f/1.8 or f/1.4 better). There are several Pentax 50mm lenses with 1.4-2 max aperture that should fit the bill. I use a Sigma 28/1.8 to take indoor pictures of my daughter and it seems to work well albeit sometimes a bit wide for portraits.

Learning is a very personal matter but, given your profile, I'd say that learning it by yourself (instead of jumping into a class) would suit you just fine. Look on the web ( http://www.llvj.com/tutorials/ ) or get a book. Then you'll be well prepared for an intermediate class if needed.

Happy shooting,
Nick

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http://www.pbase.com/savoiu/

Nick Savoiu said:

You don't mention what lenses you got with the K100D. For indoor
photography (especially if you don't want to use a flash for every
shot) you'll need a "fast" lens (f/2 at least, f/1.8 or f/1.4
better). There are several Pentax 50mm lenses with 1.4-2 max
aperture that should fit the bill. I use a Sigma 28/1.8 to take
indoor pictures of my daughter and it seems to work well albeit
sometimes a bit wide for portraits.

Click to expand...

I have ordered the 18-55mm kit lens and 50-200mm lens with k100d. I made an impulsive buy of a 50mm f1.7 Vivitar lens that fits a Pentax on ebay. It is a manual focus lens (not auto focus), so, given my skills, I am not sure if I can do good focusing with it. If I find it hard, I will get the Pentax 50mm f1.4 auto focus lens.

Nick Savoiu said:

Learning is a very personal matter but, given your profile, I'd say
that learning it by yourself (instead of jumping into a class)
would suit you just fine. Look on the web
( http://www.llvj.com/tutorials/ ) or get a book. Then you'll be well
prepared for an intermediate class if needed.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice and the great website link you gave. I have bookmarked it and will make sure I will visit it. I have read a couple of books on digital photography: Dummies and Scott Kelby's. I think I should get a more serious book to learn from.

Thanks for your advice!
Murali

Nick Savoiu said:

Happy shooting,
Nick

--
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http://www.pbase.com/savoiu/
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Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments. I have ordered "Understanding Exposure" and look forward to read it. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to take a class to get the right techniques. But, now I think I will first read this book and then decide if I will need to take a class.

I have a Sunpak flash with a swivel ( I forgot the model number) that I used with my fz20. It was doing the job for me. I hope it works with the k100d too.

Thanks again
Murali

rzarbo said:

Hi!

I'm not going to be of much help because I am just learning as well
but I can tell you some things that have helped me.

There are two excellent books by Brian Peterson "Understanding
Exposure" and "Digital Photography". They are really great and help
a lot although the "Understanding Exposure" is really about
available light photography it is just incredibly informative.

I have the k100d too, and I found that for indoor, low light shots
I needed to get an external flash. I got the Pentax 540, which is
the more expensive one, because everyone said the fact that it
would swivel as well as bounce was important for shots taken in the
portrait position (vertically). It has been great and has helped a
lot.

This forum is also a great asset. If you can, check in every day
and read the posts that may apply to what you are learning. The
people here are very, very knowledgeable and I learn something new
all the time just be reading the posts.

Good luck with you new camera.
--
Robin

Click to expand...

muraliy said:

I have ordered the 18-55mm kit lens and 50-200mm lens with k100d. I
made an impulsive buy of a 50mm f1.7 Vivitar lens that fits a
Pentax on ebay. It is a manual focus lens (not auto focus), so,
given my skills, I am not sure if I can do good focusing with it.
If I find it hard, I will get the Pentax 50mm f1.4 auto focus lens.

Click to expand...

That's a decent set of lenses to start with. The 50-200mm is quite good! Another bargain you can look for, if you find the MF lens to work for you, is a Pentax A50/2. This was the standard kit lens on the K1000 and a whole bunch of other film cameras and they practically give them away on eBay. It's decently fast, nice and sharp, and won't break the bank.

One good thing about the K100D with a Mf focus lens is the focus lock indicator. As you focus the lens manually, there will be an indicator light in your viewfinder that will light up when focus is achieved. I find it very useful as the focus screens in the Af cameras are no where near as good for manual focusing as the ground glass, split image screens in the old film cameras, so the light is a tremendous help for me.

muraliy said:

Thanks for the advice and the great website link you gave. I have
bookmarked it and will make sure I will visit it. I have read a
couple of books on digital photography: Dummies and Scott Kelby's.
I think I should get a more serious book to learn from.

Click to expand...

As far as learning goes, any good book on photography, whether film or digital, will help. The bottom line is you need to learn about exposures and composition. The principles are the same whether it is film or digital, just to tools used to achieve the final image are different.

--
John
Pentax *ist-D, K100D, Oly Stylus

Go to a thrift store and get a used book on basic photography; just about any John Hedgecoe book, or or something like Kodak's Joy of Photography, etc. They're cheap and they'll give you the basics of exposure, focusing, composition. Just about the only thing that isn't relevant is darkroom chapters and color correcting filters (although the basics behind color correction will explain white balance.) Everything else is the same, whether film or digital. Shoot in manual mode until you're comfortable with the camera, then experiment with the rest of the modes.
--
Paul

Hi John,

Thanks for your encouraging comments. I did not know that the k100d can give focusing indication even with a manual lens. This is very exciting! I am eagerly waiting to get my camera so I can try it.

I guess, I should read a good book and start experimenting with the camera and see how I can improve my shots by comparing with shots professionals take. I also see that lots of people post their pictures on this forum for advice. I think I will also do it.

Murali

Another thing you can do is take pictures in the scene modes in the beginning if you feel more comforable doing that. But afterwards look at the EXIF information you can see in the photo browser. Try to understand why it chose the settings that it chose. Look at other people's photographs that you like and ask the same questions. There isn't a whole lot to learn to get the basics, and the rest is just getting out there with the camera and getting experience. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.

I moved from an Olympus ultrazoom to the Pentax *ist-DS, a predecessor of the K100D. I didn't immediately get better pictures. A couple of series of night classes for beginners at a local university did help me. A couple of used, Pentax prime lenses (lenses of a single focal length) helped too. I'm not sure the competitors' cameras would have had as many cheap, old lenses I could fool around with. But I digress.

The approach of the instructor, Jerry Omo, Jr., was basically to tell us to use 100-speed film or set sensitivity for 100 or 200; set everything on manual; and change only one variable at a time. This week we'll vary this one. Next week we'll vary that one. See what happens. Learn to control it. Bring your pictures back to show us. If I ever do learn photography, it will probably be from doing more of that kind of systematic exploration.

You might find this site helpful:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/index.php
--
http://picasaweb.google.com/moeandhelen/BeaudryPark

I think it's called "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby. It's not a comprehensive photography book. Rather, it's a collection of tips (fairly well explained) on how to use your digital camera with an emphasis on digital SLRs. It's a quick way to learn how to use various aspects of your camera. I found it very useful.

I've also enjoyed photography books by John Hedgecoe. His books are more the traditional how-to books on photography in general.
--
Russ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rfortson/
Even bad photography can be fun

Hi Russ,

I too have read "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby. I liked it and that was the beginning of my lusting for a DSLR. The is a very good book to get a few good shots without actually understanding much about photography. I now want to make a systematic study to understand, appreciate and make good photos. I will be getting John Hedgecoe's books and read them to make a start.
Thanks
Murali

Russ Houston said:

I think it's called "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby.
It's not a comprehensive photography book. Rather, it's a
collection of tips (fairly well explained) on how to use your
digital camera with an emphasis on digital SLRs. It's a quick way
to learn how to use various aspects of your camera. I found it
very useful.

I've also enjoyed photography books by John Hedgecoe. His books
are more the traditional how-to books on photography in general.
--
Russ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rfortson/
Even bad photography can be fun

Click to expand...

try-
http://www.shortcourses.com/

also-

please heavily consider the following. there are NEW DSLR owners' writing in all over these forums on this subject.

when changeing from a p&s to a dslr, there is a huge difference.

when you take p&s out of the box add a memory card and a fully charged battery you can now shoot and take very good pics.

BUT, you cannot do this with dslr. the camera HAS TO BE SETUP first. you have to adjust the contrast/saturation/sharpness/shooting modes to your likes. if you don't it is quite likely you will disappointed with results. your p&s will likely outshoot the dslr.

to setup-you have shoot a test shot make ONE adjustment reshoot check pc screen readjust, until you are satisfied. and you do this with each of the adjustment types. then you have all the custom adjustments in the menu to check and if wanted change.

when done you can put the camera into AUTO or PROGRAM and get reasonably nice shots. i would advise at first staying with jpeg. as you learn about the camera and photography you can then go to the other shooting modes and try RAW if you wish.