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New DSLR Buyer - Leaning toward the K200D

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Dal1970 said:
With regard to the bag, I would definitely recomend a split rucksack.
Click to expand...
I've actually never heard the term "rucksack" before, but upon doing a little research, I think that's similar to what I have for my camcorder. The bottom compartment, although smaller, and not configurable, is removable and perfect for holding extras like a charger, cables, etc.

The only issue I have with it is that it looks like what it is. I'd like something that's less obvious for going out and about. Also, it's a little cumbersome for over-the-shoulder carrying, and I'd rather not have to carry a bag by hand -- or put it down if I'm holding the camera. I'm pretty sold on the back pack concept at this point, just a little unsure of the size or model. Thanks for your recommendation though. It works great for my camcorder - and I can always use it for the K200 now that I think about it (although not both at the same time - it's a smaller model).
Dal1970 said:
...

I would forget about the flash for now, and use the on board one -
plenty powerful enough for most situations.
Click to expand...
Good to know. Thanks!
Dal1970 said:
As for the 55-200 or 70-300 bear in mind that the 70-300 is at least
half as big again as the 55-200.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a bit of a beast for a first telephoto lens. I'm curious to compare these now.
Dal1970 said:
... The less time you spend fiddling with the lens and
camera, the more time you can relax and enjoy the surroundings,
cnfident that your shots will be much improved from the P&S camera
(donate that to the new wife)
--
Dal

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dal1970/
Click to expand...
Cheers to that! Thanks.

Doug
 
Doug S79 said:
cycoj said:
...
I think you should consider what you mostly want to shoot with your
telelens. If you go with the Tamron 70-300 you're essentially missing
out on the 50-70mm focal range,
which IMO is very useful for portraits.
Click to expand...
Hmm.. I hadn't considered that about the 70 - 300.
Click to expand...
I started with a 70-300 and eventually replaced it with the 50-200. I was still paranoid I'd miss the 200-300 range so I got a teleconverter. what I find is I use the 50-70 range of my 50-200 far more than I ever used the 200-300 range of my 70-300. In fact, I rarely used the 200-300 range at all, except all the way at 300 - meaning I really wanted something even longer. Realistically, somewhere around 135 both lenses stopped being "zoom" lenses for me. I'd use the entire range up to 135, but for very distant subjects, I'd stick it all the way out and still wish for more. But you can always shoot with a shorter lens then crop - and the K200D's 10MP gives much more leeway here than my old DS did with 6MP. Since getting the K200D, I no longer carry the teleconverter (actually, I rarely carried or used it after the first couple of months I had it).

And note the 50-70 range on the 50-200 is actually pretty good, I find, and since it starts at f/4, it's a full stop faster than the 18-55, which is also notoriously not sharp at the 55 end. So the 50-200 may not be an FA50, much less a DA70 or FA77 in terms of being ideal for portraits, but it is nonetheless quite useful for more casual portraits.

And yes, the size difference is pretty big between the lenses. That was actually what made me want to get replace the 70-300. I just hated having it on the camera. Well, it was also pretty slow to focus, and lacked the "quick shift" feature that allows you to fine tune focus manually after the AF system does its job.

Image quality-wise, this is one of those where, again, half the people say the 50-200 is better, half say the 70-300, and the difference is pretty small either way. Just like the whole two-lens kit versus 18-250 tradeoff. Sure, you'd think the two-lens kit would be a clear win, but all reports are that it isn't. I'd just rather have a smaller/lighter lens on my camera, and don't mind having to carry multiple lenses in exchange for that benefit. For people who don't mind a bulkier lens on the camera, and can live without quick shift focusing, the 18-250 seems a fine choice, too.

And BTW, I agree with the poster(s) who have advised you to skip the external flash until you're sure you need one.

--
Marc Sabatella
http://www.marcsabatella.com/photo/
 
Marc Sabatella said:
I started with a 70-300 and eventually replaced it with the 50-200.
I was still paranoid I'd miss the 200-300 range so I got a
teleconverter. what I find is I use the 50-70 range of my 50-200
far more than I ever used the 200-300 range of my 70-300. In fact,
I rarely used the 200-300 range at all, except all the way at 300 -
meaning I really wanted something even longer. Realistically,
somewhere around 135 both lenses stopped being "zoom" lenses for me.
I'd use the entire range up to 135, but for very distant subjects,
I'd stick it all the way out and still wish for more. But you can
always shoot with a shorter lens then crop - and the K200D's 10MP
gives much more leeway here than my old DS did with 6MP. Since
getting the K200D, I no longer carry the teleconverter (actually, I
rarely carried or used it after the first couple of months I had it).

And note the 50-70 range on the 50-200 is actually pretty good, I
find, and since it starts at f/4, it's a full stop faster than the
18-55, which is also notoriously not sharp at the 55 end. So the
50-200 may not be an FA50, much less a DA70 or FA77 in terms of being
ideal for portraits, but it is nonetheless quite useful for more
casual portraits.

And yes, the size difference is pretty big between the lenses. That
was actually what made me want to get replace the 70-300. I just
hated having it on the camera. Well, it was also pretty slow to
focus, and lacked the "quick shift" feature that allows you to fine
tune focus manually after the AF system does its job.

Image quality-wise, this is one of those where, again, half the
people say the 50-200 is better, half say the 70-300, and the
difference is pretty small either way. Just like the whole two-lens
kit versus 18-250 tradeoff. Sure, you'd think the two-lens kit would
be a clear win, but all reports are that it isn't. I'd just rather
have a smaller/lighter lens on my camera, and don't mind having to
carry multiple lenses in exchange for that benefit. For people who
don't mind a bulkier lens on the camera, and can live without quick
shift focusing, the 18-250 seems a fine choice, too.

And BTW, I agree with the poster(s) who have advised you to skip the
external flash until you're sure you need one.

--
Marc Sabatella
http://www.marcsabatella.com/photo/
Click to expand...
All very interesting to me. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Marc. Much appreciated! What you've said makes sense to me, and I think I'm pretty much decided on the 50 - 200 lens now (I will still check out the 70 -300 if it's in stock though, just for comparison and interest's sake).

Doug
 
I'm so glad I decided to start this thread yesterday! The responses have been extremely helpful. It's also reassuring to know that I wasn't way off base with my purchasing plans - although I made a lot of those plans based on what I've already read here, so that shouldn't catch me by too much of a surprise!

As of this particular moment I'm pretty much where I started, just much more certain about my choices thanks to everyone's recommendations! I plan on getting the two lenses I originally listed: the 18 - 55 MKII and the 50-200 (Although I would still like to give the 70 - 300 a look-see). I'm also going to go with the Eneloop batteries, probably the 2 GB SanDisk Ultra II SD cards, B+W UV filters, and a Circular Polarizer if I can afford it. I will wait to see the physical size of the LowePro Slingshot 100 / 200, or any comparable bags they may have in stock. I will pass on the flash for now, and most likely skip getting a fast prime until I know what I "need."

Hopefully I will be holding my new K200d tonight! And then I can start into the learning curve, as well as get back to planning my wedding!

Thanks to everyone who has responded for the warm welcome, and the valuable advice!

Doug
 
Doug S79 said:
I know this is a completely rookie question, but is there any
advantage to going with Pentax brand lenses vs Tamron or Sigma?
Click to expand...
Often debated. My suggestion would be, buy what works for you, without worrying about whether it is Pentax or not.
Doug S79 said:
Is the 50mm you mentioned the most practical/useful prime for
portraits in low-light?
Click to expand...
Again, often debated. Some like the 50/1.4, others prefer the 35/2. It's a focal length preference issue. Sigma makes a 28mm F1.8ish if you want to go even wider. The least expensive option may be a secondhand manual focus 50mm F1.7 off eBay, though eBay prices for K mount glass aren't as cheap as they once were.

The best Pentax primes are the limited series, but they are $400-$800 and therefore outside your price range.

The onboard flash is not terrible---I've had the K100D for eighteen months and am still mulling over hot shoe flashes. But I have four small fast primes. They're addicting. :)

Regarding the 50-200 vs. the 70-300s, my 50-200 is softer and slower than my 70-300 over about the 150mm point. The 50mm-70mm range is not a big deal for me, a step or two forwards with the FA50 is usually sufficient. Or sometimes I attach the Tamron 1.4x teleconverter to the FA50. I use 300mm a lot more than I use the 50mm-70mm area. But if you don't think you'll use the 200mm+ range, the 50-200 is a reasonable option.

There are reviews of all three lenses (50-200 and the two 70-300s) on photozone.de and slrgear.com.

--Brett
 
Just picked up this thread, good choice with the K200D, 18-55 II and 50-200. I'd also highly recommend getting lithium batteries (don't know what enelop or whatever are, we don't have them in the UK). I use Panasonic CR-V3's and they last forever! Just changed a set last night, the last lot had been in for over 7 months! Not as cheap ad your regular alkaline AA's, but not having to carry a load of spares is a bonus. They are somewhat lighter than normal AA's too.

Enjoy your new toys, and honeymoon!

Si
 
Slim said:
Just picked up this thread, good choice with the K200D, 18-55 II and
50-200. I'd also highly recommend getting lithium batteries (don't
know what enelop or whatever are, we don't have them in the UK). I
use Panasonic CR-V3's and they last forever! Just changed a set last
night, the last lot had been in for over 7 months! Not as cheap ad
your regular alkaline AA's, but not having to carry a load of spares
is a bonus. They are somewhat lighter than normal AA's too.

Enjoy your new toys, and honeymoon!

Si
Click to expand...
Thanks very much! I've heard that lithium batteries last quite a while, but I hadn't heard 7 months. That's pretty decent. Of course, I'd be curious to know how many pictures you took with them in those 7 months, but still. That's impressive!

FYI, Sanyo Eneloops are rechargeable, slow-discharge batteries. Here's the link to the Canadian site: http://www.eneloop.ca/

Sanyo claims you'll get four times more photos than alkalines, and that they'll maintain 85% of their charge after sitting for a year. I don't know anyone who's tested the latter statement, but a few people on here have have recommended them based on the amount of pictures they've gotten out of them. They're basically the same price as lithiums, but are rechargeable, so it seems like a win win (win) solution to me. ;)

Thanks again.

Doug
 
Slim said:
I use Panasonic CR-V3's and they last forever! Just changed a set last
night, the last lot had been in for over 7 months!
Click to expand...
I don't think you've been using CR-V3's in a K200D for 7 months. Their extra length over AA-size batteries makes them an extremely tight fit in a K200D putting excessive pressure on the battery door. Pentax does not recommend the use of CR-V3's in the K200D for that reason even if they worked fine in the K100D and K100D Super.

From the Pentax web site:

K100D Super Power source: CR-V3 (2x), AA (4x lithium, alkaline, NiMH rechargeable)
K200D Power source: 4x AA (lithium, alkaline, NiMH rechargeable)

--

Group Captain Mandrake: 'I was tortured by the Japanese, Jack, if you must know; not a pretty story....Strange thing is they make such bloody good cameras.' (Dr. Strangelove, 1964)
 
Its a sad fact.
Nowhere is completely safe.
Especially when you are busy.

I've been traveling overseas for 6 years, and haven't had any major problems, but I know of too many people who have.

A common time (for theft) is going swimming, and leaving valuables in rooms.

Be as careful as possible!!!! The rewards of nice shots is worth it!!!!

Mike
 
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