K200d

[Rober]

i browsed thru the forum & have not found too many threads on the K200D. I have one on the way i'm looking for hints on caring for & cleaning the camera. things to watch out for. any idiosynchroncies & especially on how to use my manuel 35mm lenses from my old K1000 cameras.with this camera. the K20 was more than i wanted to spend right now & the few K100's i found were not that much cheaper than the K200's. i'm also assuming that the K200 is an upgraded K100.

[snoid]

Welcome Rober,
No threads here specifically for the K200, but you caught a fine camera. I'm still learning mine. Still finding settings I don't quite get yet. Cleaning is easy. I just keep the sensor shake on at boot up now after finding dust on the sensor......no probs since.
Manuals? Haven't tried them yet, but it can be done.

[ken1953]

Hi Rober, and welcome to PR and the Pentax forum. This forum is for all things Pentax and K-mount related. Some of the photographers here use the K200 and K100, so they should be able to help you with most of your questions. If we can't, we can usually find out from someone who knows more than we do.
As for a "specific" thread, there really isn't one that I remember or can find right offhand. But, if you want to start one, that would be very acceptable.
After you have used your camera for a few weeks and begin getting comfortable with it, please post your review here or you can use this link: http://www.photographyreview.com/writeareviewcrx.aspx . Reviews are what helps keep this site free and your experience can help someone in the future make an informed decision.
Please let us know when the camera arrives and let us know what we can do to help you get up to speed on it. Have fun and happy photographing.
Ken

[Rober]

one thing i'm surmising from some of the features & comments on all the 35mm digital slr
cameras is that they are extremely sensitive to dust. any precautions to follow when using the camera or especially when changing lenses? i saw someone advertising some lenses somewhere who mentioned that they were oil free. is that another concern? also as luck would have it since i ordered my K200 there is someone here locally selling a new in the box K10 for $450.00 with the basic 50mm lens. when i get the camera i'll post some feedback. i've not looked real hard yet but is there a tutorial on this forum on how to post photos?

[kbpeter]

I'm going to hop on this thread because I am considering buying a K200d and have a question about it for people who use it.

My question: How effective are the water and dust resistant seals on the K200d? They are the main reason I am considering it, since I will use it when backpacking and none of the other entry level DSLRs seem to have these seals.

My last camera did not survive a quick dunking in a stream, and I am frequently caught in rainstorms, in very dusty conditions, etc.

If the seals are very effective, then I think this is the camera for me. If they don't make much of a difference, then I'm thinking more about an Olympus 520 or Nikon D60.

[Photo-John]

kbpeter-
I haven't used the K200D in wet or dusty conditions. But I did take the K10D out in very wet conditions and it performed wonderfully. That said, I've also taken entry-level Canon DSLRs out in all kinds of conditions and as long as they don't get dunked or completely soaked, they work fine. I've also been using the E-520 since the spring for mountain biking, skiing, and hiking photos and haven't had any problems with dust or rain. But again, I wouldn't just stand around in the rain with it or dunk it in a stream. I wouldn't dunk the K200D, either. But I would be more comfortable with it out in the rain for extended periods of time.

I think people worry too much about weather conditions and cameras. I have pushed all limits with camera gear and I've learned that cameras will take a lot more than people think. Right now, my favorite backcountry camera is the Olympus E-520 and I'd encourage you to take a close look at it because of it's packability. But if you think you're going to be actually shooting in the rain a lot, then the K200D might be the best choice.

[Photo-John]

Rober-
Welcome to PhotographyREVIEW.com. Happy to have another Pentax user

Don't worry about dust. All digital SLRs now have dust-reduction systems that pretty much eliminate the problem of dust on the sensor. And even before anti-dust systems, it was usually pretty simple to get dust off of a camera sensor. I shoot mountain bike events in terribly dusty conditions, change lenses when I need to, and don't have any dust problems anymore. I am careful to change the lenses quickly and not expose the sensor too much. And a week ago I shot a race in Moab in near dust storm conditions. In that case, I only changed lenses in the car. But I think you're being overly concerned. While dust can be a problem, it's not something you should be concerned about.

[Rober]

well the camera is here. i got the body with basic lens kit with a 4GB high speed card card & the battery grip. everything arrived as it was presented with no price games. i recomend abes of maine ( who's really in N.J. ) to anyone interested. except for a little bit of playing around i've not had a chance to try it yet BUT i do like the feel of it as far as weight & handling ease. after going thru the owner's manuel i think i'll take a class on it. i doubt i'll ever be able to use it to its fullest capacity. now to decide on a 2nd lens. i went to a local shop today & they had an interesting piece that screws onto the standard lens & converts it to wide angle. they also had some aftermarket ( non-pentax ) lens that were around 1/3 less than the pentax lenses. anyone tried the aftermarket lenses? i have a vivitar, yoshika, & tokina lenses with my K1000 35mm & have no complaints, the aftermarket lens they carried was a promaster. the 28-300 was $399.00

[ken1953]

Great Rober...now get busy and start shooting some pix, and post them here so we can see them. I'm looking forward to it!!!

As for other lenses, sort this forum by rating and check out some of the recent posts of different gear that jgredline and some of the other posters have been posting lately. Many are Tamron's and Sigma's, all of which are excellent lenses at much less the cost. Of course, before any purchase, browse our reviews section and as you did with this thread, be sure to ask us. We're all glad to offer any help we can.
Now go get that camera busy and have lots of fun with it!!!!!

[ken1953]

Hi kbpeter, I don't think I've had the honor of welcoming you yet, so WELCOME TO PR and of course the best Pentax forum on the web, (at least in my opinion ).
Are you a Pentaxian? If so, what type of gear do you use. If not, no problem, we respect all brands!!! Please let us know a little about yourself and feel free to jump in anytime.
I look forward to hearing about you.

[SmartWombat]

they had an interesting piece that screws onto the standard lens & converts it to wide angle

Personally, I wouldn't touch that kind of lens with a barge pole.

What focal length do you think you need right now that your kit lens doesn't cover?
What do you plan to photograph?

[Rober]

i am most definitely an amatuer. most of my photos will be snapshots of friends & family.
i also do some wildlife stuff & would like a lens that can get me some detail at out to 100'.
say being able to i.d. a bird out to that range. on the other extreme a close up of a dragonfly on a plant. so ( terminology??) for the long distance stuff are we talking telephoto or zoom? something up to 300mm? i have a manual pentax 28mm MC close/wide angle that would cover some of the close up shots. i also have a manual 35-70 zoom & a 80-200 zoom. i was just thinking an auto-focus zoom up to 300mm would round out my collection.
& i'm curious......the pro-master wide angle adapter screws onto the front of the K200 lens. is this a semi-bogus compromise to a real wide angle close up? what is your objection to this approach?

[kbpeter]

Thank you, Photo-John, for the useful advice. I guess I am just running scared after I slipped and fell in a stream and destroyed my camera--even though it was in its case. At least I have it narrowed down to two cameras, though, since the Olympus 520 and the Pentax K200d both have their differing apeals.

Thank you, ken1953, for the welcome. I have been a Pentaxian, but not in the digital world. I used a Pentax P3 for my film slides for many years before going to a Sony F-717 for the last 5 years. (And to betray my age, I used an Exacta with a hand held light meter as my sole camera for twenty five years.)

[Photo-John]

Personally, I wouldn't touch that kind of lens with a barge pole.

What focal length do you think you need right now that your kit lens doesn't cover?
What do you plan to photograph?

I'm with SmartWombat on the screw-on wide-angle adapter. It's a very risky compromise and most people who have tried them and post here end up disappointed. I am also skeptical of Promaster. Promaster is the Ritz house brand and they get generally poor reviews in the user reviews for lenses here. Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina all make some very good lenses. But their cheap stuff usually isn't that good. I own both Tamron and Tokina lenses. But neither one was inexpensive. The question I always ask when it comes to lenses is, why buy a really nice sensor (the one in your K200D) and then put a cheap piece of glass in front of it? You might as well have bought a cheap camera. Most of us have to make budget compromises. But making the right ones is the trick

[kbpeter]

I've ordered the K200d, and I will let you all know how it works out.

For anyone else struggling with this decision--I went back and forth with the Olympus 520 for a long time. The Olympus 520 with its kit lens weighs half a pound less than the
K200d with its kit lens, and that was a big advantage that was hard to turn down. (Live preview was not a factor since I had that on my Sony and almost never used it.) The water seals on the K200d were a small advantage--at least serving as a security blanket after my last mishap. But the reviews of image quality I read gave a pretty significant advantage to the Pentax, and that settled it for me. That plus I do have an old Pentax telephoto lens that I might try to use.

So on balance, I've chosen to sacrifice some weight for other benefits.

[kbpeter]

The k200d has arrived, and it will be some time before I have the time to learn all of its ins and outs and thoroughly try it out.

My first reactions, though, is that it is no heavier than my six year old Sony, and that the controls and menus are much more intuitive. The kit lens seems very light to me--much lighter than the Zeiss lens on the old Sony or my lenses on my film Pentax. And this even though it is the heaviest camera in this class. I really have been out of the loop.

[ken1953]

I'm looking forward to your first posts of photos from your new toy!!!!