[revolink24]

Since the Canon and Nikon threads appear to be the place hear in Gear-Fi for photo enthusiasts at the moment, I felt the need to start a thread for those of us outside of the mainstream. Pardon me if this thread is redundant.

I just got a white Pentax K-x, and am going to New York tomorrow to get some accessories for it. Anyone know of a couple (or one) must-have DSLR accessories with a maximum budget of $150 or so?

 

[Lumient]

I think there is also Olympus/Zuiko -thread here somewhere. So you can probably start a Pentax thread

I'd get a decent shoulder bag or backpack for the camera. It should have enough room for all the gear you want to take with you and maybe a little room to spare. Don't get too large bag, it might lead to that you'll never take your camera with you as it is too much of a trouble.

Spare memory card(s) and battery are always good options. Depending on your shooting preferences, maybe a monopod or tripod. Though you probably won't get very sturdy tripod with that sum, especially if you buy something else.

I'd also get lens cleaning cloth and maybe the blowing thingie to get rid of dust from lenses. It's never good idea to blow the dust yourself as the saliva starts to build up little by little on the lenses.

And if you have expensive lenses, inexpensive protective/UV filter would be nice to protect the lenses.

Some invisible shield/protective sheet for the display may come in handy if you want to avoid the screen getting scratched.

 

[majid]

A color calibrator for your monitor (e.g. ColorMunki Photo).

 

[revolink24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lumient /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think there is also Olympus/Zuiko -thread here somewhere. So you can probably start a Pentax thread

A Pentax thread would quickly get swept to the bottom - there aren't enough of us.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm not familiar with your camera, but if you're looking for accessories, there are a few I find invaluable. I shoot a Nikon, but that doesn't matter.

Do you have a good flash? I use mine all the time and think it's one of the most valyable accessories. Built-in flashes usually aren't powerful enough and you can't bounce them off ceilings, etc.

Also, what lenses do you have? One of my favorites is a 50mm prime lens. I don't know if there's an equivalent, but a shorter prime lens is very handy - I shoot with it as often as possible.

Also look for a circular polarizer and a tripod. You'll get a lot of use from those.

Another accessory I love is a remote controlled shutter release. Very handy with the tripod for long exposures at night or in dark places.

Happy shooting and be sure to post some photos!

 

[revolink24]

In case you are interested, here are the things I ended up getting:

Lens Hood
UV Filter
Polarizing filter
Sling bag
Tabletop tripod/floorstanding tripod
Remote shutter release

I'll probably post some pictures later when I'm not too tired from all this traveling.

Oh, and I auditioned the GS1000s and the HD800s there - bit of a noisy environment, but nevertheless gave me an glimpse into their capabilities - the GS1000s are good but the HD800s are jaw-droppingly epic. And the noise isolation of some of the ultrasones is epic as well....

 

[elbuzzard]

@revolink24

saw your post in the camera thread in members lounge. ThAT white Kx looks pretty awesome to me. Got me reading alot about that model (20+ pages on dpreview.com) What batterys are you using and how how have the AAs performed in the Kx? Seems like alot of people are making a big deal about the focus light indicators(lack of)in the viewfinder. How is the video performance for you (if you use that feature)? I plan to take it for a test spin in the shop today as well as the canon T1i. anyway, I may be joining your ranks soon.

 

[Meliboeus]

I've a pentax k200d, great camera i'd say, it's built like a tank...and doesn't lack any feature compared with similar models.

What i like most is backward compatibility with every k-mount lens, what other brand offers this ? Many could argue there aren't still as many good lenses for pentax mount compared to nikon or canon...and they are right, but it does not matter much for an amateur photographer like me.

I've been able to re-use a nice manual focus 50mm 1:1.7 which i already had and provides great image quality...

 

[catachresis]

I bought a used Sony DSC-R1 last year. It's *not* a DSLR but a Pro-sumer Point-and-shoot with a delectable Sony-Zeiss 67mm lens and an "almost APS-C" sized sensor. My only serious complaint is that its timing is a bit slow for action shots, and it takes some training to get good, consistent indoor shots with the flash turned off. As for other complaints, the single one is that this camera is capable of so much, and I haven't committed myself to really learning its use and capabilities. But I have enjoyed it immensely, and it has killed my impulses to buy a DSLR. Anything that will negate my desire to buy something still more expensive and elaborate is worth a mint to me.

At Imagine Resource

 

[revolink24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elbuzzard /img/forum/go_quote.gif @revolink24 saw your post in the camera thread in members lounge. ThAT white Kx looks pretty awesome to me. Got me reading alot about that model (20+ pages on dpreview.com) What batterys are you using and how how have the AAs performed in the Kx? Seems like alot of people are making a big deal about the focus light indicators(lack of)in the viewfinder. How is the video performance for you (if you use that feature)? I plan to take it for a test spin in the shop today as well as the canon T1i. anyway, I may be joining your ranks soon.

I like it quite a lot. I'm using eneloop rechargeables which work very well, and they last a good while although the battery level indicator in the K-x can never seem to make up its mind. I don't really have any issues with the focus light indicators, in fact I never really noticed it. The video is a bit noisy but generally good quality. The T1i is certainly the superior camera but also comes at an increased price for it. The T1i will also have a greater variety of lenses, so if you plan to lens swap a lot thats another consideration.

 

[Deep Funk]

Fujifilm with its Super CCD has some pretty good cameras too. My little S6500 fd is a very pleasant camera. Polaroids, old school polaroids with cartridge film are pretty cool too.

 

[elbuzzard]

Ordered a Kx last night from Costco.com. I cant wait to get started. I should have it by monday. They only offered black. Oh well. Im probably not ready for a RED camera yet anyway. Let alone a purple or neon green one.

yes the backward compatability is ,IMO, an big plus. There are alot of used camera shops/dealers around here that have high quality Pentax lenses. I did order some eneloop batteries and a few 4 gig cards as well. anyway thanks for your input guys. Im looking forward to getting some great shots.

 

[cinaibur]

Shooting with a Pentax K20d here.

 

[ca95f]

Another K20D here. I also have the K10D.
Get a good sling-type bag (not a very big one), and a portable tripod, like a gorillapod. Get an air blowing cleaner, and buy some sensor cleaning swabs. If you use many lenses, sooner or later (probably sooner) you will get dust on your sensor.
Do not bother with cheap flash units. You need a good one for your first. Get an extra battery, and some extra memory.
Start saving money for the LBA.

Visit the pentaxforums site.

Post some pictures.

Enjoy !!!

 

[mr_baseball_08]

There is a good dSLR that isn't Canon or Nikon??

I kid, I kid. Can't wait to see of you guys shots in the photo threads.