Basic kit

BeeP

BeeP

BeeP

Soldato
Joined
9 Feb 2009
Posts
3,737
Location
Sunny Fife
Hi All,

I just got my first ever DSLR on Friday, I did a fair bit of reading & decided to buy a Pentax K-R due to it doing pretty well against most cameras in it's price range.

I got the two lens kit which includes an 18-55 & an 50-200, what I was wondering was really what else should I have that is pretty much an essential?

I'm mainly using the camera for pics of my kids & family, the odd day out & maybe even a bit of car racing (Knockhill is always rainy lol) although this is way down the list.

A mate says I need a "prime" lens & a better flash although he did not elaborate on this other than to call me a noob.....

Thanks in advance. I'm so new I'm shiny.
 
+1 what mithrandir said,

get at least a couple of extra batteries so you wont get caught short when out and about
and a extra bigger memory card is always good, 8Gb or 16Gb depending on how clicky you are lol
 
A 50mm prime (a f/1.8 version should be cheap-ish) will be the thing which most improves what you can do I would say. Everybody should have one really, good for low light too.

The other options like flash/tripod/etc are very much dependent on what you do, you could never use them or use them every day.
 
Bought an 8 gig SD card & a backpack type case at the weekend, never thought of a spare battery though so thanks for that. I might get that battery thing that lets you use normal AA batteries in the camera as I like the idea of just going to a shop for more if I run out.

So far I think I have tried to photograph everything in my house so maybe another SD card would be a good idea lol.

Buy some Books and the Book
Click to expand...

Looking for some now, been reading a few mags etc how to's

Mainly I would love to do those sharp as anything person with a very blurry background type shot. I just rather hastily bought an f2 prime.....after reading some reviews I wish I had waited & got the 1.7 :(
 
BeeP said:
A mate says I need a "prime" lens & a better flash although he did not elaborate on this other than to call me a noob.....

Thanks in advance. I'm so new I'm shiny.
Click to expand...

I'd wait and see,

A prime lens is one with no zoom adjustment, it's fixed. The advantage is they are 'faster' then a typcial zoom. By faster I mean they can open up wider and let in more light. The lower the F number the faster the lens.

Separate flashes are more powerful then the one built in to the camera, they also can be tilted so the light can be bounced of a ceiling or wall giving a softer result.

The digital photography one on one lessons on this site are veyr good.

http://www.adorama.com/alc/category/AdoramaTV
 
+1 for getting a 50mm prime lens as it forces you to think about composition vastly more than a zoom lens does! Really satisfying lenses to use as well when you get that perfect shot. I use a 35mm F1.8 lens and I love it.

Tripod is the only other thing you might need based on what everyone else has said already. Depends what sort of photography you enjoy though before thinking about buying a tripod! I do loads of low light photography as a hobby, so a tripod is essential for that but if your using a camera for general "out and about" photography, you can do without for now.
 
bought an old manual prime on the bay for £15 delivered lol, had a go with it last night & I'm really enjoying it so far.

Thanks guys, the info will be well used to coax the mrs into opening the penny jar up again.
 
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