I am very happy with my K7, but find I am doing more and more shooting in dimly-lit places. A K5 would be nice, but isn't at all urgent--I'll probably wait for its successor.
With lenses... most of my shooting is done while wandering around, and so heavy, f/2.8 zooms aren't attractive. Nor, for that matter, is frequent switching between primes. I've been thinking about replacing my 16-45 and 24-90 with a 17-70, but worry about the SDM problems. If someone gave me a 21, 31 or 77 Limited I wouldn't refuse them, but I'm not eager to spend money on them either. A good printer is much higher on my list than cameras or lenses. Rick http://photo.net/photos/RickW --- On Sat, 1/22/11, Larry Colen <l...@red4est.com> wrote: > From: Larry Colen <l...@red4est.com> > Subject: What gear is on your "short list"? > To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <pdml@pdml.net> > Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 7:33 PM > With the exception of Godfrey, who > sounds like he has achieved gear nirvana and sounds like he > has all the gear he needs for the photos he takes, I think > that most of us often run up against the limitations of what > our skill can do with the gear that we have. And if we're > honest with ourselves, skill is usually the limiting factor, > sometimes it's the gear, and sometimes a certain piece of > kit can compensate for our own personal limitations. For > example, last night I was pushing the envelope of what I > could do with the K-x photographing backlit musicians in an > otherwise nearly dark room. I was sorely missing the > improved sensor, focus assist light, and focus indicators of > the K-r. > > I expect that most of us have gear wishlists that would > make Bill Gates credit cards cringe in terror, we also > probably have "short lists" of gear that we are planning on > buying in the near future. Generally gear that fills > particular needs, and which would make a noticeable > difference in photos that we regularly shoot, or which would > allow us to get photos that we simply can't get with the > gear we have. > > What items are on your short list, and why? > > At the top of my shortlist is the K-5. I often find > myself in situations where even 2/3 stop of performance > makes a big difference in the photos that I can take. > Likewise, there are times when improved autofocus would also > help. It would also be a lot more convenient for me to have > all the features that I need for different scenarios, in the > same camera, rather than being split between two > cameras. My K-x could go back to wearing the DA40 and > living in my fannypack as my "pocket camera", and the K-5 > could be my primary camera, and stay in my big bag, rather > than aways carrying both in the big bag. > > I've found that when shooting action, where people are > moving around, a zoom lens can make a huge difference. > When I'm photographing aikido, I find that I need wider > lenses when people are defending themselves against multiple > attackers, and the action covers a large portion of the mat, > and moves around a lot. But when only two people are > practicing, and they aren't moving around a lot, my 50mm > isn't quite long enough. I suspect that a > 28-105/2.8 would pretty much cover what I need, but > since I don't know of one of those the 28-75/2.8 is probably > the closest to what I need. Alternatively, if I were > shooting with two cameras, I could get the 50-135 on one > body, and the 16-50 on another. I think that the > 50-135 would do also do well with the band photography I've > been doing, considering how often I'm using my 77 or 135 for > closeups. > > The runner ups for my short list are: > > DA35 macro : I love my DA40 for its size and > sharpness, but when I carry it as a walk around lens, > especially on hikes in the woods, I often find myself > wishing it were a bit wider, and focused a bit closer. > > Samyang 85/1.4 : I'm still hurting over the A* > 85/1.4 that the guys wife sold at work while I was waiting > for him to get home from running his errands. I keep > needing that little bit extra shutter speed. I'd love > a modern f/1.4 lens in the 75-90mm range, but I doubt that > I'd be able to afford it before sensors got so fast that I > no longer needed that speed. > > Sigma 30/1.4 : My FA31/1.8 may be a better lens, but > again, I often find myself wishing I had that extra 2/3 of a > stop of speed, so that I could bump my shutter speed up from > 1/10 to 1/15 second. > > Something wider than 16mm. > > -- > Larry Colen l...@red4est.com > sent from i4est > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link > directly above and follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
