New At Photography, Request Guidance....

Super Dave,
I have not done all of my homework, but the site you suggest offers a lot of good information.

1) Some time ago I purchased at auction...
(2) Pentax P3n cameras with SMC Pentax-A 1:2 50mm lenses
(1) Each...
Sigma Macro 1:2.8 f=50mm 52o (I've been told, a good starter for coin work.)
Auto Zoom (Sears) 1:4.0 f=70-210mm 55o (I think good for wildlife or sports events.)
Ricoh 1:1.7 50mm 52o (Pretty girls? Just guessing.)
Pentax hot shoe flash
Remote shutter release
Lens caps, shade and protective bags
Instruction booklets
Carry case


2) Though I have tried to relate the data accurately, it somewhat meaningless to me. I trust my homework will greatly enhance my understanding.

3) You mentioned that "Some features may not be available on a case-by-case basis."
What features are there to consider? I should like to keep my ear to the ground as I do homework, research and look on ebay.
If it it possible to buy one Pentax dSLR that does it all, I'll want to know in advance of purchase if my lenses are able to respond to the features offered by the camera.

4) I saw an ebay auction for a Pentax K compatable lens and wondered if it would be an improvement over what I have for coin work? It was a Sigma Macro Zoom 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6. The description said that it was an aspherical lens. Would this mean that it will produce aspherical distortion, or that it eliminates the distortion? It sold for $23.80.

5) You suggested a Pentax with 18-55 kit lens. What do the 18-55 numbers measure? Is it a Prime lens or zoom type?

I can probably ask more questions than you have time to answer, but if we chip away at my mountain of ignorance, one small bit at a time, I am confident that I will soon gain a remedial understanding of Pentax bodies and lens configurations. And perhaps find a combination that is more useful than a Dino-lite.

Thank you for your assistance,
Kurt

OK.

The Pentax dSLR you buy will "do it all." It's the older lenses which are the limitation - they will probably not autofocus with your newer camera, and they won't interact with it to help you determine whether your settings are correct for the conditions. They simply don't have the sophisticated electronic connection to the camera that newer lenses do.

It won't stop them from taking good pictures with a new camera. You're just going to have to know more about photography to make them do it.

Pentax has two major dSLR models, K-r and K-5. The K-5 is their upper-tier model, costs $1500 for the body only (no lens), and doesn't have a whole lot of serious advantages over its' cheaper little brother. I can't in good conscience recommend it to you unless you intend to get very serious about photography, as in serious enough to buy multiple lenses each costing as much or quit a bit more than the camera itself.

I didn't think so.

The 18-55 kit lens is a zoom, 18 being the shortest focal length and 55 the longest. It's about $40 extra than the cost of the body alone. If you're intending to use it for anything besides coins, I recommend you get it as it'll use all of the camera's capabilities, making life a whole lot easier for you as a beginning photographer.

The Sigma 50mm Macro will be a good starting lens for you to learn coin photography. You need not consider buying another lens for coin photography for the moment, perhaps forever. The "Sigma Macro Zoom" lens you mention is, in essence, worth about what was paid for it, which is to say not much. It's designated "Macro" simply because it's capable of focusing at distances close enough to be a macro lens. For macro work, you really want a prime, not a zoom.

Terms to wrap your mind around (Google is your friend):

Aperture
Exposure
ISO

Thanks all for your guidance.

It appears as though a new Pentax K-r is on my shopping list.
As soon as I win the lottery, I will start posting pictures.
In the mean time, more research.

We've established two important things...
1) The 18-55 kit lens may not be best for coin work, but it is too good to pass up for a few extra dollars.
2) A new camera will do everything I might wish for, but my accessory lenses may not respond to the automation of a new camera.

Next I would like to learn if the accesory lenses will respond to the newer automation.

Are there markings on my lenses that would tell me that it will autofocus or give feedback on settings?

Would it help if I compared a photograph of the connection contacts of a new K-r lens, to that of my accessory lenses?

Thanks,
Kurt

Super Dave,
Thanks for everything.
You're preaching to the choir about learning the basics of manual operation.
I may not know photography yet, but I've developed a philosophy about automation.
Automation is great for manufacturing. But I don't want any machine making decisions for me.
My favorite vehicle is a '64 Chev pickup. Has terrible road rust, but I can push start it myself. Someday I'll get a radio. Favorite motorcycle is a '67 Norton. Has no battery, doesn't need one. Radio is in my pocket with ear buds...$29.99. I work on Can-Am Spyders, the recreational 3 wheeled motorcycle, and find that automatic settings are expensive, don't work, require a lot of repair and may get you injured. At $29,995.00 they spend most of their time in the shop.

Go Manual.

Thanks,
Kurt

Amen. "A all the way". Nice thing about A mode is I can use old manual focus lenses with real aperture rings and manually control the focus and depth of field but never worry about exposure. That is the whole reason I bought the Nikon D7000, ie it is able to mount manual lenses and work well with them. One of my favorite lenses is the 200/4 Micro-Nikkor with a 2X Teleconverter. Talk about an awesome setup, it gives you a 400mm lens capable of 1:1. In A mode it's a joy to use.

They're half the price because they are older, superseded models. Likely used or ex-display models; they're old enough so that brand-new boxed examples would likely have a premium simply because they're scarce. Generational improvements in the sensor and software mean that a newer camera will be better, but "twice" as good? No.

If you're comfortable buying a used camera, it is a viable option. It will still be an order of magnitude better than the very best point-and-shoot.

Multiple exposures are strictly a postprocessing function with digital cameras. On the bright side, you can do just about whatever you want with the results.

Today's term to learn: HDR Photography

I am but a signpost. It is your choice whether to proceed in the direction to which I point.