Also, remember that if you buy a variable F/stop lens, for example a 70 to 300 3.5/5.6 zoom lens... the max aperture at 70 is 3.5 but only 5.6 at 300. So don't expect 3.5 at 300, the lens can't do it.
I'm a journalist/photojournalist. Press passes are usually not worth the plastic they are printed on. Any private organization can tell you to get off their property, press pass or not. Normally, if there is not expectation of privacy you can shoot pictures.
Here is the rule of thumb: You can shoot anything on public property. Now you usually can't use it for commercial purposes without a models release. You can sell your prints as art.
I was shooting a Occupy Phoenix rally at a public park that closed at 10:30 p.m. The police said that anyone who didn't leave could be arrested for trespassing. The police didn't want to arrest the protesters but they wouldn't leave. All the reporters (electronic and print) left before they arrested us.
As for a Mall, I've been stopped taking a camera to the photo store. They reminded me not to take pictures. Ironic, considering the number of cell phones out there.
Don't pay money for a fake press pass, they don't work any better than real ones.
I only use mine (which is legit) only if I need to tell people what agency I'm from.
One last thing, my guidelines do have exceptions both legal and common sense. Like, don't take pictures of children that aren't yours.
Get the IFPO pass and the mall cops will still kick you out.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
A Canon 1D series can take a direct hit from a garden hose for at least several minutes. That is considerably more than a "damp, misty" condition. Having said that, most people aren't going to pay 7,000 for that camera. I have two different rain shelds I use. For about 10 dollars RainSleeve at www.optechusa.com had great protection and far cheaper than 7 grand. You get two for 10 dollars and you can buy them for flash or using a camera without flash. I've shot football pictures in a driving rain for over two hours with this product and not a drop of water got to my camera.
Pentax historically is a good camera. Somehow they just have caught on like the Nikons and Canons.
The look of final photograph is what is important. I don't believe in ironclad rules. If you look at photography as art then rules aren't the issue. What is your final result.
I have the same camera. The weather sealing is ok, far less than the 1d series. If you have a L series lens on the camera, it has excellent weather sealing if you have a uv filter on it. Have said all of that. I always use something to shield my camera. I was at Hoover Dam and some students were taking pictures with their 5dmii in a light drizzle for about 10 minutes. It seemed ok but I would never do that.
Film cameras have a greater range. Consult your users manuals for digital cameras. Look for humidity and temp ranges.
It's a cheap lens. The Canon is the same way. Now having said that, the glass is very good. I always advise people to have either the nikon or canon lens in their bag.
Depends on what you want and the price difference of buying a kit lens. Sometimes it a couple of hundred dollars where the lens by itself if far more expensive. My last camera I got a deal on the camera and lens so I got the lens I really wanted.
I just has the shutter on my Crown Graphic fixed. I doubt if I'll ever use it but it's nice to have a working classic. I started out with a Speed Graphic. Fantastic detail and enlargements.
It all depends on what you need and what you are going to do with the photos. If the largest pictures you are ever going to take are 8 X 10 or so, it really doesn't matter as long as you like it.
Lens quality, sensor size, resolution, features, accessories, battery life, low light, ISO range, shutter and f/stop ranges, camera size, your technical knowledge, cost, etc.....
Nikon and Canon have made their reps catering to the professional market. However, that is a fuzzy line.
I do a lot of very low light photography. The camera I have has allowed me to take pictures others couldn't. However, there is a hefty price for that. I met a woman who was sell 16 x 24 pictures at art street fairs who who used a 400 dollar camera.
Canon and Nikon are the two largest companies, so they naturally go head to head.
Bottom line is that you still have to take the picture.
When I saw the price of this a few weeks ago, I started asking that question. Each of the photographers have a great reputation. The photos are very limited editions and very large (over 9 feet). It might be the auction process driving them up. But face it, we are in the pay grade to buy these and the people that are do some of the strangest things.