Another "hello, I'm new" post

Hi everyone

I have been lurking in this forum for over a week now, and I figured it was time I came out of the shadows.

This is going to be kind of rambling, and probably not too interesting but hey, at least you'll know why I am here and why I am clueless.

I'm actually a totally new Pentax user... Looked around, thought a bit, then just decided to go for pentax with my new systems.

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There's a sad story behind this, in that our house was burglared 6 weeks ago and thieves took 3 laptops (2 nice ones one old cranky one), a digital camera (p-n-s fuji), a wedding ring (what dummy takes it off in the kitchen?), wallets (incl. travel money), passports, mobile phone, mp3 player, golf clubs and - and I didnt notice that right away - a big old black camera bag with all my gear in it...

It was a Canon A1, well travelled, well loved and well used, with some lame lenses and one very good one... Cost me a lot of money at 15! I saved for a camera for months!!! Your first camera is like your favorite teddy bear, and in my case I actually never bought another one. So every few years I would lust after a newer camera but not be able to justify the expense, especially since it would mean new lenses too... every time i got tempted I realised that it still did everything I needed. My main gripe was its weight. But then it outlived a lot of lighter cameras I would say.

So here I am camera-less, howling in frustration, and most likely not getting any money from the insurance before the new year... if they pay anything for kit bought in 1985-86?

No way I'm being that long without a camera!

So first i think - maybe this it the time to go digital SLR - but no, circumstances mean that its not reasonable to spend the money on brand new stuff and most of the older stuff is either not suitable or still going for a lot of money. And I'm not paying £400 for an adequate SLR camera, i'll go back and get a good point-and-shoot with some controls, and get a film SLR. Which incidentally is the conclusion i reached every year so far, stick to my old film camera and a point and shoot digital, until the killer price-features digital SLR comes along.

So it's back to film, and since I have no investment left in anything, I can shop around. So I look at prices, I look at lenses, I think at all the cameras I played with which i liked (the MX was in that list, and one of the early AF ones cant remember which, but also the Nikon F100 and a few others). I wasn't linked to a brand anymore so I looked at them all, Pentax, Olympus, Canon, Nikon, Minolta and a few more... trying to find a sweet price-camera point.

My criteria were simple. I wanted control, didn't really need AF cause I'm used to focus manually, although AF might be nice now and then.. some reliability... I could always get multiple bodies, but at least one MUST be lighter than my A1 (i did climb mountains with it and several lenses, I can hardly believe it myself), good lenses, reliable metering. And cheap since I have not much cash, lots of stuff to buy again and christmas aroud the corner.

And looking around, analysing the situation and remembering the cameras, let me tell you that Pentax looks awfully sweet. Especially since the lens system, within caveats, has remained the same and compatible...

Especially when you look at the new digital bodies coming up... 2007 camera of the year *and* your grandfather's lenses work on it... that is so cool it's unbelievable.

There's lots of good arguments. And then, there's the irrational, emotional, those cameras are just likeable, factor, too. But that's possibly just me. So sweet...

Anyway I have been trying to get my hands on an MX and an MZ6-n and looking at the older digitals in case one comes up "cheap" on ebay, classified or camera stores. But in the meantime I snatched an Mx-M very cheap so I have a camera again. Need a few more lenses...


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Anyway, to get to the introduction part...

I'm a rather isolated camera/photo "geek" - it puzzles most of my friends who think cameras are boring, taking photos doesnt require looking or thinking. I like cameras and could own dozens - especially older-than-me-but-still-working ones. But I'm not a collector, dont care what's rare and valuable, just whats neat, still works, takes neat pictures, and was priced cheap cause not collectible...

I do have other hobbies, clearly, athough all of them (even photography) suffered in the last few years as i had a workaholic episode. Now I have been rediscovering all my lost hobbies and frankly the thief timing sucked... or not since it will make me buy and try more stuff in the end...

So I have come to this forum to find out more about my new camera system - and a nice forum it seems to be.

So anyway, if anyone is still reading this...


hello!

Ps: I'm never storing all my gear in one big bag again - had i had a small bag and most objectives in a box somewhere i would have rescued something! If only the minox!

Welcome to Pentax "Information Central" iphigenie. You are going to like it here. The most civil forum on the Internet.

I had a very similar experience and reason for replacing my complete Minota XD-11 kit and lenses that were purchased in 1978 and stolen in a break-in in 2000. I chose the Pentax system as a replacement because of the size and the features/$$$. I chose the MZ5n and then proved to the insurance company that they were comparable advanced amateur cameras. The age and the price I paid for the XD-11 were irrelavent because I had full replacement coverage so they paid the full price for a brand new MZ5n and similar brand new Pentax lenses to what I had. I don't know what kind of insurance coverage you have but I hope this is food for thought that you don't assume your old camera was worthless. I only wish my break-in happened 4 years later and I could have got my *ist-Ds for the same price as a replacement. My little used MZ5n just sits there gathering dust now.

Regards

Drew

Hi Drew

Thanks for the welcome!

I like it here already - read a lot of it in the past 2 weeks going quite far back...

The one time i had to make a claim with that company 4 years ago they just sent a cheque, didn't ask for any proof what i did with it. They paid "for new" prices for everything but the clothing, but there were no technical goods then. I did report the "for new" price (from memory, but i do remember it since it was so much to me at 14!) of the original gear, down to the price of bags and all...

I heard that many insurance companies in the UK insist you replace film with film but I suspect that might be because people try to "cheat" to make insurance cover part of the cost of a switch to digital. We had a damaged back door and broken pipes outside and more than a camera stolen so I think it's pretty clear we aren't doing that.

They're going to choke enough on the laptop (two were new, bought this summer, all receipts down to the serial numbers) so maybe the camera will just slip through...

I found in the couple of major claims I have had that if you are fair and have your research prepared they will be more than fair in return. As soon as they smell something funny, you are doomed. I have sent you a PM.

Drew

thanks for the pm, most helpful.

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Little things i forgot from my introduction -

I'm originally from switzerland and currently living in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
What are the good camera stores around here, anyone know?

hello

Pentax camera shops in yorkshire are like hens teeth - impossible to find and worth a fortune if you can find one! Jessops are every where but were little help to me. i had to insist on my ds whenthey were pushing me on cannon and nikon gear. According to their website Bass and Bligh in harrogate says they still stock Pentax although I have not been for a couple of years.

Proper camera shops are sadly missing from leeds and Bradford but Bradford camera exchange still hangs on and is a good old fashioned local camera shop - good for generalbits and second hand items.

Welcome to yorkshire I hope the great variety of scenery and activities helps you get back into photography.

Dave