Digital SLR - Taking The Plunge!

Hi all - new to here so apologies if this is in the wrong place...

I've been a keen photographer for years and am now looking to take the plunge into the world of digital SLR. As I have an old trustworthy Pentax ME-Super plus a few lenses and accessories, it seems to me that Pentax is the way forward for me - as I can use a lot of my existing kit with the new camera (with limitations).

I don't (unfortunately) have the budget for a shiny new DSLR at this point, and am thinking of buying something used. I have never bought a used camera before, so would like a bit of a pointer as to which model to aim for and what to pay (and what pitfalls to look out for!!). So far, i like the look of either the K-10 or K-20 as I do a lot of outdoor landscape photography and live in Scotland, so the weatherproofing would be an advantage (I've had a few repairs to my ME-Super over the years due to water ingress...).

So - any advice and assistance would be welcomed in terms of what to get, where to get it and how much to pay?

Thanks in advance, H

Welcome,

Many of the recent Pentax DSLRs are weather resistant so there are no issues there.. but be warned weather resistant does not mean water proof.

It all very much depends on your budget - all K-series models bar the K100/K110/K100D Super have some weather protection..and you can use all your older lenses on them with no problem, you just have to enable use of the aperture ring in the menu....

The classifieds give you a good idea of the price of cameras so you will have a good idea what you can afford... most of the current members will tell you the K10D and K20D remain excellent cameras, but newer models are better in many ways...

Peter

If you can stretch your budget, a used K5 would be a much better bet than the K10 or K20, it's a far more capable camera, and also weather-resistant. It also has usable Live-view, and much better low-light performance. They come up for sale on here in the classifieds section fairly regularly. The last one sold on here went for £330 including the weather-resistant 18-55mm kit lens. The only thing to look out for is the shutter count, the lower the better, I personally would think twice about buying one with over 50 000.

Welcome Hoyerman.
Depending on you budget and the fact that you wish to shoot Landscapes most of all, I would suggest the following

The Aformentioned K-5. It is a mighty DSLR, in fact even with the K-3 coming out, I have not upgraded to the K-3, I love my K-5 so much.

If the K-5 price is too much, then I would seriously suggest the K10D. Although it is "only" 10MP (more than enough for A3 prints though) I have found that it is a better option than the K20D (I have both) as the images that you get are better, certainly for landscapes. I don't know what it is, but the K20D no longer gives me much pleasure in the IQ department. Maybe I am spoiled with the K-5, maybe at lower ISO's the K10D just gives you that much more in its rendition.

K200D, is basically a K100D but with the K10D sensor and sealing. But only takes AA batteries. Still a good option though.

Which ever you choose, I would seriously suggest getting hold of an 18-55mm WR kit lens. This will give you a shooting option when it is raining hard, whereas your existing lens collection won't fully seal the camera. Depending on the lenses you have (and I assume they will be a number of wonderful primes) It won't quite match them IQ wise but it will surprisingly close.

Hope this helps.

Hi and welcome to the forum.
If you are concerned about buying used gear have look at SRS on ebay link.
They normally offer a guarantee on there gear.
If you have a look round they have a good reputation on this forum

Welcome Hoyerman. If you want a Very Good Clean Low Count K5 then look no further than SRS Microsystems. Mine will be with them on Wed. Next week (Wed.16th.) as I have just decided on a K3 and am P/Xing my K5 and DBG4 (Battery Grip)
CHEERS Vic.

I sold a K-5 in mint cosmetic condition and 17500 shutter count for only £250 recently. It had a fault with the pop-up flash, but most people don't use this. If you look hard enough there are bargains to be had, I would agree with the other posters above that a K-5 would be a better buy than a a K10 or K20, but it all depends on how much you can spend.

Regards
David

Welcome to the forum Mark, I hope you enjoy your stay here.

For a bargain K5 look no further than the latest post in the classifieds, I don't think it will stay available for long though

Hello and Welcome Hoyerman

I have a K10 and a K5 - the K10 still makes me happy although the K5 improves on it on almost every way.

The K10 is certainly more pleasing in hand as such but that is a matter of preference, the K5 is smaller try them both if you can

I use manual and and af lenses and remain happy with them all

The K30 may also fall within your price range but I have no experience of it - good camera according to those who know

Regards




Stuart

p.s - not that I have one or have used one the sensor in the k20/k7 is not meant to be up to the k10 or k5 but this is just what I am told and not from experience.

It is the Samsung one as we all know rather than a Sony one. I only mention it for the OP as he may not be aware.

TBH I have found it not as good as the Sony ones, It's dynamic range appears not to be as good, certainly when I have processed, and is a lot more susceptible to banding. Nail the exposure over 800ISO and it is okay, but that is hard with the limited DR. Bright light and a lack of extreme highlights and shadows though in the shot, it is fine.
It really put me off Samsung cameras, as I considered one of the NX100/200 models. I got the K-01 instead. Glad I did

But we are going a little off topic.

I suppose it would be good to give the OP a little history of the DSLR range, So I will.

First DSLR, 6MP, Compact Flash card, no sealing - *istD

6MP DLSR's with Pentaprism, SD(HC) cards - *istDS, *istDS2, Samsung GX1S

6MP DSLR's with Pentamirrors, SD(HC) cards - *istDL, *istDL2, Samsung GX1L, K100D, K110D

6MP DSLR's with Pentamirror yet has ability to focus SDM lenses - K100D Super

10MP DSLR's with sealing - K200D (pentamirror) K10D (Pentaprism). Samsung GX10

10MP DSLR's with no sealing - K-m

12MP DSLR's with no sealing - K-x, K-r

14MP DSLR's all with everything - K20D, Samsung GX20, K-7

16MP DSLR's, All with everything - K-5 series, K30, K-50

16MP DSLR's, but no sealing - K-500

24MP DSLR - K-3

I know it is like sucking eggs to all on here, but it is a brief outline of all the Pentax DSLR's.

If you can stretch to it, I'd seriously consider the last of the new K-30s while you can still get them. Same sensor and IQ as the K-5, excellent handling and great viewfinder. Weather sealed. SRS have an ex-demo one for sale with only 41 clicks on EBay, and I think you could do a lot worse if it's affordable.

If the budget doesn't allow the K30, and I'm assuming it won't stretch to a K-5, then I'd look for the best K-7/K20D/K10D you can afford.

The K10D is getting quite old now, so you'd need to take care to find one in good condition. But at low ISOs it turns in wonderful results. Some prefer the low ISO output from the CCD sensor in the K10D to that from the more recent CMOS designs - but the latter offer more flexibility when the light gets low.

If I was choosing, I would however go for either the K20D or K-7 in preference to the K10D. The Samsung 14MP sensor is not as good as the newer 16MP Sony sensor in the K-5, but other than that the K-7 body in particular is a great design which has lasted well (essentially up until the most recent K-3 where it has been mildly refreshed). The handling and build are superb, and it's main issue when released was that although the body was a great development from the K20D/K10D, the image quality remained essentially static and fell behind the market leaders at the time - not really such an issue if you are buying secondhand now.

Whichever way you go, I agree with the suggestion to get at least one weather resistant lens - the 18-55WR being the most obvious cost-effective option.

Agreed, but then I would say that as I have one myself.

Personally though I find the K-30 provides much more helpful feedback than my previous K100d. Not sure if it's just me, but the screen flashes to warn of silly exposure settings, and there is an inbuilt level and live view for still framing, plus focus peaking. All in all I find I have far more keepers than ever before, and much better autofocus.

At a run out price they are a steal.

Hello and welcome!!
If you are on a low budget I would recommend the k10 or k30. As previously mentioned you can source each of them at pretty reasonable prices on ebay. The k10 may be a bit long in the tooth now, camera wise, and is pretty basic but it is also rugged and produces great images. Look for one with a low shutter count!!!

Almost any of the Pentax DSLR's introduced in the last 5 years or so will be a good starter. Later models bring improvements that expand your photographic experience. Early models are not much use for motorsport unless it is a bright sunlit day, but for general photography, they will serve you well. A cheap introduction to DSLR photography too.

For my money, on a budget, I'd look for a K10D (10Mp CCD) or K20D (14Mp CMOS). The difference between the sensor types is primarily colour rendition.

K-5. A no brainer.




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