K20d without the Pentax software?

I have seen a K20D for sale at a reasonable price but it doesn't have the CDs and software that came with it. The Pentax website only has updaters for the software if you already have it installed, not the core software

As I dont know how integral the Pentax digital software is to using the camera should I avoid this camera without the software, or do you realistically not need it?

I realise I can take pictures without the PC software, but do I need it to review, edit, or manage the pictures on my PC? Otherwise £399 for a good condition K20D seems a fair price based upon what they are going for on eBay etc

Any suggestions? Or anyone got a K20D for sale at a similar or better price? [I'd love a K7 but not sure if I can justify £1200 right now (although I am really really torn - it's agony actually )]

Is that the one on Ebay with 8000 clicks?

I thought about it for a while but decided not in the end.

I have not taken the software disks out of the box but stick to using PSE 7, which I find very good.

sounds right.
I have been folowing another which looks like it will go for £450+ in a few hours.

To be honest, unless there is a significant saving I would rather pay SRS £519 and get all the protection and warranty from a proper shop.

Saving just £50-70 or so over what you can buy new with guarantees etc just doesnt make a lot of sense to me. I'd rather pay a bit more and have the security of purchase from a reputable dealer. The prices K100Ds and others seem to go for on Ebay is bizarre...makes me wonder if they simply create aliases and bid up their own items and if it doesn't sell (to someone outside of themselves or their cohorts) they just throw it back in later

I agree that it would be crazy to pay £450 + for a secondhand one when you can get a new one delivered for £519.

Hyram, PSE 7?

Is that Photoshop? Isn't that mega expensive software? If that's the only option then to buy a K20D without the operating CDs is a false economy if there is no freeware which doesn essentially the same thing. By the time you've paid a few hundred dollars or pounds for software which can do what the bundled Pentax software your product becomes expensive and not a good deal at all.

Or am I missing something?

photoshop elements 7,

PSE7 is available for around 100 Euro.

Photoshop Elements 7 is £62 from Amazon and worthy every penny IMHO

PSE7 at Amazon is £62.07 so if you add this to the camera cost of £399 plus shipping of an incredible £24.75 (5 x what it really costs to send it securely in the UK) and it costs £485.82 and it is not even new and doesn't have original box, warranty etc...This is insane.

I think I will weigh up the next few weeks whether to buy K20D or K7 direct from SRS...whoever said eBay was good for deals? ha ha

I am suggesting that you get a new K20D from SRS + PSE7 from Amazon

Hi bodyheat

I would say the bundled processing software is the least important element.

Something like Photoshop Elements is light years ahead of the Pentax software, and you can use it to catalogue/view;raw convert; extensively edit.

I personally use Silkypix Developer Studio as a raw converter, and any further editing, and all calalogueing is done in Photoshop Elements.

I don't even have the Pentax software installed, but as others have pointed out there are more important factors to your decision.

As others have said - the software is not important but think seriously about the camera and whether it is worth it.

However, you can download the software from Pentax Japan - Lab & Browser V2 is available, so install that and then run the V3 update.

But don't let my last comment sway your decision.

The K-7 apparently comes with completely revamped processing software and is supposedly much better.

If you think that price is going to remain still for weeks to come then think again. If I were you and had decided that its the K20D that should be my option then I would hurry. Yesterday Chris categorically said prices for K20D were going to be £650