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No K20D's available to try out

salixarbour
Posted 08/12/2008 - 13:11 Link
Hello, all.
This is my first post to the Forum, so I hope I get it right!

I'm relatively new to photography, and have been using a Sony A200 for the last 6 months (my first DSLR). I've done a lot of reading and learning, and recently even joined the local camera club.

I'm seriously considering opting for the K20D with the new 18-250 lens.
However, I can't find any high-street shop which stocks these for any potential buyer to try out. There are of course lots of Canon 40D & 50D's, Nikon D90's & various Sony bodies. I have to say that last Friday afternoon I was nearly swayed by a nice D90 sporting a Nikkor 18-105 kit lens. Sorry if that's bad language around here!

Has anybody any advice on how someone who is considering joining the fold can first of all test out the K20D. Or should I buy the readily available D90, even the D300 . . . please, no shouting!

Regards.

Alan L-J. (Cheshire).
Camera: K20D.
Lenses: Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM, Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, Pentax 18-250 SMC DA, Pentax-M 50mm f1.7, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro.
Flash: Pentax AF360.
womble
Posted 08/12/2008 - 14:53 Link
Welcome to the fora. We all hope you buy a Pentax, you won't regret it

If you were further south I'd suggest visiting SRS in Watford who have all the Pentax stuff in stock and their rivals. Perhaps one of our more northerly members can suggest somewhere more local.

Best wishes and have fun with whatever you choose, Kris.

PS could you add your location to your profile, please? It is only so we can be more helpful with questions like this!
Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

My website
SnapperSteve
Posted 08/12/2008 - 15:24 Link
Hi and seasons greetings to all.
This too is my first post, although I have used the vast knowledge of this forum to answer many a question in the past.

I am in a similar situation to salixarbour, the difficulty of getting a K20D in my hands to try out! Nowhere on the high street seems to sell Pentax nowdays (SRS excluded, but not very local to me).

I at least, am a bit more tied to Pentax, having owned a K110D (just sold!) for the last 2 years, so I have a few lenses already (I have also been happy with Pentax since my first SLR, a MV1).

I think pound for pound, the Pentax range can't be beaten if you are at all serious about photography. If only Pentax could get them into more dealers, there would be a lot more people taking up the brand, especially with the beginners models that feel a lot better in the hand than the tiny Nikon/Canons.

My problem is that I’m torn between the K10D with 16-45 lens or the K20D with kit 18-55, both are about the same price (with K20D cashback) at SRS.

I have ready a review about ghosting on the MkII 18-55mm, anybody shed some light about this?

Regards
Steve
Smile! You could be on camera!
Mongoose
Posted 08/12/2008 - 15:47 Link
There's a thread over in General Photography where people have offered to lend a hand to any who need help. Generally I believe the suggestion is to find a mutually convinient public house and discuss cameras over a pint.

If there is a person nearby who owns a K20D perhaps you could take advantage. If it's ergonomics you are mostly concerned with, even a K10D would help you since they handle very much the same. The major differences are in technical specs.

Welcome to the forum
you don't have to be mad to post here



but it does help
salixarbour
Posted 08/12/2008 - 15:59 Link
Thanks, Kris.

I've seen SRS in the mags, and that may well be how I'll buy my first Pentax. Actually, I emailed them last week because I spotted a mistake on their website: they'd underpriced a Nikon D300 with 18-200 lens by around £200; they'd got it as the same price as the D300 with 18-105 kit lens. Following my email, they immediately withdrew the item from the website without giving me the chance to purchase but perhaps fate had a hand in that!

My local Jessops has been quite helpful, and they've suggested ordering online for collection at the shop, without any obligation to buy if it doesn't feel right. It's their high-street markup which concerns me though!

Regards.
Alan L-J. (Cheshire). (will amend profile).
Camera: K20D.
Lenses: Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM, Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, Pentax 18-250 SMC DA, Pentax-M 50mm f1.7, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro.
Flash: Pentax AF360.
Gwyn
Posted 08/12/2008 - 16:03 Link
Welcome to the forum Alan and Steve.
salixarbour
Posted 08/12/2008 - 16:07 Link
Thanks, Mongoose.

It seems we really are short of Pentax outlets up here in the North, so perhaps the Jessops option (previous post) to try out the K20D is the best I'm going to get.

Last Friday, another local stockist (of Canon & Nikon) explained that Pentax had stopped supplying to the 'smaller outlets'. However, he then mentioned that Hoya had 'taken over' Pentax recently, which might in the future lead to better relations with small shops. Any mileage in this at all?

Regards.
Alan L-J.
Camera: K20D.
Lenses: Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM, Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, Pentax 18-250 SMC DA, Pentax-M 50mm f1.7, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro.
Flash: Pentax AF360.
Daniel Bridge
Posted 08/12/2008 - 17:28 Link
salixarbour wrote:
My local Jessops has been quite helpful, and they've suggested ordering online for collection at the shop, without any obligation to buy if it doesn't feel right. It's their high-street markup which concerns me though!

Well to be honest, there's less than £1 difference between the Jessops online price and SRS for the K20D + 18-55. I'd rather buy from SRS, but if in your situation (i.e. not already a Pentax user, and wanting to compare between makes) I'd want to handle a camera before I bought it.

The only thing is, as far as I can see, you do have to buy the camera first, and just collect it at a store. I don't think it's the same as the store ordering it in and then you decide if you want to pay for it or not. You can obviously cancel the purchase once you've looked at it (which would make you mad in our eyes, but you never know ), but it does mean you made that initial outlay.

Buying from Jessops would only give you a one year warranty, SRS, being a Pentax Pro dealer, would give you two years.

salixarbour wrote:
Last Friday, another local stockist (of Canon & Nikon) explained that Pentax had stopped supplying to the 'smaller outlets'. However, he then mentioned that Hoya had 'taken over' Pentax recently, which might in the future lead to better relations with small shops. Any mileage in this at all?

We used to occasionally get Pentax gear in stock at the small Visitor Centre I work at with no difficulty (mostly for me, I have to say, staff discounts are nice ), but that was when they used Intro2020 as a distributer. Not sure if that's changed in the few months that Pentax are now distributing their own goods.

Hoya's takeover (technically a merger) wouldn't necessarily mean this would change, if indeed they have stopped supplying smaller shops, which to be honest I can't really imagine. Generally it was hoped the Hoya thing would mean a cash injection which might increase the marketing budget a bit, as well as boosting the lens development. It's still a bit 'early days' to see a big difference I think.

Dan
K-3, a macro lens and a DA*300mm...
Hyram
Posted 08/12/2008 - 19:45 Link
Welcome Alan and Steve.

Steve - whereabouts in Hampshire are you :
Hyram

Bodies: K20D (2), K10D, Super A, ME Super, Auto 110 SLR, X70, Optio P70
Pentax Glass: DA* 300, DA* 60-250, DA* 50-135, DA* 16-50, DA 70 Ltd, FA 31 Ltd, DA 35 Ltd, DA 18-55 (2), DA 12-24, DA 10-17, M 200, A 35-70, M 40, M 28, Converter-A 2X-S, 1.4X-S, AF 1.7, Pentax-110 50, Pentax-110 24
Other Glass: Sigma 105 macro, Sigma-A APO 75-300
Flash: Metz 58 AF-1 P, Pentax AF160FC ringflash, Pentax AF280T
SnapperSteve
Posted 08/12/2008 - 22:19 Link
Hyram

I'm in a village called Yateley, North Hampshire, near the Berkshire border.

I see you have both the K10D & K20D, in your opinion is the K20D worth stretching the budget for (and I will be stretching it!)

If I go for the K20D (looking that way) I will only be able to afford the kit 18-55 MkII, does this do it justice?

Both will be a great leap from my 6mp K110D, I'm sure.
Smile! You could be on camera!
RR
Posted 08/12/2008 - 22:51 Link
As far as I'm aware you don't have to pay online for the Jessops in-store pickup, so you could use that as an avenue to have a feel of one. Jessops are actually competitive on the k20d kit, I got my local pro centre to pricematch them.

I was planning to get a dslr in January but saw the K20d selling out in many places so thought I'd better handle one while I had the chance (as it was on my possible list). I popped into my local Pentax pro centre & they had one on the shelf, I tested it along with the others on my possible list & ended up walking out with it.
I was so impressed I bought it there & then. Handling & build quality are way above anything at a similar price point.

Alan, you wouldn't be disappointed with the D300 but it is twice the price. Unless you're shooting lots of fast moving sport though it's not worth it in my view.

If you have the budget for a D300 I'm not sure why you're looking at the 18-250. The longer the zoom range, the more compromises the designers have to make. You'd be much better served by a couple of faster zooms instead, you'll appreciate the brighter viewfinder & have more scope in controlling DOF.

Don't forget that Pentax have image stabilisation built in, so even a £10 1980's lens off ebay will be stabilised !
Mike-P
Posted 09/12/2008 - 08:58 Link
SnapperSteve wrote:
Hyram

I'm in a village called Yateley, North Hampshire, near the Berkshire border.


Thats a pity, I am on the outskirts (Bournemouth side) of the New Forest and hopefully will be back today for a week with my K10D.
You are a little bit too far away, otherwise ou could have had a play.
stevo
Posted 09/12/2008 - 10:18 Link
London Camera Exchange (at least the Bath one) seem to have a reasonable selection of Pentax kit. According to their website http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/

Quote:
As we are a Pentax pro centre we offer a free 2 year guarantee, free firmware upgrades & priority serviceing

All LCE branches stock the Pentax system and we have PRO centres at Bath, Bristol, Chesterfield, Cheltenham, Derby, Leamington, London (Strand), Lincoln, Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Winchester. Here in Bath we operate the on-line store and try to keep an extended range of cameras, lenses & accessories.

And for Alan and Steve they have branches in Chester and Southampton.

Steve
Edited by stevo: 09/12/2008 - 10:22
salixarbour
Posted 09/12/2008 - 11:35 Link
RR wrote:
As far as I'm aware you don't have to pay online for the Jessops in-store pickup, so you could use that as an avenue to have a feel of one. Jessops are actually competitive on the k20d kit, I got my local pro centre to pricematch them. !

Thanks, RR.
My local Jessops shop had explained this too, so it's good to hear it from another source.

I was planning on buying the K20D with the 18-250 lens, and not the standard kit lens. Presently, I have a couple of 2nd hand (Minota fit) lenses which I use with my Sony A200. With the K20D, to avoid the nuisance of having to keep changing lenses, I thought the 18-250 might be the answer. As a 'newbe' I'm not yet fully understanding the subtleties of 'fast' lenses and the compromises which an 18-250 might involve.

As an alternative my local Jessops proposed I buy the Pentax 16-45 lens instead (new - ouch), plus their 70-300 Sigma for £70.
Any enlightenment would very much be appreciated.

Regards.
Alan.
Camera: K20D.
Lenses: Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM, Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, Pentax 18-250 SMC DA, Pentax-M 50mm f1.7, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro.
Flash: Pentax AF360.
salixarbour
Posted 09/12/2008 - 11:44 Link
Hi, Steve.
Thanks for the info about the LCE branches, in particular Manchester.
They're about 50 miles away, and I'm planning on visiting them next Tuesday (one week from now). It would be nice to find the K20D in stock there.

I've been ringing the Manchester branch fairly often recently, but to no avail. Don't know whether that's a good or a bad sign!

Thanks.
Alan L-J.
Camera: K20D.
Lenses: Pentax DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM, Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, Pentax 18-250 SMC DA, Pentax-M 50mm f1.7, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 DG macro.
Flash: Pentax AF360.

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