Pentax 80-320mm on K100D

Hi newbie here , just contemplating a good offer on the K100D at £299 in the UK. Wavering on the fence at the moment !

I am currently using a Fuji S9500 , and haVe a Pentax MZ-5N with the 80-320mm Pentax Zoom.

Anybody use this lens on a K100D , K110D or K10D , or IST D/DS.

Is it okay and whats the quality like for digital use , comments welcome and any sample pics with this lens would be appreciated.

I have an alternative suggestion:

You can buy a brand new Tamron 70-300 for the price of a used Pentax 80-320. The quality is decent and the design and specification is similar, except it's lighter. This must make it better for handling and travelling. Also works surprisingly well with a 1.5X converter - to provide up to 450mm.

I use an 80-320 on my K10D

It is not the sharpest lens in the world at 320, but I find it quite acceptable from 80~250 and useable stopped down at 320 provided you aren't looking to crop too tight or blow up to huge size.

I hope eventually to replace mine with something like a Sigma 100-300 F4 or maybe the new DA* 60-250 if it ever actually arrives, but for the price I think you'll find the 80-320 hard to beat.

good plan except that he has the 80-320 already

Sorry about that.

thanks for the comments , the fact that I've always been a Pentax 35mm person sways me to the K100D.

The fact that I already have the 80-320mm is a bonus.

Does the fact that the K100D is only a 6 mp camera make it any less a performer ? as opposed an 8 or 10 mp DSLR ?? I asked Jessops if I could call in and shoot a couple of shots on the K100D , provide my own SD Card , this would enable me to judge the results on my PC at home before diving in blind. They said it was not possible to do that as once the camera in the shop had been used to take a pic then it was classed as second hand , I couldn't even take my 80 -320mm in to try it !

Any 100D owners care to post some sample pics , I mainly take photo's of aircraft so the camera needs to be responsive and accurate...

Thanks

the Jessops in Cambridge allow the display model to be used to take test shots, since it's been handled by all and sundry they can hardly expect it to sell as brand new anyway.

the fact that K100 is only 6MP wont be an issue unless you are either blowing up to very large sizes (think A3) or cropping heavily.

I bought my K10D for the larger continuous drive buffer, the SR feature and Sv mode, the extra 4MP are just a fringe benefit and while they do occasionally come in handy I could live without no problem.

Remember that resolution does not scale linearly as the camera makers would like us to think, 10MP is actually only about 20% more resolution than 6.

Go find another shop - one that is more cooperative. There are times when I think Jessops have lost the plot and this is one of them

Every Jessops store I have ever asked has been perfectly willing to allow handling of cameras and the taking of a test shot or two.

It's a very good idea.

However, at £299 for a very fine camera like the K100D I wouldn't wait too long....

Noticed yesterday that Camera World are doing refurbished K100Ds for £249, down from £299.

Dan

I think I might spend the extra £50 for a brand new one, but the choice is there.

How much cheaper can DSLRs get?

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. And the RRP of the K100D is still £549 as far as I know...

Refurbs come with a full 12 month guarantee, and everything included - but I know what you mean.

Dan

Thanks for the advice guys , anybody got any pics taken using the 80-320mm on a Pentax Digital SLR ?

I got this with my K10D and 80-320

https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3841

I just got a refurbed *ist DS from SRS (for my lab, I have converted them to Pentax!), if the image number is correct then it's only got about 500 shutter clicks on it and it certainly appears to be in great condition. Don't regret for an instant saving the £100 on the body and spending it on a better lens.

I can certainly see where John is coming from though, if it were my own money and the difference was just £50 I would probably have gone for the new body.