Spring Cashback

Has anyone heard any rumours as to whether Pentax will be starting another cashback scheme any time soon :

Don't know about Cash Backs but this looks like a decent offer on the K20D plus 18-55mm if it is a Pentax case their including for £589.98. I've a feeling it might be a £30 Samsonite one though. 2 year guarantee and the stock only arrived last week. I was in there 2 weeks ago and they were waiting for a delivery. Went past last week and they were in the window.

They seem to have fallen out with Samsung, last year they had Samsung glass display cases + cameras and lenses inside the shop and had stopped doing Pentax..... now the Samsung stuff has gone. They've also got a big Samsung sign on the front of the shop.

shim

Call me too suspicious though...I know the 18-55 MK I is discontinued now; but i'd be wary if it did'nt specifically say it comes with the MK II; and the image conveniently does'nt show the lens.

Again - I might be too pessimistic here; but it would put me off from buying without contacting the estore first.

For that price I would still expect it to be the MK II version.

It's new stock so I can't imagine it being the Mk1, you can always ring the shop and ask. They told me I could have the freebies even if I bought the camera from the shop and had a play with it first. Still undecided the K10D is really big enough for me and the K30D must be due soon.

shim

Fair enough!

I presume you have a K10D already Shim?

Well it says "Free Pentax case" so it shouldn't be a Samsonite one. Mind you, it also says free "mainalnd delivery. Odd to show just a photo of the back of the camera.

K.

Yes got it when they first came out from Mathers in Bolton (Pentax Specialists). I had to go there because Bestcameras or Kamera as they have been known for about 50 years in St. Helens dropped Pentax and went over to Samsung. Now they are back with Pentax. I did buy my *ist DS from Kamera. They used to be about the best camera shop in the country under the former owner until he retired about 25 years ago. Just really a Jacobs style shop now.

The mail order dept. is quite busy (they do a lot with camcorders)and I don't think they are very good with web graphics probably some 16 year old doing it.

shim

Hi Shim.

You have three options really - and of course only you know which one you want to take; but....

In your shoes I would only consider getting a K20D if you were'nt thinking of holding onto the K10D. I presume you still have the *istDS; which I would still keep hold of as a great second body/travel camera due it's size; but would it really be worth having a K10D and K20D and *istDS?

Selling the K10D body only would fetch (as a guestimate) about £250. Net gain we are thinking of parting around £350 for the K20D then.

BUT I (and many others here) would probably advise you to stick with the K10D. If you have money to spend (in the region of nearly £600 it seems) then get some decent glass. I dont know what lenses you currently have Shim, but more often than not any photographer in any given moment in time usefully has his target set on the next lens they want; or at least in an ideal world what lens they would love to have.

I'd say spending this money on a really fab lens would be wiser and give you better results than swapping a K10 body for a K20 body and keeping the same lens collection.

BUT to add a final twist into the mix....

Rumours on the K30D are still mere speculation (square shaped sensor etc)..but if I was to upgrade to a newer body, I would wait at least 2 generations ahead to do so - I'll be thinking of upgrading when the K40D arrives (if it does!).

So a leap from a K10D to K30D I think would be worthwhile saving up for if you really really want a new body soonish; but as is usually the case you'll pay through the teeth when it's just been released. I would wait at least 6 months and the price has dropped nicely - but could you wait that long?

Given all these options; I would (personally) go for splashing out on a new lens rather than a K20D now or a K30D whenever it arrives.

Hope that helps at all!

Thanks Bob..... I still haven't decided what to do. I could get the Samsung and 2 lenses for £500, but I already have two 18-55 Pentax mk1's. One of which is very good, the other has never been out of the box. I've just bought a Tamron 70-210 f/3.5 and already have a Pentax M 80-200 (plus a crappy A Series 70-200 f4 that only bears the Pentax name I think it was made by Cosina) so I don't need the two Samsung lenses and they are probably only worth £100 for the pair to sell. I don't think I'd be happy with the Samsung camera anyway having always used Pentax. I already have a lot of film lenses so I'm not really interested in any except maybe the 77mm Limited, I already have the 43mm Limited, but for what limited use a 77mm would get it's hard to justify. I bought the 10-20mm Sigma last summer used it once and hated it, I'll have to try it again to see if I can get anything resembling sharp pictures with it. I could do with testing a lot of my lenses to see if they are any use on digital. The primes are all OK..... zooms were always softer.

shim

I'm really hoping for the K3D, or K30D to appear soon, because I want someone on this forum to buy one and sell me their K20D cheap

Hi Shim - none of the DA *'s take your fancy - the new 55mm f1.4 for example?

I think I've got enough 50/55mm lenses inc. the A series Macro
must have about six.... no longer considered a standard lens
anyway. The 43mm Ltd. is closer to standard. If the price was
under £200 I'd probably buy it though.

shim

Fair point!

Considering your lens collection; perhaps getting a K20D is'nt a bad idea then....

Would you sell the K10D off or keep it?

Just when I decided not to get a new camera a couple of shops inc. SRS have dropped the K20D bodies to £499...... does that mean the K30D is on it's way? If I did get a new camera I wouldn't keep the K10D the manual focusing just isn't good enough. I might even sell it and go back to film anyway. Digitals just too complicated for me with all the calibrating monitors and printers etc, which I haven't yet done. I've been looking at sites about it and the horror stories of people buying expensive calibration equipment only to find that every things gone pink has just about put me off.

shim

I personally would'nt dream of getting calibration equipment for my monitor - but each to their own. I regulary see my pics on three different machines - 2 at home and 1 at work; so I balance it out that way by my 'normal' use. If the colour rendition on my main monitor at home was out - i'd quickly notice on the others.

Digital can be complicated if that's how you want to be - but I would quickly loose intrest if I played it that way. For example I only get prints of my work done professionaly - I dont want to faff about with printers and i'm quite happy using a digital photoframe and my PC for the most part (would love to get a canvass print done though!).

I had noticed the K20D had dropped in price again...could we have a K30D arriving soon? We'll have to wait and see...