Thanks for all the feedback!


Next question...a DA 50-200 has come up on the forum for £70 and I can get a DAL 55-300 for £125 from LCE or £279 from SRS.

I do want to use all the zoom including the longer end of the zoom, and from the reviews I have read, quality can fall off towards the long end, so is the 55-300 the better option...reviews say it is, but you guys actually use the kit day to day so I value your opinions more.

Secondly, i realise the £125 lens has a plastic mount and no hood, but is it really the same lens?

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/SHdetails.asp?Item=21488

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/109/Pentax-smc-DA-55-300mm-f4-0-5-8-ED-Lens-.ht...

Thanks

Andy

Hi,

After only a few months with my K100d and then my *istDS I have, erm, accrued, the following lenses.

Ok, I got a bit excited on ebay a few times but they are all quite similar and I'd like opinion on which to keep, and what may be best to spend the money on.

I take a lot of 'people photos' not so much portraits but more action..or candid stuff, also air shows, sporting events, and landscapes when I'm in the 'outdoors'...oh, and the squirrels in the back garden....

These were all cheap, a couple were free, but I think selling a few and getting something more suitable for my needs is the way to go.

Here goes..

18-55 kit lens - ok but don't find it spectacular

SMC-M 1:1.7 50mm - came with a camera I bought so is a spare

SMC-A 1:1.7 50mm - love this, my favourite when I have the time to use it

SMC-A 1:2.8 24mm - OK..most expensive lens I've bought, hasn't over impressed me

SMC-M 1:2.8 40mm - this is new to me so will play for a while at least

Sigma mini wide 1:2.8 28mm - again, OK

Miranda 1:2.8 24mm - has a spec of paint[?] inside, does not affect IQ but a minus point if selling...

Petri 1:2 28mm - soft at f2 and not a smooth focus at all

Super Takumar 1:3.5 28mm - I like it, but changing lenses is a hassle...if it goes on it has to stay on all day.

Beck 1:2.8 135mm - was cheap and I like it, focal length, IQ and price!

Sigma UC 1:4-5.6 28-105mm - my standard lens, not too good at far end of zoom

Sigma zoom 1:4.5-6.7 100-300 - has done ok but never sharp..could just be me!

and, another new one...

SMC-FA 1:4 28-70 - doing ok so far, but only had it a few days so not really got an opinion.

I probably could have spent all that money on one good lens, but I didn't know what to get, and I'm sure these all have a resale value close to what I paid anyway.

Any opinions welcome!

Thanks

Andy

K100d now on ebay spares or repair...

Item# 250660479467

Quite happy with six bids in less than two hours!

Andy

When it arrives back I will disassemble it and see what I can find out.

Well, as I do not have a mains charger / adapter it _must_ have been the batteries!

According to an independent repair shop this is sometimes possible, but if the RAM is corrupted half way through, there is no way to clear/overwhite/reset it...not sure I believe him, could just be engineers backing each other up.

He did also say that it's reasonably straightforward to swap the main board out, so all I need is a dropped K100d and some luck.

Andy

Thanks for all the replies.

I have sent the £7 and will get the camera back soon.
Unless Stefan gets a positive answer form Pentax benelux, it will go on ebay as spares/repair. Hopefully someone will think they can fix it...or want mechanical parts.

Still in a bit of a quandry about which camera to go for next. It took me months to decide firstly Pentax, then K100d when I decided I needed [wanted] a dslr six months ago. Must do some research and I'm still open to suggestions.

Andy

Stefan,

If you have the time to do that for me it would be much appreciated. I have requested the camera returned not fixed, so if your reply is no different, I will list it on ebay and see what happens.

I spoke to an electronics engineer, he said *most* electronic stuff can be forced to power on and the firmware reinstalled over the failed copy. It's only data on an an eeprom after all!

I think this is their generic price for 'making it work again'
Also, if I leave it with them it will surely be fixed at cost and sold as a refurb, so I'm NOT doing that.

Hi,

I updated the firmware on my K100d...until about halfway through when the batteries decided to loose contact...when I picked it up to check progress.

I am an idiot...yes...''never interupt power whilst updating firmware''.

Must have been a dirty contact or something, anyway, upshot was, I bought an *istDs for £130 with kit lens as I was going away the next day and needed a camera.

I like the *istDs a lot, cheifly because the batteries seem to last three times as long as the K100d.

Sent the K100d to Pentax Centre at Johnsons Photopia Ltd and they want £165 to fit a new main board and test.

Questions are...[as ebay tells me I can buy another K100d body for that much or less]

1. Would I be better off spending a little more for the next model up
2. Which is the next logical model?
3. If I pay £7 to get the K100d back unrepaired, is there a second hand market for dead K100Ds
4. Would the repair be worth the £165 due to a 'new' [probably refurbed] board, latest firmware [one hopes] and six month guarantee [probably only on the board though..]
5. Should I just stick with the *istDs?

My main reason for getting a second body is that as an instructor at the local ATC, the youngsters are always keen to take photos on my 'proper' camera, and I would have a spare to hand over whilst keeping one myself.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Andy

Thanks...done...looks much better.

Andy