Thanks, I too hope I will have many years with this camera.

As I recall in my original post I was asking for opinions on the K30 as I had heard and read good things about it. I think I was being open minded about my options at the time, though after some investigation, I quickly determined that the K30 wasn't for me.

And yes, I agree with you that I made the right decision ultimately, as for my needs the K3 is camera nirvana!

Regards...

I'm K3 happy Matty, will you be 645d Mk11 happy?

That looks a stunning image...

I came from the GX10 (KD10 equivalent) to the K5 and I too thought that the K5 images didn't appear to have the same punch as the GX10 images.

It's not that the KD10 or GX10 could produce better images, it came down to the fact that the out-of-box settings are different for each. Within the menu of the K5 are a whole raft of image settings that will allow you to tweak according to what you perceive to be most pleasing to your tastes.

As McGregNi advises above, you need to experiment. You can also use the PDCU software to get instant previews of how the different options; natural, bright, landscape, portrait etc will appear.

Congratulations on your bargain find.

LBA can be a very satisfying pastime in it's own right and particularly gratifying when you score a bargain to boot. (pun intended)

Last week I picked up from ebay a Pentax-F 28mm f2.8 for the princely sum of £24.99 plus postage and it even came with a Hoya uv filter. I thought it might be rubbish at that price but after a clean up it looks excellent.

Sometimes you've just gotta be in the right place at the right time!

P.S. If you're short of a mount I believe Samson is selling a Tamron lens and adaptall-2 PK/A adapter over in classifieds for about £40.00. I've seen these adapters alone go for over £60 on ebay!

I reckon anyone who has already acquired one will say unequivocally YES!

But only you can decide for yourself...

Thank you very much Mr Riley. Have fun I will...

Because cost was simply not a factor in my final decison.

After carefully researching my shortlist I very quickly realised the K30 wasn't what I wanted despite it's attractive price. This left the iis as favourite, but as the release date of the K3 approached and details of it began to surface, it became apparent to me regardless of the then unpublished price that it was everything I needed.

There's a saying; 'penny wise - pound foolish'! This represents a long term investment for me and so making the right choice was more important than trying to save a few pounds now only to be disappointed later. Ultimately money is only as good as what you can swap it for and sometimes what you want is simply more important than what it costs. The K3 is what I wanted and I believe it's worth every penny of what I paid and I feel sure if you took a poll of those who have already invested in the K3 they would agree the same. Satisfaction can be hard to achieve but I'm more than satisfied on this occasion.

Regards...

Well, contrary to what I said above about not buying into a new camera at it's release date, I decided that the K3 was everything I was going to need and so took the plunge and ordered within minutes of it appearing on SRS's website.

Looking back, it's been a frustrating while but I'm sooooo, soooooo glad that I waited until I knew the facts of what the K3 was about before committing myself, and yesterday from the store of Father ChriSRS my new toy arrived and oh what a joy!

For my needs this should last me for years. No measurebating for me or obsessing about noise and sharpness and AF speed and God knows what else, I'm going to enjoy it for what it is, a beautiful camera and stunning piece of Pentax ingenuity and engineering.

Grateful thanks to Doug and his colleagues at SRS for a cracking px deal and excellent service. It was a pleasure to trade with you.

Enjoy your photography everyone, it's a truly wonderful pastime!!!

mmmm very good. Was it easely done???

I believe the DA 50MM F1.8 deal doesn't apply to the K3 purchase!!!