Hello again everyone, and I hope everyone is keeping well!

I wrote a few months ago prior to purchasing the Pentax K50 and asked for you opinion.

Well, due to business and family commitments the purchase was put on hold for a few months which finally took place in May.

As I was off on holiday at the beginning of June I was itching to get the camera out and see how it performed.

Now before you kindly read any further, I must stress the following!

I know that many of the criticisms I am about to point out are down to me and not the camera, so please do not think for one second that I am in any way criticizing this fine camera.

Up to now I have been using a Panasonic FMZ 38 Bridge Camera, which always gave pretty fair results. Easy to use with a fantastic zoom facility. The first thing I noticed then when using the Pentax was the lack of zoom from the 18-55 lens. Whereas the Pano could zoom in to fantastic range the Pentax could not compete. And because many of the objects I wanted to capture were a distance away there was no way I could get physically closer.

Being a novice I though I better stick with auto mode until I learn the basics, yet everything seemed so dark, which again against the Pano in automatic mode the Pentax a long way back in second place.

Ok, no perseverance on my behalf maybe, but I put the camera back in the bag after two days and didn’t touch it again for the rest of the holiday.

I'm really not sure if I have bittern off more than I can chew in purchasing this camera, which seems very complicated.

I have the manual that comes with the camera but I am not embarrassed to admit that I don't read instructions that well, you wanna see me try and but flat pack furniture together!

It's a lovely camera, looks good and feels great to hold, but I fear it might be a little too far out of my league.

Hello Everyone,

I really am overwhelmed with the kindness of your responses! Thank you so much.
It's a pity that the retailers cannot be more impartial with the advice they give to beginners and their prospective customers, it really doesn't help their reputation in the long run.
Well you have all certainly all managed to put my mind mind at ease regarding my purchase, I was so pleased to hear that the horror stories I had been hearing were just not true.
I will be over in the Watford area in a couple of weeks time on business so I will, as suggested, make a call at SRS where I will hopefully complete the purchase.
It really was a timely event in finding this Forum, because after all the duff advice I had received during the past few weeks I was set on buying the Nikon this very weekend! Phew, a very timely intervention.
Anyway, really cannot thank everyone enough for their kindness and taking the time to impart such fantastic advice.

Sincerely,

GBR

Hello Everyone,

Well I have just joined and must admit that I already feel like a bit of a fraud because I do not own a camera. However, I have joined this forum in the hope of some unbiased information please.

I am without question a complete beginner, just taking the odd holiday snaps with my Panasonic bridge camera, but promising myself one day to purchase a DLSR and get more in it.

Ok, you can all have a laugh but my fascination is old Railway Stations, Railway Lines and landscapes, and these are the subjects in which I want to develop my skill.

I couple of years ago I picked up a magazine that was doing a review f the Pentax K 50 and it was quite a rave review too. This is the camera for me I thought, and when the time comes this will be my camera of choice.

So some years later I find myself in a position to have enough time now to start putting things into action. So off I trot to the local large camera shop and ask if I could look at the K50? This was immediately greeted with the salesman giving me a grin, “ You don't want to touch that sir, the lenses have very little choice, and the company have gone backwards, what you should go for is the Nikon D5300”. Yes but it has received rave reviews in the magazines, to which he told me that Pentax pay the magazine to give it a good review.

So off to the next largest outlet where again I got a chuckle and story that Pentax were in trouble, there product was far behind that of Nikon and Canon and once again the concern about the lenses was raised.

I want home a very unhappy man but the next day decided I would phone the on line dealers on a national basis. I think I phoned a total of nine during the course of the weekend and every single dealer without exception recommended the Nikon D5300 as being far superior by way of lenses, quality of picture, oh and how noisy the Pentax was in operation. Nobody, suggested that I go for the Pentax.

I still like the look of the K50 and the weather proofing is a fantastic feature, especially as I'm going to be outdoors mostly.

But as I said at the beginning, I am a complete beginner, don't know an F stop from a Iris. I have no idea ho and what to believe, I'm never going to be a professional it's just a casual hobby.

So as you guys are the Pentax users, I just wondered why are all the retailers against me purchasing the K50, in the Nikon D5300 really that superior?

Well hope you don't mind, or to this effect, not offended by my request, and of course I do than you in advance for any help and advice you can give.

Regards,

GBR