Cars tend to have a mileage limit as well as a time limit on warranty, but that's another issue altogether.

I think when Louise has actually phoned SRS to voice her concerns we should start to see how this will unfold for her. Hopefully some compromise will be reached with Pentax, depending of course on what the actual fault is.

There are three 55-300mm lenses now, all APS-C format.

SMC version is the original, HD version is WR and has updated coatings, the new one is retractable and has an electronic aperture control that is KAF4 mount. This needs the K-70 or a very recent body that has updated firmware. K-1 and K-3 II and I think K-S2 are usable.

Also bear in mind that all marques have their own quirks and problem models, so the grass is definitely not greener. The last survey I saw showed that Pentax was top of the leaugue for reliability. Reliability is never 100% though.

I'm sure that some older lenses will be superb on the K-1, others will be OK and some may well be under par, just because they were not designed with digital sensor requirements in mind. Wide angles won't be telecentric (parallel light rays exitng the back of the lens) so may in some cases deliver light rays too oblique at the edges. Telephoto designs, especially the higher grade lenses, should be fine.

This will equally apply to all marques.

The advantage is that we have Pentax lenses we can use without limitations on function and many of them will be perfectly up to the job. We can then make corrections in software that were impossible on film, so the prospect seems good enough to me.

Just one point. Nigel, the 20-35mm lens was never a "budget" lens, it was part of the mainstream lenses.

The concept of "budget" lenses existed in the 1970s to a limited degree, and usually meant third party lenses. Marque lenses were all of a standard, the only exception being a lower cost 50mm to fit on economy bodies. Even then, for a few years the 50mm f/2 would simply have been a 50mm f/1.8 with a baffle fitted inside to restrict the maximum aperture. It was all about perception.

There did appear some Star lenses, but these were long telephotos at huge, professional, prices. Eventually we also got a range of lower cost K mount lenses, which resurrected the Takumar name to set them apart. They were of simpler construction, but still very good lenses.

Thanks to LennyBloke I now have an SMC Pentax-FA 20-35mm f/4 lens, full frame. This is quite compact, especially when compared with the new 15-30mm! I was doing a photoshoot tonight in the Bolton Steam Museum, so here's a few images from the 20-35mm.







I'm very pleased with both the super condition of the lens and also the quality of the results. One day I may be able to afford a 15-30mm and go wider, but for now this lens is very satisfactory and a lot more compact too.

Yes it will.

Did you ever phone SRS as we suggested at the start of this thread?

Apart from a goodwill gesture, it could be difficult to claim a free repair after four years. Manufactured items do fail and it would be up to the buyer to prove there was a fault from the start that has meant an early fail of the item. There's a lot of misleading information on the web and it's often more complex than we think. Is four years a reasonable length of time before experiencing a component failure? How long can we expect to receive an item to receive free repairs?

The two year warranty would have been dealt with via the supplier, SRS in this case, and I wouldn't involve another supplier to complicate the process. The six year life thing is something else. The camera hasn't reached the end of its life, it's had a component fail that can be repaired.

My personal choice would have been to approach SRS first and get the camera assessed. If it's fair wear and tear then maybe we have to bite the bullet and pay, maybe a compromise, maybe a gesture of goodwill, who knows until the process is carried through?

Lens safely received, many thanks!

The Pentax 55-300mm lenses are superb optics and can be found at very reasonable prices.

I use one myself, but also the Pentax 75-300mm FA J that's available at an incredible £119 from SRS. Not quite as good as the 55-300mm, but not far off and full frame as well.