as in, K100D, K110D, K10D

The K series to me still means K1000, KM, KX, K2, then I came to mention the new digitals and realised I had a designation crisis lol

Basically I went Pentax because my Dad has been shooting Pentax since the K1000 came out (he has one of the first few in this country, in near mint condition despite its years of service).

When I started thinking about my big family present for my 18th birthday all I could come up with was a really good camera. My family offered me film or digital and I'm glad I went for film since at that time there were no DSLRs to speak of, certainly none in our price range. My Dad picked me out an MZ-7 with twin lenses (28-80 and 80-320). It's a kit which will always hold a dear place in my heart and though all three pieces are now a outclassed by other items in my collection I will never sell any part of it.


Between Dad and I we have one example of every range of Pentax cameras since the K1000 except for the K series digitals. We also have a vast array of Pentax lenses. I would need a VERY good offer before I'd think about switching systems. I love the way I can borrow the 55 F1.8 from Dads K1000 and mount it on my *ist DL2 knowing that it will work in every way that matters, and equally putting my FA 80-320 on the K1000 works perfectly.

Yeah I know, they aren't really usable, but the camera body is lovely with any other lens on it. The finder even tells you which way to turn the lens to achieve focus (same as the SFX, but dropped from Z series on).

if you ever come to sell one of those lenses drop me a line! I'd like to get hold of one at some point to "complete the set" so to speak.

I have at least one example of every series (note series not model) of Pentax SLR since the K1000, and I can honistly say they are ALL superb.

You actually can't go wrong.

Overall if I had to pick one, I'd go for the ME-F. An ME-Super with focus confirmation (technically it has AF, but it only works with one lense and those are rarer than hens teeth so it might as well just be electronic focus confirmation.)

For an AF body I'd say MZ-7 or MZ-6, maybe MZ-5 if you like the knobly dials aproach to settings. New enough to have really good metering and focussing, but old enough to be fully compatible with every lens ever made and to allow proper aperture ring support.

Campkins were very helpful to me when I bought my K10D. Not much Pentax stock in most of the time, but a decent display of 2nd hand gear and they'll order anything you want. Prices not quite as good as SRS though.

and there we are, final proof that you can't tar them all with the same brush. To be fair there is at least one guy each in the Nottingham and Cambridge branches who know what they are talking about.

Never go into the Aylesbury branch though, most of them in there don't know which end of a camera to look through.

it's probably worth baring in mind that my example of the F 70-210 is from ebay with unknown heritage. It seems in good condition but who knows what it has suffered. That said, it has always been my opinion that the 50-200 IS a very fine lens. I think it has more consumer oriented optics than the 70-210. That is, it may not be quite as sharp but it is more contrasty and the colours have a bit more punch. A photo taken with the 50-200 is often more immediately pleasing from the camera, while the 70-210 may well produce a shot with more potential for editing and improvement.

LOL thats a good one, becomes rather a lot harder to argue that it's worth it when the filter is nearly the price of the lens.


I don't know if anyone is interested since I know I'm rather late to this party, but I've tested the F 70-210 and DA 50-200 side by side. My subjective opinion is that the 70-210 is oh so fractionally sharper while the 50-200 is more contrasty.

My Dad and I both tested them and came to the same conclusions and oposite decisions. I kept my 50-200 because I value it's size and weight. I have an 80-320 for when I want long tele, the 50-200 is a small lens to carry "just in case" when traveling light.

My Dad prefers the handling of the 70-210 and rarely uses more than 200 anyway. He also says the focusing is better with the F series lens, and on his *istDL2 every ounce of extra focusing speed is worth having. My K10D doesn't struggle with either lens.

I don't know about the others, but I only paid £230 for my Dimage Scan Dual IV brand new!

A quick froogle shows only 2 stores still selling them, both at £240.

really? interesting. Might be worth the extra for the fact that it doesn't void the warrenty!