Yeah, I think my answer would be somewhat along the same lines.

The feel of a manual focus lens is part of what makes it worthwhile. The fact that you're having to focus the shot yourself makes you pay that much more attention, and perhaps makes you spot something else that you want to highlight within the frame. Also for me using a manual focus lens takes me back to when I was a kid and my dad would let me have a go with his spotmatic - there really is a thrill when you're working a nicely smooth old lens, and the subject pops into focus before you!

There is also the fact that you can buy manual primes for about a tenth of the price of equivalent modern lenses (if they exist!). A few years ago, when I got my first DSLR, my girlfriend was doing a lot of costume design work. Taking pictures of her creations would have been near impossible without the big aperture cheap primes that I could get on the cheap.

Final reason I can think of, it's a nice opportunity to try out focal lengths/lens types that you perhaps wouldn't otherwise consider. I've got a Zenitar 16mm fisheye, great little lens. If I found that I was using it a lot, then perhaps I'd consider going up to the pentax fisheye zoom, otherwise I can say I've scratched that itch and the Zenitar is enough fisheye for me!

Same at the other end of the spectrum with a 400mm lens - sure, i might use it once in a while, but could I justify a small fortune on a Bigma (or something even more outlandish!) - probably not!

Hmm, looks like they've gotten rid of a lot of the switches, I wonder if they're killing off a lot of the higher level features, or if they're making us dive into menus to control remote functions etc.

I hope they fix the crappy battery door cover.

Out of curiosity, what went wrong with the Metz?

I'd guess your best bet might be to take it to SRS, given they're doing the bonus £100 trade in value when you do so- must be at least worth a punt (unless you have another lesser camera you were already planning to trade in!)

When richandfleur PM'd me earlier, I did the decent thing and suggested he order the K-30 with DA WR from Peter Rogers who this morning still had it listed at £439 (less cashback, taking it to £389).
http://shop.peterrogers-photo.co.uk/pr/pentax-k30.htm

Unfortunately they've now put their price up as well- obviously this is good for me as a seller, but not so good for me as a fan of Pentax who wants to see more of them out there!

Anyhow, I'd hope (if I decide to sell) to get around £400 for the K-30 and DA WR lens, which won't be a bad deal for the buyer given it's a way below what they now list for (and the K-30 is still one hell of a camera for the money) and will of course leave me with a bit of extra cash in my pocket.

I know it sounds mercenary, but I think if the price hadn't gone up I wouldn't even be considering selling - it was worth that price to me as a spare - but since it has, I need to seriously consider it.

Hmm.... (rubs hands together with glee and looks at the graph here)

Are you after just the body (it was bought body only) or are you interested in a new DA WR 18-55 to go with it?

I've decided to keep both K-5s (had a good look at the new one, no nasty surprises!), the only real dilemma is whether the K-30 stays or goes.

My Dad actually expressed an interest in getting one of my spares when I was telling him about my bargain K-5, so I ought talk to him first if it is going. He's been to the dark side with a Nikon D3100, but now he's picked up a cheap Pentax Q I think he might be considering a return to the Pentax fold.

Only downside to this is that is I'd feel I ought give him back his K mount lenses! On the plus side, it would mean I could borrow it back in the event of a photographic crisis.

Anyhow, feel free to PM with an offer - I'm usually available to meet in London for inspection etc.

Ah right, that makes a bit more sense then- if they were around for £240 then it's certainly worth considering. It seems SRS's ex-display ones on ebay at £219 have all gone.

It's pretty rare that I use liveview- if focus is struggling I tend to drop to manual focus so that I don't have to shift my position. Don't you find it a little bit of a struggle holding the camera steady without your head (or something else!) to brace against? I only really tend to use liveview when I'm shooting from a wall or tripod or other convenient object!

Perhaps this is something I could try practicing!

I'm struggling a little to see how the K-01 is a better 'cheap' camera than the K-30 I already have?

Functionally, aren't they broadly similar when the K-30 is used in liveview?

Obviously the K-30 has the added benefit of a pentaprism viewfinder, Phase detect autofocus, dual control dials, its waterproof etc. I know the K-30 has gone back up in price, but in a sense that doesn't really matter until I break it in use and have to replace it (by which time who knows what the price will be!)

I suppose I could well put myself up £50+ by selling the K-30 post price rise, plus I could make another £40 ish selling the DA WR lens which is also surplus to requirements, which would just about give me enough to pick up a K-01 with 40mm lens (which I don't already own, so is of at least some interest), but I have to confess I'm struggling to envisage a situation I'd want to take a K-01 out in, rather than one of the two K-5s at home!

Perhaps some kind of ugly liveview camera convention?

I suppose one option I could consider is persuading my sister (who took the K-R off my hands) that she needs a K-30 after all and should give me the K-R back as a cheap body (plus a bit of cash obviously )

Yeah, it certainly makes a lot of sense to have the two bodies the same. I guess it just seems a shame as my storm-trooper white k-30 is so cute and new to me!


Funnily enough, over the past year I think I shot slightly more with the K-R than the K-5. This was because I usually kept my big long zoom mounted on the K-5 (70-200 f2.8 sigma) and a short zoom/prime on the K-R (which didn't really feel sturdy enough for me to want the big lens on it).

I never really regarded it as my less favored or defunct camera, and I think I actually appreciated that the RAW files were quite a bit smaller (12mp 12 bit vs 16mp 14 bit makes for quite a large size difference when archiving to disk, but very little difference in the average print!)



I guess my one niggling concern right now is that I need to check the new K-5 for sensor stains - it came with the 1.01 firmware on it, so there has to be at least a chance it's a vintage of that era, however unlikely it might now seem two years later! Fingers crossed.

Hi All
After using a K-5 and a K-R as a 2 camera team for a while, over Christmas I decided to retire the K-R and replace it with a K-30.

Numerous reasons to do this that I probably don't even need to break down, but here they are anyway:
- Better viewfinder
- Control set that is more similar to the k-5
- A few more megapixels (although I've printed a couple of 24" x 36" posters from the K-R and been very happy so not a big deal!)
- Full HD video, and a few more video features.
- I got the K-30 in white, so it's a bit more visually distinctive - my K-r and K-5 were both black, so psychologically it took and extra moment to register which camera (and control system) I was picking up.

Anyhow, I found myself in John Lewis Oxford St yesterday, and spotted a K-5 in the clearance cabinet- this had apparently been bought, then returned. The price was simply too good to miss. I got it home, ran it through photome, and found it had 16 exposures total on it - literally as new!

So I now find myself in possession of two K-5s and a white K-30.

The question is, do I keep 2 K-5s and get rid of the K-30, do I sell on the new K-5, or do I keep all 3!

You'd think this would be an easy question (keep the K-5s, sell the K-30..) but I do rather like the K-30, it's a little bit lighter to carry around, and it has a few features that the k-5 lacks (although not many!)

I'm by no means a pro photographer, but I am a keen amateur, and I have agreed to photograph my cousin's wedding in the summer.

Discuss!