Tom M Loc: 77429

You can pick up a used K3 body for <$500 now, which is an incredible bargain! It really has a quality feel in your hands, with its magnesium alloy body (doesn't just claim to have, like some) and solid, comfortable grip. All of your old Pentax lenses will benefit from the in-body stabilization. I set up one of the user defined modes for my old SMC Pentax-M lenses, which makes it very easy to use. The Pentax-A and any of the auto focus lenses (body has motor for screw-drive lenses) can be used in any of the semi auto modes (or manual), and including P and I think Auto mode, too.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Seems you sadly got a lemon. I have a Pentax Spotmatic from the early 1970's that still works fine. Perhaps why I always buy "flag ship" models of digital cameras, not consumer grade. I've owned at least 13 Pentax SLR and DSLR cameras and the only "failure" has been a de-silvering mirror in one of those crappy Hoya Chinese Pentax K1000 cameras. The original Japanese made Asahi Pentax K1000 are great. My K-5 has upwards of 55,000 exposures on it and it is still fine.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Same here, my Asahi Pentax K2 DMD body has been my Film workhorse and when I shoot 35mm film it will continue to be. I use most of my film lenses for my Pentax DSLRs as well. I also have several "digital" lenses.

jburlinson Loc: Austin, TX

My Pentax journey has been a bit odd. I started with the K100d, then the Samsung GX-10 (same as Pentax K10), then Pentax K30, then Pentax K5iis. A new camera every 2 or 3 years, pretty much. Each was a step "up" in megapixels and functionality. Now my latest Pentax is the KS2 -- which has been called "entry level". So -- a step backwards? Not in my opinion. It gives me everything I want including an articulating lcd, which is a lifesaver in that I don't have to get down on the ground for those special shots -- which means I don't have to haul myself up off the ground.

I've thought long and hard about the K-1, but have decided I really don't need to shell out an extra $1K -- no matter how good a value it is compared with other full-frame cameras. I'm not a pro, and what I get from APS-c is plenty good. When I master the crop sensor, then it'll be time to consider full-frame. But I might need another lifetime for that.

You might consider the K-70, which I'd prefer over the KP. At any rate, Pentax is more than viable. It's still best value, IMO.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Go with Pentax. You have a lot of the infrastructure and are familiar with their ergonomics. A change of brand at this point would not be a smart move.

Unclehoss

I started my Pentax journey in high school (the only brand my uncle used). I added lenses to the corall (all manual lense), added an ME body and inherited my uncles collection of lenses(all manual) and bodies. Several years ago wanting to go digital, I found a 35mm Canon at a pawn shop with some lenses. Knowing those lenses would change over to digital and jumped from Pentax to Canon. I have worked and worked to try and get comfortable with Canon's system and images and have started to consider going back to the Pentax and old lenses. I can as you can, upgrade to autofocus lenses as budget allows.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

You have been told partial truth and your response can lead to confusion.

(1) Your K-50 is not a paperweight. What fails is the auto aperture control - the thing that differentiated KA-mount from K-mount. It could still be used with at least some lenses with manual aperture ring ... and there are lots of them out there. Yes, you lose the automation ... you have to set aperture, take an extra step to get right metering, and manually focus, but that is definitely not a "paperweight".

(2) There is a company out in California that fixes this issue for something like $100 + shipping.

(3) No failures have been reported with the K-70 so far - there is a possibility that Pentax changed their parts supplier - but if you're concerned about this issue you can get a KP, which has the same aperture control as the K-7, K-5, K-3 families, and this issue has never ever been reported with one of them. The K-70 is under $500 while the KP is roughly $900.

added: Any brand can have issues. I am a low volume shooter, so it took me seven years to accomplish this, but I had two Canon Rebels in a row die on me with a total shutter count of under 5000, and each had been demonstrating processor issues before it died.

Pentax cameras are not Waterproof, but almost all {including the K-70 and KP} are Weather Resistant, so I am quite willing to carry my K-30 around in rain or threat of rain ... I always had to bundle up my Rebels at the first hint of rain, but now my camera puts up with what I put up with {remembering that vigorous zoom activity could suck some of that water into the system.



I think the silver KP is really "cool" looking. When I retire my K-30, that is what I'm going to get.

lsaguy Loc: Udall, KS, USA

To hold down paper or not depends on what I bought the camera for. I did not buy it to be tethered to a tripod, which it is now. It is still usable, I took the photo below after I installed the floor boards in the rear of my friend's airplane. As I recall it is a 1.3 second exposure. I arrived at that by trial and error. I take a picture, look at it on the LCD and decide if it needs more light. It has been great for expanding my understanding of how a correct exposure is arrived at, which is good, but not so much if I want to take a shot of my dogs playing, catch a candid moment with my 3 year old granddaughter, or a buddy doing a low pass on our runway on a sunny afternoon.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

That depends on the width of DoF you work with and your skill at manual focusing. Most of the pictures I take today are no more difficult than the ones I took using my manual focusing Pentax Super Program I purchased in 1983. I still use that camera on occasion - in fact it shares lenses with the K-30 I purchased in 2015 - and I find manual focusing with the K-30's "focus confirmation" to be slightly easier than manual focusing with the Super Program's "split prism"

But all this discussion is off topic - I mentioned these options for your benefit. There is absolutely no evidence that current production Pentax cameras at any price level have these problems, and the KP, very reasonably priced at $900, has the upper-scale mechanism which has never had issues.

digit-up Loc: Flushing, Michigan

I have been a PENTAXIAN since Vietnam 68-69, and I don't regret it one bit. I have through the years owned "other brands, but I'm devoted .. You don't need too buy the best pentax/ digital body, actually you would do well to stay with PENTAX, but....I have now four digital pentax's. including a K-1(love it) but you don't need to spend that much. Any recent pentax digital would convince you that "you're with the right brand.. K-3 K-5 K-7 and, actually the pentax K-S2 is just fantastic. If you must be FRUGAL, get a used Pentax DIGITAL. Even their newer lenses are a great value. JUST my thoughts. Enjoy RJM

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I did some more research to be absolutely certain of my facts. Last week I purchased an FA 28-70mm lens, which was part of the series of lenses Pentax produced near the end of the film era. It does AF on my K-30 {or your K-50}; it has an aperture ring, allowing me {or you} to set the aperture on the lens, and then shoot in 'M' mode ... I {or you} would have to take one extra step - so-called "green button metering" to determine the appropriate shutter speed - but there is absolutely no reason to play "too hot, too cold" in getting exposure correct. Since it is AF, as long as the dogs, grand-daughter, or air plane doesn't enter an area of radically different light, there is nothing that would prevent you from taking pictures of them even now.

Doug B.

I did finally purchase a Pentax K3 and am I glad I did. I absolutely love this camera and combined with my old lenses, I got a hell of a deal! Now that I am retired, I have a rekindled hobby just waiting for me. Started my photography in the early 70's with a Pentax MX which I still own and it works great! Thanks for all the suggestions and good luck shooting!

Doug B.
Cadott, WI

BebuLamar

The K1 makes sense. The K1 doesn't lose value that much on the used market. The original K1 is still selling for over $1000 while the K1 ii can be had brand new for less than $2000.
Other Pentax besides the K1 would be less than the MX.

Bison Bud

Good luck with your new/used K3! I've been shooting one for about 3 years now and have been very pleased with it, especially for the $400.00 bucks I spent on it from B&H. It was received in like new condition without a mark on it and only a couple thousand shutter actuations, basically a new camera. With features like a weather resistant, magnesium alloy frame, pro level shutter longevity, 24 megapixel sensor, on board stabilization that works with any lens, true penta-prism optical viewfinder, dual SD slots, built-in flash, and the ability to use my film era K-1000 lenses, it has proved to be an excellent choice for me. The only negative I have would be it's low light performance, as it gets noisy pretty quickly after 800 iso, but I've learned to deal with it. The auto focus is also a bit quirky at times, but overall it's adequate for me and my older lenses are manual focus anyway. In any case, I think you will find your K3 to be a fine tool, at a very reasonable price, and I hope you enjoy it for a long time to come. Good luck and good shooting to all.

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Yes - the K1 (or if your budget is limited, the KP).