Getting a second body

*sharko* · 06-22-2008, 11:07 PM

So I am going to get a K200d to supplement my K10D as a secondary/backup body...are there going to be any annoying differences? I mostly shoot portraits and scenery in av and manual mode. Do any other K10 owners have a K200 as well?

Confused · 06-23-2008, 05:22 AM

Hi sharko

So I am going to get a K200d to supplement my K10D as a secondary/backup body...are there going to be any annoying differences?

Well, the lack of a bright pentaprism viewfinder, second E-dial and Sv mode immediately spring to mind !

Best regards
Richard

*pentagor* · 06-23-2008, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by sharko

So I am going to get a K200d to supplement my K10D as a secondary/backup body...are there going to be any annoying differences? I mostly shoot portraits and scenery in av and manual mode. Do any other K10 owners have a K200 as well?

If I were you, I'd consider two other options:

1. Go for a K20D and have a K10D for a backup.
2. Get a K100D Super for a backup. High ISO performance is something I would miss very much!

Lowell Goudge · 06-23-2008, 05:41 AM

If you are going for a second body and already own the K10D, I would not take the K200, I don't see it offering enough to you, if you only want 10MP take a second K10, if you want higher resolution get a K20. Which ever you do will be better due tocontrols and use of things like the grip.

If you don't want to spend a lot, and want similar controls plus superior metering and TTL flash with old lenses get an *istD

*sharko* · 06-23-2008, 11:08 AM

Thanks for the advice...looks like I'm going to have to save up for a little more and get the K20 since I don't want to sell myself short. Seems like the k200 is missing continuous focusing mode as well and I would definitely love higher ISO performance.

I do have another question...I probably take around 200 shots a week a lot of the time and thought that a second body would increase the longevity of both cameras as I keep hearing that the K10 is only rated to about 100,00 shots. Does the camera all of a sudden just die when that happens?

brothereye · 06-23-2008, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by sharko

Thanks for the advice...looks like I'm going to have to save up for a little more and get the K20 since I don't want to sell myself short. Seems like the k200 is missing continuous focusing mode as well and I would definitely love higher ISO performance.

I do have another question...I probably take around 200 shots a week a lot of the time and thought that a second body would increase the longevity of both cameras as I keep hearing that the K10 is only rated to about 100,00 shots. Does the camera all of a sudden just die when that happens?

I think you'll be happier with the K20D(or even with a second K10D). I have a K10D, K100D, and *ist DS. While I like them all, the control differences between the K10D and K100D can leave me hunting for a control from time to time. I may take the K10D and one of the others with different lenses mounted on them so I can easily switch lenses without actually having to change lenses, and I will sometimes find myself hitting the auto-bracket button on the K10D when I'm trying to activate the flash, or change the aperture in manual when I'm trying to change shutter-speed.

I don't think bodies especially die immediately when they hit their rated number of actuations. I think the numbers are based on testing and calculating a MTBF number, which basically says that, on average you can expect that many cycles to be the lifespan. But it's still based on an average of a small sample, so some units may die a little sooner or a little later while a few units may die a lot sooner or a lot later.

Lowell Goudge · 06-23-2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by sharko

I probably take around 200 shots a week a lot of the time and thought that a second body would increase the longevity of both cameras as I keep hearing that the K10 is only rated to about 100,00 shots. Does the camera all of a sudden just die when that happens?

To be honest, who cares.

No offence intended but, Your shooting indicates 10K shots per year, and the camera will last 10 years.

In ten years, when we have 100,000 MP cameras with an ISO range from 10 to 100,000 with no noise issues at all, and the capability to shoot with an electronic shutter at 1000 frames per second, until the 1TB memory card is full

DO you really want to be shooting a museum piece at that time?

Your camera will outlast its usefulness as technology moves forward, I wouldn't worry about it/

*hwblanks* · 06-23-2008, 12:48 PM

I've been thinking along similar lines--either...
...get a K100 Super as a second body to my K10 or...
use the money that I would've spent on the K100 Super, as well as the proceeds from the sale of my K10D to put towards the K20. For a backup camera, I could always get a P&S with RAW capability.

It'll be a while before I make a final decision, as I want to finish out my lens kit first. By then (most likely early next year), it may be a whole new ballgame once Pentax introduces any new models at Photokina.

We'll see...
Heather

brothereye · 06-23-2008, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell Goudge

To be honest, who cares.

No offence intended but, Your shooting indicates 10K shots per year, and the camera will last 10 years.
.
.
.

Personally, I think there is still life left in the 6mp *ist DS and K100D. Even though the *ist DS is a few years old and they've both been superceded by the K200D, it doesn't make them incapable of producing good images. There a people who bought an *ist D when they first came out and still haven't upgraded yet.

Even so, new camera purchases aren't always about broken equipment, many people want to(although they may not need to) upgrade their equipment, even though it works fne.

Personally, I might take 8-10,000 exposures in a year,(if I'm lucky) so I don't worry over it. Even if we're talking a 4 year lifespan, I'm pretty sure I'll WANT to upgrade before then.

iamweasel · 06-23-2008, 05:20 PM

The K100D was my first DSLR camera and I was planning (after six months of buying my K100D) to sell it once I get the K10D or a K20D. Short for money, the "cant-wait-to-get-another-pentax" mentality and with the help of the tips/advices of the excellent people at this forum I bought my K10D and never regretted it. I now use my K10D as my primary and K100D as by backup. Since I love to experiment with different lenses, I usually end up taking two cameras everytime i feel trigger happy.

Next year might be a better time to get my K20D. Have to avoid that "look" my wife gave me when she saw my new K10D.

*sharko* · 06-23-2008, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell Goudge

To be honest, who cares.

No offence intended but, Your shooting indicates 10K shots per year, and the camera will last 10 years.

In ten years, when we have 100,000 MP cameras with an ISO range from 10 to 100,000 with no noise issues at all, and the capability to shoot with an electronic shutter at 1000 frames per second, until the 1TB memory card is full

DO you really want to be shooting a museum piece at that time?

Your camera will outlast its usefulness as technology moves forward, I wouldn't worry about it/

No worries none taken

Thanks for putting it into perspective. I have about 6K shots taken in the 8 months I've had the K10d so that sounds about right, which is a relief to say the least.

Originally Posted by iamweasel

The K100D was my first DSLR camera and I was planning (after six months of buying my K100D) to sell it once I get the K10D or a K20D. Short for money, the "cant-wait-to-get-another-pentax" mentality and with the help of the tips/advices of the excellent people at this forum I bought my K10D and never regretted it. I now use my K10D as my primary and K100D as by backup. Since I love to experiment with different lenses, I usually end up taking two cameras everytime i feel trigger happy.

Next year might be a better time to get my K20D. Have to avoid that "look" my wife gave me when she saw my new K10D.

"cant-wait-to-get-another-pentax" is exactly the way I feel haha. It does make more sense to just go ahead and get an upgrade and use my current K10 as a backup.

*Mechan1k* · 06-25-2008, 01:51 AM

I was looking at another cheaper lower model body as a backup ... but kept seeing K10Ds around at decent prices all over the place ... in the end I just decided to get a 2nd K10D.

I am happy with both bodies and in the end think it was a wise decision ... the other good thing is ... being same models I don't have to keep adjusting to different features, etc.