[vetty]

Hi all,
I have not yet purchased my k5 and would like to know what to look for in a second hand DSLR.

Any advice would be great - thanks!

[elliott]

Really, at Adorama's current price, it makes sense to buy a new one while supplies last. Especially because you can get an extended warranty for $20 to go from 1 year to 3 years. That is what I did.

[Adam]

Really, at Adorama's current price, it makes sense to buy a new one while supplies last. Especially because you can get an extended warranty for $20 to go from 1 year to 3 years. That is what I did.

I second that. Here's the $748 deal ($100 more than a mint used one):
Pentax K5 K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body, Black 14748

If you do buy used, just make sure that it doesn't have any stains (this was only an issue for cameras manufactured in 2010).

[Louicio]

You will be hard pressed to beat B&H or Adorama's new price, as everyone who bought a K5 in the past will have paid more for it and will most likely be trying to sell it for more than it's worth now, trying to not lose money.

[oxidized]

Are you asking for the kind of things to inspect when you first receive it? Assuming this is the question...

1. Check for sensor stains. First use a dust blower on the sensor (wiht the mirror up). Inspect it with a flashlight. There should be very little dust on it. Then shoot a blue sky with a wide angle lens at F22+. Examine the picture. Do you see clusters of black/grey dots? If not, you are fine.

2. Check if the autofocus mechanism works fine (if you want to, you could take your time and test each individual focus point).

3. Test the built in flash/hotshoe

Most other problems (like mirror flops etc) should be pretty obvious when you start using the camera.