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12-22-2012, 06:28 PM   #1
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K-r owners: still happy?

My anti-consumerist philosophy is all about using your tools till they die an honourable death.
This might not be good for the companies who would like us to buy into the latest fad, but it
renders service to certain bygone ideals.

I am no professional and my demands when it comes to camera gear are moderate in nature.
I have been tempted to upgrade from K-r to K30 or K5, but I am content with the performance
of my K-r and therefore I shall withstand the temptation.

So, how many among you intend to continue shooting with the K-r for many more years to come?
And are there those here who have much older DSLR models still in service?

Dom

12-22-2012, 06:41 PM   #2
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I had a K100D up until a month ago, that body is going on 7 years old, I only bought the K-5 because it was a good deal and wanted to get a new one before they were all gone.

Getting a new body won't necessarily improve your photos, most people never hit the limit of what their gear can do before upgrading. If the K-r does what you need, stick with it, it is a great body.
12-22-2012, 07:55 PM   #3
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2 yr old Kr.... 17,000+ clicks and still going. The siren song of a new body hasn't won over me yet ( don't ask about the drawer full of glass though )
12-22-2012, 08:01 PM - 1 Like   #4
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I upgraded to a K30 but only because I shoot a lot of sports and TAV mode has come in really handy for that. Other than that, the Kr (still own it) can do everything I need to do 99 percent of the time I shoot.

12-22-2012, 08:25 PM   #5
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I still have my *ist DS bought in 2005. By the time I upgraded to the K-7, the DS was worth more to me than the used value. When I pick it up, I have to adjust to the controls and features it doesn't have, but photos are fine.

I bought my brother a K-r from a forum member a few months ago and he thinks it's great. He used his *ist DL until it died, and the K-r was only 50% more than a repair. I did his research and the K-r was perfect for him. I expect he will continue to use that until it dies.

I can see being tempted by the controls of the newer cameras, but I don't think image quality is going to get better enough to upgrade for just that (assuming no problems). Features and controls will always be added to newer models anyway. If you resist the K-30 or whatever, the replacement will have some feature that everyone wants. Wait out a coplue of generations and the upgrade will be spectacular, not "why did I upgrade to get the same shots?"
12-22-2012, 08:38 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Just1MoreDave Quote
I can see being tempted by the controls of the newer cameras, but I don't think image quality is going to get better enough to upgrade for just that (assuming no problems). Features and controls will always be added to newer models anyway. If you resist the K-30 or whatever, the replacement will have some feature that everyone wants. Wait out a coplue of generations and the upgrade will be spectacular, not "why did I upgrade to get the same shots?"
I think it depends on the type of shooting you do. For me, TAV mode and the better ISO (I've found it to be enough of an improvement over the Kr) made it a worthy investment. If you don't do a lot of indoor shooting then it's probably best to wait for whatever comes after the K30. Either way, both are great cameras.
12-22-2012, 08:58 PM   #7
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I generally subscribe to that theory and was intending to stick with my K-x until it died. In theory I was going to by more glass over that time.

Well I still have the K-x (around 30K clicks) but somehow it went off the rails when I saw such a great deal on the K-5 and ended up buying.
Even though my plan went off the rails a bit, I'm not regretting it! Since I have had the K-5 I been trying new things with great enthusiasm (a bit revitalised if you like). Exposure is better than on my K-x (saving time and getting a better hit rate for those catch the moment snaps), I find manual focussing with my old lenses easier (my eyes are not as sharp as they were) and really enjoying the interval shooting mode!

12-22-2012, 09:34 PM   #8
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My plan is to stay with it until it no longer meets my needs. I'd rather buy a lens than a new body at this point. I still have plenty to learn and so far I haven't run into a situation that I couldn't handle with my K-r. Photography is my escape and not a career so I'm not looking for things it can't do yet. I still have working film bodies I could use if I could afford to buy and process film.
12-22-2012, 09:38 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I have both the K-r and K-5, and have been happy with both. I am happier with the K-5 only for the fact that it has about an extra stop of high ISO performance with the dual e-dials and weather sealing. The other bonuses the K-5 has over the K-r aren't deal-breakers for me.
12-22-2012, 11:04 PM   #10
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I have had my K-r for 2 years now and plan on using it until the next APS-C Pentax comes out, then I will upgrade. However, I plan on keeping the K-r as a light, small package or give to the girlfriend.... who is still using her K100D from 2007
12-23-2012, 08:17 AM   #11
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I'm happy with my K-r after a year of use. That does not mean however, that I don't drool over the idea of getting a K-5IIs. Keep in mind that when I purchased my Super Program back in the 1980's, I likewise drooled over the LX. I didn't get it for the same reason I may never own a version of the K-5 ... it isn't that the camera will necessarily make my photos better; rather its controls are more convenient for types of photography I don't do everyday.
12-23-2012, 08:38 AM   #12
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I have both a K-r and K-5 as well. My wife uses the K-r much more so than I do now. She likes it so much that it has replaced her Canon G-9 as her go-to camera. I have always liked it as well. I can't say that I have had any problems with it either. Maybe an occasional focus issue in indoor low light, but even that is infrequent. I replaced the focusing screen with the Canon S-type and it is a lot of fun to manual focus.
12-23-2012, 10:11 AM   #13
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I upgraded to a K-30 and planned to sell my K-r, but now I think I'll keep it. Besides sentimental value as my first DSLR, it will be great to have as a backup should anything happen to the K-30. Also, it is significantly lighter and smaller. The K-r is a fantastic camera, but the K-30 is just better in every way.
12-23-2012, 10:26 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Dean31 Quote
I just sold my Kr because of the focusing problem. I might leave Pentax altogether after reading the K5 has similar issues. I can't afford the K5II or K5IIS. The K30 looks ok, but I've read it's even louder than the Kr and given all the Pentax focusing issues, I'm just leery and now considering ditching all my Pentax stuff for Canon or Nikon. Any reason to stay with Pentax?
Like I said, I have both a K-r and a K-5. I never have experienced significant AF issues with K-5 and only very infrequently on the K-r. I don't have any other brands to compare them to, but some people think that Pentax AF is not up to par with others like Nikon. I really can't comment on it except to say that I am not a professional photographer that relies on AF. For my purposes Pentax AF is fine. Some people that post frequently here achieve outstanding K-5 AF on such demanding things such as sports. You might want to search the threads for pics if you haven't seen them already.

I could be wrong but I don't think that the shutter on the K-30 is louder than the one on the K-r. The WR body construction is different from the non WR body of the K-r. That in and of itself probably dampens the shutter sound somewhat. Some people have commented to that affect anyway.

All that said, the Nikon D600 full frame can be had for a very decent price right now. It will still cost a bit more than a K-5, K-5II, or K-5IIs though.
12-23-2012, 11:04 AM   #15
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Count me lucky, but I have never had an issue with AF indoors on my K-r.

I did however have the e-dial die after 18 months ownership. In Canada we have 2 year Pentax warranty. It was shipped away for free, sent back to me free, and only gone about 3 weeks. It came back updated with firmware, cleaned, and ready to go. Not too upset about the e-dial issue, every manufacturer has issues. (Canon t4i burning skin, tainted meat, any vehicle....)
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