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11-26-2013, 11:36 PM   #1
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Pentax Prices - The Sad Advantage

The more I use my new K-5, the more surprised and saddened I feel that the Pentax brand is kind of an underdog, in the US marketplace, anyway.

My K-5 just seems like such an outstanding value. I mean, I hardly know what I'm doing yet, but I can just tell it's the best and most capable camera I've ever owned. I don't know how or why. And I'm not trying to brag. And even though they just rolled out some newer more better models as I understand it, I think I will be quite content with my obsolete old first iteration K-5 just fine!

But it seems like if you go Pentax, be prepared to commit for the long haul. Because whatever you invest in won't hold its resale value very long. If you quit Pentax and dump your stuff it looks unlikely you'll recoup much of whatever you spent.

But this is also an advantage. For example, a Pentax DSLR like the K-x with a lens goes for evidently just roughly $200! And I often see what look to be older but still decent Pentax lenses for like $35 to $75.

This is just my impression. I could be wrong, like anyone. It's just an impression I have, after seeing so many used Pentax cameras and lenses going for real cheap on eBay.

What is it, brands like Nikon are sort of special like Harleys to people?


Last edited by DavidSKAF3; 11-26-2013 at 11:50 PM.
11-27-2013, 07:13 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
If you quit Pentax and dump your stuff it looks unlikely you'll recoup much of whatever you spent.

And I often see what look to be older but still decent Pentax lenses for like $35 to $75.

This is just my impression. I could be wrong, like anyone. It's just an impression I have, after seeing so many used Pentax cameras and lenses going for real cheap on eBay.
It's true that bodies depreciate. However, good lenses hold a good price. Those low prices are usually for manual-focus, possibly manual-aperture, screw-mount lenses that some people like but many don't.

Last edited by SpecialK; 11-27-2013 at 09:38 PM.
11-27-2013, 07:15 AM   #3
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Pentax glass holds its value nicely. No doubt due to all of the price increases.
11-27-2013, 07:19 AM - 1 Like   #4
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Personally, I tend to buy for the value of an item...to me. What it will do that fits my needs and how durable it will be over time. Investments are in a totally different area of my finances. I wouldn't even consider any Nikon or Canon as a good financial investment, they will go down in value over time too, and a good financial investment will go up.
Once you forget about the "investment" view, you can better enjoy what your gear does for you without guilt that you are losing money.
I have some great stocks that make money...but the don't do photos!

Regards!

BTW- I just read an article on electric cars that shows most of them lose 2/3 of their value in less than 3 years. I have a Jeep Wrangler that is 16 years old and is still worth over a third of it's original sticker price.......but I didn't buy it as an investment, I bought it to use, and will keep using it as long as I am around!

11-27-2013, 07:55 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
What is it, brands like Nikon are sort of special like Harleys to people?
What makes Harley special? Is it the over priced clothing with the logo on them?

The Pentax lenses that sell for cheap today are lenses that sold for cheap when they were new. The lenses that were special, like the A50/1.2, sell for more now than when they were new (adjusted for inflation).

Some of the K series lenses sell for much more than their Takumar equivalents...Like the K55/1.8 and K35/3.5.

Last edited by boriscleto; 11-27-2013 at 08:02 AM.
11-27-2013, 10:22 AM - 1 Like   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
Personally, I tend to buy for the value of an item...to me. What it will do that fits my needs and how durable it will be over time. Investments are in a totally different area of my finances. I wouldn't even consider any Nikon or Canon as a good financial investment, they will go down in value over time too, and a good financial investment will go up.
Once you forget about the "investment" view, you can better enjoy what your gear does for you without guilt that you are losing money.
I bought a Pentax in a pawn shop in 1961. I'm still using Pentax equipment. I have lusted over this or that feature in other brands from time to time, as we all do. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The value to me is what counts, not the value on the street. And my 2002 Toyota Tundra will hang around until an elk decides to commit suicide with it. It starts, it runs, it pulls my trailer, it goes where I want it to when I want it to. I also remember a friend with about the same gear, but in Minolta D mount. I remember his anger when Maxxum made all his equipment obsolete with no upgrade path. Every bit of Pentax equipment I had then is still usable. In fact two of the lenses are in my good books: The M 400/5.6 and the M 100/4 macro. Sure I lust over gear. The K-3 is on my CBA list, for sure. I would swap my DA-L 55-300 for a DA* 60-250 in a heart beat.

It all comes down to my needs vs my wants vs my bank balance. So the K10 will chug along for a while yet, as will the 55-300. And I will still take photos and enjoy sharing them with my friends (who include all on this forum, pretty much).
11-27-2013, 11:40 AM - 1 Like   #7
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Lenses hold their value well. As for bodies, they hold their value just as well as other brands. Nikon's current APS camera is the D7100, its older sibling was the D7000 and it sells for less than 500$ CAD used. Compare it to the K-5 ii if you will, and see how much that camera sells for used.

11-27-2013, 12:38 PM - 1 Like   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
What is it, brands like Nikon are sort of special like Harleys to people?
Nikon and many other brands have been protecting their prices with MAP restrictions for a while. Although they do have sales and deals, their cameras and lenses keep their value because dealer cost is very close to retail and rebates are few and far between. Pentax is starting to do the same: look at the GR, which is still $799 after 7 months of being on the market. As long as there's sufficient demand discounts aren't necessary

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11-27-2013, 07:26 PM - 1 Like   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Canada_Rockies Quote
I bought a Pentax in a pawn shop in 1961. I'm still using Pentax equipment. I have lusted over this or that feature in other brands from time to time, as we all do. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The value to me is what counts, not the value on the street. And my 2002 Toyota Tundra will hang around until an elk decides to commit suicide with it. It starts, it runs, it pulls my trailer, it goes where I want it to when I want it to. I also remember a friend with about the same gear, but in Minolta D mount. I remember his anger when Maxxum made all his equipment obsolete with no upgrade path. Every bit of Pentax equipment I had then is still usable. In fact two of the lenses are in my good books: The M 400/5.6 and the M 100/4 macro. Sure I lust over gear. The K-3 is on my CBA list, for sure. I would swap my DA-L 55-300 for a DA* 60-250 in a heart beat.

It all comes down to my needs vs my wants vs my bank balance. So the K10 will chug along for a while yet, as will the 55-300. And I will still take photos and enjoy sharing them with my friends (who include all on this forum, pretty much).
I agree with you. I've been down a similar road. Bought my first Pentax, a S1a, back in '68. I still have it and my M42 Pentax screw mount lenses. Bought the adaptor....when I married my wife, who happened to have a K1000. BTW...the fact that my wife already had a K1000...wasn't the only reason I married her.

Still have my ES 11...still works, as does the S1a.

I almost went Nikon in 2007 when I switched from film to digital. But the fact that I had a wonderful 35-105 F 3.5 Macro zoom Pentax A lens....and also that the K10D came out ...well the old lens...which I still wanted to use and the K10D...which I wanted over a Nikon D200...kept me in the Pentax fold.

I've never sold any of my Pentax gear...so resale value doesn't mean anything to me. I just keep on using it.

I've gone into other systems...in 1984 for example....when I bought my Mamiya TLR medium format....with 3 Mamiya-Sekor lenses...or '81 when I bought my old Leica rangefinder...or '11...when I bought my Canon G 12 and 430 Canon flash.

In the end, although I've been tempted I feel most comfortable with Pentax gear, so I've stayed with Pentax through thick and thin. Hopefully the 'thin' years are ended ...now with Ricoh in the driver's seat.
11-27-2013, 07:59 PM - 1 Like   #10
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As a new Pentax user I find deals to be had on older glass (lenses people bought in the film era) as there are a lot of people who assume that "film" equipment has minimal value in a digital age. That is not always the case though. There seem to be 2 kinds of sellers and 2 kinds of buyers with older Pentax lenses. The patient seller who "knows" the value of the glass and waits for the right buyer who happens to want that lens "right now". The other would be the seller who assumes the film glass has little value and it gets sold to the patient buyer who thought they'd buy that piece of glass as they heard good things and for the price, this was a can't miss buy.
I've picked up the following lenses for what I consider to be good prices.
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4 Avg price $81.21 per pentaxforums.com
SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 Avg price $40.95 per pentaxforums.com
paid $50 for the pair


SMC Pentax-M 50mm F2.0 Avg price $24.73 per pentaxforums.com
paid $5.99 at goodwill

SMC Pentax 400mm F5.6 Avg price $412.00 per pentaxforums.com
paid $220

SMC Pentax-FA 28-70mm F4 AL Avg price $83.05 per pentaxforums.com
SMC Pentax-FA 100-300mm F4.7-5.8 Avg price $108.13 per pentaxforums.com
paid $50 with a film camera

Vivitar MC Tele Converter 2x-22
$4.99

I have yet to find a good deal on any used "digital era" glass that is better then what I already have though.
11-27-2013, 08:52 PM - 1 Like   #11
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I got my first OEM Pentax camera in 1977 and used school Spotmatics in the late 60's.

Since then I've bought and sold virtually every 35mm Pentax camera and most of the lenses (all of the manual focus lenses) I ever lusted over but couldn't afford when I was younger. About fifteen years ago I had the bright idea to put a sum of money into second-hand lenses and bodies, use them for a while, sell them off and buy something else. My only costs - that is the actual losses I have encountered doing this - have been limited to the CLA I've paid for on every camera body I've tried. The CLA just doesn't seem to be saleable.

By my own count I've had 26 different bodies and 87 different M42 and K-mount lenses since 1999 when I joined eBay. Of that number I've sold 19 bodies and 68 lenses. My K-01 and K10D have depreciated significantly, but I haven't sold them and my FA and DA lenses have actually increased in resale value versus what I paid for them new.

My Q's were pocket change, much less than a phone or tablet. The only truly expensive items I've bought in terms of (little) use versus (big) dollars are the K for Q Converter and the Q06 lens.

I might add a K5IIs now, or wait and buy the FF when it comes if it works well with legacy MF lenses. Or I might just get a K3 and admit it is a better camera than I am a photographer, but I've never felt I lost any money on Pentax.

I guess it is a matter of perspective.
11-27-2013, 09:28 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Nikon and many other brands have been protecting their prices with MAP restrictions for a while. Although they do have sales and deals, their cameras and lenses keep their value because dealer cost is very close to retail and rebates are few and far between. Pentax is starting to do the same: look at the GR, which is still $799 after 7 months of being on the market. As long as there's sufficient demand discounts aren't necessary
Thanks for your insights as always.

What is MAP?
11-27-2013, 09:32 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
Thanks for your insights as always.

What is MAP?
minimum advertised price (some jokingly call it "maximum assured pricing")

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11-27-2013, 09:34 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
I got my first OEM Pentax camera in 1977 and used school Spotmatics in the late 60's.

Since then I've bought and sold virtually every 35mm Pentax camera and most of the lenses (all of the manual focus lenses) I ever lusted over but couldn't afford when I was younger. About fifteen years ago I had the bright idea to put a sum of money into second-hand lenses and bodies, use them for a while, sell them off and buy something else. My only costs - that is the actual losses I have encountered doing this - have been limited to the CLA I've paid for on every camera body I've tried. The CLA just doesn't seem to be saleable.

By my own count I've had 26 different bodies and 87 different M42 and K-mount lenses since 1999 when I joined eBay. Of that number I've sold 19 bodies and 68 lenses. My K-01 and K10D have depreciated significantly, but I haven't sold them and my FA and DA lenses have actually increased in resale value versus what I paid for them new.

My Q's were pocket change, much less than a phone or tablet. The only truly expensive items I've bought in terms of (little) use versus (big) dollars are the K for Q Converter and the Q06 lens.

I might add a K5IIs now, or wait and buy the FF when it comes if it works well with legacy MF lenses. Or I might just get a K3 and admit it is a better camera than I am a photographer, but I've never felt I lost any money on Pentax.

I guess it is a matter of perspective.
Thanks for your sharing your experience and informed insights!

What is CLA?
11-27-2013, 10:26 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
Thanks for your sharing your experience and informed insights!

What is CLA?
Clean, Lubricate and Adjust. Just like a tune up on your car.
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