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06-14-2015, 02:04 PM   #1
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Pentax K3 Bundle or Gunmetal body + lens separately?

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Hi all,

I have been researching extensively from past two weeks and have decided on buying Pentax K-3. I will be ordering it in few days. I need some guidance regarding this.

a) I came across an Amazon Pentax K-3 bundle page which contains Pentax K-3 body, Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL WR Zoom Lens + Pentax SMC Pentax DA 50-200mm and other accessories such as wide lens, tripod, memory card and so on. Is it wise to buy from different store other than well established stores like B&H or Adorama and so on?

b) I don't know why, Gunmetal body finish is very appealing to me. My heart says, buy this body and build on lens slowly. Then again, if I calculate Gunmetal body+ above two lenses, it will cost more than the above deal. I also miss out other accessories which I will have invest later.

Which one to go far? What lenses do you suggest for portrait/landscape/wildlife photography?

Background : I'm a newbie when it comes to DSLR but always had a passion for photography. I've been waiting for this time for more than 4 years where I can actually afford a DSLR and shoot to my content. So, I want my investment to be worth it and feel good.

I'm all ears now. Thanks in advance

06-14-2015, 02:59 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by indianswift Quote
Hi all,

I have been researching extensively from past two weeks and have decided on buying Pentax K-3. I will be ordering it in few days. I need some guidance regarding this.

a) I came across an Amazon Pentax K-3 bundle page which contains Pentax K-3 body, Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL WR Zoom Lens + Pentax SMC Pentax DA 50-200mm and other accessories such as wide lens, tripod, memory card and so on. Is it wise to buy from different store other than well established stores like B&H or Adorama and so on?

b) I don't know why, Gunmetal body finish is very appealing to me. My heart says, buy this body and build on lens slowly. Then again, if I calculate Gunmetal body+ above two lenses, it will cost more than the above deal. I also miss out other accessories which I will have invest later.

Which one to go far? What lenses do you suggest for portrait/landscape/wildlife photography?

Background : I'm a newbie when it comes to DSLR but always had a passion for photography. I've been waiting for this time for more than 4 years where I can actually afford a DSLR and shoot to my content. So, I want my investment to be worth it and feel good.

I'm all ears now. Thanks in advance
The prestige edition certainly looks interesting, but I would recommend going for the black K-3 body, 18-135mm, and adding some starter primes to your kit like the DA 35mm and DA 50mm. I recommend the 18-135mm over the dual kit lenses as the former has silent AF and a great deal more versatility in the long run. Having the primes to begin with will also really help improve your photography in the long run.

Adorama literally has everything on sale at the moment (they've launched rebates today that other stores currently aren't matching), so I would jump on that as it will save you hundreds:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/297603-hot-addition...s-adorama.html

As for shopping at other retailers: (generally speaking) you might be able to save some money, but with the great customer service offered by the NYC stores I'd rather not take my chances. The only other place I generally shop for lenses is Amazon (only for items fulfilled by Amazon). If you see a price that looks too good to me true, chances are you'll get no warranty or that some accessories might be missing (i.e. a lens hood).

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06-14-2015, 03:11 PM   #3
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Although I own several Pentax bodies, I had the option between the black and gunmetal as well. I chose to get the gunmetal because it was "limited edition". No other reason really. Either camera you choose will do the same thing.

The regular camera with lenses is a great way to start off though...
06-14-2015, 04:09 PM   #4
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Might get you drewling

Pentax K 3 Prestige Gunmetal Edition Digital SLR Camera Grip KIT Open BOX Demo 027075274532 | eBay

Good luck!

Randy

06-14-2015, 04:22 PM   #5
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Or, perhaps, drooling?
06-14-2015, 04:25 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
The prestige edition certainly looks interesting, but I would recommend going for the black K-3 body, 18-135mm, and adding some starter primes to your kit like the DA 35mm and DA 50mm. I recommend the 18-135mm over the dual kit lenses as the former has silent AF and a great deal more versatility in the long run. Having the primes to begin with will also really help improve your photography in the long run.

Adorama literally has everything on sale at the moment (they've launched rebates today that other stores currently aren't matching), so I would jump on that as it will save you hundreds:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/297603-hot-addition...s-adorama.html

As for shopping at other retailers: (generally speaking) you might be able to save some money, but with the great customer service offered by the NYC stores I'd rather not take my chances. The only other place I generally shop for lenses is Amazon (only for items fulfilled by Amazon). If you see a price that looks too good to me true, chances are you'll get no warranty or that some accessories might be missing (i.e. a lens hood).
I have to agree with Adam (to paraphrase) on buying from Amazon. I got burned, and I promised myself I would never buy photographic equipment from them again. (Technically, I guess I only got burned if the lens needs warranty service, but with an SDM motor, it certainly doesn't lend itself to restful sleep.)

Combo vs. the gunmetal body -- I understand wanting the gunmetal body. But you must understand that lenses are forever; bodies are disposable. I'm not about to tell you that you shouldn't buy the gunmetal body. If you do, you need to understand that you will likely want to upgrade in two to three years regardless of your choice. That 18-135, if you wind up liking it, will probably adorn whatever body you purchase for the next ten to twenty years. I got the 18-135 recently, and it is a LOT of fun. No one reviewed it well, but I've never seen a comment from anyone who had it that expressed anything but pleasure at its operation and performance.

If you could somehow arrange to see the bodies in person, that might break the tie -- I was shocked at how flimsy my new K50 seemed in comparison to the K200D I had. If 'gunmetal' means less plastic and improved feel, it might be worth the difference to you for aesthetics and cosmetics.
06-14-2015, 04:26 PM   #7
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Druulyng

But take care - I thought the gunmetal looked cool, when viewing it online, but when I managed to handle one I was very disappointed. It's like diamonds in a jeweller's, they never look as good under a single 100 watt light source! The gunmetal colour is not so obvious in real life, so now I prefer the silver version but would want it to be of recent manufacture. Above all, the gunmetal finish seems a bit too shiny and plasticky to me, rather like my wife's shiny blue K30.

It felt solid as a rock, really nice ergonomics, but it looked cheaper than the ordinary black K-3.


Last edited by Bagga_Txips; 06-14-2015 at 04:35 PM.
06-14-2015, 04:54 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Canuck_west Quote
Or, perhaps, drooling?
Ooops
06-14-2015, 05:12 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by indianswift Quote
Hi all,

I have been researching extensively from past two weeks and have decided on buying Pentax K-3. I will be ordering it in few days. I need some guidance regarding this.

a) I came across an Amazon Pentax K-3 bundle page which contains Pentax K-3 body, Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL WR Zoom Lens + Pentax SMC Pentax DA 50-200mm and other accessories such as wide lens, tripod, memory card and so on. Is it wise to buy from different store other than well established stores like B&H or Adorama and so on?

b) I don't know why, Gunmetal body finish is very appealing to me. My heart says, buy this body and build on lens slowly. Then again, if I calculate Gunmetal body+ above two lenses, it will cost more than the above deal. I also miss out other accessories which I will have invest later.

Which one to go far? What lenses do you suggest for portrait/landscape/wildlife photography?

Background : I'm a newbie when it comes to DSLR but always had a passion for photography. I've been waiting for this time for more than 4 years where I can actually afford a DSLR and shoot to my content. So, I want my investment to be worth it and feel good.

I'm all ears now. Thanks in advance
+1 to Adam's reply. The 18-135 works very well as an everyday zoom on the K3. An additional consideration - the official U.S. Import boxed k3 Prestige set comes with 2 Pentax batteries, one for the grip and one for the body. The second battery is well worth the trade off for whatever tripod and memory card a dealer is 'giving away'.
06-15-2015, 02:12 AM   #10
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A picture to help you decide:
06-15-2015, 06:25 AM   #11
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If it were fulfilled by Amazon, I would not be at all nervous about dealing with them.

The bundle and the lens combination looks good, especially if you're just starting out in DSLR. Remember that what's important about the camera is what's inside, not the outside finish, and all the little extras they're throwing in will be stuff you either need (the memory card), are good to have (tripod is not absolutely essential but is very useful and you will want one eventually), or want later. Could you please be more specific about what you mean by "wide lens"?

QuoteOriginally posted by indianswift Quote
and other accessories such as wide lens,
Buy for the capabilities, not for the looks.

I share the enthusiasm of some of the other posters for prime lenses, but I think that as a bundle for a DSLR newcomer, the two zoom lenses described above are an excellent starting place. The *ist-DL with which I made my entry into DSLR photography came with a Sigma 18-50, and frankly, if someone had thrown in a 50-200 lens on top of that, I'd have jumped at it and I might never have bought my 18-250 (and would have had more money for primes down the road).

If you have a computer program which can mine your EXIF data and generate a table of the number of shots taken at particular focal lengths, you can sort out your need for Limited primes or premium zoom lenses later. I wouldn't buy anything of that nature until I'd accumulated at least a thousand shots and got a better feel for exactly what I needed.

However, as a starting point (if you have the money for it after this purchase), either the DA-35/f2.4 or the DA-50/f1.8 or both (as they are both ridiculously cheap right now) should be first on your prime shopping list.
06-15-2015, 11:05 AM   #12
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Thanks everyone for all the input.

@ Adam : Those links really helped me to learn all the lens choices I have and what exactly I need and will be shooting. I will keep an eye on the price and start saving up on lens as per my requirement.
@ others : After reading each comment I literally added and removed Prestige Edition many times from cart! I did love the quote "lenses are forever; bodies are disposable" but giving in to temptation and going with Gunmetal body. -.-

Below is my cart in Adoroma right now.

Prestige Edition Body with Special Battery Grip & Strap - GunMetal Finish , 18-135mm WR lens , Pentax SMCP-DA 35mm f/2.4 , 32 GB Micro SD card and extended warranty which totals approximately 1.47k. Is my lens choice of 18-135 good to begin with as I'm purchasing it as separately?

Thanks
06-15-2015, 01:20 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by indianswift Quote
. . . @ others : After reading each comment I literally added and removed Prestige Edition many times from cart! I did love the quote "lenses are forever; bodies are disposable" but giving in to temptation and going with Gunmetal body. -.-
Thanks. I worked hard on that. I successfully resisted upgrading my K200D for 7 years. I hope you have similar luck with your K-3, or start making so much money with your photography that it doesn't matter.
QuoteOriginally posted by indianswift Quote
. . . Is my lens choice of 18-135 good to begin with as I'm purchasing it as separately?
Only you can answer that question for yourself. I've got rather a stack of lenses (prime and zoom), and I'm really enjoying my 18-135. I also haven't read anyone who has the lens who dislikes it.
06-15-2015, 03:10 PM   #14
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While finish doesn't matter to the body operation I just feel pleasure about using my Prestige. It is just a little filip to the daily use that sets it apart from an ordinary tool. I guess that is why people have tats or wear jewellery. Makes them feel good. Good choice - enjoy...
06-15-2015, 04:25 PM   #15
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I finally ordered even though I had forgotten my wallet at home. On 2nd try, got security code right! Haha.

Hopefully it gets shipped tonight or tomorrow morning. I've chosen expedited shipping(1-3 days) and if it arrives before weekend , I will post some test shots here soon
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