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09-15-2015, 08:15 PM   #31
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How long can you wait?

09-15-2015, 08:18 PM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
How long can you wait?
A month at the max....Unfortunately cant wait till 'Black Friday'...will be out of the US by that time...
09-15-2015, 08:25 PM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by psyddharth Quote
A month at the max....Unfortunately cant wait till 'Black Friday'...will be out of the US by that time...
Are you buying from someone that price matches? If so jump on it now and get the difference if it goes down in the next 30 days.
09-15-2015, 08:37 PM   #34
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K-3 and 18-135 seems a good idea to me.

I would DEFINITIVELY invest in a good tripod before getting other lenses if I'm going to shoot landscapes. Don't fall for a cheap tripod, it's useless. Better to save some money and get a good solid one (check reviews, ask here about the model etc). When using the tripod, pay attention to small details like using a remote control with MLU to reduce vibrations, or just use the 2 seconds timer delay function that comes with your camera.

If you don't plan to shoot landscapes, you can get the tripod later.

I like the idea of using primes right from the start. I believe a prime lens will make you a more disciplined photographer, forcing you to think more each frame without the flexibility of a zoom.
The DA35mm f2.4 (plastic fantastic) is a great prime to start with. DA50 1.8 is also very good, but I would start with the DA35 because I think it's more flexible, and get the 50mm later on.

Good luck!

09-15-2015, 08:43 PM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
If possible, take both in hand. They are very different cameras.
specs and price aside ergonomics of the k-50 feels fantastic when coming from a bridge camera and more intuitive if coming from a point and shoot
i cant comment on the k-3 since i don't know anyone that owns one in my locale and I've only played with a k-3ii in the store but I'm a firm believer that you should try before you buy, and if you cant try it dont buy it.

I'm a bit of a dinosaur that still shoots film so i have no real interest in the k-50 or k-3, but think the k-50 is a great beginners camera to anyone new to the dslr scene
09-15-2015, 09:12 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
Are you buying from someone that price matches? If so jump on it now and get the difference if it goes down in the next 30 days.
Can you suggest a few vendors offering good prices and price matching...??
09-16-2015, 03:19 AM   #37
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bhphotovideo: Pentax K-3 DSLR Camera with 18-135mm Lens 15541 B&H Photo Video

09-16-2015, 05:47 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by psyddharth Quote
Thats really cool...and a lovely shot!!!

---------- Post added 09-15-15 at 05:00 PM ----------



Thanks for the advice. After listening to more people in the forum...coupled with the fact I am willing to work hard in learning photography...
makes me want to follow my heart and go for K3.

Yep...I had a K5 very briefly as a total beginner but upgraded to a K3 as soon as it came out as my daughter in law needed a DSLR for a uni course. I basically had no experience, and while the learning curve with the K3 was (and still is) very steep indeed, the rewards the K3 has provided are enormous. I felt a little embarrassed as a rank beginner with such a camera, but....

I love this camera.

It rewards me for every bit of learning I do.

It takes superb images when I get it right.

The 18-135 is a great lens to start out with....but I am now acquiring some primes. I yearn for a DA*50-135 and know the K3 will get brilliant results with every lens currently available for it.

It will last me for many, many years.

Did I say I LOVE this camera?

Go for it and enjoy!!!!
09-16-2015, 06:12 AM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by psyddharth Quote
Can you suggest a few vendors offering good prices and price matching...??
B&H offers price matching and 30 day price protection but you have to reach out to them about it and they only price match when the item is sold by an authorized dealer. Here's a thread about it on another site: B&H has a 30 day price protection policy.: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

B&H also has the K-3 with the 50mm f/1.8 and the battery grip for around $850 right now. The DA 18-135 can be found used for under $300 frequently and pairing this kit with that is a great way to get started. If you don't want the grip it can always be sold.

Adorama also appears to price match - again reputable dealers prices only - and I would shop either one via the links from the marketplace here. They offer the K-3 with a grip for closer to $800 and with a grip and a 32gig SD card for around $850.

Amazon tends to price match their own prices as well - but amazon is also a marketplace with a lot of sellers that have different policies. It's very hard to know without reaching out to the seller in advance and finding out or reading a lot of policies. Normally I would advise against purchasing from Amazon but since you have no intention of using the warranty you might want to look at them. I found a K-3 with 18-135 on their site for under $900; that one was fulfilled by Amazon but from "another deal site" which may a non-issue. Also they sell 3rd party protection policies that you might be able to get that may cover you in India. (Or you could perhaps get a similar policy like that when you get home?)

---------- Post added 09-16-15 at 09:16 AM ----------

BTW - You can always ask B&H and Adorama to match Amazon. They might just do it.
09-16-2015, 06:21 AM   #40
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Go for K3

I just bought a K3, upgrading from K10D. Wow. So many features. I used this site to compare cameras. I also used this site to get recommendations on initial setup. Really helpful.
My thinking is go for the most now. As your interests expand you probably will come to appreciate all the things the better camera can do.
In 5 yrs, something new and better will supersede the cameras we have now. (Hang on to prime lenses tough. They are ageless.)
09-16-2015, 11:00 AM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
I'm not sure what you mean. The KS-1 and KS-2 lack the ability to control an AF540FGZ or AF360FGZ via P-TTL wireless. Please refer to page 93 of the K-S1 manual. Note the section on features available does not list Wireless flash. Now turn to the K-50 manual, page 245, you should see a chart and the last row should indicate that Wireless flash is supported by the K-50. Other people who bought the K-S1 and K-S2 have already verified that the camera cannot use the built in flash as either a wireless master or controller. Interestingly it also does not show on this page if it can do so using a pair of P-TTL external flashes.
According to the KS1 spec sheet on the Pentax website it does support wireless and high speed sync. I find it hard to believe they would drop a feature included on every single Pentax dslr since the K100D that came out almost a decade ago.
09-16-2015, 12:28 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by macman24054 Quote
According to the KS1 spec sheet on the Pentax website it does support wireless and high speed sync. I find it hard to believe they would drop a feature included on every single Pentax dslr since the K100D that came out almost a decade ago.
I'm not sure which Pentax website (there are multiple) you are talking about but this has been hashed and rehashed at least with the KS2 a few times. I am perhaps confused about the KS1 but I think the manual would list wireless if it was an option. Also this site's own comparison shows wireless flash as a feature for the KS1 and not the KS2. I'm not sure that's accurate. In any case the KS1 manual does not list any of the things you need to make wireless PTTL work. You need to select either master or controller mode and you have to be able to set a channel. Not listing any of that in the manual seems to be pretty clearly indicating the feature isn't there.

Here's a thread from April on the topic of the KS2. You will see in post 7 I quoted what Ricoh's sites said at that time.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/293159-k-s2-wire...lash-mode.html

Can someone with the KS1 and KS2 chime in?
09-16-2015, 02:31 PM   #43
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Both the K-30 and K-50 are good cameras and with any luck current stock of new K-50s are not afflicted. Reports for the K-50 have tapered off some recently. For people concerned about the issue, the option two year warranty extension might be advisable.


Steve
What about the mirror-flapping or other issues that were reported in the K-3 by many people in this forum?

Is the problem resolved in the new batch...for anybody who purchased it recently?
09-16-2015, 03:03 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by psyddharth Quote
What about the mirror-flapping or other issues that were reported in the K-3 by many* people in this forum?
You mean the runaway mirror syndrome that was present in the early run K-3? That issue was addressed in production Summer of 2014. Reports after Fall of that year have been fairly sporadic. I can't make a strong general statement, but I don't believe the more recent reports have involved recent purchases from reputable dealers. Unfortunately, it has not been easy to characterize the risk by serial number range. Even so, I would expect that any K-3 made after August 2014 would be safe for that issue.

The only other common complaint I have heard regarding the K-3 is camera "freeze" or lock-up. The user will be using the camera and it will suddenly become completely unresponsive. The immediate remedy is to switch the camera off and remove the battery for 30 seconds or so and then replace the battery. Mine has locked up a handful of times since I purchased in Spring 2014, but not in the last year or so. I am running firmware v1.11. The has been speculation that the lock-up problem is power-related, though I was not able to make that association in my case.

Note that the K-3II, while very similar, is not the same camera as the K-3. Both hardware and firmware are different between the two cameras to reflect the difference in features.



Steve

* The percentage of users affected by the runaway mirror mirror issue has been difficult to determine. As for other problems, I did a quick tally of posts on this site regarding K-3 problems/complaints and found only two in September that involved recently discovered camera defect.

Last edited by stevebrot; 09-16-2015 at 03:08 PM.
09-16-2015, 03:26 PM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
I'm not sure which Pentax website (there are multiple) you are talking about but this has been hashed and rehashed at least with the KS2 a few times. I am perhaps confused about the KS1 but I think the manual would list wireless if it was an option. Also this site's own comparison shows wireless flash as a feature for the KS1 and not the KS2. I'm not sure that's accurate. In any case the KS1 manual does not list any of the things you need to make wireless PTTL work. You need to select either master or controller mode and you have to be able to set a channel. Not listing any of that in the manual seems to be pretty clearly indicating the feature isn't there.

Here's a thread from April on the topic of the KS2. You will see in post 7 I quoted what Ricoh's sites said at that time.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/293159-k-s2-wire...lash-mode.html

Can someone with the KS1 and KS2 chime in?
I stand corrected. The KS1 can only do wireless sync with 2 external Pentax 360 or 540 units. Sorry for the confussion.
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