Originally posted by Zephos Part of my calculation is probably just anxiety about Pentax not keeping up with the times... and I really like Sony's ability to instantly send photos to you phone for sharing, etc. But... I wonder how much I would even use that. I mean, I like to take pictures up in the mountains where there is no service anyway. I guess I don't want to double down on a system that might go out of business in 10 years as the DSLR slowly dies???
Let's deal first with that anxiety
Pentax "not keeping up with the times" is a statement many of us would challenge, but I guess I understand where you're coming from. My question would be, what is it that Pentax equipment doesn't or can't do that you really, really need, or think you might really need? Or is it just that you've heard tempting things about other gear and you're drawn in by the cool whizz-bang features? If it's the latter, there's nothing wrong with that... But you should understand that few - if any - of these latest features are likely to improve your photography much, and if they do, it's almost certainly going to be a far lesser improvement than you could achieve with learning, practice and experience. There are folks in these forums shooting older cameras (in some cases,
much older) than yours and getting truly outstanding results in the very areas of interest you mention. And if the brand should die (which I seriously doubt), there will for many years be a ready market of people willing to buy your Pentax gear, because they don't want to give theirs up and would rather buy used than not at all (I've seen this happen with Minolta AF / Sony A-mount gear).
Now, as to what (I think) you should do:
If you're staying with Pentax...
With respect to you and other K-50 users,
personally I'd consider upgrading from your K-50 to one of the later models not at risk from the aperture block failure, as a long-term reliability measure. Or, at least keep enough money to one side to have the camera repaired or replaced at a later date. If I were in your shoes, I'd sell or part-exchnage the K-50 now while it's still in perfect working order and buy either a new K-70 or KP (depending on your budget), or a lightly used and well-looked-after K-5II, K-5IIs, K-3 or K-3II. Whilst there are never any guarantees with used gear, the K-5 and K-3 series are about as bullet-proof as you'll get in the APS-C DSLR world.
Next, glass...
- DA 50mm f1.8
- DA 35mm f2.4
- DA L 18-55mm WR
- DA L 50-200mm WR
- M 28mm f2.8
- M 50mm f1.7
- Kalimar Auto Zoom 35-135mm Macro (1:4 Magnification) (Found this manual focus lens at a pawn shop, and it's a gem!)
- Quantaray AF LD 70-300mm f4-5.6 Macro (1:2 Magnification)
- Sigma 28-80mm F3.5-5.6 II Macro
Your DA50/1.8 and DA35/2.4 are worth keeping because they're genuinely decent and wouldn't fetch a great deal if you sold them. I guess what I'm saying is, they're optically much better than the money you'd get for them, and they're great general purpose lenses.
The DA L 18-55 WR and 50-200 WR are, in my view, most useful for the weather resistance alone. If that's really important to you, hang on to them. Otherwise, I'd let those go, as IMHO they're really limited unless you stop them down quite a bit. Even then, there are much better lenses.
The M lenses you have - 28/2.8 and 50/1.7 - are great if you're happy with manual focusing, though arguably, the 50/1.7 is redundant if you keep the DA50/1.8. I guess I'd hang on to these, but if you're going to sell them, the 50/1.7 would be your priority.
The Kalimar wouldn't fetch much in the used market, so if you like it, keep it
The Quantary and Sigma again wouldn't fetch much, so up to you if they're worth selling. If you like them, keep them. If not, sell them for what you can get.
But...
If there's a limitation in your current kit, it's lenses. I'd seriously look at getting some really decent glass, either new or used.
Might I suggest the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8, which will give a wide range of focal lengths with a constant and relatively fast f/2.8 aperture, and optical performance that's way beyond anything you currently own.
Then, I'd look at either the HD screw-drive or PLM versions of the 55-300 for the short-to-long tele side of things. There's nothing else in this price range that comes close. I have the HD screw-drive version, and although my much-more-expensive DA*60-250 is a faster and better lens, in many situations the HD 55-300 is almost as capable. Plus, it's compact and light-weight.
Finally, since macro is of interest to you, I'd consider either Pentax's own DFA100/2.8 Macro WR, or the Tamron 90/2.8. Both are excellent lenses. The Pentax lens is more expensive and (if you go for the later version) weather resistant. The Tamron doesn't have weather resistance, but it has a focus limiter (which is helpful) and is generally cheaper, especially used.
After all that...
If you should decide to switch to Sony and buy the A6500, I'm sure you'd like it a great deal. But - you must still concentrate on getting the best glass you can afford. However good a camera may be, the glass will almost always be much more important. Buying an A6500 then skimping on lenses would be a huge mistake, compared to sticking with Pentax (even your existing K-50) and investing in two or three really good lenses