In 2005, I bought an *istDS and bridged the divide between my little Nikon Coolpix 4500 and the Pentax K-1000 and A 50/2.0 I had already been carrying around for years. Over the next twelve years I would build a nice collection -- DA* 16-50/2.8, 21/3.2, 31/1.8, M 50/1.4, 77/1.8, DFA 100/2.8 Macro, K 135/2.5.
But I came to an impasse several years back. Already holding a grudge over a defective K-10. I became frustrated by the noise of my K-7 when compared to the newer cameras and started shopping for a new Pentax body. But there was a problem. My work had shifted from landscape, where my fingers were plenty fast enough to handle the focus work, to taking pictures of the lightening fast babies I'd spent the last several years populating the Earth with. Nothing I read about the new cameras gave me much hope for the autofocus future, so I deiced to bide my time with a clearance K-01.
So now I had no viewfinder, less than stellar autofocus, and kids who were beginning to pick up speed. Brilliant.
I rented the K-1 a few months back hoping beyond hope that it would be the amazing picture machine of my dreams. I would take off the hair shirt and be rewarded for my loyalty. Well, it is the amazing picture machine of somebody's dreams, but not mine. Not right now.
With a heavy heart, I bought a Nikon D500. Then with a not so heavy heart, I shot with my new D500 and it's friggin' amazing. Except when children at birthday parties come up to me to let me know emphatically that OMG their mom has that exact same camera. That never happened with Pentax. I miss that never happening.
There are just two problems:
I now have a $2k camera and one $1k zoom lens. I travel alone sometimes and don't really want to have three grand worth of gear with me when shooting photos isn't what I'm traveling for. When I add another elns, it will be a prime close to $2k.
No matter how I try, I cannot mount my 31/1.8 to it.
So here's where I am:
The K-S1 is on clearance everywhere. I know that the ergonomics are abhorrent. I know that WiFi is only available through some weird peripheral card thing. I know that I can get the K-S2 for less than $200 more -- but that $200 may be the difference between justifying the purchase and not.
So do I pick up a K-S1? Or do I take that money and put it towards a Nikon prime. A Nikon prime that costs $2k and doesn't even say "Limited" but is quick like little lightening children?
EDIT TO ADD: Both my and my husband's K-01s are starting to properly wear out. Like they have each had a hard life and show it. Pieces are falling off of mine. Both have to be turned on and off sometimes when shooting to get them to function properly again after a shot. At this point, the only thing I can really put my Pentax lenses on is my K-1000.
Last edited by jesssss; 10-02-2017 at 01:36 PM.