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01-17-2019, 06:29 PM   #1
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Pentax K-S2 or Canon 70/80D? Worried about aperture problem

Background:
I've been looking to upgrade from a Pentax K-01 for quite some time now & I'm seriously considering to buy a secondhand Pentax K-S2. I found someone who will sell their unit + a DA 50mm f1.8 lens for 380 USD, but my brother (who needs to use a DSLR for his photography class this semester) is arguing that I should buy a used Canon 70D or 80D instead.

Problem:
I am inclined to stick with my Pentax K-S2 choice because (1) I'm not really keen on changing systems, (2) a used Canon 70D costs 100 USD more and a used Canon 80D costs 320 USD more, and (3) it seems like the Pentax K-S2 performs similarly to the Canon DSLRs. However, I found out about this aperture problem that Pentax K-30/K-50 cameras seem to have and I'm worried about the K-S2 being similarly broken.

Ask for advice:
Do you think I should go ahead with buying the used Pentax K-S2 that I found? Or should I reconsider my rejection of Canon 70D / 80D?

Thanks very much!

01-17-2019, 06:52 PM   #2
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If it breaks the fix is 100 in the US. Aperture failure has been very rarely reported in the ks2. I think it would go unnoticed if it wasn't for the k50 problem. Manual glass with aperture ring will still work.
I would want to know how many clicks on the camera because the shutter is rated for 100000.
I really like my ks2. Water resistance is nice and build is nice.

Edit. Just googled "Canon 70d died" it was lots of bad news.

Last edited by swanlefitte; 01-17-2019 at 06:59 PM.
01-17-2019, 07:10 PM   #3
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I think the statistics for failure of the aperture on the KS2 are an unknown--unless you work for Ricoh--and they would not say what they know. If you are concerned I would suggest you also include a used K-5,K-5IIs, or one of the K-3 versions in your thinking. They have no identified problems. BTW I actually plan to replace my K-20D with the K-S2, but I have and use 4 Pentax DSLRs (K20D, K-x, and two K-5), so failure of one is not a big deal. With only one camera it is more problematic.
01-17-2019, 07:38 PM   #4
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I have a K-S2, I started reading about the aperture failure problem after buying it and got worried for a while, however, in this forum there have been only one or two reported incidences. If you live in the US, the repair cost is not exorbitant, or you could do it yourself, there is a thread here saying how to fix the solenoid that causes the aperture failure.

After comparing the the K-S2 and the 80D in this site I think the K-S2 is better value for money, but they are cameras in different ranges. The 80D compares with the K-3.

If you want to stay with Pentax (please do!) but don't want to risk that aperture problem, try looking at an used K-5II, just recently there was one in the marketplace here that included two kit lenses (18-55 and 50-200) for just 50 usd more than the offer you found for the K-S2.

Anyway, I can totally recommend the K-S2, if the offer is a colored version, even better, those colors make the camera even more unique.

01-17-2019, 07:42 PM   #5
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If your budget allows for a used 80d, consider a Pentax k70 as well, it's newer and it has one the best sensors for apsc.
01-17-2019, 09:40 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Jomar Quote
Background:
I've been looking to upgrade from a Pentax K-01 for quite some time now & I'm seriously considering to buy a secondhand Pentax K-S2. I found someone who will sell their unit + a DA 50mm f1.8 lens for 380 USD, but my brother (who needs to use a DSLR for his photography class this semester) is arguing that I should buy a used Canon 70D or 80D instead.

Problem:
I am inclined to stick with my Pentax K-S2 choice because (1) I'm not really keen on changing systems, (2) a used Canon 70D costs 100 USD more and a used Canon 80D costs 320 USD more, and (3) it seems like the Pentax K-S2 performs similarly to the Canon DSLRs. However, I found out about this aperture problem that Pentax K-30/K-50 cameras seem to have and I'm worried about the K-S2 being similarly broken.

Ask for advice:
Do you think I should go ahead with buying the used Pentax K-S2 that I found? Or should I reconsider my rejection of Canon 70D / 80D?

Thanks very much!
Looking quickly at ebay that is a good price for the K-S2 plus lens. Let your brother buy his own camera.
01-18-2019, 12:02 AM - 1 Like   #7
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Consider buying a k-5 or k-5ii/iis.

01-18-2019, 01:25 AM   #8
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Another vote here for the K-5 (or K-5ii(s)). This has been a remarkably reliable model by all accounts. I still have mine, and still shoot it from time-to-time (though less so since I moved to the K-3). It's an absolutely bullet-proof body, with excellent image quality. A standard K-5 with reasonable shutter count and in good condition can be found for less than $300 these days... nothing short of a bargain for what you get.
01-18-2019, 02:40 AM   #9
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I have both K-S2 and a recently acquired K-5iiS. In many ways the K5 is better, obviously a more "professional" camera with all the features and characteristics you would expect. The K-S2 on the other hand has the flippy screen which I find very useful in some circumstances and WiFi for which I have some plans this year. Both are certainly capable of great results but any K5 you buy will inevitably be older than a K-S2 and although it may not have the block problem it will be more "experienced". I'm happy with both so I'm sure either will be an upgrade from K-01 (which I also have) but I think you would need to be more careful with a second hand K5 buy.
01-18-2019, 09:51 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by roberrl Quote
I have both K-S2 and a recently acquired K-5iiS. In many ways the K5 is better, obviously a more "professional" camera with all the features and characteristics you would expect. The K-S2 on the other hand has the flippy screen which I find very useful in some circumstances and WiFi for which I have some plans this year. Both are certainly capable of great results but any K5 you buy will inevitably be older than a K-S2 and although it may not have the block problem it will be more "experienced". I'm happy with both so I'm sure either will be an upgrade from K-01 (which I also have) but I think you would need to be more careful with a second hand K5 buy.
Perhaps - but the shutter/mirror mechanism is completely different and has a very high duty cycle. These cameras are more durable and reliable to begin with.
01-18-2019, 11:07 AM   #11
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Something about those crop body Canon's that hasn't impressed me, from the research I've done, is the amount of noise in images taken at "high" ISO settings. This is something Pentax seems to have focused on. My sister has a Canon SL1 and the noise at ISO 3200 is kind of shocking vs. my K-5 II. When I went looking around the crop Canon's for something better nothing really seemed like a serious improvement.

Maybe something worth considering.
01-18-2019, 11:18 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
Something about those crop body Canon's that hasn't impressed me, from the research I've done, is the amount of noise in images taken at "high" ISO settings. This is something Pentax seems to have focused on. My sister has a Canon SL1 and the noise at ISO 3200 is kind of shocking vs. my K-5 II. When I went looking around the crop Canon's for something better nothing really seemed like a serious improvement.

Maybe something worth considering.

Canon uses their own sensors whereas Nikon and Pentax both use Sony sensors. The Canon sensors lagged a bit behind - worse in the past - but they are capable enough for most photography. Here's the DXOMark data:

Canon EOS 70D : Tests and Reviews - DxOMark
Canon EOS 80D : Tests and Reviews - DxOMark
Pentax K-5 IIs : Tests and Reviews - DxOMark

DXOMark isn't the entire story but you can see if you look at these that the 80D at least isn't that far from the K5iis - the 70d is another story.

---------- Post added 01-18-19 at 01:21 PM ----------

To be fair, the Canon 70d is also 20mp and the 80d is 25mp vs. the K-5iis being only 16mp which gives a significant advantage in pixel size to the K-5 series. Lower overall detail, but big fat pixels for low noise high DR.
01-18-2019, 12:02 PM   #13
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Isn't the major selling point for the Canons the Dual Pixel AF which gives you total frame coverage in Live View and comes in especially handy for C-AF in video?
If you're more than a little interested in doing videography with the camera you should go with one of the Canons imho.

If not, I can tell you that I like my K-S2 so far. ~10k shutter actuations in 2 years and no signs of aperture control failure yet.
01-18-2019, 12:07 PM   #14
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While the K-5's do have the pixel density advantage, you're comparing it to newer Canon's. And the K-3 isn't exactly bad at low light work. It just doesn't seem to be something Canon put as much effort into vs. Pentax, meaning, I bet Pentax engineers would have figured out a way to deliver better high-ISO performance with the same sensor and wouldn't have worried about developing as much video abilities. Different company priorities.
01-18-2019, 12:31 PM - 1 Like   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
While the K-5's do have the pixel density advantage, you're comparing it to newer Canon's. And the K-3 isn't exactly bad at low light work. It just doesn't seem to be something Canon put as much effort into vs. Pentax, meaning, I bet Pentax engineers would have figured out a way to deliver better high-ISO performance with the same sensor and wouldn't have worried about developing as much video abilities. Different company priorities.
I really think the base sensor from Sony is that much better than the base sensor from Canon. The reason for the K-5 vs. 80D is price. the K5iis falls into roughly the price range the OP mentioned for the KS2. The K-3 is a great camera and one I use daily.
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