[wings]

Multiple buttons mark on both of my K5 and K3 disappear or partially disappear. The Menu, Info and OK buttons are the most used and go away first. I would say it start to be removed within the first 6 months of use. ... Maybe I take care of the gear too good!? Color on every corner gone with in a year. Metal barrel lenses too. Scratch all over barrel but not on the glasses. I admire those with almost perfect looking gear on the market place. My gear can never sell at a good price because it looks old.

Sounds like you are a very active photographer and that is a good thing. Any kind of oil on your fingers could possibly start the markings to go away. I usually have handy wipes and a small towel with me.

[kiwi_jono]

Well so far I have not had markings disappear completely on any of my Pentax cameras. However my K-x certainly showed quite a bit of wear tear after a couple of years - chrome strip pealed, wear marks on the body, and light scratches on LCD.

A little bit of wear and tear is to be expected if the gear is getting plenty of use. On second hand gear I'm not so worried about wear signs (its often good the gear is used and exposed to sunlight periodically) - as long as the glass has been looked after and it all functions correctly.

[Madaboutpix]

Multiple buttons mark on both of my K5 and K3 disappear or partially disappear. The Menu, Info and OK buttons are the most used and go away first. I would say it start to be removed within the first 6 months of use. ... Maybe I take care of the gear too good!? Color on every corner gone with in a year. Metal barrel lenses too. Scratch all over barrel but not on the glasses. I admire those with almost perfect looking gear on the market place. My gear can never sell at a good price because it looks old.

Wow, that must be the wear endured by the gear of a very active photographer indeed. A peek at your prolific Insta - lots of truly beautiful photography there BTW - seems to support that theory.

You are aware of the irony, though, that used-gear buyers on Fleebay are often advised to take a closer look at Japanese sellers because they are the most likely to have mint-condition items on offer?

[tokyoscape]

Wow, that must be the wear endured by the gear of a very active photographer indeed. A peek at your prolific Insta - lots of truly beautiful photography there BTW - seems to support that theory.

You are aware of the irony, though, that used-gear buyers on Fleebay are often advised to take a closer look at Japanese sellers because they are the most likely to have mint-condition items on offer?

yeah, Mint-condition

[house]

Those of you who don't see any wear on the buttons what's your shutter count? Just roughtly?

[Madaboutpix]

Those of you who don't see any wear on the buttons what's your shutter count? Just roughtly?

Around 19,800 with my current K-3 body. Already more than twice as many actuations as on my K-7 before I sold it. Many on this forum will be shooting a lot more, I get it. And practice does make most of us better photographers. It certainly has done that for me. (I'm only bringing this up because I have met photographers, usually technically-inclined amateurs, who were trading shutter counts basically as some sort of masculinity test or treating it as a straightforward predictor of photographic merit, both of which I find questionable. Just to make that clear: I'm not trying to say or imply that you are one of those shutter count braggarts, house.)

[leekil]

K-5 - 2.5 years of use -- 150K photos - no wear
K-5 II -- 2 years -- 70K -- half-worn off Info & Menu buttons
K-3 II -- 2 years -- 53K -- half-worn off Info & Menu buttons
K-1 -- 2.3 years -- 74K -- no wear

[house]

Around 19,800 with my current K-3 body. Already more than twice as many actuations as on my K-7 before I sold it. Many on this forum will be shooting a lot more, I get it. And practice does make most of us better photographers. It certainly has done that for me. (I'm only bringing this up because I have met photographers, usually technically-inclined amateurs, who were trading shutter counts basically as some sort of masculinity test or treating it as a straightforward predictor of photographic merit, both of which I find questionable. Just to make that clear: I'm not trying to say or imply that you are one of those shutter count braggarts, house.)

It's just interesting to see if the wear is related to usage. Shutter count is just a way to get a rough idea if it's just use or something else that determines if it wears off.

---------- Post added 10-06-19 at 11:03 AM ----------

K-5 - 2.5 years of use -- 150K photos - no wear
K-5 II -- 2 years -- 70K -- half-worn off Info & Menu buttons
K-3 II -- 2 years -- 53K -- half-worn off Info & Menu buttons
K-1 -- 2.3 years -- 74K -- no wear

Well that doesn't show any shutter count/wear correlation does it
I guess it's just model and sample then, unless you use your II models with solvents on your hands whilst using your "first editions" only with velvet gloves

[Madaboutpix]

Wiping down your camera with regular clothes fabric (rather than clean, soft microfiber cloths) and having your camera constantly bumping against yourself and/or other stuff would also be factors contributing to premature wear, I imagine. I try to avoid both as best I can.

[house]

having your camera constantly bumping against yourself

That might be part of the explanation. I don't use a bag, I carry on a strap in the normal eyelets. That means the back is against fabric whilst I'm moving. Before I got my GR I carried the K-3 II around alot.

[wings]

Wiping down your camera with regular clothes fabric (rather than clean, soft microfiber cloths) and having your camera constantly bumping against yourself and/or other stuff would also be factors contributing to premature wear, I imagine. I try to avoid both as best I can.

To clarify, the wipes mentioned that I carry with me are for my hands not the camera, ex I would not recommend eating chicken wings while shooting.

[Madaboutpix]

Another thing. The advanced weather-sealing on a lot of Pentax gear makes some users a bit reckless with undue exposure of their kit to the elements. I perfectly dig that gear is there to take great photos even under adverse conditions if need be, but let's not forget that UV radiation, dust, sand, and (potentially acid) rain remain potent agents on our equipment, including those button markings. I approach weather-sealing as just one additional layer of protection rather than some magic my-Pentax-can-take-anything shield.

[house]

I would not recommend eating chicken wings while shooting.

Hmmm @wings considering your name I'm sure you'd love to eat chicken *wings* while shooting

[wings]

Hmmm @wings considering your name I'm sure you'd love to eat chicken *wings* while shooting

I didn't think of that. However I am a vegetarian, mostly. I will change it to a grilled cheese sandwich.


I think MADABOUTPIX is right concerning the robust construction of the Pentax and how it is handled.

[barondla]

Haven't seen any wear on the K10,K20,K-7, K-01, Q, or Q7. Have to find the ist...DS to see about it. The DS does have the rubber body coating stretching from use.
thanks,
barondla