[K2 to K50]

Thanks for all the replies. I will look into hire, but the impatient part of me is whispering 'just buy it on the deal you found, if you don't gel you can sell it'.

I think my mother was hoping I would get a Canon so she could borrow lens, but I have tried her Canon and the menus seem backwards and oddly ordered!

I would seriously look around for a Pentax KP. It is a better build, and not too much difference in price, especially if you can find a good second-hand deal.

Of course, the Pentax K3 iii is the "Rolls Royce" of the APSC line but the fixed LCD screen of the K3 iii is not loved by all. I have both and take both out with me when on a photography hike.

[jgnfld]

Dont buy K 70, you risk Aperture Block Failure

That's a rather strong statement that I'm not sure is warranted. I own both a K70 and a KP. They are both very capable cameras.

With ANY camera you "risk" failure. The question isn't whether there's a risk. There just plain is. With every camera there is a weakest point that will fail first. The questions are whether a particular failure is a common problem and whether the risk can be contained. In this regard this failure is nowhere near as commonly reported in the K-70 as in the K-30/50 models. WRT containing risk, many sources offer extended warranties (mine from a local store is 3 years and I've already had a complete shell and/or body replacement--don't know which--due to a bad fall that cracked the case open), and in any case the fix for this failure is straightforward and so well documented most people do it themselves.

[hcc]

I have been using bridge cameras for a few years, most recently the Nikon P950 but its time to take a step forward.

Welcome to the Forum
About 12 years ago, and after 2-3 years of thinking back and forth, I moved to digital bridge cameras (that I used from 2011 onwards) to dSLR, namely the Pentax K-7, and I never looked back. I have now my old companion, the K-7, a K=01 for my wife and my current friend, the K-3. Soon I may move to newer one ,probably the K-3iii when the prices drop a little.
Initially, I moved to dSLR to have a greater opportunity to shot in twilight conditions, sunrise, sunset.... as well as poor light condiitions such as fogg, smoke and smog. For such conditions, I bought almost from the onset a fast prime. But I discover the versatility of dSLR, simply by changing lens. It is like a suit: a new lens make a new person/camera. Pentax was my obvious choice because I wanted WR, but I now appreciate even more the backward compatibility of lenses, and the access to 'oldies' but 'goodies' .
The K-70 is a sound choice IMHO for a start. An alternative could be a 2nd hand K-3 IMHO, as it was the last Pentax semi-professional flagship camera body with an in-house flash.
Hope that the comment may help.

[Nakedgun]

That's a rather strong statement that I'm not sure is warranted. I own both a K70 and a KP. They are both very capable cameras.

With ANY camera you "risk" failure. The question isn't whether there's a risk. There just plain is. With every camera there is a weakest point that will fail first. The questions are whether a particular failure is a common problem and whether the risk can be contained. In this regard this failure is nowhere near as commonly reported in the K-70 as in the K-30/50 models. WRT containing risk, many sources offer extended warranties (mine from a local store is 3 years and I've already had a complete shell and/or body replacement--don't know which--due to a bad fall that cracked the case open), and in any case the fix for this failure is straightforward and so well documented most people do it themselves.

Wife's K-70 been going strong since December 2016. She loves it.

[redpit]

Welcome onboard and I hope you get the K-70 and see you in here often. It is great camera and a good friend of mine chose it over the competition back in 2017 and he is more than happy with the camera and the unique features that Pentax has incorporated to it.

[Hattifnatt]

Welcome aboard, Claire from wet and soggy, Hampshire. Guess you've got the same less than exciting weather ...

I personally think good weather is kind of boring in regards to photography. I always tend to find more opportunities when the weather is bad. Some of my pictures that I'm most happy with were taken in Ireland.

Welcome to the forums! May sound funny, but I truly believe these forums are one of the strongest assets that Pentax has going for it.

[jgnfld]

I personally think good weather is kind of boring in regards to photography. I always tend to find more opportunities when the weather is bad. Some of my pictures that I'm most happy with were taken in Ireland.

Welcome to the forums! May sound funny, but I truly believe these forums are one of the strongest assets that Pentax has going for it.

From my Newfoundland perspective I 90% agree. But weeks of rain, drizzle, and fog do sometimes get excessive!

The National Film Board of Canada once made a documentary about St. John's with that title, actually...Rain, Drizzle, and Fog by Rosemary House - NFB :-)

[Madaboutpix]

Dont buy K 70, you risk Aperture Block Failure

Yes, it is a known issue with entry-level to mid-range Pentax DSLRs since the K-30, but a K-70 that sees reasonably regular use doesn't have to be affected by it. The competition in that affordable price range certainly isn't built to last one a lifetime either. For what it brings to actual photography, the K-70 is still pretty hard to beat at its price.

[CBM]

Yes, it is a known issue with entry-level to mid-range Pentax DSLRs since the K-30, but a K-70 that sees reasonably regular use doesn't have to be affected by it. The competition in that affordable price range certainly isn't built to last one a lifetime either. For what it brings to actual photography, the K-70 is still pretty hard to beat at its price.

This is good advice - as a newish K70 user I can tell you that I didn't really feel limited until trying to get more serious about birds in flight - that said, the 55-300 PLM is a wonderful pairing for that type of shooting. I bought the GPS unit for astro and with 0 astro experience can tell you that I was really happy the first time out. It's really good all around, and all the great glass you pick up along the way will serve nicely on either a used KP or new K3iii should you have the budget and inclination to go that route.

[niels hansen]

That's a rather strong statement that I'm not sure is warranted. I own both a K70 and a KP. They are both very capable cameras.

With ANY camera you "risk" failure. The question isn't whether there's a risk. There just plain is. With every camera there is a weakest point that will fail first. The questions are whether a particular failure is a common problem and whether the risk can be contained. In this regard this failure is nowhere near as commonly reported in the K-70 as in the K-30/50 models. WRT containing risk, many sources offer extended warranties (mine from a local store is 3 years and I've already had a complete shell and/or body replacement--don't know which--due to a bad fall that cracked the case open), and in any case the fix for this failure is straightforward and so well documented most people do it themselves.

Anyone is supposed to make own conclusions after reading what PF has told on this matter.
I guess that we are divided in two groups:
Some want the last news, believing that more pixels, higher dynamic range ets make a better photographer
Some are satisfied with their equipment as long as it works, a good camera does not become a bad camera because something new occurs. What is really improvements and what is the price?
If my K30 still was operationel i would not have bought a KP ( at that time I did not know of the possibility og changing the green solenoid) From the analogue days I am used to an almost endless lifetime, if you avoid most of the plastic ones.
If economy matters - and it does- a camera must live for at least 10 years

[Jonathan Mac]

Park cameras have the KP in stock. It's discontinued now but it's actually a newer and better model than the K-70. More expensive though.

Pentax Digital Cameras | DSLR & Compact Cameras | Park Cameras

---------- Post added 28-12-21 at 03:38 PM ----------

Regarding my previous post, Park has the KP body only for 999 but are expecting delivery of kits with the 18-50mm lens for only 749 in mid-January. That's obviously a far better deal.

[MossyRocks]

believing that more pixels, higher dynamic range ets make a better photographer

And some like myself realize that a better camera isn't going to magically make me take better pictures but do realize that there are cases where the camera is a limiting factor and that lower noise and better dynamic range will provide a dramatic improvement in image quality in some some cases. During daytime shooting my K-3 and K-3iii basically are the same with the K-3iii clearly having a more accurate AF but that is only a minor thing and doesn't really generally impact the final pictures. However the K-3iii offers a dramatically improved dynamic range and noise issues when doing astrophotography when compared to my old K-3, but this is an edge case that most people won't experience. There that over 1 stop benefit means that I can spend half the time capturing images and get the same result, or spend the same amount of time and get even better images.

Here I use pictures and images as 2 separate concepts. A good picture is more about your use of the light, framing, subject, etc. basically all the qualitative attributes that will make something good and so long as it has good enough dynamic range, good enough sharpness, and enough pixels, picture quality has very little to do with the quantitative aspects of the camera. When I talk about an image there I am referring to the quantitative aspects and sometimes those are critical but in most cases with a reasonably modern camera image quality will be fine. It is only in extreme cases, like with astrophotography, where one starts to hit image quality limits and there you start throwing gear at the problem to capture more of those very sparse photons and beat that noise floor down.

[Des]

Welcome to PF Claire.

I would seriously look around for a Pentax KP. It is a better build, and not too much difference in price, especially if you can find a good second-hand deal.

Park has the KP body only for 999 but are expecting delivery of kits with the 18-50mm lens for only 749 in mid-January. That's obviously a far better deal.

If you can get a KP for not much more than the K-70, I agree that that is definitely the one to get. It's a premium camera at an affordable price. Many of us were mystified by Ricoh's decision to discontinue it before the K-70.

the impatient part of me is whispering 'just buy it on the deal you found, if you don't gel you can sell it'.

Since it was discontinued, the KP has been in high demand on the second hand market. If it doesn't work out for you, you would have no trouble selling it.

You have had some very good advice about lenses too. I agree with @ChristianRock - a DA 16-85 and DA 55-300mm PLM would be a great kit to start with for your interests. (If you get the KP with 18-50, just try that lens for a while before considering a replacement.) Astro, macro, etc might require specialty lenses, which you could add later (second hand is fine) once you try your new kit. (If it doesn't work out for you, the 16-85 and 55-300 would be very saleable too.)

It would be wise to leave room in the budget for a tripod, flash, spare battery and some processing software (e.g. DxO PhotoLab or Adobe Lightroom). Shooting in RAW and processing allows you to get the most from your DSLR.

[CBM]

Park cameras have the KP in stock. It's discontinued now but it's actually a newer and better model than the K-70. More expensive though.

Pentax Digital Cameras | DSLR & Compact Cameras | Park Cameras

---------- Post added 28-12-21 at 03:38 PM ----------

Regarding my previous post, Park has the KP body only for 999 but are expecting delivery of kits with the 18-50mm lens for only 749 in mid-January. That's obviously a far better deal.

If you can get a new KP for $749 that would be ideal - I just bought a lightly used one, started using it today - this after 6 months with the K70. It is a good value, but the KP is the better value!

[Ernie C.]

For macro, landscape and astro, the K70 will be great. I don't have the 55-300 PLM (yet) so i can't really comment on the birds. I've picked up an old Sigma 70-300mm DG APO and the birds have to sit still or be dead if i want to focus on them.

The aperture block doesn't scare me. If it happens, it's not that difficult nor expensive to fix it or get it fixed.

I've got mine for a few months now and i really like it.