K50 Deal breaker?

MGBMAN · 12-07-2015, 10:19 AM

Thanks Guys for all the good info.
I am still on the fence,would like a K3 but expensive in Canada.

Shawn

**Des** · 12-07-2015, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

incidence of defect and/or serious failure is fairly high for interchangeable lens cameras across brands. Current Consumer Reports data indicate: Panasonic (4%), Canon (5%), Sony (7%), Pentax (7%), Nikon (8%), and Olympus (8%). The Pentax numbers include the recent general recall of K-3II bodies.

To put this in context, those sort of rates are generally on the low-ish side for consumer electronics items. Choice (Australian Consumers Association) did a survey this year of 14,000 members about product reliability. This is what they found regarding smartphones:
"This year, 9007 people told us about their smartphones. Smartphones are one of the least reliable products we asked members about; on average one third (34%) of owners reported problems with their smartphone in the first five years of use. While most problems (23%) are considered minor by owners, one in ten (11%) have major problems where the phone completely stopped working or operation was seriously affected."
My experience is consistent with this: I have had two smartphones fail. I have never had a problem with a camera (touch wood).

Here's what they found about televisions:
"8,773 people told us about their televisions. Overall, televisions are very reliable – only 5% experienced a major problem in the first 5 years and only 15% had any problem at all in the first 5 years. The most common problems with televisions are picture quality and smart TV software issues."

I guess smartphones tend to get rougher treatment than TVs and more use than cameras, but I think that overall cameras are probably at the more reliable end of the spectrum.

None of this is an argument against extended warranties though, because a serious defect like the aperture/mirror controller issue can be uneconomic to repair.

**Scorpio71GR** · 12-07-2015, 03:50 PM

I have only heard of the issue on a few occasions. All digital cameras can and will have certain issue. Buy from a reputable dealer and get the extended two year warranty. Even if you do not end up needing the camera serviced you still get one free camera cleaning and service. I use my K50 right along with my K3 and most of the time I can not tell which camera was used. For the price right now I do not think there really is a better deal out there. A fully weather sealed 16mp DSLR and decent build quality. The K3 is a lot more camera than the K50.

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12-07-2015, 10:19 AM	#16
MGBMAN Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 27 Original Poster	Thanks Guys for all the good info. I am still on the fence,would like a K3 but expensive in Canada. Shawn

12-07-2015, 03:25 PM	#17
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,424	Originally posted by stevebrot incidence of defect and/or serious failure is fairly high for interchangeable lens cameras across brands. Current Consumer Reports data indicate: Panasonic (4%), Canon (5%), Sony (7%), Pentax (7%), Nikon (8%), and Olympus (8%). The Pentax numbers include the recent general recall of K-3II bodies. To put this in context, those sort of rates are generally on the low-ish side for consumer electronics items. Choice (Australian Consumers Association) did a survey this year of 14,000 members about product reliability. This is what they found regarding smartphones: "This year, 9007 people told us about their smartphones. Smartphones are one of the least reliable products we asked members about; on average one third (34%) of owners reported problems with their smartphone in the first five years of use. While most problems (23%) are considered minor by owners, one in ten (11%) have major problems where the phone completely stopped working or operation was seriously affected." My experience is consistent with this: I have had two smartphones fail. I have never had a problem with a camera (touch wood). Here's what they found about televisions: "8,773 people told us about their televisions. Overall, televisions are very reliable – only 5% experienced a major problem in the first 5 years and only 15% had any problem at all in the first 5 years. The most common problems with televisions are picture quality and smart TV software issues." I guess smartphones tend to get rougher treatment than TVs and more use than cameras, but I think that overall cameras are probably at the more reliable end of the spectrum. None of this is an argument against extended warranties though, because a serious defect like the aperture/mirror controller issue can be uneconomic to repair.

12-07-2015, 03:50 PM	#18
Scorpio71GR Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,023	I have only heard of the issue on a few occasions. All digital cameras can and will have certain issue. Buy from a reputable dealer and get the extended two year warranty. Even if you do not end up needing the camera serviced you still get one free camera cleaning and service. I use my K50 right along with my K3 and most of the time I can not tell which camera was used. For the price right now I do not think there really is a better deal out there. A fully weather sealed 16mp DSLR and decent build quality. The K3 is a lot more camera than the K50.