[Des]

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Also I've checked the prices of both the K-30 & K-50, but both are around £200-£220 for Body Only. Know anywhere cheaper?

I linked above to a K-30 with 18-55 lens on Gumtree UK asking 150 pounds. (Bearing in mind prices asked are usually negotiable to some extent.) Here it is again:
Pentax K-30 weather resistant DSLR with 18-55 lens | in Wallasey, Merseyside | Gumtree
This particular one might not be convenient or suitable, but it shows what you can get if you are patient and keep looking. I doubt you will find a K-5 for this price, but you never know. Should easily get a K-x for the same or less. Getting a camera bundled with lens and other things (e.g SD card, bag, flash, tripod, spare battery, filters, etc) can often mean you get the extras for very little.

Classifieds like Gumtree are often cheaper than ebay, but they carry more risk. You don't have the same remedies that you have on ebay or buying from a shop.

And again, at the risk of repetition, look at this thread for examples of excellent photos taken with really cheap lenses on Pentax cameras: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/32688-dcl-dirt-cheap-lens-club.html

I think you are making the common newby mistake of thinking that good images need the latest and greatest camera. Look at the photos in the "Dirt Cheap Lens" thread and you hardly need to know which camera they were taken with - some will be 6mp cameras from 2007. It's about the lens. And, of course, the skill of the photographer.

Most of these cheap lenses are manual focus and also manual aperture. That's a great way to learn about exposure and to develop photographic skills. You feel more involved in the photograph. Get the focus right, the exposure right, good composition, and you can say with pride, "I made that". It can be very rewarding.

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Last edited by Des; 11-11-2016 at 03:27 PM.

[Fries]

You asked for some video examples. On this site: Marboei - Poëtische ankerplaatsen op het Friese water all the video is shot with a K-3 and mostly with a DA*16-50 and with the camera on a tripod. The set noise (sound, not being a interview) was recorded with a Røde microphone and interviews with a external microphone (on my iPhone or a Nagra recorder.) The really fast video, time lapses, are made with lots of photo's combined in custom software and not in camera. The footage is 25p. It is in Dutch but if you click on the + under a name and scroll down you will see a video. In hindsight there is enough stuff that I could have done better but I was learning on the job! I realize that the stuff I use is out of your price range but I gives you a glimpse of what is possible. Hope this helps and I wish you lots of fun starting out with this wonderful hobby.

Edit: And this is a instructional video about how to moor a ship on a kind of anchor buoy:

You Tube

You Tube

It was really a very drab day, so the colors are not that very good...

[camerateen]

Des - At least with eBay, you are given some sort of buyer protection, but Gumtree, like any private ad site is risky as there are no guarantees that the item your purchasing will be perfect. What I need to do whilst I'm search for my lovely camera is to take a step back and have a look around on the pentax website to see what sorts of photos people have taken and with what cameras. I don't mind an older generation camera, but I don't want to go too old as I like a camera to have at least a bit of modern looks and feel to it. Don't forget I'll be using it at Family/Friend occasions, so I do want to look a little cool and not "oh here comes granddad with a 70's camera"

Fries - If that's the type of quality video any of the pentax cameras can take, then I'd be more than happy with it, because it looks very vivid & professional.

---------- Post added 11-11-16 at 03:30 PM ----------

Guys, if you don't mind, please kindly don't tease me with gorgeous photos/videos & then show me cameras that are out of my budget as I really can't afford the likes of the K-3.

I want to go with Des's idea and look at a reasonably cheaper camera and go with once of these "dirt cheap lens". So hit me with it

[ChristianRock]

That K-x that was linked would be a great camera. And it comes with the 18-55mm lens. That 12MP Sony sensor that it has is great (I had the same sensor in my K-r). It is capable of very nice pictures.

Also, it would leave room in your budget to get a good 50mm lens like this. Or the 28mm Pentax I was talking about earlier...

[lithedreamer]

Des - At least with eBay, you are given some sort of buyer protection, but Gumtree, like any private ad site is risky as there are no guarantees that the item your purchasing will be perfect. What I need to do whilst I'm search for my lovely camera is to take a step back and have a look around on the pentax website to see what sorts of photos people have taken and with what cameras. I don't mind an older generation camera, but I don't want to go too old as I like a camera to have at least a bit of modern looks and feel to it. Don't forget I'll be using it at Family/Friend occasions, so I do want to look a little cool and not "oh here comes granddad with a 70's camera"

Fries - If that's the type of quality video any of the pentax cameras can take, then I'd be more than happy with it, because it looks very vivid & professional.

---------- Post added 11-11-16 at 03:30 PM ----------

Guys, if you don't mind, please kindly don't tease me with gorgeous photos/videos & then show me cameras that are out of my budget as I really can't afford the likes of the K-3.

I want to go with Des's idea and look at a reasonably cheaper camera and go with once of these "dirt cheap lens". So hit me with it

Okay, let's temper those expectations. This was really poorly done, and has aged even worse... but I put this together years ago with my K-x. Even 1920x1080, apparently.

You Tube

You Tube

I'd get a K-x or K-30 in a colour you like (mine are in white and red respectively, and those colours started a lot of conversations that my camera would not have otherwise). Then get an m42 adapter and a Super Takumar 50mm f1.4. If you search YouTube, you'll find a lot of people do video with it, and it also makes a great portrait lens.

[UncleVanya]

I hesitate to suggest this but I will. Have you looked at something like the Panasonic LX7? That is the only camera I took on a two week trip to London and Paris this spring. It is a small sensor camera with a very nice Leica zoom. The 10mp sensor is a far cry from a k-5 but it makes nice pictures and offers raw and full manual support and very good video. I checked U.K. eBay and you should be able to get one for around half your budget. This will have trouble giving you shallow depth of field but it does shoot nice shots nevertheless.

Covent Garden | Flickr

[camerateen]

Have you guys seen this?:-

Best cheap cameras 2016 | TechRadar

How come no pentax are mentioned?

[Photator]

Have you guys seen this?:-

Best cheap cameras 2016 | TechRadar

How come no pentax are mentioned?

Hmm, strange. Pentax gets a mention here:
Best entry-level DSLR 2016: What to look for and which to buy | TechRadar

[lithedreamer]

Have you guys seen this?:-

Best cheap cameras 2016 | TechRadar

How come no pentax are mentioned?

I didn't put together the list but it's certainly full of its own compromise cameras. 1 & 5-7 lack interchangable lenses, and you've seen what I can do with good glass. Also, portraiture with a point-and-shoot isn't much of an improvement over a camera phone.

The Canon at number two is honestly an okay camera (though it blows your budget if their Amazon estimate is reasonable), lots of my classmates in college used it and got decent results. I remember it's kind of clunky but...it's far from a bad camera.

The Nikon at number three is even more expensive, mirrorless (which leads you with shorter battery life, and some autofocus issues if you're using old mirrorless cameras). It also has a smaller sensor than most dSLRs, so background blur will be trickier and more expensive to get.

I don't really have any concerns about the Sony (#4).

---------- Post added 11-11-16 at 03:34 PM ----------

Hmm, strange. Pentax gets a mention here:
Best entry-level DSLR 2016: What to look for and which to buy | TechRadar

Only at the bottom of a list filled with Canons and Nikons though.

[Fries]

Neither of which are even close to within his budget....

And that is specifically mentioned in my post... And I was responding to this request, but somehow reading it on my phone I missed the part in red below... For that I apologize.

Thank you guys. I unfortunately can't reply to every single poster, but would like to say that I really appreciate your support. It's difficult for a fourteen year old to understand all this jargon, but I'm slowly getting around it.

I know it's a big ask, but is it possible, someone please post any photos and especially videos that they've taken with their pentax cameras? Please also make sure that you mention which model camera they were taken with. This hopefully will help me to work out what camera is suitable for me. Also if you could kindly avoid posting professional videos as I want to see what an amateur can do with this camera.

When you start with a camera system with a limited budget it is something you grow into. Later, with possibly some more funds available people start buying some more stuff. So, although it does not come close to meeting his budget presently, I just wanted to point out that it is possible to get some decent video from a Pentax DSLR.

[Photator]

This lens cost me around £15 (Helios 44-2 again) and the camera I used it on was far from expensive.
Machine Heads | Lens: Helios 44-2 58mm at around F4. | Photator | Flickr

---------- Post added 11-11-16 at 05:11 PM ----------

It's difficult for a fourteen year old to understand all this jargon, but I'm slowly getting around it

Bite-size chunks.
I know the world of photography is filled with seemingly complicated stuff ..."exposure bracketing" "shutter/aperture priority" "ISO levels" etc etc, but if you're as intensely interested in it as much as it seems (like I was when new to it) you'll start getting it very quickly, especially when you've got your new camera in front of you. Watching Youtube tutorials helped me a lot, I found a guy called Gavin Hoey to be very easy to understand. Also Karl Taylor was a big inspiration.

[lithedreamer]

It's difficult for a fourteen year old to understand all this jargon, but I'm slowly getting around it.

Check out Tony Northrup's videos on YouTube. He's certainly a controversial figure when it comes to 'test chart opinions', but I think he's a good teacher of technique and creativity. Lots of free content, most of his ebooks are on sale right now, too.

Edit:

You Tube

You Tube

.

[Des]

Des - At least with eBay, you are given some sort of buyer protection, but Gumtree, like any private ad site is risky as there are no guarantees that the item your purchasing will be perfect.

Wherever you buy from you there is no guarantee that the item is perfect. But a lot of people sell cameras that are only 2-5 years old that have had very little use and are in very good condition - because they find that they don't use them as much as they expected, or they upgrade to a newer model. There is risk in every second-hand purchase, but don't be too spooked by that. Personally I have had a number of good experiences in buying through Gumtree and other classifieds, including the marketplace on this site (which is also good). If you buy from a retailer you get more protection, but you are also paying for their profit margin - so you don't get as much for your money. That's the choice you have to make.

What I need to do whilst I'm search for my lovely camera is to take a step back and have a look around on the pentax website to see what sorts of photos people have taken and with what cameras.

You will find endless arguments on this and other photographic sites about the merits of different cameras. But if you are looking at web photos, a lot of the time you won't be able to tell just from looking at the images photos taken with one camera from those taken with another. You can overthink this. Really, don't sweat too much which camera you get. As a rule of thumb, the more recent the model the more features it will have. Just aim for the most recent model you can get within the budget. (I think that will be a K-30, but earlier models like the K-x would more than adequate.)

I don't mind an older generation camera, but I don't want to go too old as I like a camera to have at least a bit of modern looks and feel to it.

If we are talking only about digital cameras, and about digital SLR cameras in particular, to most people they all look much the same, except the some are bigger and some are smaller, and some come in colours other than black, and some have big lenses and some have small lenses. Camera nerds and brand-fans might notice whether it says Nikon or Canon or Sony or Pentax or whatever, but no-one else really much cares in my experience. If it's about the images, don't worry what it looks like.

[Kharan]

Can you meet our intrepid poster's budget?

With the original E-M10, yes. An E-M5 would likely mean a stretch, but nothing extraordinary. Of course, they have to buy used.

[lithedreamer]

Wherever you buy from you there is no guarantee that the item is perfect. But a lot of people sell cameras that are only 2-5 years old that have had very little use and are in very good condition - because they find that they don't use them as much as they expected, or they upgrade to a newer model. There is risk in every second-hand purchase, but don't be too spooked by that. Personally I have had a number of good experiences in buying through Gumtree and other classifieds, including the marketplace on this site (which is also good). If you buy from a retailer you get more protection, but you are also paying for their profit margin - so you don't get as much for your money. That's the choice you have to make.

This is a choice I heartily recommend. When you have more income and feel like treating yourself -or if there's some gear you want but are concerned that it may have issues that you'd like protection from- then buy new. I have bought many lenses and a couple of cameras used, all arrived in better than described condition. I was only very dissatisfied with one purchase, which resulted from me not reading the product description correctly combined with an unfriendly seller. So...if you have any questions, do ask!

You will find endless arguments on this and other photographic sites about the merits of different cameras. But if you are looking at web photos, a lot of the time you won't be able to tell just from looking at the images photos taken with one camera from those taken with another. You can overthink this. Really, don't sweat too much which camera you get. As a rule of thumb, the more recent the model the more features it will have. Just aim for the most recent model you can get within the budget. (I think that will be a K-30, but earlier models like the K-x would more than adequate.)

This is also very true. While I was putting together that K-30 album for you, a few K-x photos snuck in that I had to remove. You'll recognise lenses much quicker unless you're pixel peeping.

If we are talking only about digital cameras, and about digital SLR cameras in particular, to most people they all look much the same, except the some are bigger and some are smaller, and some come in colours other than black, and some have big lenses and some have small lenses. Camera nerds and brand-fans might notice whether it says Nikon or Canon or Sony or Pentax or whatever, but no-one else really much cares in my experience. If it's about the images, don't worry what it looks like.

It's part of our struggle as photographers to justify why we need to make room in the budget for that newest, shiniest thing, when everyone else sees an expensive big black box.