[normhead]

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Here's what I'd do.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/332837-sal...nt-2630-a.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/326161-sal...2-adapter.html

Here you go, $250 right here in the market lace. Haggle the price down and maybe you can get a used DA 50 1.7 and go AF.

But if you can find a K-5 for a good price, it's better than any of the suggested Canon's above. My wife still uses hers preferring it to both my K-3 and K-1 (and any Canon camera.)

A k-5 is still rated better for IQ etc. (Dx0) than 95% of all the Canon's ever made.

I used a K-5 for manual focus, on many occasions, particularly with my A-400.

With a K-5 in live view, set the camera to MF, set the center focus square and half depress the shutter, it automatically zooms to 1:1 so you can focus accurately. It works quite well. Hang around this Pentax forum and you''ll learn tons.

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Last edited by normhead; 11-10-2016 at 03:34 PM.

[Blacknight659]

Best cameras for the money: K-20, K-7, K-5, K-5ii, K-5iis (probably $150-$500 range here)
Best lenses for the money: M prime lenses (28mm, 50mm, 135mm), DA prime lenses (DA 35, DA 50)

I think you could pick up a K-20d and a M-SMC 50mm 1.7 and learn a lot with that. I see K-20ds go for $200 ish, then you can get a M-SMC 50 1.7 for $35-55. No AF, but that would keep you under budget.

I have a K-20d I will sell you. I sent a PM to you.

[cpk]

Good points, Norm, but hasn't your wife taken over your K-1?

To the OP, I'd prefer the K-5 over the K20D. I've had both, and the K-5 is much better.

[arnold]

. After I realised my mobile phone photo shots were rubbish,

Don't make the assumption that a more expensive camera will improve your photos. Take a look at the thread on this forum that deals with phone pictures. They are remarkably good, and many would be hard to pick as not being from a DSLR. Gear is no substitute for an artistic eye.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/76-non-pentax-cameras-canon-nikon-etc/170927-phone-club.html

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Last edited by arnold; 11-10-2016 at 03:09 PM.

[amoringello]

Hackable is for people with cell phone cameras.
Canon cameras may have some good hacks, but I haven't seen any additions that benefit learning photography.
Remember KISS (Keep It Simple Silly).

Get a workable cheap camera (any brand).
Learn the basics.
Take some good photos.
Learn good business practices and how to deal with people.
Make money and buy a better camera.
Determine if the cameras by that time make it necessary to add silly hacks.

[Kevin B123]

Don't make the assumption that a more expensive camera will improve your photos. Take a look at the thread on this forum that deals with phone pictures. They are remarkably good, and many would be hard to pick as not being from a DSLR. Gear is no substitute for an artistic eye.
Pentax Forum - Camera & Photography Community - PentaxForums.com

Very true. However the budget is smaller than many a new phone and the OP is looking to have bokeh, something that is difficult to achieve with a phone.

[mattb123]

Don't buy a Pentax for video. If that's a must-have then you need to look elsewhere. Same for hackable firmware.

BUT

If you can live without those things in exchange for that Pentax look in your stills, I agree the K-5 is a good choice. The K-x/K-r is about as old as I like to recommend as that is when the sensors took a pretty big jump in quality, especially for low light. My son is still using my old K-x and it's still holding up. K-30 or K-50 would work too but those may still be priced too high for you.

If you want nice bokeh on a budget you need a fast(ish) prime lens. It can be done with zooms but usually for a lot more money and bulk.
a manual 50/1.7 or the newer 50/1.8 will give you nice bokeh but 50 can feel pretty long of a crop camera.
The 35/2.4 someone else mentioned would be good for an all around prime too.

[UncleVanya]

My dad used to have a 2009 Panasonic FZ38 bridge camera which I know is now a bit on the old side, but it did have good quality photos. I'd love to get some of those gorgeous bokeh shots the people are posting on here.

Forgive me but I'm on a very tight budget. I want a digital camera within £200 (approx $250) range for a used one (with lens if possible). I'm not too fussed if it's slightly outdated or doesn't have stuff like wifi etc.

The main features I'm looking for are:
As good quality photos as possible
Can do good Bokeh/Shallow Depth of Field - Especially portraits with blurry backgrounds
Can do 1080p movies at least at 30fps


Bonus Features (if possible)
Hackable to allow for improvements to it's OS
Wireless
Can exchange lens
Not too bulky
If it can be modern with good features then that would be great

1st things first. Pentax is not the brand you want if video is important to you. It can do it in most modern bodies but with limitations. That may change over time but at this time I don't recommend Pentax to anyone asking about video as a must have feature.

2nd: Pentax firmware hacking is virtually non-existant. Don't expect that to change unless you are going to drive it.

3rd: Shallow DOF will require a larger sensor or a longer working distance and telephoto etc. If you want to get tightly framed pictures of people you can get great bokeh with even bridge cameras but the effort is harder. The easiest is on larger formats like the new K-1 but that is way out of budget. If we assume you want to use APSC sensor sizes or perhaps M43 at the smallest that is likely going in the right direction. Pentax offers APSC, FF, and 1/1.7" (Q series) currently. For what you want APSC is likley the best compromise.

4th: The Ricoh GR can be eliminated for cost and lack of interchangable lenses at least on the current model.

5th: Wireless - not too bulky... that pretty much leaves you with the KS-1 and KS-2 but the KS-1 is discontinued and the KS-2 is out of your budget. These are also newer cameras that support video a bit better than the older bodies some may suggest. The KS-1 does not include wireless out of the box. You need an eyefi or a flu card for this. The flu card offers primative remote control but it miles behind things like the new K-1 or the Panasonic/Olympus/Samsung offerings. K-30 and K-50 and even K-01 can do video and use eyefi cards but I am uncertain if the eyefi offers what you want. The flucard at least offers some remote viewing which is lacking on the eyefi.

So if you don't flee pentax I suggest you read up on the KS-1 here: Pentax K-S1 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews It lacks weather sealing but offers most of what you ask for and is often available for close to your budget numbers or a little above. Get a cheap manual SMC-A 50mm f/2 or f/1.7 (much better) to get started - it won't do autofocus but it will give you nice enough portraits and will be cheap. The 18-55 or 18-50 autofocus lenses would be nice to have but are much slower and offer less options for blurred backgrounds. Later there are a myriad of choices we can help you spend money on!

If you prefer listen to others but based on what you have posted as YOUR criteria that's what I suggest - in Pentax. As for other brands - Canon and Panasonic are my top video selections based on my friends use - I'm not a video guy so I'd defer that advice to others.

[normhead]

Good points, Norm, but hasn't your wife taken over your K-1?

To the OP, I'd prefer the K-5 over the K20D. I've had both, and the K-5 is much better.

SO far, she hasn't started taking it out on her walks and stuff. She's a big fan of her Tamron 90 macro, and on a K-5 it does what she likes. I don't think she wants to deal with the different FoV on her favorite lenses. So far I'm safe.

[camerateen]

WOW! So many replies! Thank you to all of you for your recommendations.

As you can imagine, I've been given so many choices that are good as each other, I don't know what to do

After checking out what you guys have suggested, I might have a couple of things I'd like to add/change:-

DEFINATELY REQUIRED:-

• Decent 720p or 1080p video quality is necessary.
• It MUST have a built-in flash

NOT NECESSARY, BUT WOULD BE A BONUS:-

The camera to be a little smaller/less bulky
A bit newer model than 2008, unless the old model is still superior

NOT THAT IMPORTANT:-

• Hackable firmware is not a must if the camera software has decent features in the first place.
• It doesn't have to be pentax if it's cheaper and can do just as good a job

Thank you very much once again and guys please keep coming up with your recommendations!

[mattb123]

If you want tons of bokeh, want to go cheap, and can forgo video and firmware hacking (or any firmware at all) there's always the old 645 like this one, currently going for $245 with a 75/2.8 which produces nice smooth bokeh.

[camerateen]

Thank you Mattb123. I hope you can forgive me, although the pictures the 645 takes are great, I can't be seen carry that. I'm sorry to sound horrible, but it looks like something that my grandad would carry. My girlfriend would leave me if she saw me with that

[Just1MoreDave]

I have no idea why people are recommending Canon here, especially considering that their recommendations pale in comparison with the K5...

The 1080p/30fps video made me think Canon. In Pentax that means the K5 is out, K50 meets the spec. Also the KS1. Canon was behind in sensors recently so it would be a balancing act for video, budget and quality. Maybe they are cheap enough to make up for it.

What the OP also wants to consider is high ISO performance. That's where I think the Canon falls behind. Not just the maximum ISO setting, often an impressively large number like 51200, but whether the sensor has reasonable dynamic range at higher ISOs. If the sensor is good enough at ISO 6400, you can get shots in very low light with really ordinary lenses.

[marcusBMG]

• Pentax is the best for using own legacy film era lenses. Nikon next best. Canon worst. I have used both K5 (currently) and K20D - both take fine pics, K5 better for higher ISO and live view = + 1 for K5. IMO focus aid(s) is/are important with manual focus on dslr - most practical is a VF magnifier, I use a tenpa 1.36x. Most important thing however wih MF is practice. Oh, and my impression of focus peaking is that it is not an important focus aid.
• But canon is the best DSLR for adapting other lens mounts. Pentax PK, Olympus OM, Contax-yashica CY, M42 screw and Nikon mount lenses can all be mounted easily on a canon dslr with a matching simple cheap adapter.
• And mirrorless cameras are the best overall for legacy lens use - all mounts adaptable. Mirrorless has other advantages too: no complications or issues with metering, it's always off the sensor, and aperture priority modes (you manually change the aperture, camera sets the shutter speed) always work; focus assist magnifications in the viewfinder to really nail focus; electronic viewfinder only gets dim (auto compensates) when the light i just about gone. But make sure you get a mirrorless with a viewfinder, not just with a lcd. One more thing: mirrorless (with legacy lenses, stop down modes) has a rather educational WYSIWYG character, you see the depth of field and bokeh. There is some particularly good value out there with mirrorless: the big selling early Panasonic lumix models eg G1, G2 are always floating onto the S/H market and good bodies can be picked up for as little as fifty quid; samsungs have not managed to become nearly as desirable as eg Nex/sony, Fuji so eg I picked up my NX20 for not much more than a hundred

However it's worth mentioning that simply getting any good body + kit lens and then spend the next 6-12 months just using, learning (and seeing that you can do 80-90% of general photography with this combo), and the parallel learning curve of post processing pics on your PC, is a path that has a lot of sense, rather than all these distractions....kick off by spending a little, learn a lot and then make an informed decision as to how to move on.

[UncleVanya]

You can read about features here: Pentax K-mount DSLRs - Pentax Pentax Digital Cameras - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

K-5ii/iis appears to fall short of the video you require at only 25fps at full HD. The K30/K50 and newer seem to have this at 30fps or better.
K-5 video data is missing in the record on the site. Unlikely that this will be better than the K-5ii series.

---------- Post added 11-10-16 at 06:13 PM ----------

If you want tons of bokeh, want to go cheap, and can forgo video and firmware hacking (or any firmware at all) there's always the old 645 like this one, currently going for $245 with a 75/2.8 which produces nice smooth bokeh.

Film is always an option but brings some costs along with it. Medium format like the 645 or 6x7 brings a cost for lenses too but that's not a bad idea in many ways. No wireless or video however.... and bulky... so probably not quite what the doctor ordered.