[Sagitta]

Oh, gawd, don't tell me that.... LOL.

Actually, I've been seeing some very inexpensive older lenses, but am trying to decide which one (only one!) to buy next. Then it'll be on to the next one, or two, or three. And isn't that one of the beauties of Pentax--you can get an arsenal of lenses for what you'd pay for one new digital lens for a Canon or Nikon..... Or is it a curse?

I spy a Minolta there--can't read which one it is, though. Am torn between selling my Minolta to raise $$ for a new body, or keeping it and dragging it out of retirement.

That's a Minolta XG1 - it was thrown in with a lot of assorted junk that I paid 99 cents for. I don't even know if it works.

[Greeneg]

LBA just made me buy a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8. And I'm looking at the 70-200 f2.8. Trying to avoid the "buy every old manual lens i can find" disease. But a set of reversing rings is calling me to macro shots...

You are going to LOVE that 28-75, quick, sharp, just a great all around lens.

[pinholecam]

Sony stuff is easily tried out over where I am. They have plenty of presence here in Sony and Electronics stores.
Nikon and Canon a bit less so, but its easy enough to try one.

The Sony always felt the worst. Nothing more than a plastic box. Very empty feeling dials and buttons too.
The low end Canon (ie. 1000D; 550D) felt the same, but were always a bit better than Sony.
Nikon felt the best of the lot, but so are their price.
Any Pentax DSLR feels about the same or maybe just a tad bit below the Nikon for the lower end models (K5 is certainly better), but then its also cheaper than a Nikon.

[Alizarine]

For some odd reason the K-x feels heavier than the 1100D both with batteries on. By "feel" the Canon feels less solid but it does seem like it's put together more nicely than the K-x (or so I think... some people also say that because you see the screws on the outside of lower-end Pentax bodies they think it's more cheaply built than the glued-together-look of Canikony bodies)

but anyway, to the OP: yep you're hooked.

[RioRico]

Ok, so this may be a stupid question (though I am a newbie), what is LBA?

LBA= Lens Buying Adrenaline -- the rush one gets when acquiring more optical materials. It's a positive reinforcement, not a disease, unless one considers orgasms to be pathological.

My latest LBA rush comes from a duplicate Argus-mount Enna Sandmar 35/4.5 that cost all of US$7. I'm adapting it to PK mount right now -- and leaving-be my other collectible-quality Sandmar. I've cut a hole in a US$1 PK body cap, applied some glue, and I'm just adjusting it for infinity focus. Cheap thrills!

[amc654]

Cheap thrills!

LOL! I've gotta stop reading this thread--it's making me want to go out and buy a boatload of lenses....

[RioRico]

Actually, I've been seeing some very inexpensive older lenses, but am trying to decide which one (only one!) to buy next. Then it'll be on to the next one, or two, or three. And isn't that one of the beauties of Pentax--you can get an arsenal of lenses for what you'd pay for one new digital lens for a Canon or Nikon..... Or is it a curse?

Not just new CaNikon lenses. I have a very very few Pentaxian AFs bought new or used, and many many old lenses bought cheap. And I have a spreadsheet where (among other things) I track my costs. Average price, per lens: AF= US$278; MF= US$20. So I could buy almost 14 MF lenses for each AF lens. The AF screw costs an average of US$258 per lens. Yow. And half those AF lenses were bought used.

LOL! I've gotta stop reading this thread--it's making me want to go out and buy a boatload of lenses....

That's the spirit! Engage your Lens-Buying Adrenaline! Make it work for you!

[GibbyTheMole]

I couldn't believe how much "less sturdy" both the bodies and the lenses looked and felt. I felt no nice "heft" in my hand, and the lenses just didn't have the same look or feel.

It's not just you. I recently played around with some mid-priced Canons & Nikons, and the Pentaxes definitely have the feel of better build quality. It was especially noticeable when comparing 18-55mm kit lenses. The Pentax kit lens looks and feels like a much better quality lens than the Canon & Nikon kit lens. I especially disliked the focusing rings on the Canikon kit lenses. They literally felt like a toy.

That being said, I'm sure the cameras do the job well & the upper end professional Canikons are no doubt built to a higher standard of build quality.

[amc654]

The Pentax kit lens looks and feels like a much better quality lens than the Canon & Nikon kit lens. I especially disliked the focusing rings on the Canikon kit lenses. They literally felt like a toy.

That being said, I'm sure the cameras do the job well & the upper end professional Canikons are no doubt built to a higher standard of build quality.

Yes, that's exactly how I felt about the kit lenses I saw at Best Buy--the Pentax kit lens looks and feels much better. And I do agree that the Canikons likely perform just fine and the upper-end models are quality units.... I must say, though, that when I was looking for my last high-end P & S (or "bridge" camera, if you will), I tried just about every brand out there, including Canon. And although I liked the couple I tried, I ended up with something else--I just wasn't "blown away" by the Canons like I'd been led to expect. I've never actually worked with a Canon slr, so am in the dark on actual functioning.

[GibbyTheMole]

I must say, though, that when I was looking for my last high-end P & S (or "bridge" camera, if you will), I tried just about every brand out there, including Canon. And although I liked the couple I tried, I ended up with something else--I just wasn't "blown away" by the Canons like I'd been led to expect.

Funny you mention Canon P&S cameras... I recently discovered my Canon P&S (maybe I should say Canon POS) had a widespread manufacturer's defect which plonked out the sensor. Canon had a free fix it program for the issue, which I did e-mail them about but was denied because they just stopped the program a week ago. (really!) They offered the "Canon Loyalty Discount" on a refurbished camera with 90 day warranty in trade for my old one, but the cost was very close to a brand new one with full warranty and no trade in required, so I declined. Sucks that I paid full $250 price for it new just to have a paperweight. That's probably gonna be my last Canon.

[lammie200]

Funny you mention Canon P&S cameras... I recently discovered my Canon P&S (maybe I should say Canon POS) had a widespread manufacturer's defect which plonked out the sensor. Canon had a free fix it program for the issue, which I did e-mail them about but was denied because they just stopped the program a week ago. (really!) They offered the "Canon Loyalty Discount" on a refurbished camera with 90 day warranty in trade for my old one, but the cost was very close to a brand new one with full warranty and no trade in required, so I declined. Sucks that I paid full $250 price for it new just to have a paperweight. That's probably gonna be my last Canon.

We had to send my wife's G9 in for a $100USD repair for a known defect. Two small screws work their ways loose and short out the power. I never liked the camera myself.

Also, one of my brothers works for Canon. Every year I ask him to send me the Canon family discount offerings. They make zero financial / consumer sense. They are usually very small discounts on out-of-date refurbished items.