[icy]

Hi,

In my local market there is a K20d which has 100k shots. It costs $70.

My question is if 100k is too high for this (kind of) camera. is it worth buying that?

Thanks,

[Adam]

Hi,

In my local market there is a K20d which has 100k shots. It costs $70.

My question is if 100k is too high for this (kind of) camera. is it worth buying that?

Thanks,

100k is about as much shutter life as you should normally expect from a Pentax, but they can certainly go higher if you're lucky. If you do pick up the camera, just don't be surprised if it'll need a repair sooner or later.

[PPPPPP42]

Adam about summarized my thoughts too, I would consider it iffy on how much life you will get out of it, but the K20D was such a tank I am fairly confident you will get more than $70 worth of use.
Definitely check it out really well though.
I am giving that answer under the assumption that you can't afford more right now. The K20D is somewhat obsolete compared to even the original K5 for reasons like high ISO and dynamic range, but can still produce excellent quality images and it has always been a well liked body.

[stevebrot]

To join the chorus, 100K actuations was that expected maximum service life when the camera was new.


Steve

[icy]

Thank you all for you answers. That really helps.

I will discuss with the seller if they can lower the price and/or provide a (long) support. If they don't, I don't think I will buy the camera

I am giving that answer under the assumption that you can't afford more right now. The K20D is somewhat obsolete compared to even the original K5 for reasons like high ISO and dynamic range, but can still produce excellent quality images and it has always been a well liked body.

I'd like to buy this camera for my younger brother who can't afford more right now K20d is quite good to help him to get familiar with DLSR and Pentax world IMHO

[dms]

The shutter life is likely the mean time to failure (MTF)--and about that there is a variation. Only Pentax knows the numbers--but lets say it is 100,000 MTF and +/-25,000 variance (at +/- 60% probability). (Not because I know the numbers for variation in/of cameras--but from other fields/analysis.)

If you are looking to get something like 10,000~20,000 more shutter actuations, and it works fine now, my engineering sense is it is a reasonable buy at $70. Just don't be upset if it craps out soon. It is a risk--and you are playing the odds.

BTW you play the same odds when you buy a new camera--if the MTF is 100,000 and the variance is +/- 25,000 at 60% probability, the statistical result is there is about a 2% probability it will fail after 25,000 actuations (in statistics it is 1 versus 2 standard deviations)--so 2 people out of every 100 will find their new camera shutter failed after 50% of the stated shutter lifetime. There are no lies--this is the nature of probability--and how items are manufactured/rated.

[paulh]

This might be of interest and of limited usefulness
pentax k20d | Camera Shutter Life Database

[rbefly]

Hello Icy,
I'll agree with the chorus, a lower-mileage camera body for somewhere in the $100-$200 range would be a safer bet.
Keep an eye on the marketplace here, there's some deals popping up!
Ron

[dms]

I did not do an statistical analysis of the data provided/nor how it was gotten (the motivation for responding to a request for data is influenced by how it was worded and to what audience)--but it does suggest a low failure rate once the initial failure rate occurs--i.e., if the camera gets beyond "the break in period" where other anomalies/errors exist the failure rate is low.

---------- Post added 04-13-14 at 11:26 AM ----------

Not my money--but compared to (likely) $200 for a 50,000~70,000 actuation camera, to me it is pretty clear the $70 is a good buy.

[bobphoenix]

Hi,

In my local market there is a K20d which has 100k shots. It costs $70.

My question is if 100k is too high for this (kind of) camera. is it worth buying that?

Thanks,

You never said if there is a lens with it... If there is even a smc 50A It is worth every cent!
But regardless, at $70.00 you could do a lot worse...

Take an SD card and a lens with cap, with you and some things to check are as follows;
SD card slot - Look inside the slot before you insert the SD card... look for scratches and crud..
Exposure - If you get a good exposure out of the automatic setting it should be good to go, you can check the program and other settings too...
CMOS sensor
- This is easily checked by putting a lens cap on the lens and putting the camera on "M" (manual) set the shutter speed to 30" and the f-stop to wide open
for the lens... Set the ISO to 3200 and take an exposure... (you'll have to examine the resulting image on a larger monitor) but you'll be looking for
banding or missing pixels.
General physical condition - Just look it over, look for cracked or missing parts of dents and dings where it was wacked....

If those things seem good... I would get it just for a parts camera... For the money, you can't go too far wrong...

Oh, and if you don't decide to get it... PM me and let me know where it is... I'll take it for that kind of money!

[messthetics]

Go for it! I'm unsure of how new you are to DSLRs, but this is the best way to go for building your system. The K20D had an MSRP of $1700 in 2008 -- not that long ago at all. I'd just add to the above post to take a more qualitative approach. Perhaps it would be best to bring an SD card, take a few images, and load them on a laptop. That's the easiest way to insure everything seems to be working.

If this is your first DSLR, it's a great way to get started. You'll have a very competent body and can put the rest of your budget towards lenses.

[fgaudet]

This might be of interest and of limited usefulness

Like anything, it's to be taken with caution... There is one 5DMKII listed with 8.4 million clicks... that's 2.6 clicks per minute, every minute of every hour of every day for the past 6 years...

But to stay on topic, 100,000 click is a lot but it's not rare to see good quality DSLR get to 200,000 without a problem. But for $70 I don't think you can really go wrong. It's a risk for sure and without knowing how the camera was taken care of, it is riskier but you could by a camera with 5,000 click which will fail at 5,001.

[stevebrot]

While it would not be something I would personally do, your $70 may be well-spent, particularly if the camera comes with lens. The notion of watching for a similar camera with relatively low shutter count is also a good idea. My K10D with under 26K actuations may be coming to market in the next month or so and I expect the sale price to be about $150 with KatzEye screen.*


Steve

* Not sure whether I will sell...tend to keep EVERYTHING!

(How did I keep the shutter count so low? Heck if I know. I guess that is what comes of shooting film for a several decades.)

[icy]

This is a interestering topic; I didn't think there're many answers like this. PF rocks :P

I'm dealing with the seller , and asking for more information. This camera doesn't come with a lens unfortunately (so I need to pay $25 more for a SMC 50mm f/2)

@stevebrot I also like the K10D, but it didn't come with AF adjustment. I see some local guys have head-ache because they can't use their lenses (even the brand news and modern lens, like DA 35mm f/2.4) correctly on some bodies But yeah it's good for MF lenses.

[ChristianRock]

If the camera is in good shape I'd take a chance and offer 50 dollars for it, and I'd test it first, of course.

I've heard of K20Ds lasting for 200K shutter actuations and more, so for 50 bucks I'd definitely take the risk.

I wouldn't get the 50 f/2, if on a budget I'd get a Rikenon or Auto Sears 50mm instead. My Auto Sears 50 1.7 cost me 26 dollars. Also, my K55/2 cost me 24 dollars just over a month ago and it's a very fine lens. I'd also consider a Rikenon 35-70 or 35-105, or maybe even a Takumar-A 28-80 macro which can be had for peanuts, to get your brother started up...