[usapatriot]

Well, I do not have the money for a another lens besides the kit lens so I need to make sure that I get the very best lens possible in the kit and that is the 18-55mm mk2.

[usapatriot]

I just sold my Fuji, I guess that I will buy the K200D directly from Amazon.com by the end of the week.

[Clicker]

You're in Miami, you could always visit the nearest Wolf Camera and get one in person, price is $799.99 though, there are others like Beach etc. like BB, Circuit City...Pitman Photo.

[usapatriot]

You're in Miami, you could always visit the nearest Wolf Camera and get one in person, price is $799.99 though, there are others like Beach etc. like BB, Circuit City...Pitman Photo.

Yeah I know, but I can get it for $100 less on the web I think it would be worth it buying it on-line, I also don't trust wolf camera or ritz camera too much.

Here is what I plan on getting:

Pentax K200D Kit
Sandisk 4gb Extreme III SD Card (Fast photo storage)
Sanyo Eneloops 4 Batteries + Charger (Long lasting reliable power)
Hoya 52mm Super Multi-Coated UV Filter (Lens Protection)

Any comments or suggestions?

[Bokeh]

I just bought a K10d from my local Wolf with the kit lens for 799. You might want to think about that instead of the K200. I dont know all the difference between the 2 but I know the K10d has the same sensor and it doesnt have all of the little specialty shooting functions on the top wheel, which is a plus in my opinion.

Wolf doesnt offer the K10d on their website but their wharehouses apparently still have some. Just something you might want to check on.

Bokeh

[usapatriot]

I don't want the K10D because it has been discontinued and it's much older than the K200D, I want something from the current generation of cameras. I also think that the K200D has better noise performance than the K10D and a much better JPEG engine (even though I will shoot RAW 50% of the time).

The K10D vs K200D discussion has been beaten to death already.

[heatherslightbox]

Yeah I know, but I can get it for $100 less on the web I think it would be worth it buying it on-line, I also don't trust wolf camera or ritz camera too much.

Here is what I plan on getting:

Pentax K200D Kit
Sandisk 4gb Extreme III SD Card (Fast photo storage)
Sanyo Eneloops 4 Batteries + Charger (Long lasting reliable power)
Hoya 52mm Super Multi-Coated UV Filter (Lens Protection)

Any comments or suggestions?

First of all, congratulations on selling the Fuji!
Your starter list of items looks good to me. I know that some people out there are battery snobs and believe that AA batteries and DSLRs just don't go together. As far as I'm concerned, both have their advantages and disadvantages, so you just need to pick which ones work best for you. The most important thing are the pics you can get out of it.

On that vein, there are folks out there that are gear snobs and don't quite understand that not everybody can afford top-of-the-line gear. One of the beauties of Pentax is that you can buy quality gear, even if you are on a budget--ie: the 18-55II vs. the *16-50. The 18-55II is a good $400+ less than the *16-50, but people are still raving about it. Go figure. Get what works for you and your budget.

While you may not be able to afford it right away, I would suggest that your next purchase be either the DA50-200 (around $200 or so new or ca. $150 used) or DA55-300 ($329.99+shipping at Calumet or $349.95 including shipping at Adorama or Amazon). The 18-200 or 300 range would cover just about any situation you might run into. If you are into primes at all, it wouldn't hurt to pick up either a FA50/1.4 (around $200 new) or a FA35/2 if you would like a roughly 50mm film equivalent (around $300 new).

HTH,
Heather

Well, I do not have the money for a another lens besides the kit lens so I need to make sure that I get the very best lens possible in the kit and that is the 18-55mm mk2.

Sorry, I thought I had read in some thread that the K200 w/MkII kit was $200 dollars more than the regular kit. So I thought that you could get a the regular Kit and a FA50 1.4 with the extra 200...
If there is really not much of a difference in price then I would go for the MKII also.

I guess I should no my facts before I start talking dollars and cents...

[Clicker]

I would add the vertical grip to your system if you can and you'll need to double your batteries.

Also being a newb to Pentax myself, i'd like to apologize for my earlier comment that the Energizer NiMH rechargeables didn't work but in fact they DO i just needed to add batteries to the camera's battery compartment along with the ones in the grip
For some peculiar reason the included Lithiums don't need any batteries in the camera's body and work straight from the grip?

[usapatriot]

Alright, thanks for the help everyone! I should be ordering on Thursday or Friday!

[benjikan]

Nice to see fuji folk show up here. This is by far the best place to hang out with your new camera.
I know that you can call most of the better places like B&H - Beach - Buydig - Adorama and talk to them directly about which lens they are shipping.

For my 2 cents... With the K200d I am not sure I would spend a whole lot more to get the MK2 lens. I think with the K20 and its 14mp chip it would be be worth it. But I am not sure it is worth an extra 200 dollars on the 10mp sensor of the K200... Just my opinion. But it is based on the fact that once you get hooked, and start buying better lenses, your kit lens will probably end up where mine is... on a shelf only used in good light for 20-28mm shots.

Now I am talking a bit out of my _ss here since I only have the K100d and original kit, but it is a pretty good kit lens IMHO and I would save that extra money for your first fast prime.

Does that help or hurt?

The Mkll lens is a considerable improvement over the original version. It would be visibly sharper on the 10.2 mega pixel sensor on the K200D. Just make sure it IS a Mkll.

Ben

[usapatriot]

I just ordered the K200D kit from Amazon, it should get here Thursday!!!

[Clicker]

Congrats and enjoy your new camera, it should bring you YEARS of many memories

[usapatriot]

I just got it! I'm playing around with it now!

[momtographer]

how is it? Love at first site?