k200d from amazon

dodgeman · 05-28-2008, 06:12 PM

Hello again,

After seeing the great news about the $100 rebate, I've decided to buy a k200d with the 18-55mm AL-II kit lens (to get started). I had bought a digital camcorder once from Abe's of Maine. I remember Abe's delayed shipping my order, only to find out it was a sales pitch to add sales. This nearly kept me from having my camera in time for my vacation. After reading the forum, it still sounds like they are up to the same tricks.

I noticed one member purchased the k200d kit from Amazon, and did verify that he got the AL-II lens. But I am worried I may receive the older model. It may be a while before I can buy more glass, so I'd like to avoid this if possible.

Has anyone else bought the k200d kit from Amazon recently? Or is there another reputable seller with good prices? Thanks...

Aegon · 05-28-2008, 06:31 PM

I've seen the K200D sold with the original kit lens, and I've seen it sold with the ALII version. I purchased an ALII lens from Amazon about a month ago, too.

Here is my take: If they advertise ALII, you'll get ALII. Don't lose sleep over it.

TourDeForce · 05-28-2008, 07:59 PM

Originally posted by Aegon

Here is my take: If they advertise ALII, you'll get ALII. Don't lose sleep over it.

Best thing to do is call them up, confirm you'll get the AL II and then place the order. No questions or lost sleep.

Airmide · 05-30-2008, 01:14 PM

Oh boy now I'm even more confused! I ordered the kit through amazon.com partner DBRoth and then started reading reviews everywhere saying they sell gray-market products and try to upsell and all that stuff. So I'm trying to cancel that order and get my money back (it says it's shipped, but they haven't actually charged my account yet either).

So I was going to get this: Amazon.com: Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens: Camera & Photo instead. That's not the better lens though is it?

Adam67 · 05-30-2008, 01:32 PM

I just got mine from Amazon (I ordered from Amazon....not a third party dealer) Got it fast and with the 18-55mm AL II.

Airmide · 05-30-2008, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the tip Adam67! Did it specify that it was the AL II in the link? Or did it look similar to the link I sent?

I was able to find a way around things to resolve the issue with the first one I ordered I hope, so now I'm trying to figure out who has the best price with the best kit lense.

Adam67 · 05-30-2008, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by Airmide

Thanks for the tip Adam67! Did it specify that it was the AL II in the link? Or did it look similar to the link I sent?

I was able to find a way around things to resolve the issue with the first one I ordered I hope, so now I'm trying to figure out who has the best price with the best kit lense.

It looked exactly like the link you posted.

Airmide · 05-30-2008, 07:18 PM

Thanks so much!! I will try to confirm with them that it is the AL II and then buy it in the next day or two, hopefully they'll still have it in stock! Unless I find it somewhere else cheaper before then hehe.

riotsquad · 05-31-2008, 06:25 AM

Hi I bought my k200d from amazon about 3 weeks ago and I got the new lens.

Amazon stocks thier products by an ASIN number and I can confirm(I just checked the site) that it is the ASIN is the same as when I bought it-ASIN: B0012Q72IY. I just looked at my packing reciept. So you should get the new lens.

Just to clear things up a little- you get the kit in one factory pentax box with a lens and the camera in it. Amazon isn't selling you a lens and a body and shipping them out. Mine came in a single pentax box labeled k200d and 18-55 al II.

usapatriot · 05-31-2008, 07:17 AM

I ordered my K200D directly from Amazon about two weeks ago and even though the AL II lens is not specified in the product description, I did in fact receive the AL II lens.

You can be assured that if you order directly from Amazon that you will get the AL II lens.

I asked the same question before ordering mine and received the same answer that if you order directly from Amazon you will get the AL II lens.

madbrain · 05-31-2008, 02:56 PM

I ordered the K200D kit on wednesday night from amazon for $675, with regular free shipping. I got it on friday night . It was shipped from Nevada to California, so no tax. It came with the AL II lens.
This is my first DSLR. Still learning.

TourDeForce · 05-31-2008, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by madbrain

I ordered the K200D kit on wednesday night from amazon for $675, with regular free shipping. I got it on friday night . It was shipped from Nevada to California, so no tax. It came with the AL II lens.
This is my first DSLR. Still learning.

You're among friends here. Enjoy!

flyer · 05-31-2008, 04:14 PM

Why are you giving yourself a headache over this lens? As far as I know the version 1 will perform as good as the version 2 on the K200D. The only reason it has been revised was to adapt to the higher resolution of the K20D sensor. But, from some reports, on a lower res sensor, the version 2 doesn't seem to perform better than the version 1. According to some testers, it might even be softer at wide angle on the edge. I wouldn't loose sleep over which one I'd get, especially since version 1 was highly regarded as a kit lens.

shutterpuppy · 05-31-2008, 07:09 PM

Originally posted by flyer

Why are you giving yourself a headache over this lens? As far as I know the version 1 will perform as good as the version 2 on the K200D. The only reason it has been revised was to adapt to the higher resolution of the K20D sensor. But, from some reports, on a lower res sensor, the version 2 doesn't seem to perform better than the version 1. According to some testers, it might even be softer at wide angle on the edge. I wouldn't loose sleep over which one I'd get, especially since version 1 was highly regarded as a kit lens.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz No, I am not losing sleep either because I bought the k200d body and kept the kit lens that I had from the k100d I got off Ebay, I rarely shoot pics in the rain or in dusty conditions. Amazon is the only place I buy anything related to photography or printing..finally have succeeded refilling my own ink cartridges without making a mess

madbrain · 06-01-2008, 04:45 AM

Originally posted by TourDeForce

You're among friends here. Enjoy!

Thanks !

I went shopping for some accessories today at Fry's electronics. To my dismay, they don't carry anything specific to Pentax, like lenses.

I did find a decent buy on SD cards - four Patriot 2 GB for $37 (without rebate).

The only things I could find that would attach to the lens' 52mm thread were a Targus circular polarizer, which I bought , and a relatively inexpensive ($60) Sakar 1358 kit for wide angle and telephoto. I figured I had to try one of those for myself to see if they were any good.

It didn't take many shots to figure out that they were not. The "0.5x" wide angle is useless because of vignetting. I have to set the zoom lens to about 25mm to avoid it. The resulting image is not all that much bigger than at 18mm.

The 2x zoom converter is also useless. I took a shot of a window on my LCD monitor, with and without the converter . I just got a bunch of vertical lines around the picture in the later case, which makes it almost unreadable.

So I will be going back to Fry's to return this kit.

This question probably belongs in another forum, like lenses, but is this a general problem with converters ? Or did I just get a very poorly made one ? I really want a wider angle than the 18-55mm lens provides. But I don't want to spend more than the price of the camera for a wide lens to get it. Or even half the price of the camera (and I got it for $575 after the $100 rebate). Where should I turn to ? Is there such a thing as a good wide converter ?

At least the polarizer seems good

I don't see any picture degradation. I will have to see how my pictures come out when I shoot outside. But it sure works to blacken my LCDs when I turn it.

I also got things like lens cleaners, screen protectors, more NiMH, a 15 mn charger.

I was really concerned yesterday because I took only about 100 shots on a set of 2500 mAh NimH indoors, with flash, before the set died. That was way below spec.

Today with a brand new set of 2200 mAh NiMH, newly charged in the car, I was able to nearly fill all the four 2GB cards I purchased. Mostly using continuous shooting, that ended up being about 1500 JPEGs. 100 of them were shot with flash. This is way more than the manual lists. I suspect the reason is that the LCD didn't display every picture due to continuous shooting mode.

My fingers gave up long before the batteries did. At the end of this test, the battery indicator was still at max. And it still is ! I guess my older NiMH must have been shot. I need a battery tester to go through that big battery drawer ...

05-28-2008, 06:12 PM	#1
dodgeman Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hartford CT Posts: 4	k200d from amazon Hello again, After seeing the great news about the $100 rebate, I've decided to buy a k200d with the 18-55mm AL-II kit lens (to get started). I had bought a digital camcorder once from Abe's of Maine. I remember Abe's delayed shipping my order, only to find out it was a sales pitch to add sales. This nearly kept me from having my camera in time for my vacation. After reading the forum, it still sounds like they are up to the same tricks. I noticed one member purchased the k200d kit from Amazon, and did verify that he got the AL-II lens. But I am worried I may receive the older model. It may be a while before I can buy more glass, so I'd like to avoid this if possible. Has anyone else bought the k200d kit from Amazon recently? Or is there another reputable seller with good prices? Thanks...

05-31-2008, 02:56 PM	#11
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341	Got the ALII lens I ordered the K200D kit on wednesday night from amazon for $675, with regular free shipping. I got it on friday night . It was shipped from Nevada to California, so no tax. It came with the AL II lens. This is my first DSLR. Still learning.

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05-28-2008, 06:31 PM	#2
Aegon Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,416	I've seen the K200D sold with the original kit lens, and I've seen it sold with the ALII version. I purchased an ALII lens from Amazon about a month ago, too. Here is my take: If they advertise ALII, you'll get ALII. Don't lose sleep over it.

05-28-2008, 07:59 PM	#3
TourDeForce Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 514	Originally posted by Aegon Here is my take: If they advertise ALII, you'll get ALII. Don't lose sleep over it. Best thing to do is call them up, confirm you'll get the AL II and then place the order. No questions or lost sleep.

05-30-2008, 01:14 PM	#4
Airmide Inactive Account Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 25	Oh boy now I'm even more confused! I ordered the kit through amazon.com partner DBRoth and then started reading reviews everywhere saying they sell gray-market products and try to upsell and all that stuff. So I'm trying to cancel that order and get my money back (it says it's shipped, but they haven't actually charged my account yet either). So I was going to get this: Amazon.com: Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens: Camera & Photo instead. That's not the better lens though is it?

05-30-2008, 01:32 PM	#5
Adam67 Forum Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: MI Posts: 62	I just got mine from Amazon (I ordered from Amazon....not a third party dealer) Got it fast and with the 18-55mm AL II.

05-30-2008, 05:02 PM	#6
Airmide Inactive Account Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 25	Thanks for the tip Adam67! Did it specify that it was the AL II in the link? Or did it look similar to the link I sent? I was able to find a way around things to resolve the issue with the first one I ordered I hope, so now I'm trying to figure out who has the best price with the best kit lense.

05-30-2008, 06:08 PM	#7
Adam67 Forum Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: MI Posts: 62	Originally posted by Airmide Thanks for the tip Adam67! Did it specify that it was the AL II in the link? Or did it look similar to the link I sent? I was able to find a way around things to resolve the issue with the first one I ordered I hope, so now I'm trying to figure out who has the best price with the best kit lense. It looked exactly like the link you posted.

05-30-2008, 07:18 PM	#8
Airmide Inactive Account Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 25	Thanks so much!! I will try to confirm with them that it is the AL II and then buy it in the next day or two, hopefully they'll still have it in stock! Unless I find it somewhere else cheaper before then hehe.

05-31-2008, 06:25 AM	#9
riotsquad New Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 11	Hi I bought my k200d from amazon about 3 weeks ago and I got the new lens. Amazon stocks thier products by an ASIN number and I can confirm(I just checked the site) that it is the ASIN is the same as when I bought it-ASIN: B0012Q72IY. I just looked at my packing reciept. So you should get the new lens. Just to clear things up a little- you get the kit in one factory pentax box with a lens and the camera in it. Amazon isn't selling you a lens and a body and shipping them out. Mine came in a single pentax box labeled k200d and 18-55 al II.

05-31-2008, 07:17 AM	#10
usapatriot Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Miami, FL Photos: Gallery Posts: 44	I ordered my K200D directly from Amazon about two weeks ago and even though the AL II lens is not specified in the product description, I did in fact receive the AL II lens. You can be assured that if you order directly from Amazon that you will get the AL II lens. I asked the same question before ordering mine and received the same answer that if you order directly from Amazon you will get the AL II lens.

05-31-2008, 03:52 PM	#12
TourDeForce Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 514	Originally posted by madbrain I ordered the K200D kit on wednesday night from amazon for $675, with regular free shipping. I got it on friday night . It was shipped from Nevada to California, so no tax. It came with the AL II lens. This is my first DSLR. Still learning. You're among friends here. Enjoy!

05-31-2008, 04:14 PM	#13
flyer Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ste-Anne des Plaines, Qc., Canada Posts: 2,013	Why are you giving yourself a headache over this lens? As far as I know the version 1 will perform as good as the version 2 on the K200D. The only reason it has been revised was to adapt to the higher resolution of the K20D sensor. But, from some reports, on a lower res sensor, the version 2 doesn't seem to perform better than the version 1. According to some testers, it might even be softer at wide angle on the edge. I wouldn't loose sleep over which one I'd get, especially since version 1 was highly regarded as a kit lens.

05-31-2008, 07:09 PM	#14
shutterpuppy Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Dallas Texas Posts: 319	Originally posted by flyer Why are you giving yourself a headache over this lens? As far as I know the version 1 will perform as good as the version 2 on the K200D. The only reason it has been revised was to adapt to the higher resolution of the K20D sensor. But, from some reports, on a lower res sensor, the version 2 doesn't seem to perform better than the version 1. According to some testers, it might even be softer at wide angle on the edge. I wouldn't loose sleep over which one I'd get, especially since version 1 was highly regarded as a kit lens. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz No, I am not losing sleep either because I bought the k200d body and kept the kit lens that I had from the k100d I got off Ebay, I rarely shoot pics in the rain or in dusty conditions. Amazon is the only place I buy anything related to photography or printing..finally have succeeded refilling my own ink cartridges without making a mess

06-01-2008, 04:45 AM	#15
madbrain Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,341	Originally posted by TourDeForce You're among friends here. Enjoy! Thanks ! I went shopping for some accessories today at Fry's electronics. To my dismay, they don't carry anything specific to Pentax, like lenses. I did find a decent buy on SD cards - four Patriot 2 GB for $37 (without rebate). The only things I could find that would attach to the lens' 52mm thread were a Targus circular polarizer, which I bought , and a relatively inexpensive ($60) Sakar 1358 kit for wide angle and telephoto. I figured I had to try one of those for myself to see if they were any good. It didn't take many shots to figure out that they were not. The "0.5x" wide angle is useless because of vignetting. I have to set the zoom lens to about 25mm to avoid it. The resulting image is not all that much bigger than at 18mm. The 2x zoom converter is also useless. I took a shot of a window on my LCD monitor, with and without the converter . I just got a bunch of vertical lines around the picture in the later case, which makes it almost unreadable. So I will be going back to Fry's to return this kit. This question probably belongs in another forum, like lenses, but is this a general problem with converters ? Or did I just get a very poorly made one ? I really want a wider angle than the 18-55mm lens provides. But I don't want to spend more than the price of the camera for a wide lens to get it. Or even half the price of the camera (and I got it for $575 after the $100 rebate). Where should I turn to ? Is there such a thing as a good wide converter ? At least the polarizer seems good I don't see any picture degradation. I will have to see how my pictures come out when I shoot outside. But it sure works to blacken my LCDs when I turn it. I also got things like lens cleaners, screen protectors, more NiMH, a 15 mn charger. I was really concerned yesterday because I took only about 100 shots on a set of 2500 mAh NimH indoors, with flash, before the set died. That was way below spec. Today with a brand new set of 2200 mAh NiMH, newly charged in the car, I was able to nearly fill all the four 2GB cards I purchased. Mostly using continuous shooting, that ended up being about 1500 JPEGs. 100 of them were shot with flash. This is way more than the manual lists. I suspect the reason is that the LCD didn't display every picture due to continuous shooting mode. My fingers gave up long before the batteries did. At the end of this test, the battery indicator was still at max. And it still is ! I guess my older NiMH must have been shot. I need a battery tester to go through that big battery drawer ...