Where do you trust to buy used gear?

ZombieArmy · 08-21-2015, 03:39 AM

Originally posted by Gremson

Well. The gods of craigslist shined their light upon me today. I scored a K5 with standard accesories, extra battery, and ape case for $300. It's in great shape, and super intuitive.
I've only spent a couple hours with my wife's Canon T3 as my first foray into DSLRs, but this K5 seems super easy to use. My wife is a bit jealous as its features rival her 5D MKII.
We're gonna go on a walkabout downtown this weekend to give it a good shakedown. I can't wait!

The best thing about Pentax's DSLRs is the menu layouts are the same in every camera. No having to learn a new layout if you happen to upgrade in the future or want to buy a pentax Q

**UncleVanya** · 08-21-2015, 03:27 PM

Menus. I think that changed with the KS1 and KS2 cameras.

ZombieArmy · 08-21-2015, 03:52 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by UncleVanya

Menus. I think that changed with the KS1 and KS2 cameras.

STOP MAKING ME LOOK BAD

**UncleVanya** · 08-21-2015, 04:49 PM

Originally posted by ZombieArmy

STOP MAKING ME LOOK BAD

lol. Whoops. I only know because of some folks in the single in threads.

If it makes you feel good they aren't completely different.

kentster · 09-21-2015, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by hcc

You already received a lot of good advice.

My experience has been:
KEH - highly recommended - Conservative assessment of items - A bit pricy but good services

Adorama Used - Recommended - Reasonable choice (although less than KEH IMO) - Good service

B&H Used - Recommended - Less choice than Adorama Used

PF marketplace - Recommended

Ebay - There, I favour reputed Japanese and Korean second dealers - There are some good places, but the prices is not always cheap

I think that the main issue is patience. You have to learn to to be patient. Usually there are always some good deals every 2-3 months, incl. on new items.

My 5 cents.

You have had good luck with the sellers in Japan off eBay? Did the shipping take forever?

fwcetus · 09-21-2015, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by kentster

You have had good luck with the sellers in Japan off eBay? Did the shipping take forever?

I'm not the poster you asked, but I'll chime in here, anyhoo -- I've bought a couple of not inexpensive lenses from separate eBay sellers in Japan, and both experiences were just fine. As for the shipping, each arrived (in the US) within a week or so, perhaps even less in one case, which is actually pretty amazing.

kentster · 09-21-2015, 07:00 PM

Cool..... LOVE your signature....

mee · 09-21-2015, 07:07 PM

The original K-5 is still superior to the K-50 if you are not taking video..

K-5 has much more Dynamic Range, Faster burst, top LCD panel, and the option to use a battery grip. Plus the mag alloy body feels a lot more substantial vs the somewhat plasticky K-50 body.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/296691-sal...-8mm-more.html there is someone with a K-5 for sale on the marketplace.

Also, I wouldn't worry about junk parts in an ebay bought body.. your biggest concern with used K-5 bodies is ensuring they don't have the oil stains on the sensors and the shutter clicks aren't too high.

**UncleVanya** · 09-21-2015, 08:36 PM

Originally posted by mee

The original K-5 is still superior to the K-50 if you are not taking video..

K-5 has much more Dynamic Range, Faster burst, top LCD panel, and the option to use a battery grip. Plus the mag alloy body feels a lot more substantial vs the somewhat plasticky K-50 body.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/296691-sal...-8mm-more.html there is someone with a K-5 for sale on the marketplace.

Also, I wouldn't worry about junk parts in an ebay bought body.. your biggest concern with used K-5 bodies is ensuring they don't have the oil stains on the sensors and the shutter clicks aren't too high.

My impression is that the K50 also has better AF performance than the K5 but I have not shot them side by side and in fact I have never shot the K5 at all.

excanonfd · 09-21-2015, 10:04 PM

Originally posted by ZombieArmy

I'd go with a new K-50. You're not getting much if anything extra going with the k-5. In fact you're losing focus peaking which is wonderful for the manual lenses you no doubt have.
They both use the same sensor, and are both weather sealed so there's going to be no image quality difference between the two.

Also a warranty is always nice.

But if you do want some used gear I'd trust KEH first over anyone else, best customer service around. Also Ebay is safe, just use common sense and ask here if you're not sure.

No way. A used flagship model like the K-5 is the way to go. The top LCD is very handy to have all shooting info available at a glance but the biggest advantage is the quiet shutter. If you are shooting a wedding, the last thing you need is a camera that draws unwanted attention with it's loud thunk when the shutter is released.

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08-21-2015, 03:39 AM	#16
ZombieArmy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 3,210	Originally posted by Gremson Well. The gods of craigslist shined their light upon me today. I scored a K5 with standard accesories, extra battery, and ape case for $300. It's in great shape, and super intuitive. I've only spent a couple hours with my wife's Canon T3 as my first foray into DSLRs, but this K5 seems super easy to use. My wife is a bit jealous as its features rival her 5D MKII. We're gonna go on a walkabout downtown this weekend to give it a good shakedown. I can't wait! The best thing about Pentax's DSLRs is the menu layouts are the same in every camera. No having to learn a new layout if you happen to upgrade in the future or want to buy a pentax Q

08-21-2015, 03:27 PM	#17
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,398	Menus. I think that changed with the KS1 and KS2 cameras.

08-21-2015, 03:52 PM - 1 Like	#18
ZombieArmy Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 3,210	Originally posted by UncleVanya Menus. I think that changed with the KS1 and KS2 cameras. STOP MAKING ME LOOK BAD

08-21-2015, 04:49 PM	#19
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,398	Originally posted by ZombieArmy STOP MAKING ME LOOK BAD lol. Whoops. I only know because of some folks in the single in threads. If it makes you feel good they aren't completely different.

09-21-2015, 02:30 PM	#20
kentster Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bremerton, Washington Posts: 287	Originally posted by hcc You already received a lot of good advice. My experience has been: KEH - highly recommended - Conservative assessment of items - A bit pricy but good services Adorama Used - Recommended - Reasonable choice (although less than KEH IMO) - Good service B&H Used - Recommended - Less choice than Adorama Used PF marketplace - Recommended Ebay - There, I favour reputed Japanese and Korean second dealers - There are some good places, but the prices is not always cheap I think that the main issue is patience. You have to learn to to be patient. Usually there are always some good deals every 2-3 months, incl. on new items. My 5 cents. You have had good luck with the sellers in Japan off eBay? Did the shipping take forever?

09-21-2015, 06:08 PM	#21
fwcetus Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New England Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,286	Originally posted by kentster You have had good luck with the sellers in Japan off eBay? Did the shipping take forever? I'm not the poster you asked, but I'll chime in here, anyhoo -- I've bought a couple of not inexpensive lenses from separate eBay sellers in Japan, and both experiences were just fine. As for the shipping, each arrived (in the US) within a week or so, perhaps even less in one case, which is actually pretty amazing.

09-21-2015, 07:00 PM	#22
kentster Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bremerton, Washington Posts: 287	Cool..... LOVE your signature....

09-21-2015, 07:07 PM	#23
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	The original K-5 is still superior to the K-50 if you are not taking video.. K-5 has much more Dynamic Range, Faster burst, top LCD panel, and the option to use a battery grip. Plus the mag alloy body feels a lot more substantial vs the somewhat plasticky K-50 body. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/296691-sal...-8mm-more.html there is someone with a K-5 for sale on the marketplace. Also, I wouldn't worry about junk parts in an ebay bought body.. your biggest concern with used K-5 bodies is ensuring they don't have the oil stains on the sensors and the shutter clicks aren't too high.

09-21-2015, 08:36 PM	#24
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,398	Originally posted by mee The original K-5 is still superior to the K-50 if you are not taking video.. K-5 has much more Dynamic Range, Faster burst, top LCD panel, and the option to use a battery grip. Plus the mag alloy body feels a lot more substantial vs the somewhat plasticky K-50 body. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/296691-sal...-8mm-more.html there is someone with a K-5 for sale on the marketplace. Also, I wouldn't worry about junk parts in an ebay bought body.. your biggest concern with used K-5 bodies is ensuring they don't have the oil stains on the sensors and the shutter clicks aren't too high. My impression is that the K50 also has better AF performance than the K5 but I have not shot them side by side and in fact I have never shot the K5 at all.

09-21-2015, 10:04 PM	#25
excanonfd Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,421	Originally posted by ZombieArmy I'd go with a new K-50. You're not getting much if anything extra going with the k-5. In fact you're losing focus peaking which is wonderful for the manual lenses you no doubt have. They both use the same sensor, and are both weather sealed so there's going to be no image quality difference between the two. Also a warranty is always nice. But if you do want some used gear I'd trust KEH first over anyone else, best customer service around. Also Ebay is safe, just use common sense and ask here if you're not sure. No way. A used flagship model like the K-5 is the way to go. The top LCD is very handy to have all shooting info available at a glance but the biggest advantage is the quiet shutter. If you are shooting a wedding, the last thing you need is a camera that draws unwanted attention with it's loud thunk when the shutter is released.

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