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07-09-2016, 03:38 PM   #46
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QuoteOriginally posted by rlg118 Quote
I bought a 110 three years ago. After thirty years shooting film, I was less than thrilled. I nearly decided to chuck it all. Now that I'm near retirement age, my wife told me that I need to find something to do with myself.

I recently picked up a K-50 and a 18-135 zoomie. I don't think I'll ever look back. And, best of all, if she whines about the money spent, I can say it was all her idea!
Let's just say I have an understanding of what you said that can only come from having been married for almost 42 years.

There's a lot to love about the humble K110D, especially if it was one's first opportunity to quickly get digital pictures from any old film lens one has or finds. What fun! If I could put a digital back on one of my film slrs, that would have been my first choice, but that might not have worked as well as the K110D, even if it were possible or affordable. Since I mostly use my K110D in manual modes, I probably have only scratched the surface of what it can do. I really can't complain about it as a starter dslr. And I have only just now started thinking about upgrading from it -- partly because I really want to be shooting more film, or at least I keep thinking that, and, if I do change my priority to that, a dslr (including the mere K110D) that can share lenses with film bodies can be thought of as a useful accessory, a helper, to the film photography project. Maybe the lots-more-film-shooting project is more fantasy than plan...I dunno. But the "film-like" capability of the K10D, I have learned about through this thread, does add an interesting wrinkle to both the question of dslr upgrading and to my filmy aspirations.


Last edited by goatsNdonkey; 07-09-2016 at 03:46 PM.
07-09-2016, 07:26 PM   #47
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If I could have "digitized" my K1000, I'd still be using it. I've still got the flash (a Vivitar 2600), but I don't know if it would work properly with the 50.
07-09-2016, 08:07 PM   #48
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My best external flash is a Vivitar 2500. It works just fine on my K110D, via a Safe Sync adapter to protect the camera from any trigger voltage spikes.
07-10-2016, 09:23 PM   #49
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I found an AF200FG new in box for $43. That'll do just fine.

07-11-2016, 07:27 AM   #50
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QuoteOriginally posted by rlg118 Quote
I found an AF200FG new in box for $43. That'll do just fine.
A few months ago I did some webpage shopping for a used dedicated external flash, and the few that would have had the p-ttl compatibility with my K110D were awfully pricey. It looks like you got a VERY good deal.

I don't do a great deal of flash photography, so between the camera's little internal pop-up flash, and the Vivitar 2500's 3 automatic, plus manual, modes being available when needed, I'm pretty much covered.
07-11-2016, 07:55 AM   #51
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Whatever You Get........also buy a really Good extended warranty !
I say go straight to the K-3 or K3II........Live view with Focus peaking ROCKS !
07-11-2016, 12:36 PM   #52
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QuoteOriginally posted by goatsNdonkey Quote
A few years ago I got a barely used K110D for a very good price -- and I love it. I love that its not very hard to use with old manual film lenses, and I have a few "A" lenses that can use some of its more automatic exposure features. And I really don't think having only 6 megapixel resolution is all THAT uncool. As for AF, I don't have any of those lenses yet, and the ones I see that look affordable don't seem true steps up from what I have, beyond the potential for sometimes focusing faster than I can.

However, if I w e r e to c o n s i d e r upgrading above the *istD, K100D, K110D level of Pentax DSLRs, what incremental step up would be the most affordable? In other words, what model or models, that would have some better features than my K110D (without sacrificing any backward compatibility with old lenses), might sometimes be available at real bargain basement prices. If such DSLRs exist, I might want to keep watch for them.

I should add that before asking this I did spend some time looking in the Camera information section of website, and what I was able to find didn't organize the information in a way that made it easy for me to answer this question on my own. I realize that area is being redesigned. Certainly, if there is a helpful chart of something like that I did not find, I'd be grateful for any links.

I've read through this thread so I have some idea of where your thinking has gone as you read other replies. I'm not an expert and don't know everything, so take my answer with a grain of salt. I shot film cameras for decades, but while I got a digital P&S in the mid-2000s, I didn't get a DSLR until the late 2000s, a K100D (same camera as yours but with internal anti-shake). I've been very happy with it, although it of course is more complicated than any film SLR. Still, I set it up as I wished, and do a lot of manual shooting with it. I had two digital lenses and a decent-sized collection of older manual-focus lenses. This year I decided to get a second body (and a third DA lens).

I am not a pixel chaser, as I don't do large, printed photos. Most of my stuff is for the computer, or regular-size prints on occasion. I wasn't going to pay a lot extra just to have a gazillion more mega-pixels; it is not worth it to me. More photographers than not are pixel chasers, and only you can decide how much this matters to you. I decided I would likely end up with more pixels, but it was not a priority.

I also have been happy with the CCD sensor in my K100D. After talking to many people, and reading reviews, I decided I was probably going to be happy with a second camera that still used the CCD, rather than going with the different CMOS sensor. This also is highly personal. Do you want another camera that will give you color rendition that is similar to what you are used to, that is reasonably predictable, or do you want a camera that is a good bit different, and which will require a real learning curve as you adjust to the different sensor? Many folks will tell you CMOS is better. Others will say CMOS in general may be better, but that the early collaboration between Pentax and Samsung resulted in something of a questionable result--not my opinion but one I read on respectable review sites so worth mentioning. Still others say they simply liked the way the CCD rendered color. I decided I wanted a second camera with some improved features over my K100D, but I planned to use both cameras indefinitely. As I'm a senior, I wanted a kit of two cameras that could conceivably last me as long as I want to take photos, without the need to upgrade every five minutes. Or years. So between a few cameras I identified, and had recommended to me, I decided I wanted to stay with the familiar CCD sensor.

What did I want? Weather-sealing sounded worthwhile. Why, since my older lenses didn't have it? Well, I wasn't going to go out into gale force storms, but light rain or just being around water was sure possible. A lens might leak, but a lens can be replaced--with another lens already in the bag. To me the camera itself is the core of my kit, and thus weather sealing is more important there.

I also wanted a camera with ISO 100 sensitivity, my K100D only goes down to 200. People get excited about higher ISOs and performance in those ranges, but I shoot the vast majority of my stuff at low ISOs. I shoot mostly still life (indoors and out), portraits, and landscapes, for whatever that's worth, but I have never been one, even in my film days, to routinely shoot above 400 ISO. I can find other ways to get the exposure I want without jumping to a higher ISO all the time. Everyone is different, but I read so many complaints about this camera or that having problems with noise at higher ISOs. And it seems many of the same folks are recommending high megapixel cameras, which of course cram more pixels on the same size sensor, which automatically increases noise. It seems self-defeating.

I started looking hard at the K10D, which I see you've started to favor, and ended up buying one. It checked the boxes I wanted above, and it also offered other features over my K100D, including a Pentaprism instead of a Pentamirror viewfinder. It has quicker autofocus than my K100D even with manual lenses. It's a good deal larger, and seems like a brute that can take on any assignment. It has a worthwhile addition of features over the already capable K100D, yet the external features look very much the same--close enough that there has been no great learning curve in that regard. Just a couple things like a dedicated button for turning on the RAW setting in case I want to shoot RAW while in mid-shooting. Speaking of RAW, the K10D will do both the Pentax and the Adobe standard on RAW, which is new. Oh, and it takes Lithium-ion batteries, which are great. The K10D also comes with a charger for the batteries, which are readily available. That I also have my K100D which takes AA means I always have a camera which will power up, though I believe I will have two.

I purchased my K10D from a camera store used in June 2016, rated as EX+. When I got it I could have called it Mint. It came with one original battery plus the charger (I bought two more batteries from Amazon). My cost was $135. How can you beat that? I paid more for my K100D a few years ago, though of course that makes sense.

Those are my opinions, not to be misinterpreted as facts from upon high! Enjoy the hunt!

--Mark


Last edited by Mark Freburg; 07-11-2016 at 12:37 PM. Reason: added "and a third DA lens" to end of second para.)
07-11-2016, 03:57 PM   #53
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Mark, thanks for the thoughtful narrative of your upgrade process and thoughts about it. I'm not a fan of proprietary batteries, but I have discovered that replacements for the one the K10D uses are rather cheap. I checked on the price for a spare proprietary battery for a Fuji point-n-shoot digital camera a few years ago and discovered that it would be a MAJOR expense.

It sounds like you got a great deal for your pristine K10D. Good condition ones, from my recent checking, usually don't go below that, and sometimes they are listed for quite a bit more, though still usually lower than K5s.

If I saved up for enough months (possibly well into next year...), I might decide to go with a K5ii. But the comments and research into the K10D, does reveal it to be a "classic" that is still holding up very well, according to current users, and something I could get without having to wait that long for.

I've downloaded a K10D manual, and find that it does seem to be set up similarly to the K110D, despite there being a number of additional features and some controls being located in different places. Getting used to one doesn't seem like too steep of a learning curve for me. I haven't yet downloaded a K-5 manual to see if it looks especially more different, complex, or difficult.

Last edited by goatsNdonkey; 07-12-2016 at 07:59 AM.
07-12-2016, 04:54 AM - 1 Like   #54
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Subsequent to you opening this thread and having read some K10D owners favourable views of the camera I saw a Samsung GX-10 being sold on Ebay with less than an hour to go. Yesterday morning in fact.
I immediately put a bid in at £42 (with postage at £9) and went off assuming the camera was going to sell for a lot more. At lunchtime I noticed that I had won the camera and then buyers remorse set in. The seller did not provide much information apart from saying that it had been well looked after. A quick look at his other items and his "ebay score" belatedly left me feeling a little less worried.
The camera arrived at 9:00am today, wearing a Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 and accompanied by a Samsung charger, A proprietary Samsung battery and a spare generic. Both batteries showing full. The camera looked a bit dusty and the eyepiece is a bit chewed but it show <25k actuations.


A couple of quick snaps, some adjustments to the settings and I was happy it was all working.
While the Samsung is not identical to the K10D (uses a slightly different battery grip, buttons and uses Adobe DNG for raw) the basics are apparently much the same.
Should you decide to move up to a K10D, checkout the Samsung, it appears to be selling cheaper than the Pentax.
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07-12-2016, 08:13 AM   #55
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skodadriver, great to hear of your good luck with the Samsung GX-10! I read, I think in the K10D Club thread, of the Gx10 being a "rebadged" K10D, but wondered if there were any subtle differences. It's good that you described the differences for anyone else who might get interested in the GX-10. In an earlier ebay search to see what price the K10D and some other Pentax dslrs were being offered at, I also searched for listings of the GX-10, and unfortunately for me (not you) the couple of them I saw listed where only in the UK. Consequently the shipping charge put them out of cost competition with any K10Ds in the USA.

I know the feeling of weighing tidbits from an ebay ad and trying to guess how trustworthy the seller's description is -- and sometimes struggling to assess whether the seller even knows enough about the kind of item it is to be trustworthy in describing it! I've just never been one to gamble with wild abandon.
07-12-2016, 09:03 AM   #56
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QuoteOriginally posted by goatsNdonkey Quote
skodadriver, great to hear of your good luck with the Samsung GX-10! I read, I think in the K10D Club thread, of the Gx10 being a "rebadged" K10D, but wondered if there were any subtle differences. It's good that you described the differences for anyone else who might get interested in the GX-10. In an earlier ebay search to see what price the K10D and some other Pentax dslrs were being offered at, I also searched for listings of the GX-10, and unfortunately for me (not you) the couple of them I saw listed where only in the UK. Consequently the shipping charge put them out of cost competition with any K10Ds in the USA.

I know the feeling of weighing tidbits from an ebay ad and trying to guess how trustworthy the seller's description is -- and sometimes struggling to assess whether the seller even knows enough about the kind of item it is to be trustworthy in describing it! I've just never been one to gamble with wild abandon.

Looking at some of the images I have taken today, I can thoroughly recommend.......going for a K-5 if and when funds permit. Not denigrating the K10D, just prefer the newer and larger sensor. I don't feel the 10D is a big enough leap up from the 100D Super.
Just my opinion.
This Samsung now brings my Pentax (and Samsung) DSLR collection to 5 (with one going to my nephew-in-law's wife sometime later this year when she has some funds. I have a rather bad habit now, buying camera related items. I really should get back to playing golf and gardening.
Best wishes for your upgrade as and when.
07-12-2016, 12:11 PM   #57
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One more thought. I also have the Magic Lantern Guides for both my cameras. Some people seem to think they are better than the original camera manuals. I have found that they are good enough that you can actually read them through like any book, something that can be painful with a manual, which is more of a straight reference--yet the Guides cover everything.

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Lantern-Guides-Pentax-K10D/dp/160059185X/ref=sr...manuals+Pentax

P.S. I'm from Springfield originally.

Last edited by Mark Freburg; 07-12-2016 at 12:18 PM.
07-12-2016, 03:15 PM   #58
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Mark, it's good to know about those Magic Lantern guides, especially if they read well and go helpfully beyond manual basics. Springfield is only about 1 1/2 hours drive south of here on Illinois Rt. 97. Longer if you stop to take pictures along the way, of course.
07-13-2016, 12:42 AM   #59
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Which we all do. Click click.
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07-18-2016, 09:48 AM   #60
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Well, I must finally confess that I pulled the trigger and bought a K10D. In fact, it happened just before skodadriver first posted about getting his Samsung version of it, but I thought I'd better wait to report until after the one I bought actually arrived and turned out to be in advertised condition.

What made me go for one so soon, when I had been prepared to save up money for months? I had been keeping an eye on what some of the body-only K10Ds in good condition seemed to be selling for, and I was seeing prices in the $120-140 range, more with a lens or lenses. One of the best deals seemed to be one KEH had for around $120, fully tested, along with battery and charger. Those were prices to save up for. Then I saw this auction nearing an end about 8 days ago on ebay. A body-only K10D, with battery and a charger (minus its cord). The seller had a 100% approval rating. The camera was listed as used but fully functional. The pictures showed only a little dirt or scuffing to the exterior, but no real damage. Nearing the end, the bids were still under $50, so I thought I would throw in a bid right at the end, assuming that one of the other bidders had a much higher maximum bid on file, and the price would skip instantly past mine. But that didn't happen. I won with a bid of $51 (a bit over $64 with shipping). Then I just had to wait to see if it was all too good to be true.

The camera arrived today. It was the most terrible job of packing a delicate electronic device I have seen in years. The camera and charger were in one bottom corner of the box with some of those clear plastic sheets with the large inflated sections piled in on top -- but not enough of them to keep either item snugly in place. In its travels from California to Illinois, it must have been handled by the tenderest angels of the United States Postal Service, bless their souls, for neither the camera nor the charger seem to have gotten damaged from sliding or bouncing around in the box and against one another! The flash popped up on the camera, but didn't get snapped off, as might have happened.

The internal battery still had a charge, so after inserting and formatting an Sd card and mounting a lens, I have been able to take a few test pictures, and go through all of the menus and adjust a few settings. I'm not finding anything wrong with the camera, though as with my K100D I can't test it with an AF lens, since I don't have one. It turned out to be cleaner than I thought it would be, having only a little dust in crevices, which has been easy to clean. There is a tiny amount of scuffing just behind the on/off switch, and nowhere else! I had a cord that fit the charger, so I'm topping off the charge on the battery.

I feel extremely lucky, not only because of the terrific bargain price, but also because the camera didn't get damaged because of the poor packing by the seller. Whewwwwwwww!

I'm going to go more carefully through the pdf of the manual I have, so that I can more carefully check out whether features I'm not familiar with might be functioning properly. Later I'll post a pic or two.

Last edited by goatsNdonkey; 07-18-2016 at 09:55 AM.
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