[Wired]

2016 was really hard on me and my family. The Alberta economy crashed, and even though I did not work in the oil fields I felt it pretty hard. I got laid off in April, months after signing a deal on building a new house, and in desperation to not loose everything I sold as much as I could. I kept my Nikon/lighting kit as it was the only thing making me money last summer as I searched for a new full time job (bank needed it so I could keep my approval on the house). So between that and $40,000 worth of unexpected financial hurdles I had to sell off pretty much everything I had so that I still could have a roof over my families head.

Now that we have been in the new house for a few months and things are starting to stabilize I'm looking at everything and I'm really missing taking photos for me. I got arthritis and it's acting up really bad, so my Nikon only comes out to play if I'm getting paid. Seriously, I don't open that case/bag without money being involved. Which sucks because I love taking photos of my growing boy and wife. I also don't like hauling it on walks and hikes as well... D810 + 24-70mm f2.8 is not exactly light or compact.

Luckily I was smart, I kept things I knew I'd regret selling... the FA 31, FA 43, and FA 77. I also couldn't give away my DA* 16-50 so I still have that as well. So now I'm looking for a body, probably to buy in May or June. budget right now will be around $1000 Canadian. Maybe a little more, but I don't want to break the bank. First instinct is to find myself a K3/ii on the used market. But as I've been away from the forums and the camera sites for almost a year now... what has changed? I see the KP is about to be released.... Maybe an ME Mirrorless??? How is the K70? KS1?

I don't NEED professional grade here... but I've been used to professional grade buffer/fps/features for a long time and I doubt I can go back too far in the options here... usually dual control dials and a deep buffer are preferred here. even then the buffer may not be as necessary as I rarely even hit with my D800 unless I'm shooting fashion runway.

OR... any screwdrive AF Adapters for the various mirrorless systems exists yet?

[HopelessTogger]

How about a used K-5IIs? I still think this was the best.

[Wired]

How about a used K-5IIs? I still think this was the best.

your not wrong, the K5 I think was the best feeling body, the 16mp was very manageable especially for family/casual shooting, buffer is good. solid camera. my biggest issue there was the AF point spread was crap, (K3 is crap compared to what I've been used to with my 2 kits for 2015-2016 being Nikon D800/D810 and Fuji XT1) but it is manageable.

[bobbotron]

Sorry to hear about your year, that sounds really rough. I've heard good things about the K-S1, or you could probably get a K3 for a reasonable price, they are nice cameras.

Things have moved along a little bit with the K70, but it's all incremental change. The K3 and K3II are still very nice cameras, good buffers.

I have a 16-45 I'm trying to get rid of, would have sent it your way but it looks like you're covered with the 16-50!

[VoiceOfReason]

Sounds like you need less weight. I do like the K3, but for a lighter and more compact model I'd almost say KS2, K70, or if you can swing it the specs say the new KP is supposed to be light as well.

[UncleVanya]

K-70 appears to be on par with K3ii in terms of IQ (same sensor, same bit depth, pixel shift) - possibly a bit ahead in noise reduction due to improved processing. The K-70 may or may not share the aperture block that has given K-30, K-50 users a bit of trouble in reliability (unclear % of problems). KP - is unknown but may drive prices around a bit as it seems a little expensive for what it appears to be. K-3ii successor is due out sometime this year - unknown timeframe and specs.

[HopelessTogger]

your not wrong, the K5 I think was the best feeling body, the 16mp was very manageable especially for family/casual shooting, buffer is good. solid camera. my biggest issue there was the AF point spread was crap, (K3 is crap compared to what I've been used to with my 2 kits for 2015-2016 being Nikon D800/D810 and Fuji XT1) but it is manageable.

I don't know of any AF adapters for K lenses. I did try to get one of the manufacturers to make one when I used the Sony A7r.
If you've kept the 31/43/77 combo, best stick to native mount. The K-5IIs AF noticably outperformed the K-5 in my opinion (I had a K-5 followed by the IIs, followed by the K-3 and K-1).
You never know, used K-1's might turn up for sale soon.
Might be best to keep saving and forget cameras for a while. I'm in a similar boat right now due to illness and need to sell a bunch of stuff.
Less is more, keeps the stress down. Give yourself a really big financial margin of safety first. Times are strange and likely to get stranger.

[alamo5000]

Sorry to hear about your 2016. Believe me you have my prayers. I've been there too in a lot of ways. At present I am jobless myself.

If I get established and on my feet I am very likely to put up my K3 body and a zoom for sale and upgrade to the K-1. Really I think you can't go wrong with almost any of the models. Just do what it takes to stay in the game I guess.

[Wired]

I don't know of any AF adapters for K lenses. I did try to get one of the manufacturers to make one when I used the Sony A7r.
If you've kept the 31/43/77 combo, best stick to native mount. The K-5IIs AF noticably outperformed the K-5 in my opinion (I had a K-5 followed by the IIs, followed by the K-3 and K-1).
You never know, used K-1's might turn up for sale soon.
Might be best to keep saving and forget cameras for a while. I'm in a similar boat right now due to illness and need to sell a bunch of stuff.
Less is more, keeps the stress down. Give yourself a really big financial margin of safety first. Times are strange and likely to get stranger.

tell me about it, life is so unpredictable right now. Thats why I'm giving myself until June. under the current plan that gives me a 3 month buffer if things go sideways again for me. The goal will be to go full pro in 2 years and leave the day job for good. but until then I want to save as much money as possible. On that token, the next couple of years are also very important for my family (son turns 4 this summer) and I want to capture some of that without hauling my D810 everywhere!

Right now I'm shooting "compact" with my LX, but film is annoying to process and deal with locally.

[jevans]

"Times are strange and likely to get stranger."

A very true statement

[ChristianRock]

I have a friend from another forum who lost his oil rig job last year and is also going from job to job currently, trying to find something good. With Trump signing the Keystone pipeline plan yesterday, that should be good for Alberta's economy going on.

Based on what you say, if you think you can deal with the K-3 I would just go for that. Used prices, especially for the first version, are so low, you won't be hurting your budget plans. I've seen it for as low as 450 dollars. And it's still a very good camera and would probably be a wise financial decision considering your circumstances and medium term plans.

[TER-OR]

Yeah, unless you need the in-body GPS, the K3 will suffice, and be less expensive.

[HopelessTogger]

tell me about it, life is so unpredictable right now. Thats why I'm giving myself until June. under the current plan that gives me a 3 month buffer if things go sideways again for me. The goal will be to go full pro in 2 years and leave the day job for good. but until then I want to save as much money as possible. On that token, the next couple of years are also very important for my family (son turns 4 this summer) and I want to capture some of that without hauling my D810 everywhere!

Right now I'm shooting "compact" with my LX, but film is annoying to process and deal with locally.

How about a point and shoot like a Sony RX100?

I spent too much on gear in 2016 and really regret it now. Health was getting worse through the year and collapsed at Christmas. Diabetes and serious mental health problems (depression and anxiety in the extreme) resulting from that and extreme pressure at work. 20 plus year career down the pan and not sure where it all goes from here. Never enjoyed what I did anyway so it's probably a blessing.

Hang in there our kid. Count the pennys. Don't spend big dollars. Become super thrifty and pay down debt whilst the interest rates are low and you'll come through it.

[Wired]

How about a point and shoot like a Sony RX100?

I spent too much on gear in 2016 and really regret it now. Health was getting worse through the year and collapsed at Christmas. Diabetes and serious mental health problems (depression and anxiety in the extreme) resulting from that and extreme pressure at work. 20 plus year career down the pan and not sure where it all goes from here. Never enjoyed what I did anyway so it's probably a blessing.

Hang in there our kid. Count the pennys. Don't spend big dollars. Become super thrifty and pay down debt whilst the interest rates are low and you'll come through it.

I really want to use my FA glass

[HopelessTogger]

I really want to use my FA glass

Used K-5IIs or K-3 it is then. I understand entirely having the 31/43/77 myself. Three lenses I will never part with.

How about selling other gear to pay for it so it's cost neutral?