[jddwoods]

I am really sorry about the difficulties you went through. Hopefully things are looking better and I am glad you made it through and kept your home. Regarding camera, I would suggest a used K-3 in good condition. It has one very big (in my opinion) advantage over the K-5 series and that is support for the new KAF4 lens mount. I have a K-5 and K-3 and just got the new 55-300 PLM. The autofocus performance of this lens changes what I would recommend. I really like my K-5 but missing the ability to use KAF4 lens mount could be a deal breaker for me if I were in your position. Of course if you are not looking into getting newer lenses up the road then I would not overlook the K-5 series.
Check KEH.com they may have some bodies or at least give you a price point but in USD. You would need to consider exchange rate. Their grading is very conservative and their merchandise looks better than how they grade it.

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Last edited by jddwoods; 01-25-2017 at 05:44 PM.

[Wired]

Sorry to hear about your financial difficulties, I'd also like to second the suggestion of a K5IIs - I own K1s and I still use my K5IIs for every day photography. That camera is bomb proof, I should know, I reviewed a sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 with it.

I'd rather sell all my Canon glass[though I'd keep the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8 I have] than sell any of the stuff I have for pentax, especially the FA limited lenses.

hey, on the up and up and it only took me 6-7 months so I'm okay with that. could have been a lot worse and it was touch and go there for a while, but we got over the hump and we can start living again. The nice thing is that some cost savings were healthy... for example we replaced ground beef with soy/veggie ground. 1/4 the price, way better for you, and it's actually pretty good. Took some getting used too, but we don't eat ground beef at home anymore.

The K5II is high on my list...and I think after sitting and thinking today it will be between a K5 and K3 series camera. Probably sniff at the used market and hopefully have enough left over to find a used 50-135 f2.8 or fisheye.

If I wasn't using it to make money for the summer I would have sold my Nikon glass and kept the Pentax kit. The oddest thing was, I had my D800 listed for a long time and not one bite! Even @ $1500 CAD! But my Pentax stuff (2 K5's, K3, DA*50-135, DA15 Limited, DA 40 L, DA 70 L, DA*55, Fisheye) all was sold in less than a week, and half of it locally! I was shocked! But my Nikon D800 never got a sniff and my 70-200mm f2.8 MK1 took a couple of months to sell (I have the MKII). Even my Fuji XT-1 kit took a few months to move. (kept getting low balled on the Fuji too!) The Nikon made it's money back for me though in helping me second shoot a lot of weddings and general portraiture sessions. As usual there is an elitism around here and I never would have gotten some of the second shooting jobs shooting a Pentax.

[pinholecam]

Sorry to hear about your problems.
These have been challenging times.

Since you want something easier for the hands and portable, maybe a KS2 or this new KP? (with your abilities, I'm sure even a Kx, Kr, K30 will do actually)
The sensor got real good since Kx imo, and by K30, that 16mp exmor was good enough for most uses.
The K3 gets big again, imo.

[EJMzagsfan]

Yea, that KP is supposed to be small and light. It sounds very capable too.

[6BQ5]

I've been through tough times too. Starting with a lay off to a divorce to surgery with lots of medical bills. Going from one challenge to another feels like being hit over the head with a hammer. An evil imp screams "you lose!" with every blow. But, the sun sets and the sun rises. The days pass by and things can slowly get better. Now I am gainfully employed, I met a wonderful woman, and my body feels healthier and than ever before. Hang in there, buddy. You'll make it.

As far as camera gear is concerned I would say go for the minimum you need for your "shutter therapy" and don't worry too much about not having body X or lens Y. Material wealth can change do easily and so quickly. One day you're rich, the next day you're broke, and then you're just fine again. Use what you have and the right opportunity will present itself. You may end up with the newly released KP or a lightly use K-1 when you're least expecting it.

[Sandy Hancock]

Glad you're back up and running Luke. I've missed you here, but it's been good to keep an eye on your excellent work on Flickr.

I suspect all your remaining flash gear is for the Nikon setup, so you might miss the onboard flash with the K-3 II. I go with the K-3 or K-5 IIs, depending on whether the improved AF and burst rate/buffer wins over the ISO 80.

[skierd]

I think the the KS2, k-70, or the KP would be great options for you. Smaller, lighter cameras with full feature sets and great IQ all around. I'd budget for the former if I was just coming out of a heavy financial calamity out of caution personally, but take a wait and see approach because my gut says we're not done seeing new bodies from Pentax just yet this year. If they release a new APS-C k-3ii replacement, the K-3's price will drop.

[Wired]

The world went on a roller coaster again this summer. Had a job offer to what was supposed to be the next 5 years, but after 3 months they let me go without warning or without explanation. I'm in a new job now (took 2 weeks to find placement) but it's looking very promising. I had to use my camera money savings to pay the mortgage while I was between jobs as I'm essentially going 6 weeks without a paycheck due to the pay system my industry works in... but hey whatever.

I have done some really cool fitness shoots and have 2 out of 9 weddings left to shoot this year. So good stuff. Had a really fun little shoot last night with some friends, and got a very busy 2 weeks ahead of me photography wise. But man is my body killing me! lol

I picked up a used Fuji XT1 and a prime this past weekend as the Pentax DSLR's are going for a lot of money in the used market locally, I personally don't like buying, especially used, without touching first. It was a fantastic deal and works very well even though it's banged up a bit. Almost in the same condition as my trusty LX which has kept up very well all summer! Aside from when the film advance wind failed on me two weeks ago (which is why I bought the XT1). I got it working again this morning tho.

I thank all for the kind words and encouragement. Which is why I'm resurrecting this post. Friends, even the online ones we don't really know, can be a real good support. Life is a crazy and it's comforting to know we are not alone in our struggles. Many paint a picture of stability and are afraid to admit defeat at times. A friend of mine met Gene Simmonds this past weekend and asked him one question "how do you deal with failure". His response is inspiring and powerful:

"You will experience failure, learn from it. Study why you failed and what mistake you made and learn from it. You will make mistakes, you will never do anything perfectly. But when you learn from it, and teach others the knowledge you’ve learned from your mistakes, that is when you have overcome your failure. Until you fail again."




some images:

[Theov39]

Your photos are amazing.

[Wired]

Your photos are amazing.

thanks. It's much appreciated.