[pathdoc]

Sorry for your loss, and may the thieves suffer slow gangrenous loss of all their appendages.

With all your stuff gone, you have the opportunity to start again (as I did when someone pinched my Nikon Coolpix 8700; I went to Pentax, or rather back to them as I already had a P50T film camera).

If I were happy with APS-C for day to day work, I would strongly consider staying with it; the compactness and retro nature of the Fuji system would be extremely tempting in this regard. Handle before you buy.

[Tangent88]

As much as I like Pentax I can't see them being in business for too much longer so I'd jump to another system unless you can get a really good deal.

[twilhelm]

As much as I like Pentax I can't see them being in business for too much longer so I'd jump to another system unless you can get a really good deal.

Hmmm... Really?

I don’t see Pentax going anywhere anytime soon. Especially considering they are releasing new equipment .

If the OP is happy with what he had, why would he change brands? He has familiarity with the functionality and we all agree the ergonomics are some of the best.

Other brands have things that will outdo Pentax, and if those things are important to the OP, he should seriously changing systems. But to make a comment that you “think” Pentax is going to go out of business is frankly irresponsible.

[LensBeginner]

As much as I like Pentax I can't see them being in business for too much longer so I'd jump to another system unless you can get a really good deal.

The very same words that were spoken by NX-1 users...

[pres589]

As much as I like Pentax I can't see them being in business for too much longer so I'd jump to another system unless you can get a really good deal.

Your post history doesn't paint a picture of you liking Pentax all that much.

[rogerstg]

As much as I like Pentax I can't see them being in business for too much longer so I'd jump to another system unless you can get a really good deal.

I've been reading about Pentax's imminent demise for a dozen years.

[Tangent88]

Hmmm... Really?

I don’t see Pentax going anywhere anytime soon. Especially considering they are releasing new equipment .

If the OP is happy with what he had, why would he change brands? He has familiarity with the functionality and we all agree the ergonomics are some of the best.

Other brands have things that will outdo Pentax, and if those things are important to the OP, he should seriously changing systems. But to make a comment that you “think” Pentax is going to go out of business is frankly irresponsible.

They're only minor updates though, they don't have the money to keep up with the other manufacturers anymore and have fallen behind, especially with video and autofocus, can't see them lasting more than a couple of years.

I have a K10D which was a great camera in it's time and as an update got a K-50 but that is now failing due to the solenoid issue, that is another way that Ricoh shot themselves in the foot, even though I have a lot of Pentax lenses I wouldn't buy a new camera.

---------- Post added 08-02-18 at 01:24 AM ----------

Your post history doesn't paint a picture of you liking Pentax all that much.

I don't like Ricoh that much as I spent good money on a K-50, now failing like so many others because they used cheap parts.

My K10D was great though, great build quality, just a little heavy for day-to-day use now and of course not much use in low light.

So now I have 12 lenses i can't really make much use of.

I'd give Sony's full-frame mirrorless cameras a go if i was the OP.

Or get a Canon 5D/ 6D or Nikon D750/ D800.

---

Last edited by Tangent88; 08-02-2018 at 01:35 AM.

[pakinjapan]

Sorry for your loose.
May be consider get a security camera or some kind of alarm system first?
If you are into the Mirrorless, Pentax (as for now) might not be a good choice.

Otherwise, you know what you can get from Pentax DSLR. Make a list of what you Need and Good to have, and how much do you want to spend then see what camera from what brand can score best from your list.

[Alex645]

They're only minor updates though, they don't have the money to keep up with the other manufacturers anymore and have fallen behind, especially with video and autofocus, can't see them lasting more than a couple of years.

I don't like Ricoh that much as I spent good money on a K-50, now failing like so many others because they used cheap parts.

Sorry, but I can't agree with "they're only minor updates". I have a K-50 that works fine and is not "failing because they used cheap parts"....although I am aware of the aperture solenoid issue others have reported. Here's some perspective:

The K-50 was release in mid-2013. Since then, Pentax has released their 'entry-level' K-S1, K-S2, and K-70...2 out of 3 which are not minor updates. But most serious photographers would upgrade in 5 years to other DSLRs they've released since the K-50 such as the K-3, K-3ii, K-P, K-1, K-1ii, or even the 645Z.

In classes I teach, I see over 200 student DSLRs each year. When the entry-level K-50 was new:
a) Canon came out with their entry-level EOS Rebel T5i. The next year they released a cheaper but worse camera, the T5. I would take a new K-70 over a Canon T7 any day.
b) Nikon's entry-level D3200 was in 2012 and didn't release the D3300 until 2014. Their newest entry-level camera, the D3400 was new in 2016.
c) Sony's DSLT a-58 in 2013 and their latest DSLT a-68 updated in 2015.

If the most important functions of a camera is the AF and video, then I'd highly recommend you consider not shooting any DSLR, or pony-up for a Nikon D500 or a Sony mirrorless. And although Pentax is smaller compared to Canon, Nikon, or Sony, I can't agree that their updates were minor and they use cheap parts. And where is Canikony's medium format?

Bottomline: The OP has a clean slate and can pick the system that best suits his or her needs. No one know the future, but Pentax will be around in two years and will probably be alive for decades to come. Ultimately these are just tools and I appreciate Ricoh for carrying the torch on a brand that uses legacy glass, uses weather-sealing, pentaprisms, dual wheels, SR, and other innovative features such as pixel-shift, astro-tracer, etc.

[Tangent88]

Come on, Pentax have only recently brought tilting screens in!

There's no investment there.

The weather-sealing is good but does that compensate for slow autofocus?

OP has the chance to start over and buying Pentax again would be a mistake IMO.

And they did use cheap parts, switched from a reliable Japanese solenoid to a cheaper unreliable Chinese one.

[Photogoof]

That is truly horrible, and I hope the thief is caught. I don't have any advice on replacements; I just wanted to express my sympathy.

[twilhelm]

Come on, Pentax have only recently brought tilting screens in!

There's no investment there.

The weather-sealing is good but does that compensate for slow autofocus?

OP has the chance to start over and buying Pentax again would be a mistake IMO.

And they did use cheap parts, switched from a reliable Japanese solenoid to a cheaper unreliable Chinese one.

In your prior post you compare the K50 (entry level) to a Sony full frame, Canon 5D/6D and the Nikon D800?

Now it's our turn to say Come On! The price difference alone says it all. You can't expect an entry level camera to even come close to upper models.

The K10D was an amazing camera, in it's time. I still have mine and it works great. And nothing by another manufacturer had weather sealing or the build quality at that price point.

I'm quite certain no one else has an entry level camera that can compare specs with a K70.

But I get it. Your K50 didn't live up to your expectations and now you don't like Pentax. The OP does have a clean slate to buy anything he/she wants. We gave good advice without bashing any of the brands out there.

[Tangent88]

I gave good advice as well.

If you don't already have a lot of Pentax lenses then buying another Pentax doesn't make sense anymore IMO.

Are there any professional photographers you know who use Pentax cameras?

Canon, Nikon, Sony, and to a lesser extent, Olympus or Fujifilm, Pentax no.

I've got 2 Pentax DSLRs and a Pentax SLR as well, I don't hate Pentax.

I have a Windows Phone as well but I don't use it now because I accepted that it was time to move on.

[Alex645]

Are there any professional photographers you know who use Pentax cameras?

Canon, Nikon, Sony, and to a lesser extent, Olympus or Fujifilm, Pentax no.

Yes, I know of many pro photographers that use Pentax. When I was a pro, I shot with Pentax, and now that I teach photography, I continue to buy and use Pentax.

Yes, most pros use Canon or Nikon, but it is not because of the AF system or a swivel viewfinder, etc. Also, the OP states that he is not a pro and considers himself a novice.

[Bill Herndon]

OP here... Not much has happened since my gear was stolen. I've done a lot of research and processed some of the photos that I shot with a Pentax KP that I rented prior to the theft. What strikes me about the KP--at least working on the raw images in Lightroom--is what a poor job the software does on the initial interpretation of the KP's files. It's almost as if Adobe gave up on Pentax. I know that the KP came out just as Adobe was transitioning to Lightroom CC, but I thought that the perpetual version, 6.10 and later, had a version of Camera RAW that supported the KP. Oh well... The jpg images are quite nice...better than my K-30 by a longshot, but I don't usually use my jpgs.

As far as replacements go, I started this discussion where I started with DSLRs...the Olympus E-620, a camera that I really liked but that I didn't feel had a viable upgrade path. When Olympus went all mirrorless, it seemed like all one was getting were the same features for three times the cost. That no longer seems to be the case, and I find I'm tempted by some of the offerings from Lumix and Olympus. I can afford the upgrade, and so I'm going to rent the Lumix DC G9, and see how I like that. In the store, the ergonomics were a delight. Yes...yes, I know...smaller sensor and no phase-detect AF! But an extensive selection of highly regarded lenses, right? Very pleasing colors--at least in testing--and maybe I won't have to spend so much time correcting all those magenta-tinged reds from the KP (and my K-30 for that matter). Not saying that I'm ready to abandon Pentax quite yet, but I'm noticing that ,while we're still waiting on the K-3 iii, there are some very impressive cameras out there. Maybe I'll try the Olympus O-MD EM-1 m2 after the Lumix. Give Pentax time to get the K-3 iii into the marketplace. (What are the odds?)

And... Thanks to everyone for all the great advice!


- BH