Originally posted by Wasp For me, the elephant in the corner of the room is the Canon EOS 200D. Here in South Africa I can get a dual lens EOS 200D kit for half the price of a new KP. I haven't crossed shopped them but the value proposition is on Canon's side. Just saying...
There isn't a lot of Pentax gear on the local market. To make it worse, sellers in the local classifieds have an inflated sense of the value of their gear. There is a K5 II (body only) on offer for about the same price as a brand new EOS 200D. Don't even get me started on the EOS 2000D and 4000D. All plastic, yes, but when you compare the price to used Pentax gear there is lot of thinking to be done.
I disagree. The pricing for Pentax gear is among the best values to be found. There is absolutely no comparing the Canon EOS 200D AKA EOS Rebel SL2 with even the Pentax entry-level K-70, which is priced in a similar range here in the US. The K-70 offers WR construction, thumb and finger 2-dial operation, a professional-level expensive pentaprism VF with 100% frame coverage, 14 bit RAW capability, pixel shift technology, and much much more, let alone comparing it to a Pentax body of pro-grade magnesium alloy construction and controls set like the K-5 II or certainly the very advanced-featured KP.
To get a 2-dial design and WR construction in a Canon DSLR, the price starts in the $1,000 USD range for the body alone, and likewise another $1,000 for a lens having WR construction.
Coming out with a new DSLR model every year does not guarantee an enhanced interest in the general population, or an upswing in the market for used lenses.
We have come to an era of diminishing returns in new models, so there is and should be a longer time gap in their appearance to bring any meaningful advancement at all.
On-line shopping, including such as Amazon, has greatly reduced the presence of local camera shops. I used to buy Pentax cameras and lenses right here in camera shops that no longer exist. The department-store type appliance establishments still remaining primarily handle only the fastest-moving biggest brand names and then their lower class of products.