[MikeMcE]

I did that with two cars and two daughters! Unfortunately none of the kids got into photography enough to justify such an upgrade for me... er, I mean them.

Ha! You’re worth it though!


Hang up and DRIVE!

[heinamj]

Ha! You’re worth it though!

You're not helping my gear buying addiction Mike...

[Hawkfan]

I started on a K1000. No bells or whistles of any kind. It would be hard for me to imagine being 13 and having a machine with so many features. Then again, that was 1977 and kids these days have this electronic stuff ingrained in them from birth now. If he was my kid I probably would have given him an *isd or something. That's a lucky kid there.

[MikeMcE]

You're not helping my gear buying addiction Mike...

Nope, not me! You really need "it" ..........

[que es tu]

I started on a K1000. No bells or whistles of any kind. It would be hard for me to imagine being 13 and having a machine with so many features. Then again, that was 1977 and kids these days have this electronic stuff ingrained in them from birth now. If he was my kid I probably would have given him an *isd or something. That's a lucky kid there.

I've found that I can't fight the march of technology, but to his credit, he shoots mostly in Manual, Av, or TAv so it is not all Auto and he retains some creative control. He is having alot of fun with shutter speed and aperture settings and experimenting with zoom bursts and many other creative ideas. So, yes he is lucky, but I also think he has some talent, and alot more than me!!

[MikeMcE]

I've found that I can't fight the march of technology, but to his credit, he shoots mostly in Manual, Av, or TAv so it is not all Auto and he retains some creative control. He is having alot of fun with shutter speed and aperture settings and experimenting with zoom bursts and many other creative ideas. So, yes he is lucky, but I also think he has some talent, and alot more than me!!

Learning how to grab the shot is harder than fiddling with the Doo dads. Once shooting becomes second nature, then learning how to change the mechanics becomes quite easy.
Because you’ve seen what your getting, and know what you want to do.

I think you’re both doing quite well!


Hang up and DRIVE!

[Photos-by-Chas]

Earlier this year my KS-2 developed “aperture block failure” at around 14000 actuations. After considering advice form members on PF I decided not to repair the KS-2, but get a KP. I love the KP and it is the perfect camera for me. HOWEVER, as soon as I stopped using the KS-2, my 13 y/o son commandeered it along with my DA 35mmf2.4 and DA-L 50-200mm lenses!! He is now shooting circles around me and even getting good BIF photos!! He has learned to work around the dark frames which usually occur only when the camera has sat overnight.
It is a worrisome issue and he therefore is saving up his money for a K-70 of which he will have half by his birthday in November, and my wife and I will give him the other half for his present. What is the consensus now for the reliability/durability of the K-70 and its aperture control solenoid?? I would hate for the aperture to fail on this camera like on the KS-2.
Should he chance the K-70 or would it be better to wait until he can get a KP? He is out shooting daily and uses drive mode on birds, so he can accumulate lots of shutter actuations in a day. He is also studying books on photography in general, and bird photography in specific, so he seems pretty serious. My gut wants to go with the KP, but I don’t know if that is too much for a 13 y/o. All opinions, advice, and suggestions will be considered and appreciated. Thank you!

After googling a comparison of the two cameras, I'm very pleased that I chose the K70 as a personal upgrade for myself. The review I read went overall for the K70 by a slim margin and did say the image quality of the KP was better than the K70. Personally, I think the image quality of the K70 is excellent, but then I've not used the KP. Going on your description of your son's enthusiasm for photography, I'd say either one would be an excellent choice for him. Maybe you should give him the option of choosing for himself. That way he can't tell you later that he would have preferred the opposite one.

The K70 I bought was made in Feb 2019 and other forum members with the same model have not mentioned any aperture block problems with their cameras. Also the K70 has been out since '16 with relatively few, if any, complaints of the aperture block problem. Give him the choice.

Please let us know what the decision was/is.

---

Last edited by Photos-by-Chas; 11-29-2020 at 07:16 PM. Reason: Addendum

[que es tu]

After googling a comparison of the two cameras, I'm very pleased that I chose the K70 as a personal upgrade for myself. The review I read went overall for the K70 by a slim margin and did say the image quality of the KP was better than the K70. Personally, I think the image quality of the K70 is excellent, but then I've not used the KP. Going on your description of your son's enthusiasm for photography, I'd say either one would be an excellent choice for him. Maybe you should give him the option of choosing for himself. That way he can't tell you later that he would have preferred the opposite one.

The K70 I bought was made in Feb 2019 and other forum members with the same model have not mentioned any aperture block problems with their cameras. Also the K70 has been out since '16 with relatively few, if any, complaints of the aperture block problem. Give him the choice.

Please let us know what the decision was/is.

He and I talked about the differences between the 2 cameras a few times over the summer, and he has also used my KP. In the end he kept going back to how he didn’t like the ergonomics of the KP, and decided that the K 70 was the camera he really wanted to have. He likes the size and feel of the K-S2, and since the K 70 is similar wanted to stick with that. The only thing about the KP that he really likes is the quiet shutter, but personally, I don’t think the K-S2 shutter is unpleasant or excessively loud, and I think the K 70 has the same shutter set up. Incidentally, his birthday was last Saturday, and since he was to pay for half of the camera with his money, after adding up his money, we went on Friday and ordered his new K 70. It is due to arrive today, and we got a call from FED-EX yesterday to confirm we would be there to sign for it! I will find out what his initial feelings are when I get home from work tonight and he snaps my picture as I walk through the door! I’m sure he will get great results with the K70, and hopefully it will take him through until he is ready to move up to a more advanced camera.

[gatorguy]

I’m sure he will get great results with the K70, and hopefully it will take him through until he is ready to move up to a more advanced camera.

Great to see you expected your son to share in the investment. It makes the camera more "his" and he's more likely to use and take good care of it. Nice parenting.

As for "ready to move up to a more advanced camera" he may never need to. The K-70 is very full-featured, he won't be lacking the camera for anything needed for exceptional images. I hope you two get to spend lots of time together on a hobby you both love and appreciate.

[Photos-by-Chas]

He and I talked about the differences between the 2 cameras a few times over the summer, and he has also used my KP. In the end he kept going back to how he didn’t like the ergonomics of the KP, and decided that the K 70 was the camera he really wanted to have. He likes the size and feel of the K-S2, and since the K 70 is similar wanted to stick with that. The only thing about the KP that he really likes is the quiet shutter, but personally, I don’t think the K-S2 shutter is unpleasant or excessively loud, and I think the K 70 has the same shutter set up. Incidentally, his birthday was last Saturday, and since he was to pay for half of the camera with his money, after adding up his money, we went on Friday and ordered his new K 70. It is due to arrive today, and we got a call from FED-EX yesterday to confirm we would be there to sign for it! I will find out what his initial feelings are when I get home from work tonight and he snaps my picture as I walk through the door! I’m sure he will get great results with the K70, and hopefully it will take him through until he is ready to move up to a more advanced camera.

Thank you for the update. I hope he likes his K70 as much as I like mine. I have the 18-135 on mine and so far it fits well as a nice efficient walk around lens.

[que es tu]

Great to see you expected your son to share in the investment. It makes the camera more "his" and he's more likely to use and take good care of it. Nice parenting.

As for "ready to move up to a more advanced camera" he may never need to. The K-70 is very full-featured, he won't be lacking the camera for anything needed for exceptional images. I hope you two get to spend lots of time together on a hobby you both love and appreciate.

Thank you for the update. I hope he likes his K70 as much as I like mine. I have the 18-135 on mine and so far it fits well as a nice efficient walk around lens.

Yes, the K 70 could very well be all the camera he ever needs or wants. I think most all modern DSLRs are capable cameras which can give great results. The bells and whistles really just serve to make our job easier, but not necessarily more enjoyable!! To that point I have been encouraging him to shoot in Manual, Av, Tv, and TAv, and to work hard to “get it right IN CAMERA” i.e. exposure, composition, lighting, white balance etc…, and to use post processing for minor tweaks to “perfect” the shot or use PP “for emergencies only” as in when you accidentally mess up a really important shot. While he definitely likes to look at “PRO” glass, I have stressed the age old photographers creedo of working hard to get the shot with what you have and learning within the confines of a few lenses until you become proficient and budget allows an upgrade. I have found that good shots can be had with less than pro-level glass, we just have to work harder at it, and no real photographer will ever criticize you for your equipment because most of us had to start at the bottom with what we could afford and do our best with that. I’m still learning a lot myself, and that challenge of never really being able to master this craft is what makes it so enjoyable for me, and hopefully him, too!!

[que es tu]

Well, it is official, my son received his new “silver” K 70 on Friday, and he loves it! He spent Friday evening setting it up, and the next two days running it through its paces. The IQ is great and comparable to the KP! The manufacture date is 11-14-19, so it is a later model. I have read that there was a modification done to the aperture control solenoid making it more reliable in the later models. As an “insurance policy” I will hunt down a white MIJ solenoid to keep in the (hopefully) unlikely event that this one will fail. I will probably practice on my K-S2 to see what it is like to repair it. Interestingly, my son and I noticed, independently from one another, that the aperture actuation is much more quiet and smooth on the K 70 compared to the K-S2. So maybe that is due to the modification?? Either way the camera is a great design and fairly improved over the K-S2 as far as IQ, ISO capability, button placement, and general ergonomics. We took our dog for a walk yesterday, and my son went in our neighbors pasture to look for birds to photograph. When we came back I saw a paper airplane flying around and saw him taking pictures of the paper airplane! When I asked what he was up to, he said he was using the airplane to practice photographing birds-in-flight!! He actually got several sharp photos using the HD DA 55-300 (non PLM)!! Kids these days!! So, everyone is happy! Thank you all for the advice, comments, and suggestions!

[Cerebum]

After googling a comparison of the two cameras, I'm very pleased that I chose the K70 as a personal upgrade for myself. The review I read went overall for the K70 by a slim margin and did say the image quality of the KP was better than the K70. Personally, I think the image quality of the K70 is excellent, but then I've not used the KP. Going on your description of your son's enthusiasm for photography, I'd say either one would be an excellent choice for him. Maybe you should give him the option of choosing for himself. That way he can't tell you later that he would have preferred the opposite one.

The K70 I bought was made in Feb 2019 and other forum members with the same model have not mentioned any aperture block problems with their cameras. Also the K70 has been out since '16 with relatively few, if any, complaints of the aperture block problem. Give him the choice.

Please let us know what the decision was/is.

I understood the IQ to be similar. I'm not sure if the K70 has the accelerator chip though. The KP is something of a marmite camera (love or hate, little in between). I had a leica fan admiring my silver one with its vintage yashinon lens, whereas the guy in the camera shop looked like he had just picked up something coughed out by a cat! Regarding younger photographers, the interchangeable grips of the KP could be a boon if they don't have big hands

[que es tu]

I understood the IQ to be similar. I'm not sure if the K70 has the accelerator chip though. The KP is something of a marmite camera (love or hate, little in between). I had a leica fan admiring my silver one with its vintage yashinon lens, whereas the guy in the camera shop looked like he had just picked up something coughed out by a cat! Regarding younger photographers, the interchangeable grips of the KP could be a boon if they don't have big hands

According to the specs on the In Depth Review the K70 does have the accelerator chip, which I think would help with the increased ISO capability.

[Cerebum]

According to the specs on the In Depth Review the K70 does have the accelerator chip, which I think would help with the increased ISO capability.

So the IQ should be just as good as the KP. I believe it is. It has lots of fans