[Des]

I probably won't be going for the battery grip straight away as I will want to get a another lens for the camera in addition to the one that it comes with, (which is an HD DA 18-50mm which will be good to get me used to the camera), but I will need a zoom with a longer focal length.

Good plan. The best affordable telephoto would be the 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 PLM.

[jgnfld]

Good plan. The best affordable telephoto would be the 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 PLM.

You'll like that lens. It's a tad slow on some cameras, but a KP gets very good performance at ISOs you would have used T-Max film for in the old days.

[mikesbike]

BTW it's a new one so no factory reset required! Thanks for the offer of some tech support, I'm sure that I will need it, but I'l try not to bug you with questions on things that I can work out myself.

Wow- a new one? That's great! Have no worries about bugging us with your questions. Don't hesitate to ask. It is also great that it came with that lens! Now you will have full access to all of the adjustments and wonderful capabilities of this marvelous camera.

---------- Post added 11-23-21 at 03:11 PM ----------

I agree regarding the telephoto lens. The best all-around zoom lens with more reach is the DA 18-135mm. That said, for amazingly small carrying, the HD DA 18-50mm is indeed quite a good lens! You can achieve very high imaging quality with this lens on this camera! Most certainly at mid-apertures. And- you can actually fit the KP with this lens into a large jacket pocket! Imagine- a super high-quality APS-C DSLR WITH a very capable zoom lens, carried in a jacket pocket!! Try that with any other brand! It is a better lens than my standard DA-L 18-50mm kit version, which I got for very little $ with my K-S2, bought some years back when the K-70 came, just for the purpose of lightweight carrying. Even the lesser kit version lens I have is capable of good image quality, but the HD version is yet better. The AF performance is much better than the older 18-55 kit lens, as is the imaging quality . Like many others, I use AF set to center-only spot AF for most needs. I then use the 1/2 shutter button press to achieve focus, sometimes training on a part of the scene at the same distance as where I want my focus to be in my composition, then holding that 1/2 press to preserve focus while repositioning the camera for the composition I am after.

[mikesbike]

Hope it comes through, they are waiting for stock currently.

Hmmm- The KP is unfortunately now a discontinued model, and has been so for many months. I'm wondering how they could offer one and at a very good price, if there is none in stock?

[stephen_G]

Hi Mike, I did wonder that too, but I took the offer on face value, (as they are a long established company with good reviews). I just hope that it isn't too good to be true. They have KP's in stock in other deals, but the one with the lens kit is shown as waiting for stock from supplier.

---------- Post added 11-24-21 at 02:37 AM ----------

I think that you made a great choice with the KP.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to getting the camera!

---------- Post added 11-24-21 at 02:40 AM ----------

Good plan. The best affordable telephoto would be the 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 PLM.

That seems like a great option for me. I would be more comfortable buying a used lens too than I would have been buying a used camera, so hopefully I can find one at the right price.

---------- Post added 11-24-21 at 02:42 AM ----------

You'll like that lens. It's a tad slow on some cameras, but a KP gets very good performance at ISOs you would have used T-Max film for in the old days.

Yes, I've read that the KP has a great ISO range, maybe not so useable at the highest settings, but great at sensible ISO's with that lens.

[Des]

hat seems like a great option for me. I would be more comfortable buying a used lens too than I would have been buying a used camera, so hopefully I can find one at the right price.

Not many secondhand ones around. They come up occasionally in the PF marketplace so keep an eye out there.

Don't confuse the PLM with any of the older DA 55-300 f4-5.8 models (DA, DA L and HD-DA versions). The older model was a different lens with screwdriven autofocus (my DA L 55-300 f4-5.8 sounded like a coffee grinder). It had slightly wider maximum apertures across most of the range, didn't have internal focus and wasn't retractable. They weren't a bad lens at all, but they weren't as refined as the PLM (better bokeh, better rendering and way better AF).

[Jonathan Mac]

It has been known to happen, rarely from what I see, and you too I suspect. Certainly nowhere near the level it was on the old K-50's and K-30's. So rather than a "problem" IMO I consider it something just to be aware of, but very unlikely to impact any particular buyer. I would not for a moment take it as a reason to avoid buying a new warranted Pentax camera.

I've no idea of the proportions of K-30s, K-50s and K-70s that failed due to this fault, just that the part is still being used in K-70s and that makes them a bad buy. I certainly couldn't ever recommend one in good faith, knowing that they are particularly prone to failure. An extended warranty is a good idea if you can get one for a reasonable price and it covers the time period over which you reasonably expect your new camera to work.

[stephen_G]

I've no idea of the proportions of K-30s, K-50s and K-70s that failed due to this fault, just that the part is still being used in K-70s and that makes them a bad buy. I certainly couldn't ever recommend one in good faith, knowing that they are particularly prone to failure. An extended warranty is a good idea if you can get one for a reasonable price and it covers the time period over which you reasonably expect your new camera to work.

Thanks Jonathan, I was wary of buying even a new K70 due to that issue. Warranty would provide cover for that eventuality, but the
potential inconvenience of being without the camera while it was being repaired under warranty was not a happyy prospect. It leads to the question "what would happen if the camera subsequently fails out of warranty?".
Apparently solenoid failure is a rare occurrence in the K70. I don't know if this is due to an improved solenoid being used, or some other design change that reduces a potential reliability issue with that specific part. If it is the same specific part that is being used in the K70 that had proven reliability issues in previuous models, then that would be of concern. In the end I chose to buy the KP instead.

---------- Post added 11-24-21 at 04:39 AM ----------

Not many secondhand ones around. They come up occasionally in the PF marketplace so keep an eye out there.

Don't confuse the PLM with any of the older DA 55-300 f4-5.8 models (DA, DA L and HD-DA versions). The older model was a different lens with screwdriven autofocus (my DA L 55-300 f4-5.8 sounded like a coffee grinder). It had slightly wider maximum apertures across most of the range, didn't have internal focus and wasn't retractable. They weren't a bad lens at all, but they weren't as refined as the PLM (better bokeh, better rendering and way better AF).

Thanks Des, I was aware of the differences between the two lenses, I've been scouring the lens listing here Lens list for Digital single-lens reflex camera / Lens lineup/ Lenses / Products | RICOH IMAGING to acquaint myself with what is available. Getting my head around what all of the letters mean in the lens name is a bit of a learning curve!

[Jeff]

Thanks Jonathan, I was wary of buying even a new K70 due to that issue. Warranty would provide cover for that eventuality, but the
potential inconvenience of being without the camera while it was being repaired under warranty was not a happyy prospect. It leads to the question "what would happen if the camera subsequently fails out of warranty?".
Apparently solenoid failure is a rare occurrence in the K70. I don't know if this is due to an improved solenoid being used, or some other design change that reduces a potential reliability issue with that specific part. If it is the same specific part that is being used in the K70 that had proven reliability issues in previuous models, then that would be of concern. In the end I chose to buy the KP instead.

---------- Post added 11-24-21 at 04:39 AM ----------


Thanks Des, I was aware of the differences between the two lenses, I've been scouring the lens listing here Lens list for Digital single-lens reflex camera / Lens lineup/ Lenses / Products | RICOH IMAGING to acquaint myself with what is available. Getting my head around what all of the letters mean in the lens name is a bit of a learning curve!

YouTube will have some good beginner/intermediate tutorials re. focal length/f.stop/ etc. A few hours spent watching will give you a good idea of what you can do, not what you should do!

[stephen_G]

YouTube will have some good beginner/intermediate tutorials re. focal length/f.stop/ etc. A few hours spent watching will give you a good idea of what you can do, not what you should do!

Thanks Jeff!

[jgnfld]

I've no idea of the proportions of K-30s, K-50s and K-70s that failed due to this fault, just that the part is still being used in K-70s and that makes them a bad buy. I certainly couldn't ever recommend one in good faith, knowing that they are particularly prone to failure. An extended warranty is a good idea if you can get one for a reasonable price and it covers the time period over which you reasonably expect your new camera to work.

To be honest, I've seen no numbers for the K-70 which imply any sort of significant failure rate. Have you?

[stephen_G]

To be honest, I've seen no numbers for the K-70 which imply any sort of significant failure rate. Have you?

I have seen no numbers either.
(I'm a newcomer to DSLR), and I posted for some advice on choosing a camera. The solenoid issue, specifically in relation to the K70, popped up during some replies that I got.

[stevejo]

As you are in the UK I can recommend Park Cameras (London & Burgess Hill) for 2nd hand lenses. Had a couple of lenses from them (by post) and both been excellent, and backed up by 6 month warranty. They usually have a fair selection of Pentax lenses.

[jgnfld]

I have seen no numbers either.
(I'm a newcomer to DSLR), and I posted for some advice on choosing a camera. The solenoid issue, specifically in relation to the K70, popped up during some replies that I got.

Apparently it's happened, but I've seen far fewer--basically only a very few individual instances, not groups of them. Reports for earlier models came in bunches.

[reh321]

To be honest, I've seen no numbers for the K-70 which imply any sort of significant failure rate. Have you?

No numbers, but reports do keep dribbling in.