[UncleVanya]

Hello everybody!

I am astounded by the energy invested in all of the answers. Also the somewhat impatient ones I had totally not expected this. I shall give a little more background to my question.

Passionate users are the norm on this forum. We are also happy to help other spend money. Lol.

The weight of the K200d is not a problem for a lack of muscles in my arms, but another thing I love to do is walk through mountains (Crete, often, and I carry ultralight stuff.Then, a 1,5+ kilo camera is really a lot. I used a canon powershot g7x mark ii for this, and it takes quite decent pictures. But I lost it last summer. I thought about replacing it with the same camera (there is no development in compact camera's) but I would like to have more control over the picture, and more zoom. I used my telephone for pictures on the track, and it is not too bad. And apart from that, I use maps, gps, and a lot of other useful apps on the phone. But I still miss a real camera. Also at home, which is Holland. I am a youngster, it seems, only 66.

As I stated in my post, The k200d/17-70 combo is quite normal in weight for a zoom of moderate length and a dslr apsc body - at least from Pentax. So it really hinges on the weight you are willing to carry. I’m hiking a bit more myself and only ten years younger than you. I purchased a mindshift rotation 180 backpack that makes carrying my dslr or mirrorless gear easier. It has a lower section that contains a small camera bag that can be rotated into place while wearing the bag. It’s not a perfect solution but it makes camera gear more accessible on the move while still distributing weight and being comfortable. A camera clip on a backpack strap is another approach. I also have a Sony RX100IV which offers the same rough perspective as a 16-50 on your k200d. If shooting jpg it can use digital interpolation to give up to the same perspective as a 100mm lens on the k200d. (

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

) At the same time the 20mp 1” sensor has much better low light specs than plenty of older gear. This camera is one reason I felt able to sell off my m43 gear (I had five bodies and a lot of lenses). M43 gave more flexibility and quality but the delta was smaller than it was with my Panasonic LX7 (also sold). The RX100IV remains a great choice (V and Va are even better). The VI and VII have longer lenses with slightly diminished low light performance - making them ideal for hiking - but they are quite expensive and development has stagnated in this area. The external controls and overall user experience are weak compared to Pentax or even m43 bodies.

So I again was faced with the question which leads to this thread. Obviously, by posting this on the forum, there is the hope that I can use my pentax stuff. Over time, I payed thousands of euro's (guilders) for it, and if I sell it, I might 10% of that. And I liked pentax. I photograph anything I fall visually in love with, landscape, people, nature. A phone is rather limited to work with. So I need zoom and macro and something in between..

I need time to digest all the feedback I graciously received here. It seems the DA 17-70mm lens is basically not usable which is a pity, I found it to be a fantastic lens, apart from the AF problems. I have tried a variety of battery's for my K200D, duracel, eneloop (not professional) and got an almost immediate 'low battery' signal. So this body seems not to be ideal.

That’s rational… but the weight issue remains and you will have to bear that in mind. The DA17-70/4 is a fantastic lens, I had one that I liked, my niece still uses it and it was a refurbished one. Sdm motor failures seem to be variable in scope - some lenses fail multiple times, others never fail. The spiritual successor to the 17-70 is probably the HD DA 16-85 HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database it weighs nearly the same and has a slightly different aperture range (faster at the short end, slower on the long end). The hd vs smc coatings give it better flare resistance and the slightly wider 16mm and longer 85mm is useful.

I see a K-70 is available, second hand, for 500 euro, or with SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL DC WR for 880. And as I understand it, I can use my other lenses on this body?

Yes

I still have a Tamron 28-300 1:3,5-6,3, Sigma 70-300 1:4-5,6, and a Tamron SP Di 90 mm 1:2,8 macro. From before I upgraded to the Pentax lens.

Those should all work fine. Pentax has done an excellent job of not crippling their bodies from functioning with lenses from the past unlike Canon or Nikon.

Other lenses available, second hand, are:
- HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR €550
- SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited €350
- SMC Pentax-F 28mm F2.8 €175

Since I have no experience with these lenses, advice would be appreciated. Apart what I already have in the lens department, should I get me one of these?

The HD DA 20-40 Limited is a surprisingly useful lens. It’s light and offers a a meaningfully faster aperture than the kit lenses. The range seems narrow but it’s slightly wider to slightly telephoto on apsc. It’s also got a nice build quality and excellent image quality. That makes it quite versatile compared to expectations - but it is very limited in overall range.

The SMC DA 15 is a jewel-like lens. Small and light, it has fantastic flare resistance and great sunstars. It is harder to use than some lenses with a curved focal plane which can complicate some image making situations. It’s wide… and pairs well with the 18-135.

Personally I’d look at getting that k70 with the 18-135 and that 15 if both of those together are within budget. Fair warning: some k70 owners experience an aperture control failure due to a part that can be diy replaced but is otherwise an expensive repair. The frequency of the failure isn’t known but it could be annoying. The K-5/K-3/KP series use different designs in that part of the camera and do not suffer from that failure. Nevertheless the k-70 is a great value and fantastic value camera.

Thank you for bearing with me this far, greetings from Holland.

It’s my pleasure. Happy to offer what I think to a gracious interested person.

---

Last edited by UncleVanya; 08-12-2022 at 06:22 AM.

[photogem]

The weight of the K200d is not a problem for a lack of muscles in my arms, but another thing I love to do is walk through mountains (Crete, often, and I carry ultralight stuff.Then, a 1,5+ kilo camera is really a lot.

An argument I fully understand. One of my sons now travels the world with his girlfriend for at least 1 year. Hitherto he had a Pentax K5II with several lenses, but for this trip it was too heavy. They went for a Sony Alpha 6400 and are very happy with it.

So I again was faced with the question which leads to this thread. Obviously, by posting this on the forum, there is the hope that I can use my Pentax stuff. Over time, I payed thousands of euro's (guilders) for it, and if I sell it, I might 10% of that. And I liked Pentax. I photograph anything I fall visually in love with, landscape, people, nature. A phone is rather limited to work with. So I need zoom and macro and something in between..

I need time to digest all the feedback I graciously received here. It seems the DA 17-70mm lens is basically not usable which is a pity, I found it to be a fantastic lens, apart from the AF problems.

It is a nice lens, but when the SDM is gone, only manual focus. A pitty, I know but repair is expensive.

I have tried a variety of battery's for my K200D, duracel, eneloop (not professional) and got an almost immediate 'low battery' signal.

Particular the K200D is prone to this problem, I have one even with a very low shuttercount but it won't work with Eneloop Pro's nor any others but it works perfectly well with the Energizer Lithium Ultimate AA's as mentioned. The backup CMOS is alright, so that cannot be the source (Some guessed this could be but I daubt it). I had this problem with several K200D's so it isn't helpfull if others claim that this problem doesn't exist with their K200D, I have disassembled quite a few of them and know it almost inside-out.


But what helps is to check the contacts. Not so much for being clean (which is obligatory and a problem if a battery leaked and destroyed the surface) but for tension: Often just a tiny bending upwards and there is enough tension there again and everything is alright.

All pre K-m bodies had no possibility to change batterytype in the menu, that came with the K-m until the K-r.


Enough of that....

So this body seems not to be ideal. I see a K-70 is available, second hand, for 500 euro, or with SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL DC WR for 880. And as I understand it, I can use my other lenses on this body?

Yes, of course all K-lenses as well as M42 lenses via an adapter

Not to forget the K-S2 which is quite similar and the K-S1. Both have the same great sensor and are almost as good, some would say they
are even better due to the rare sensor used there. I have the KP but use the K-S1 for travel (before it was the K-01 which I can't recommend anymore)


But: If I'd buy a K70 I would get a new one with warranty. This is because early K70's sometimes had the ABF problem, i.e. a tiny part

named solenoid could go wrong. This was solved with the latest Pentax K70's!


If you buy a K-S2 or K-S1 then look out for those which are offered with the "Japan-Solenoid" (on Amazon.de that is possible)
Then you are save and you have with either of them a fantastic camera, the K-S2 being a little bit more comfortable with free LCD-Movement
and better low-light performance, the K-S1 being the smallest DSLR ever without real compromise (there are smaller Canon's but not with that quality!)

I still have a Tamron 28-300 1:3,5-6,3, Sigma 70-300 1:4-5,6

Nothing too special, with the K70 particular you'll see the limitations. Worst the 28-300... one can't cheap physics.

... and a Tamron SP Di 90 mm 1:2,8 macro.

A very good lens!

Other lenses available, second hand, are:

- HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR €550

One of the few zooms I use! Great value. Highly rated.

- SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited €350

excellent, small and light

- SMC Pentax-F 28mm F2.8 €175

Not so special.*

Another lens if you need 300mm at the long end is of course the

DA55-300PLM!!!
A fantastic lens, super fast, I sold my Tamron 70-200/2,8 DI LD Macro for it, never any regrets.


So your existing lenses have 1 gem, the Tamron 90/macro.
The others you mentioned nothing to squeeze the quality out of a K-S1/2/70!


If size and weight are important, you might just sell what you have and get something that is best suited.

Or solve the K200D and then keep what suits best and get a lightweigth something anyway.

*I don't have the F28/2,8 but the A28/2,8 and I had the M-Version, both have the same optics.
I had once the K28/2 (Zeiss designed), could sell it for very good money long time ago for the FA31ltd.
But I also have the K28/3,5 which is not fast...but a fantastic lens.
I have now read the reviews of the F28/2,8 and some claim that it is better than the A-version, maybe they got special samples.
So maybe I was too hard on this lens.

[reh321]

Thanks REH321, trying to find that out, the build date.

If you can get a JPEG from him taken by the camera in question
{some sellers are more than willing to provide an example} you can submit the photo to
Check Camera Shutter Count and Manufacture Date
which provides manufactured date as well as shutter count from the EXIF

[UncleVanya]

I’ve just realized you have the k200D not the k20D! Whoops! The info doesn’t change a lot of what I recommended but I did want to acknowledge that goof up.

[ChristianRock]

Indeed, the K-70 will be smaller and lighter than the K200D, especially with the batteries (4 AA batteries do make the camera seem quite heavy, it's as heavy as my K10D when the Eneloops are in there, perhaps even heavier!). I have the K-S2 which is pretty much exactly the same size/weight as the K-70 and I am very happy with that body. It's "entry level" but nothing like entry level from other companies - the amount of control you have with two data wheels and a lot of body controls, is not matched by any other systems as far as I know. I have been looking at some Olympus PEN bodies to have a high quality pocket camera (with one of their pancake primes) and they are happy when they have one data wheel at all to be able to shoot in Av for example! Only on the highest models does that even happen. Pentax will always give you two wheels, but even one I can work with (like my K-S1).

In regards to lenses... the DA 20-40mm Limited should be a delight to use and the pictures from what I've seen are superb. Of course a 2x zoom will be about 98% as good as a prime but it's only 2x zoom, so no super wide and no long telephoto. Super light though!
The 18-135mm is a favorite of a lot of people for wanting a good range in a compact lens. As long as you don't shoot landscapes at 135mm as the corners are soft at the long end, but most people don't do that.
The DA 15 Limited, if you do landscapes and like wide angle views, should be a perfect companion. Small, light and a lot of people get fantastic results from it. This is the kind of lens that makes it worth it to stick with Pentax (my disclaimer is that I don't have it, 15mm is too wide for me).
The SMC-F 28mm f/2.8 is another small and light lens that makes a great walk-around setup when you want to just carry the camera and one small lens. Not particularly wide, but a bit wider than what a 50mm was back in the film days and a lot of people took great pictures having just that! I have to say that the DA 35mm f/2.4 is a lens very much in the same way that an old 50mm lens was - same field of view in Pentax APS-C cameras, but it's super light - so light that I can carry a body like the K-S2 all day long and never get tired. Another such lens that should be in your radar is the DA 21mm Limited - which can be found cheaper than the DA 15 Limited, and is wide enough for a lot of uses (that's my opinion... you should search pictures taken with it here for example. It's a pancake so it's very easy to carry all day long - even with the "hood" on, it's very small. I would not hesitate to take my K-S1 body with the DA 21mm attached to it, to an all day hike!
Another super-light lens that I use, that is also super-versatile, is the HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6. You'll be surprised at how light your setup is, and it's almost (but not quite) the same range as your 18-55 - but with much higher quality (Note that I'm talking about the HD version - to my eyes the SMC version that came bundled with the K-S2 cameras is worse, and not much better than your 18-55). I can also carry this lens all day long. Some people turn their nose at plastic mount lenses, but I've had my DA 35 2.4 for almost 10 years and even now that my son has it on the K-50 that I have him, it still survives (unlike two point and shoots I have given him in the past, which met their destruction soon thereafter...)

Hope this helps!

[AfterPentax Mark II]

If you can get your hands on that K-70 with the 18-135 you buy yourself a splendid team for just € 879,00 . The 18-135 is one of the best lenses I own. Another one that is very good is the F28mm F2.8 I still use it from time to time, but it is a bit noisy because of screwdrive AF and although Photogem says it is nothing special, it is a very good lens.
On top of that it was the first 28mm AF lens by Pentax and I used it for many years on the SFX and SFXn film bodies. The 20-40mm is a great lens, I Iike it very much but you have to learn to love it. That saying it gives terrific results and the colours are beautiful especially on my KP and I understand that the K-70 shares a lot with that camera IQ wise.
You can of course change from brand, but if you own other K-mount lenses you will learn that it is nice to put all those lenses on a new camera and see what it brings you. And going on with the Ricoh/Pentax line makes life easier, because you are familiar with the way the camera works with all those menu's and settings.
Greetings from the Netherlands!
By the way: the 20-40mm is a total of 21 primes.... So good is that one.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

I’ve just realized you have the k200D not the k20D! Whoops! The info doesn’t change a lot of what I recommended but I did want to acknowledge that goof up.

You are human after all!

[Jonathan Mac]

Unfortunately many newer K-mount DSLRs suffer from a problem which causes them to lose the ability to close the lens aperture (caused by failure of a solenoid). The K70 suffers from this but so did the models which preceded it: K30, K50, K-S1, K-S2). Having fallen victim to the first major failure since Pentax went digital (SDM focus motor failure in your 17-70mm lens) it would be very unfortunate if you fell victim to the second (solenoid failure).

Given that weight is also important to you I think the obvious type of camera for you would be an APS-C mirrorless such as those from Sony of Fujifilm, which are smaller and lighter than any DSLR while providing the same image quality. My own experience is with Fujifilm and I have to say both cameras and lenses are superb.

I know this is a Pentax forum but personally I cannot in good conscience recommend Pentax gear to someone who obviously would benefit from something different.

[KoenR]

Strange that you have problems with the (rechargeable) batteries. I have had a K200D and never experienced battery problems. I used NiMh rechargeables and they lasted rather long.
After that I had a K5 that I replaced with a K3. That is heavier, but when used with the collapsible 18-50 or the 40 mm XS it is Ok.

By the way check https://www.kamera-express.be/pentax-k-70-smc-da-18-135mm-f-3-5-5-6-ed-al
Second hand, 12 monts warranty
Rudy from Belgium

Added:
I also have a MFT Olympus Pen E-PL7 kit that I use when weight is really a problem and also FF Sony A7II with 28-70 FE Lens, less heavy than the APC-S K3...

[AfterPentax Mark II]

By the way check https://www.kamera-express.be/pentax-k-70-smc-da-18-135mm-f-3-5-5-6-ed-al
Second hand, 12 monts warranty
Rudy from Belgium

If you are going for this one, take the extended warranty, because some K-70's suffer from the bad solenoid. Gives you three more years certainty.

[photogem]

Strange that you have problems with the (rechargeable) batteries. I have had a K200D and never experienced battery problems.

And that makes the difference: You have had a K200D but you don't have it anymore (possibly for a long time)
Due to maybe aging components all those Pentax-bodies:
*ist-D/S/DL, K100D, K110D and K200D can develope battery issues.

Sometimes it is just the tension of the contacts (and of course corrosion if leaky batteries)
which can be simply solved

But not if components have aged and one even gets short use out of brandnew NIMH Eneloop Pro's
(no other NiMH's than Eneloop or copies like Ikea Ladda's should be used anyway, Pentax went away from Energizer NIMH's!)

Then only Lithiums will work and they do work!


I have researched this quite a bit because I have rescued quite a few of all those I have mentioned!
But I could not detect which part on the mainboard or other ages. Nor one of the most splended engineers I have had at hand.

[mikesbike]

I would certainly not buy a used K-70, unless the solenoid had been replaced with the white Japanese version. A new one from a high-volume dealer is the way to go. Packaged with the DA 18-135mm lens, you get quite a savings. The extended warranty, if not too much, is perhaps a good idea. A low-use, good used KP is a different matter- it is a different design and does not have the solenoid issue. Controls and build are on an even higher level. No amateur-oriented "scene" modes, however, as this camera is designed as a compact model for pros and other advanced photographers. Yet it does have quite an extensive choice of exposure modes.

The way I carry my cameras and lenses, with my KP and the DA 18-135mm lens, the KP being about the same weight as the K-70 feels very light while wearing it on my person, even when I am on vacation and out for most of the day, mounting and dismounting a bicycle, riding or or walking up and down hills. When coming upon something I want to capture, I just draw out the camera and I am ready. When done, I just slide it back into its case. This works well for me, even at my age. I would think that anyone out hiking could, like myself, encounter drippy, misty conditions where the WR advantage could become important. In fact, I have lucked into some good images under such conditions. Just have a cloth available to wipe off the gear and return it into the case.

---------- Post added 08-12-22 at 01:57 PM ----------

If you buy a K-S2 or K-S1 then look out for those which are offered with the "Japan-Solenoid" (on Amazon.de that is possible)
Then you are save and you have with either of them a fantastic camera, the K-S2 being a little bit more comfortable with free LCD-Movement
and better low-light performance, the K-S1 being the smallest DSLR ever without real compromise (there are smaller Canon's but not with that quality!)

Indeed, if you could find a K-S2 having the white Japanese solenoid already installed, this camera has the controls and other unique features of the K-70 and is yet more compact and even lighter in weight! It even has a unique selfie feature no others have! It is a very good camera. I bought mine a coupe of years before getting my wonderful KP, and I still value it highly. I just hope I continue to be lucky and it never develops the solenoid failure. I do have my old, failed K200D body from which I could transplant the solenoid should that happen, but I am a total novice at such endeavors, lack the needed tools, etc. so I would much rather not having to face this problem.

[ramseybuckeye]

Hello everybody!

I am astounded by the energy invested in all of the answers. Also the somewhat impatient ones I had totally not expected this. I shall give a little more background to my question.

The weight of the K200d is not a problem for a lack of muscles in my arms, but another thing I love to do is walk through mountains (Crete, often, and I carry ultralight stuff.Then, a 1,5+ kilo camera is really a lot. I used a canon powershot g7x mark ii for this, and it takes quite decent pictures. But I lost it last summer. I thought about replacing it with the same camera (there is no development in compact camera's) but I would like to have more control over the picture, and more zoom. I used my telephone for pictures on the track, and it is not too bad. And apart from that, I use maps, gps, and a lot of other useful apps on the phone. But I still miss a real camera. Also at home, which is Holland. I am a youngster, it seems, only 66.

So I again was faced with the question which leads to this thread. Obviously, by posting this on the forum, there is the hope that I can use my pentax stuff. Over time, I payed thousands of euro's (guilders) for it, and if I sell it, I might 10% of that. And I liked pentax. I photograph anything I fall visually in love with, landscape, people, nature. A phone is rather limited to work with. So I need zoom and macro and something in between..

I need time to digest all the feedback I graciously received here. It seems the DA 17-70mm lens is basically not usable which is a pity, I found it to be a fantastic lens, apart from the AF problems. I have tried a variety of battery's for my K200D, duracel, eneloop (not professional) and got an almost immediate 'low battery' signal. So this body seems not to be ideal. I see a K-70 is available, second hand, for 500 euro, or with SMC DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AL DC WR for 880. And as I understand it, I can use my other lenses on this body? I still have a Tamron 28-300 1:3,5-6,3, Sigma 70-300 1:4-5,6, and a Tamron SP Di 90 mm 1:2,8 macro. From before I upgraded to the Pentax lens.

Other lenses available, second hand, are:
- HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR €550
- SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited €350
- SMC Pentax-F 28mm F2.8 €175

Since I have no experience with these lenses, advice would be appreciated. Apart what I already have in the lens department, should I get me one of these?

Thank you for bearing with me this far, greetings from Holland.

You've already seen that the people on this forum love to try and help each other out, and spend their money. I'm a little late to the thread, but my advice on buying a new camera is buy the newest model that you can afford, why not have the best technology that you are able to get. The K70 is light years ahead of the K200D, there are three more recent Pentax cameras, the KP, the K-1ii, and the K-3iii. Those will have even more improvements, I have two KPs, three previous Pentax DSLRs before that, each time becoming significantly better. Of the available lenses you mention, I have the DA20-40 and the HD version of the 15, both very good lenses, but the 20-40 is the star and stay on one of my KPs most of the time.

But if the weight is indeed an issue, maybe you should look at mirrorless, like the Olympus and Panasonic M4/3 (smaller sensor) cameras, or maybe one of the small Sonys. Really look at them because some of the mirrorless are not all that small (meaning cameras AND lenses, as Pentax does make some very compact lenses). If you would go that route check the availability and price of the lenses that you would need for what you want to do. There are also adapters for some the mirrorless to use Pentax lenses in manual mode with manual focus, which would probably be fine with your macro lens on a tripod.

Of course an advantage to the Pentax route is Pentax Forums, which is a very helpful place with a lot of good people with excellent photographic and Pentax specific knowledge.

[reh321]

I would certainly not buy a used K-70, unless the solenoid had been replaced with the white Japanese version. A new one from a high-volume dealer is the way to go. Packaged with the DA 18-135mm lens, you get quite a savings. The extended warranty, if not too much, is perhaps a good idea. A low-use, good used KP is a different matter- it is a different design and does not have the solenoid issue. Controls and build are on an even higher level. No amateur-oriented "scene" modes, however, as this camera is designed as a compact model for pros and other advanced photographers. Yet it does have quite an extensive choice of exposure modes.

The way I carry my cameras and lenses, with my KP and the DA 18-135mm lens, the KP being about the same weight as the K-70 feels very light while wearing it on my person, even when I am on vacation and out for most of the day, mounting and dismounting a bicycle, riding or or walking up and down hills. When coming upon something I want to capture, I just draw out the camera and I am ready. When done, I just slide it back into its case. This works well for me, even at my age. I would think that anyone out hiking could, like myself, encounter drippy, misty conditions where the WR advantage could become important. In fact, I have lucked into some good images under such conditions. Just have a cloth available to wipe off the gear and return it into the case.

---------- Post added 08-12-22 at 01:57 PM ----------



Indeed, if you could find a K-S2 having the white Japanese solenoid already installed, this camera has the controls and other unique features of the K-70 and is yet more compact and even lighter in weight! It even has a unique selfie feature no others have! It is a very good camera. I bought mine a coupe of years before getting my wonderful KP, and I still value it highly. I just hope I continue to be lucky and it never develops the solenoid failure.

Apparently new production K-70’s finally have the solenoid thing under control.

[UncleVanya]

You are human after all!

All too much. Lol.