[Zooland]

It's somewhat like your car's Mileage

[Texdance]

Some people care about shutter click count; they post how many "clicks" their camera has, etc.

I'm a professional real estate photographer and have done about 12,000 photoshoots since 2009, cycling out camera bodies after about 100,000 clicks.
Last year, I decided to keep using my latest camera with a backup body and lens in my camera case.

This week, it completely failed; shutter count? 318,231 I wasn't even bothered by it since it lasted so long.
I grabbed my backup with about 135,000 clicks on it and kept going.

Both are K50s using a Sigma 10-20mm lens.
The lens I was using probably has around a million clicks on it!

Just the opposite: my *istD failed two years ago. I bought it within a few months of its introduction in the US. It got moderate use for a couple of years, mostly on a FA* 600/f4 and F* 300/4.5 in the field. Nowhere near 100k clicks.

The failure was confusing: it works fine, for one shot, or maybe two, after a *very* slow start-up. After that slow start-up and one or two shots the batteries are drained completely, according to the battery display, and nothing happens unless I switch to a new set of AAs, when the whole mess starts over again.

I've replaced the button cell battery twice, and used several brands and grades of AA batteries, to no avail.

This week I checked on Ricoh Authorized Repair, which apparently is only one source in CT for the whole of the US. The minimum charge for most any repair approaches $400 and more, so it would be cheaper to buy a new body (and get more modern AF, etc) .

I am thinking of chunking all my Pentax after all these years since my first one in 1987. I like the Nikon Z50 mirrorless kit with 16-50 and 50-250, but it is almost three years old. There is a brand new Canon kit with R10, 18-135, and 70-300, but it lacks a few things.

I'm almost 72 and for once before I waltz off this mortal coil I want a camera with blazing fast and accurate tracking AF on an APS-c sensor, and some sort of decently sharp 300mm lens for bird photography. I am researching now to see if Pentax has anything to fit my desires for $1200 or less, which probably means buying used.

[Lowell Goudge]

The only body I have ever had fail (aside from my own) is my K10D. Shutter failed very early, ~10K activations just outside the 2 year Canadian warranty.

Got it repaired as a back up, still works fine, I am using it as an M42 dedicated body with a dual diagonal split image focusing screen.

My *istD should have failed long ago, after getting swamped in a kayak in2004, but a good dry out had it working again properly in a few hours, aside from some hot pixels it still shoots fine.

My K7, K5 and K1 still going strong, but none near the 100K shots yet. I hues I should do a check to see where every body is

[gatorguy]

I'm almost 72 and for once before I waltz off this mortal coil I want a camera with blazing fast and accurate tracking AF on an APS-c sensor, and some sort of decently sharp 300mm lens for bird photography. I am researching now to see if Pentax has anything to fit my desires for $1200 or less, which probably means buying used.

The closest all-in new, and for it's total price that's probably across all brands, would be a K-70 with the 55-300 PLM.

Even though the camera has been replaced now by the higher-priced KF there are still a few brand-new K-70's around for $576 and the lens is about $350 right now at B&H. The K-70 kit with the punch above its weight DA 18-135 and included accessories is only $826, so even adding the PLM keeps you under $1200. Bonus: You can still use your other Pentax lenses without added expense.

The Pentax PLM is a LOT faster to focus than my Nikon-branded 55-300, and I've never really had issues with the K-70's focus outside of birds in flight which took much more practice but very doable. My K3III of course handles those BiF shots far better combined with longer lenses, as does my D500, but at a significantly higher cost. I don't think that Z-50 kit would perform as well for your birding as the K-70 and PLM, and the Canon that's often recommended is the EOS 90D but that's $1200 for the body only, no lens

---

Last edited by gatorguy; 11-21-2022 at 08:21 AM.

[normhead]

The DA 33-300 PLM is what you're looking for in Pentax. They come up second hand every now and then. My first one I got second hand for around $400. With a used K-3 and a kit lens you'd have excellent range. I'd definitely recommend that combination.

With the 1.4 TC, it's 420mm and still quite manageable hand held and for carrying. For birding, the speed of focussing of the PLM is a wonderful thing. And being able to use your older lenses would just be bonus.


I'm 74 and have a 6 pound 300 2.8, but as my body falls apart, I don't walk with that kit anymore. (Artificial hip and two blown rotator cuffs.) The weight of this combo will keep my happy for years to come. And remember, 420 on APS-c has the same angle of view as over 600mm 35mm. The above shot as taken hand held, while just walking around. 600mm FF is enough for bears or birds or whatever.

I also started with a D*ist (and have since gone through a K100D(traded in) a K-01 K-x, 3 k-5s, a K-3 and a K-1, all but the K-01, K100D and one of my K-5s are still with me, and all just refuse to fail... but my that original kit, D*ist, Sigma 70-300 and Kit 18-55, are long gone. My DA DA 16-85 and DA 55-300 PLM make up my current 2 lens kit. While if I'm just taking 1 lens, I take my DA 18-135.

My current workhorse, my K-3 ( is 9 years old) has over 150,000 shutter actuations and is still gong strong. Although if I was looking today, I'd looks for a K-3ii. The K-3 has an 8.7 fps frame rate, good for birding and wildlife, and 27 AF points, a definite step up from earlier models, and even the entry level new ones.

[gaweidert]

Just the opposite: my *istD failed two years ago. I bought it within a few months of its introduction in the US. It got moderate use for a couple of years, mostly on a FA* 600/f4 and F* 300/4.5 in the field. Nowhere near 100k clicks.

The failure was confusing: it works fine, for one shot, or maybe two, after a *very* slow start-up. After that slow start-up and one or two shots the batteries are drained completely, according to the battery display, and nothing happens unless I switch to a new set of AAs, when the whole mess starts over again.

I've replaced the button cell battery twice, and used several brands and grades of AA batteries, to no avail.

This week I checked on Ricoh Authorized Repair, which apparently is only one source in CT for the whole of the US. The minimum charge for most any repair approaches $400 and more, so it would be cheaper to buy a new body (and get more modern AF, etc) .

I am thinking of chunking all my Pentax after all these years since my first one in 1987. I like the Nikon Z50 mirrorless kit with 16-50 and 50-250, but it is almost three years old. There is a brand new Canon kit with R10, 18-135, and 70-300, but it lacks a few things.

I'm almost 72 and for once before I waltz off this mortal coil I want a camera with blazing fast and accurate tracking AF on an APS-c sensor, and some sort of decently sharp 300mm lens for bird photography. I am researching now to see if Pentax has anything to fit my desires for $1200 or less, which probably means buying used.

Occasionally the Ricoh us website has refurbished K3-III's for sale. They are under $1400 when they are available.