[dadipentak]

Not dumb at all - very good idea. Always have backup!!

Strongly agree!

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Of course you keep it until you need to sell it to pay the bills. Two bodies are good to have. You might find it usefull to use both at the same time, with different lenses on, not only as a back up. Or with the K10D set on low ISO since it does well there (maybe even better than the K20D) and the K20D on high ISO since it is far better there. And you will never realy get out the real value of a back up body if you sell it since prices are as they are. And this is after all one of the great Pentax cameras, and together with Super-A in 1983 and MZ-5 in 1996 the only three Pentax DSLRs who won the price for the best camera of the year in Europe, USA and Japan (a rare thing for any brand)!!! I wish I had one...

[jeffkrol]

I was able to get a K20 for $600 which i think is an absolute bargain, but now find that I can't get myself to sell the K10. The K20 is just fine for my needs, fast AF, SR is better, other nice features, have to be careful not to under expose, but its fine and will help me to print larger - which i do a lot.

For one reason, if the K20 ever needs maintenance, it would really be a pain not to have a backup camera. For one thing, i volunteered recently to take pics for a local playhouse production, and i've been able to continue selling some framed pics at a local outlet. I like taking pictures. With some of the stories of cameras having to be sent in 1, 2, or even 3 times to get fixed, that essentially puts one out of the business.

So having a backup camera seems to make a lot of sense to me. On the other hand, the K10 and K20 are similar technology, they are going to age together, they are both the same size, etc. For the last 2 years, i've never maintenance on my K10, its the ever ready camera :-)

So my question is - am i stupid thing here to hang onto 2 cameras and likely won't use the K10 that much when i can still sell it for a reasonable price? what have others found? I do have a brother with a K10 who would loan me his camera in a pinch - i guess.

thanks for any advice, Phil

Eventually resale price will tank even lower then current price. You either keep it now, or sell it now... there is really no later (except to get a $100 bucks or so.)
If you sell it now, you can take a chance later and pick up a used k20 (matching cameras) later..

[WMBP]

So having a backup camera seems to make a lot of sense to me... So my question is - am i stupid thing here to hang onto 2 cameras and likely won't use the K10 that much when i can still sell it for a reasonable price? what have others found? I do have a brother with a K10 who would loan me his camera in a pinch - i guess.

Your question makes perfect sense.

I shoot weddings and other events, and portraits. Not my only job, but it takes up a good bit of my time, I make money at it and I'm growing my little business. I started with a K100D, but sold that when I bought the K10D. I decided almost immediately that was a bad idea, because I realized I needed a digital SLR backup. When a month or two I bought an *ist DS - paying for it nearly as much as I'd gotten when I sold my K100D. When I bought the K20D I decided to keep both the K10D and the *ist DS.

The K10D isn't a "backup" for me so much as a second camera: When I work I usually have both cameras around my neck with different lenses. Even if I weren't using the K10D I'd keep it and the *ist DS, too, since accepting a wedding gig without having a fail-safe system would be really irresonsible.

Now that's just MY answer. If you really aren't using the K10D, and if you don't absolutely (like, for legal reasons) need it, if you really could borrow a camera from your brother or whoever if you ever had to send in the K20D for work, then it might make sense to set your K10D free (so to speak) by selling it to someone else who will give it the love it deserves. I just can't tell from your post whether you feel that way.

When I first joined this forum a few years ago, I was surprised at how many people here seem to keep ALL of their old cameras. I hadn't done that in the past with my film cameras, although come to think of it I didn't sell 'em either. They mostly got lost or stolen. Anyway, when I get around to buying my next camera some day, if it's a Pentax, I suspect I'll keep everything I've got. The old cameras are worth more to me than they will be to someone else.

A final thought. Having a second camera isn't just about backup. There are times when you might prefer to use the K10D. If you don't need the high-res files of the K20D, use the K10D instead. Since I depend on my K20D for work so much, I tend to take the K10D with me on vacation. If I'm going to drop a camera over the side of the Grand Canyon, I'd rather it be the K10D than the K20D. Just a thought.

If you can afford to keep it, keep it.

Will

[philbaum]

Mate you only live once go on live a bit on the wild side
No one dies for owing 2 bodies


cheers

Dang, you guys give good advice, on both sides of the issue :-)

I've got to scram on a trip now so will keep this short. I'm going to keep the 2nd body for now. I'm very serious about this photography stuff, and it was a bit of a thrill when i got a call when i was in the shower one morning, from my favorite shop keeper, and she said: Someone came in and bought several of your framed pics, I need some more stock.

the advice about following your passion is a good one. Not willing to stand down for camera repiars. got to go. thanks very much.

Phil

[OregonJim]

The missus thinks I'm nuts already, does that mean I can keep two camera bodies too?

The missus must think I'm bonkers then - 20 at last count (including film bodies)

[heatherslightbox]

I've had the same debate with myself about whether or not I should keep both of my bodies. What helped me decide was something that happened at the photography workshop I attended last month. While I didn't actually witness this myself, one of the other photographers happened to be standing on some rocks in the middle of a river when he slipped and went for an impromptu swim with his Canon 5D MkII and L 70-200/2.8 lens. Fortunately, he had brought his older 5D as a backup, so the weekend wasn't entirely ruined for him. Luckily, he had used a credit card when he originally bought the waterlogged body, so he could either get it repaired or replaced (he wasn't so lucky with the lens, though).

Yes, I will most definitely hang onto my second body.

Heather

[AlexM]

Heck, I still have my K10D AND *istDS as well as my K20D!

Can't bring myself to part with them....

Alex

[Jimbo]

Keep both. I like Gary keep certain lenses on my K10. Right now my daughter is using it. I am trying to get here interesting in photography at a yound age. Something I should have done. I don't think I would ever part with the K10. cheers JIM

[mithrandir]

Another advantage to keeping the K10D is the sensor is a CCD vs the CMOS in the K20D. They treat things differently. As an analogy, it is like shooting Kodak or Fuji with a film camera only now you need two cameras to do it. By the way, both cameras take great pictures.

[andy1500]

I have both and keep wide lens on one and long on other.

[flyer]

one of the other photographers happened to be standing on some rocks in the middle of a river when he slipped and went for an impromptu swim with his Canon 5D MkII and L 70-200/2.8 lens.
Heather

Not too bright. He should have known not to venture near water with a Canon 5D MkII. Everybody knows those cameras are allergic to water. He should have used a Pentax K20D. Much safer near water.

[OregonJim]

Heck, I still have my K10D AND *istDS as well as my K20D!

Can't bring myself to part with them....

Alex

Heck, I still have my 1976 K1000...

You won't get a useful answer from a packrat like me.

[cupic]

It always depends about the type of "bodies" you're talking about.

Boom Boom

i was waiting for that


cheers

[houstonmacgregor]

It is a proven law of physics, 153 minutes after you sell the K10D something will happen to the K20D and you will need the backup.