Last year, I made my low-budget entry into the Pentax world by taking advantage of Ricoh's closeout sale on the K-S2 models, getting a kit with 18-135 WR plus ordering a O-GPS1, extra batteries, and a Rokinon lens, and almost immediately heading out west to Big Bend National Park area where I got one clear night in the desert to crash-course on AstroTracer.
Someone later gave me a Vietnam-era Spotmatic II with lenses that I have adapted for my use as well. The 1971-era 50mm f1.4 lens is fun with flowers even if not a macro.
Since then I've watched Ricoh's sales as well as Adam's semi-weekly deals posts.
I've noticed something lately. Maybe it's been covered here and I've just missed it. But last year I watched whilst Ricoh kept changing around their website, and although I haven't seen any other deals I couldn't live without, I do go look at their site fairly often. As others have observed the Japan version of this site is 100% more useful in terms of product announcements, helpful hints, downloads, etc. But still, I am in the US, and go here first.
I have noticed this. The Product Outlet that was front-and-center was replaced some time back with three selections. If you hover over shop (in windows at least) you're presented with
Open Box,
Monthly Specials, and
Fan shop. As expected, open box has a mix of open box and refurbished products, and monthly specials are just that - maybe not great deals, but sometimes pretty decent selections. At this time the Open Box/Refurbished only have for SLR cameras the KP and 645Z. The monthly specials includes a KP also.
However... If you scroll to the bottom of the site, there is still a
Product Outlet link that is different. Currently two products are listed there. A refurbished K70 body only for $499.95 and a K50 18-55WR kit that is described as Brand New and comes with a 1yr open box warranty for $349.95
I suspect that most folks on this site are beyond the 16mp K50 product range (especially given the talk of aperture issues), but if I wanted a backup camera or wanted to introduce my kid to Pentax, I think the K50 with lens and 1 yr warranty for $350 might be a good option. And it does not show up under the normal "Product" tab.
A direct link to the k50 (while it lasts) is here:
K-50 18-55WR KIT (BLACK) - Ricoh
And before I go, I've wanted to move to Pentax for awhile but always conscious of money. My 12 year old Canon SLR was getting long in the tooth, and when we decided to do our quick trip into southwest texas, the timing just happened to be when the K-S2 kit was on sale. So I made the plunge. Camera with accessories and extra lens were well under $1000. I slept one night in a tipi (slept is a relative term which means I napped for a couple of hours in the wee hours of the morning then resumed photos... The result of the effort can be summed up by this image. It is almost as it came from the camera. A single non-stacked image, 60 seconds exposure, astrotracer enabled, almost midnight. Not perfect, but for my first night ever under the stars with a camera I had possession of for less than 2 weeks, I think it was quite all right.
Back to the Product outlet... For those on a budget, newest is not always required. As my experience shows, sometimes it's good to get your feet wet on a low budget and figure out what does or does not work for you before you spend thousands on the best equipment. Thanks for your support.