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06-03-2013, 10:00 PM   #1
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Looking for a K-30 bundle. Is this too good to be true?

First time poster here, but long time photographer. I am thinking of getting a DSLR and a Pentax K-30 seems to fit my needs. The picture quality is top notch and being able to use K-mount lenses here (even in manual mode) is absolutely superb. In a past life I used a Pentax ME-Super and a Ricoh XR-M with great joy and this nostalgia only adds to my bias and desire.

The best bundle deal I found has the 18-55 and 50-200 zoom lenses. It sold on Amazon by Electronics Basket. Here is a link.

K-30 Bundle w/Two Lenses

I have read some posts before I registered here that the camera could be grey market, refurbished, or maybe even new. The packaging is sometimes plain and sometimes "Pentax original". Personally, all I really care about is the functionality of the camera and the warranty. They could ship it in a towel stapled shut for all I care. I would get an extended warranty as a bit of insurance.

I have learned the hard way that if something is too good to be true then it probably is. There's usually a catch (i.e. no returns, used goods, no warranty, etc). That's why I never buy the absolute cheapest. I usually go with one or two steps up if I can. However, there are moments when a good deal is a good deal. I am wondering if this is one of them.

My long term plan is to partially rebuild my collection of SMC-A lenses I had in the 80s and eventually trade up the two full auto lenses for something better. I understand that the full auto kit lenses are "OK" but not "great".

Can someone here offer their opinion?

Thanks!

-=- Boris

P.S. BTW, I live in a very small town. There is no local Pentax dealer here that I can visit.

06-03-2013, 11:13 PM   #2
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The deal looks legitimate to me, and you should get warranty if the camera is being sold as new (which it looks like it is). The K-30 body only is currently available for $549 or less.

Do be advised, however, that the lenses that are bundled in the kit you linked are the plastic DA L versions. They are optically identical to their DA-series counterparts, but they have plastic bayonets and no full-time manual focusing override (aka quick-shift). They also don't come with lens hoods or boxes and their resale value is considerably lower ($100-125 for both lenses would be about right).

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06-03-2013, 11:34 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by 6BQ5 Quote
First time poster here, but long time photographer. I am thinking of getting a DSLR and a Pentax K-30 seems to fit my needs. The picture quality is top notch and being able to use K-mount lenses here (even in manual mode) is absolutely superb. In a past life I used a Pentax ME-Super and a Ricoh XR-M with great joy and this nostalgia only adds to my bias and desire.

The best bundle deal I found has the 18-55 and 50-200 zoom lenses. It sold on Amazon by Electronics Basket. Here is a link.

K-30 Bundle w/Two Lenses

I have read some posts before I registered here that the camera could be grey market, refurbished, or maybe even new. The packaging is sometimes plain and sometimes "Pentax original". Personally, all I really care about is the functionality of the camera and the warranty. They could ship it in a towel stapled shut for all I care. I would get an extended warranty as a bit of insurance.

I have learned the hard way that if something is too good to be true then it probably is. There's usually a catch (i.e. no returns, used goods, no warranty, etc). That's why I never buy the absolute cheapest. I usually go with one or two steps up if I can. However, there are moments when a good deal is a good deal. I am wondering if this is one of them.

My long term plan is to partially rebuild my collection of SMC-A lenses I had in the 80s and eventually trade up the two full auto lenses for something better. I understand that the full auto kit lenses are "OK" but not "great".

Can someone here offer their opinion?

Thanks!

-=- Boris

P.S. BTW, I live in a very small town. There is no local Pentax dealer here that I can visit.
Well, even with an additional of US$100 for it, the Pentax K30 is simply too good a camera to pass up.

It's a good deal, even with the 2 kit lenses.

Talking about rebuilding A lenses, keep it low.. Don't let them A fans hear of it... @Kerrowdown and @dragon.

06-03-2013, 11:35 PM   #4
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And the DA L aren't WR. The camera is WR, but only if the lens is also. But using A lenses is a great idea, they offer a lot of bang for buck

06-03-2013, 11:41 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by SyncGuy Quote
Don't let them A fans hear of it... @Kerrowdown
I'm hearing and seeing what's going on here.
06-04-2013, 01:17 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by kerrowdown Quote
I'm hearing and seeing what's going on here.
Oh darn... TS, you've unleashed the kraken... Just....DON'T...even PEEP...at...his....signature.....
06-04-2013, 07:33 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by 6BQ5 Quote
First time poster here, but long time photographer.
Welcome to the forum, as others may have already pointed out, I'm kind of partial to the odd A series lens myself.

I wish you well in you ventures in seeking them out, apparently it's all in the thrill of the chase.

06-04-2013, 09:59 AM   #8
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For the life of me, I am still trying to figure out why there are such negative comments about the plastic mount on DA L lenses. It seems to me that any trauma that is going to damage this mount in any way is also going to put other parts of the lens out of commission regardless if it is a DA L or its nearly identical DA twin.

As for the hood, you can find identical 3rd party bayonet mount hoods, and even separately buying the hood will cost less than a DA lens.

Optically, there is no difference between DA L and DA lenses.

So far as I am concerned, that brings us to the only two items that really matter .... Quick Shift (QS) and Weather Resistance (WR). If you need them, and more importantly, use them, they are certainly worth the extra money. But if you never use anything other than full auto-focus or full manual focus, you don't need QS. And if you will never take your camera out into inclement weather, likewise you are paying for something needlessly. Any other reason for choosing a DA (WR) over a DA L amounts to snob appeal in my opinion.
06-04-2013, 12:27 PM   #9
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Thanks to everyone for their feedback!

I did not know that the kit lenses had plastic mounting. It would seem odd for Pentax to specify plastic unless they knew it would survive X-amount of cycles. Hopefully X is a big number here! Obviously, anything mechanical will wear out (or, wear in) but after thinking about it I am not too concerned. Good to know though!

As far as weather resistance goes, I am split on the topic. I never had weather resistant equipment and the Ricoh and Pentax survived just fine through it. Cold, hot, wet (not submerged), dry, etc. The Ricoh finally croaked when I dropped it and I think the impact broke a circuit component. Mechanically it was fine. Electrically it was as useful a rock. Am I just not thinking of something here?

When I went digital I could only afford compact point-and-shoot models. I cycled through everything from Nikon to Sony to Canon to Fuji. They worked well enough I suppose and the thrill of "being digital" probably overshadowed a lot of the optical defects I tolerated from poor colors to flat out optical aberration. The experience forced me to be a lot more careful with my composition and playing the camera like a musical instrument, knowing its strengths and weaknesses. Right now I have a Fuji F550EXR and it works fine for what it is. I can't imagine that the kit lenses in the bundle are any worse than what's in my Fuji. Kit lenses are there for owners to take their first picture. I imagine I will have to learn these lenses too.

Nobody has told me to run away from this bundle yet so that is encouraging. I sent Electronics Basket an e-mail through Amazon about this bundle but I haven't heard back from them yet.

-=- Boris
06-04-2013, 04:47 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by 6BQ5 Quote
Thanks to everyone for their feedback!

I did not know that the kit lenses had plastic mounting. It would seem odd for Pentax to specify plastic unless they knew it would survive X-amount of cycles. Hopefully X is a big number here! Obviously, anything mechanical will wear out (or, wear in) but after thinking about it I am not too concerned. Good to know though!

As far as weather resistance goes, I am split on the topic. I never had weather resistant equipment and the Ricoh and Pentax survived just fine through it. Cold, hot, wet (not submerged), dry, etc. The Ricoh finally croaked when I dropped it and I think the impact broke a circuit component. Mechanically it was fine. Electrically it was as useful a rock. Am I just not thinking of something here?

When I went digital I could only afford compact point-and-shoot models. I cycled through everything from Nikon to Sony to Canon to Fuji. They worked well enough I suppose and the thrill of "being digital" probably overshadowed a lot of the optical defects I tolerated from poor colors to flat out optical aberration. The experience forced me to be a lot more careful with my composition and playing the camera like a musical instrument, knowing its strengths and weaknesses. Right now I have a Fuji F550EXR and it works fine for what it is. I can't imagine that the kit lenses in the bundle are any worse than what's in my Fuji. Kit lenses are there for owners to take their first picture. I imagine I will have to learn these lenses too.

Nobody has told me to run away from this bundle yet so that is encouraging. I sent Electronics Basket an e-mail through Amazon about this bundle but I haven't heard back from them yet.

-=- Boris
Here anything back from them? Ready to pull the trigger on a K30 by end of tomorrow.
06-06-2013, 10:50 AM   #11
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Just purchased this setup yesterday and received today from Amazon. I wanted in blue and grabbed it for 635.00. Came factory fresh and had DA L lenses and not the DA as specified in the description. Electronics Basket claims it is covered by the factory warranty and other than registering the camera on the Pentax website I don't know how to prove it.

Amazon.com: Pentax K-30 Weather-Sealed 16MP CMOS Digital SLR Dual Lens Kit, 18-55mm and 50-200mm (Blue): Camera & Photo
06-06-2013, 10:57 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by rsohne Quote
Just purchased this setup yesterday and received today from Amazon. I wanted in blue and grabbed it for 635.00. Came factory fresh and had DA L lenses and not the DA as specified in the description. Electronics Basket claims it is covered by the factory warranty and other than registering the camera on the Pentax website I don't know how to prove it.

Amazon.com: Pentax K-30 Weather-Sealed 16MP CMOS Digital SLR Dual Lens Kit, 18-55mm and 50-200mm (Blue): Camera & Photo
The original receipt should be sufficient at the time you'd be making a claim. BTW, the 2-year warranty is definitely worth getting (only $19.95):

Pentax 2 Years Extended Warranty for K5 / K30 / K01 / K series DSLR 80227

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06-06-2013, 11:13 AM   #13
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Already did that. This site has been a great resource. Thanks
06-06-2013, 10:15 PM   #14
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I got a reply to my inquiry from Electronics Basket. In my message I asked if these cameras were factory fresh, seconds, returns, refurbs, etc and I was told that they are factory fresh. They will come with whatever Pentax puts in the box. The warranty is honored. Like others here have said: keep the receipt!

The order was placed so now I have to patiently wait for delivery.

-=- Boris
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