Entry Level SLR. Is this a good deal?

[Wilkeh]

Hiya folks,

I'm a complete novice when it comes to cameras. I've always wanted a cheap SLR but they've always been well out of my price range. A girl at work has offered me a Pentax K110D (6.1 mp) with an additional lens for taking long shots. She offered me this all for £120. How does that sound?

All I want it for is various car shots and the odd walk I may go on.

Much appreciated guys.

 

[Cliosaregay]

£120 is cheap i guess ... looks about £300 on ebay! i'd personally get a cannon though

 

[v15ben]

I'd be looking at a Canon as well.
Entry level, an 1100D would be very good indeed.
MPB Cameras do new and used ones and have plenty of lightly used 1100Ds for under 200 quid at the moment.

 

[JJ!]

Nothing wrong with Pentax, read a review of the camera here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk100d

Nothing to lose really, give it a go and if you dont like it then flog it for a profit on ebay!

 

[Wilkeh]

Cheers folks, I'll get it bought then

I believe the additional lens alone goes for roughly £80 on ebay!

 

[Brazo]

£120 for two lenses alone is good value and if you get into photography you can always upgrade to the mighty Pentax K5 or even switch systems should you feel it benefits you.

The majority on here have only heard of Nikon or Canon But other capable cameras do exist!

 

[JJ!]

Good buy that, K5 is a beast if you ever want a high level DSLR, plus you can use your existing lenses.

 

[theduck]

Sounds like a good but. Have to agree too many people in here think if it's not canon or Nikon its s**t, but I wouldn't swap my measly 5mp olympus e1 for anything, other than maybe a Leica.

 

[DUBS73P]

Sounds like a good but. Have to agree too many people in here think if it's not canon or Nikon its s**t, but I wouldn't swap my measly 5mp olympus e1 for anything, other than maybe a Leica.

It's not just the camera you're buying though is it, you're also buying into a family of lenses and accessories, I can't shoot anything other than Canon or Nikon simply because of the huge amount of lens options, You need to look into the future when you first start out, if its simply for snaps then yes Pentax makes some great lenses, but if you want to take it further, there are lenses that no one makes other than Canon or Nikon, in the SLR market anyway.

 

[theduck]

Proved my point tbh.

 

[JJ!]

I'm afraid I disagree with what's been said about Pentax. You can use lenses dating back to way back when and also, the current range of lenses is huge ranging from a good collection of primes to telephotos etc. Also, Sigma and Tamron make lenses too. Pentax gets dismissed too quickly. The k5 is a better camera than its Nikon and canon counterpart TBF.

 

[MicKPM]

Sorry, slightly off topic - Aren't modern Pentax SLR's a Nikon lens fitment anyway?

Mick

 

[DUBS73P]

I'm afraid I disagree with what's been said about Pentax. You can use lenses dating back to way back when and also, the current range of lenses is huge ranging from a good collection of primes to telephotos etc. Also, Sigma and Tamron make lenses too. Pentax gets dismissed too quickly. The k5 is a better camera than its Nikon and canon counterpart TBF.

Show me the pentax 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, 85 f1.2/f1.8, 300 f2.8, 400 2.8, 500 f4, 600 f4, 800 f5.6 and 1200mm! And then on top of that there's a lot of cheaper lenses from Canon and Nikon.
Like I said, you're buying into a system, and Pentax is very limited with lens choices

Plus saying the k5 is better than the canon or Nikon alternative is just you're opinion, it depends what you need from the body, the focussing system is worse than the 60D and 7D and miles worse than the D300s, as is the auto exposure metering, auto white balance metering and Frames per second.

 

[DUBS73P]

Sorry, slightly off topic - Aren't modern Pentax SLR's a Nikon lens fitment anyway?

Mick

Naa they're Pentax K Mount still

 

[JJ!]

Well we disagree all day long, but despite its apparant bad focussing system the K5 got a rare gold award from dp review:

http://m.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk5

But back on topic did you get the camera? Get yourself a prime next! Pentax do quite a few inc some tiny pancake ones.

Current lenses here:

http://www.pentax.co.uk/en/system-kb-zoom.html

But be sure to search eBay for some bargains!

 

[DUBS73P]

Well we disagree all day long, but despite its apparant BAD focussing system the K5 got a rare gold award from dp review

I'm not saying its bad, but it is behind the current competition

 

[Brazo]

Show me the pentax 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, 85 f1.2/f1.8, 300 f2.8, 400 2.8, 500 f4, 600 f4, 800 f5.6 and 1200mm! And then on top of that there's a lot of cheaper lenses from Canon and Nikon.
Like I said, you're buying into a system, and Pentax is very limited with lens choices

Plus saying the k5 is better than the canon or Nikon alternative is just you're opinion, it depends what you need from the body, the focussing system is worse than the 60D and 7D and miles worse than the D300s, as is the auto exposure metering, auto white balance metering and Frames per second.

Do you have an 800 5.6 and a 1200? For the most part people quote them as essentials before buying a 1000d and kit lens!

If I were a pro I wouldn't touch anything other than Nikon or Canon but I'm not!

Pentax have a range of great lenses, quality lenses too!

 

[JJ!]

I just like the K5 a lot! Still, Pentax have failed with the Q camera, but then again, so have Nikon!

 

[DUBS73P]

Do you have an 800 5.6 and a 1200? For the most part people quote them as essentials before buying a 1000d and kit lens!

If I were a pro I wouldn't touch anything other than Nikon or Canon but I'm not!

Pentax have a range of great lenses, quality lenses too!

This is what I'm saying, some people have no option when they need specific lenses, I'm not hating on Pentax, I quite like some of their bodies. All I'm saying is look at the whole system not the camera body itself, I'm not just argueing for the sake of it lol.

I

 

[Brazo]

I would agree on the 24-70, 70-200 and 85 prime, the others are extraordinary telephoto zooms, a 400 2.8 is nearly as big as a person lol! maybe for a sports togger but your average joe has a very nice selection of pentax primes for general, landscape use. Primes that would suit me down to the ground but sadly Pentax wasn't for me as their bodies lack features that I need.

 

[Marky_]

You need to look into the future when you first start out

Disagree.
Especially in this instance. He's getting some kit for cheap.
Once he decides whether photography is for him i.e. next upgrade time, that is the time to "nail your colours to the mast" as it were.

 

[Wilkeh]

Just picked the camera up. Must admit I'm very impressed! The quality of the photos is exceptional, the additional lens is pretty nifty too. I'm looking forward to contributing to the photo threads on here now.

The only gripe I have with it is that it takes batteries as opposed to charging the camera itself. The lady however has included some rechargable batteries and a charger so not too bad!

Just need to get an SD card now, £15 for 32GB on play.com. Bargain!

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Ele...urce=0&searchtype=allproducts&urlrefer=search

 

[Addicted]

I'd go for one of the extreme speed cards to be honest!