FYI - K20 popping up

Now at wolfe camera and B&H listed as in stock and shipping.

curse that $1,300 price tag! ;)

Patience, grasshopper, in this economic climate, it's likely to come down.

Its only $380 more than the K10D issued for 15 months ago. Everyone's who has handled one says its clearly superior to K10D and not a simple upgrade.

 

I passed on getting a K10D or two at end of rebate cycle last month due to K20D clearly better specs. That said I'm waiting until next year to buy one for the wife. This year I'm buying into canon eos system instead. I saved almost $400 on instant on the spot lens rebates, no forms required. Pentax could learn from Canon's easy and instant customer friendly rebate process:

 

No boxes to cut, no mail to send registered, no 2 month wait and wonder.

 

In the meantime I have zero regrets with my imaging purchasing roadmap. I wait 9 or 10 months and I'll save another $400-$500 by putting off a K20D purchase and in the meantime I look foward to reading and seeing just how incredible the K20D is for the lucky first wave of buyers. Then again if I can tempt my wife to eos digital with the exceptional Image Stabilized eos lenses I just bought then I can free up almost a dozen pentax lenses to help fund the move.

 

B&H link K20D:

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/542060-REG/Pentax_19381_K20D_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

WOW!! In stock well ahead of schedule! Very good timing, I'd say, as stock of the previous models are just about gone. The K200D should show up very soon.

Thanks for reassuring us you made the right move committing to Canon. I feel you did to, and while I cannot speak for everyone, I feel most people who regularly visit this forum probably are equally happy on your good choice.

 

I've always believed you should shoot whatever is best for you. If you're not happy with your gear, there is no reason to keep shooting it. This is even more the case with Pentax where the resale value is often 150%-200% over initial purchase cost. If you make a mistake, "dumping" your gear is actually profitable.

 

Case in point, I sold my 35 and 50mm FA for $25 more than my cost and both these lenses are still avail brand new. In their place I got a 43mm Limited for a very reasonable price.

 

I have no doubt that if I made a mistake I can unload the 43mm for potentially even a profit.

 

Of course in a few months or perhaps a year at most, the sellers market that has developed for Pentax should slower calm down. As the new lenses hit the market I believe there will be less "over" enthusiastic buyers of used glass.

 

Any way, good luck with you Canon gear, now if you can only convince the better half to convert to the Dark Side you will have a truly perfect life.

 

May the force be with you!!!

The UK situation looks a bit better and fairer than with the K10. The best UK price is currently 750 UKP body only,...say, 1500USD so, in reality only a hundred quid dearer than across the pond!!! Perhaps someone has been listening after all......

 

750 smackers is still a considrable price for what is essentially the same camera as k10 with a better sensor thrown in. Pentax has probably finally twigged that the opposition are getting their acts together now and the market for k20 is not going to be the push over that it was for k10.

I have One foot in Pentax system one foot solidly in Eos now Justin.

 

I really like the specs of the K20D, but seeing how Pentax likes to get top dollar for any item at issue is like a popularity tax, one really pays more to be in the first wave of buyers. Have you checked the price on your 50-135 2.8 lately? Not that Pentax is alone in this top price to their very best customers scheme. Canon does it too. The 50mm 1.2 L dropped $400 since issue. It pays to be patient, you know pays like "cash". My embracing two systems gives me an edge against having to be the first on my block or in my city to get a K20D.

 

I'd love to get a K20D for $899 to use antishake technology with the array of Pentax made lenses we already own. By waiting 9 months I'll save $400 because I don't pay a penalty for being the early adopter of the next new thing: From Canon or Pentax

 

Having a dslr inhand is empowering and in a way it saves you money because you can wait for the price to drop on the next best thing. I still like our 6mp K Mount dslrs. I look foward to handling/potentially buying a K20D, but no way I'll buy one at full launch retail.

 

I know you've said you'd wait to buy a K20D till much later or skip it entirely to buy in at K30D. Me, I can see getting a K20D in 9 or 10 months for the glass and assessories we already own. Maybe in 10 months, the day after Christmas, they'll be priced two for one: $1,300 a pair. That would be even better and from what I've seen the past 3 years being a Pentaxian this degree of price drop is quite possible.

 

Lindy

I'm with Justin on this one - It's nice to hear you're so happy with Canon Lindy.

 

Maybe the folks in the CANON forum would like to know this too ;)

Justin wrote:

"Of course in a few months or perhaps a year at most, the sellers market that has developed for Pentax should slower calm down. As the new lenses hit the market I believe there will be less "over" enthusiastic buyers of used glass."

 

May the good Lawd hear ya!

Thanks for the link, Lindy. Contrary to your philosophy, I spent the money yesterday and the

K20D will be at my house on Thursday. So, while you are waitin, I'm shootin.

gary

Good For You Gary. I think you've got a real winner on the way Gary, clearly superior to K10D and my 2005 era 6mp cameras. When it sells for $500 less in 6 or 7 months you'll likely gotten $500 of value out of it.

 

While you're waiting for the ups-man I am shooting my two k mount dslrs, that are work'n for me just fine. And in the megapixel race I already have storage issues with tiny 6mp files.

 

Concerning "older glass dropping in value", I don't think so. Pentax will never offer up a system of "Made In Japan" lenses ever again. Pentax spent like 4 years moving their production lines to VietNam to cut their costs. Plus canon eos shooters can use any of these old screw mount glass just fine and they can capture full frame dslr images if they care to since full frame imaging is an option. No shake reduction, agreed, but thats what a tripod's been used for the the past 150 plus years.

 

I remember the pentax rep telling me "everyone makes lenses outside of Japan", inresponse to me finding the "vietnam" logo hidden inside the rear SDM A* mount of an at that time: $1,000 lens. Well maybe "everyone" makes lenses outside of Japan except Canon it turned out. Both my new purchase lenses, made "Dec 2007" and "Jan 2008", are proudly and boldly marked "Made In Japan".

 

I like Japan made items. Its a bias of mine.

 

Lindy

"Have you checked the price on your 50-135 2.8 lately?"

 

I have not, but whatever the difference I am sure I made back the first 2 weeks I used the lens!!

 

I also got an amazon rebate since purchases are protected for 90 days.

 

Overall, i am sure I did fine for a great lens.

 

But I've actually seen nothing that showed the K20D is vastly superior, if anything it seems to be the usual half upgrade per cycle. I'm interested to see the real world results but of course other than hockey and baseball I don't really use the K10D above 500-640 simply because my photography never requires it.

The low light AF speed was not enough for me to go with the K20d. The "it's only a few hundred dollars more" argument is weak IMO. Using that reasoning I should get a Nikon D300, which is clearly superior to the K20d. At the high price Pentax glass is selling for today I think about it more often. I have some Pentax glass that is getting good money on E-bay now.

 

I'll agree with you Justin. It's an upgrade not worth the $$ IMO. Should I have waited for the price of the K20 to come down?...Sure. But I can't wait. I needed to replace my DL.

 

I'll upgrade to the K40, when Pentax can equal the AF speeds of the Nikon D300. :)

The price is already dropping: I got a link for K20D at $1,229 from a dealer I've done perfect biz with. I won't say who as I know what happens when dealers are outed on this forum concerning Minimum Advertised Pricing: "MAP". Sorry Hoya Pentax HD... They're just a couple or three weeks ahead of your first official price drop.

 

I guess I am alone in thinking the K20D with Cmos sensor versus noisy CCD sensor isn't vastly superior to K10D. Heck my 6mp CCD's spec better than K10D 10mp on noise. Cool, the $1,300 saved can get spent elsewhere then. or $1,229, or $1,000 in a couple months...

 

I'll continue to think K20D is much better than K10D from specs I've read. Hopefully user reviews will find the same. If not then it might be far easier to bring my wife over to the Dark Side by year's end with a full frame eos dslr. Hey, I've got a pair of tickets Roger Waters' Dark Side of the Moon tour in April, coincidence? :^) Anyways, I sure am impressed with how incredibly fast the "Pro-caliber" Eos lenses autofocus, and quietly too.

 

Lindy

Nonsense, you took hold of what you wanted to hear and ran with it because you never could commit to the K10D.

 

Nevertheless, the "noisy" sensor seems to do OK in the hands of capable photographers. Well enough that the EOS photogs want the same results.

 

Oh, well, sometimes you can have your cake and eat it to.