time to retire the K20D whats new

[mark_demoss]

<p>its been a while since I have been on here. I am in the market for a new(er) pentax. My K20 has finally gave out. Its been one helluva camera and have been looking at some of the new stuff out by pentax. I do not shoot like I use to so not sure what to really go with. family vacations, kids, and the ocassional shoot when someone wants some family pics or something. whats some suggestions. I would like a kit to get a variable lens. I have a 41 limited and a 50mm. thanks guys</p>

 

[MattB.Net]

<p>K-3 II is the newest. I have the original K-3 and it's a great camera. If you like to use the onboard flash, keep in mind the K-3 II doesn't have one. Both 24 MP<br>

For less money and a smaller package, a K-5 IIs would be a good choice. It's 16MP<br>

For even smaller, the K-S2 looks good as well. It's 20 MP, small, and has a pop out tilting screen. <br>

If your budget is tight, the K-50 can be had for very little money these days and people seem to love it.<br>

The potential kit lenses I like are the 18-135 or the new 16-80. Both are sealed and pretty well-regarded but not fast. The 18-135 is the optically weaker of the two but I have one and when I want a small-ish light sealed zoom it's the ticket. With the high iso ability of the new bodies, you may not need as fast a lens as you used to unless it was the bokeh you were after.<br>

Alternatively the new 18-55 is sealed (I think) and folds down to be very compact. This is more likely to come in a kit, the others may need to be bought separately. </p>

[wayne_campbell]

<p>Matt,</p>

<p>The new folding lens is 18-50mm, not 55mm. Why they had to chop off 5mm escapes me.</p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>Oops, I stand corrected. Probably did that to make it smaller. </p>

[stemked]

<p>I second the K3 (I don't have the K3 II). I have been very impressed with the camera. It help up well across Australia and now Costa Rica. I love the ISO on this camera and the smaller size than the K20D (I had the K10D). I also picked up the newest version of the 18-55 when I was in Costa Rica. Both my unsealed 55-300 and my 400 Sigma had moisture problems; not so this lens or my WA 100 DA macro.</p>

 

[bethe_fisher]

<p>I have the K-7 and really like it, but I've been wondering how the newer ones compare to it for noise at 1600. The reviews don't seem to mention noise, so have there been improvements? <br>

I like the idea of many of the features in the K-3 II, but losing an on-camera flash to have GPS is a negative for me. </p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>For low noise and very high quality, it's hard to beat the K-5 series, though they are getting scarce. The K-3 appears to be a fine choice, but I do not have one myself. Both are professional-style cameras as was the K20D. I agree about not having the handy immediacy of the built-in flash with the K-3 II.</p>

<p>If an even smaller, more casual camera is desired, the new KS2 has some interesting new features, including the articulating LCD screen. It is amazing for its size and price point. All these newer models will easily outperform the K-20D in terms of lower noise at higher ISO. </p>

<p>For a very versatile zoom lens for all-around use, I would suggest the DA 18-135mm WR. I have found it to be very useful for a variety of situations- good range, well built, and having a weather-resistant design to complement the WR bodies. If needing a longer tele range, the DA 55-300mm WR is great choice. <br>

</p>

[osamu]

<p>based on what you say what kind of photography you do and the fact that you burned k20d, i think k5 or k5ii might be your choice. the major difference between k20d and k5's is the low light photography. you can take sharp photographs using iso 1600. that is like inside shooting. even night photography. i upgraded my k7 for that reason (some years ago). for variable lens, i like my 16-45mm. but, i hardly ever use zoom any more.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>The K-7 has a similar 14mp sensor to Mark's old K20D. Pretty much any of the newer bodies (with the 16, 20 or 24mp Sony sensors) have noticeably improved high-ISO performance and dynamic range.<br /> Brief summary of what you've missed:</p>

<ul>

<li>K-7 added a new, slightly more compact body than the K10D/K20D with 100% viewfinder, 77-segment metering, slick quiet shutter, and a few ergonomic tweaks, fully-functional but rather slow live view</li>

<li>K-5 added the improved 16mp Sony sensor, improved live view with faster contrast-detect AF</li>

<li>K-5II has somewhat improved low-light AF</li>

<li>K-5IIs removed the anti-aliasing filter (increased resolution potential and increased probability of moire artifacts)</li>

<li>K30 and K50 were essentially similar to the K-5 with slightly simplified ergonomics (still with dual e-dials), a downgraded shutter, no battery grip capability, and 12-bit rather than 14-bit RAW files.</li>

<li>K-3 24mp sensor, dual SD slots, anti-aliasing filter simulator, 27 AF points, slightly larger body</li>

<li>K-S2 is sort of a downgraded K-3 (again, ergonomics/shutter/grip/12-bit RAW) but has a newer 20mp sensor, built-in Wi-Fi and an articulating rear LCD screen.</li>

<li>K-3II adds GPS, pixel shift resolution, improved 4.5 stops shake reduction, but removes built-in flash</li>

</ul>

<p>Other lower-spec bodies over the last few years:</p>

<ul>

<li>K-01 had capabilities similar to K30 but was live-view only (no viewfinder or phase-detect AF), and only single e-dial, no weatherproofing</li>

<li>K500 is roughly a K50 without weather sealing</li>

<li>K-S1 was released after (?) K-3, but with no weatherproofing, single-e-dial, 20mp sensor, 11 pt AF. It could also be considered like a K500 but with single e-dial but newer 20mp sensor in a smaller body. It and the K-01 are probably the smallest APS-C-sensored bodies that Pentax has released.</li>

</ul>

<p>If I were you I'd probably aim for anything K-5 or newer. If you want to buy new, the K50 is probably the cheapest new body still available (~$300 for body) and would be a good upgrade in most respects (except for battery grip support and a couple fewer dedicated controls like metering mode). If you want the nicer-constructed K-5 series body and its somewhat more advanced ergonomics & features, used examples of these probably won't cost much more than that.<br /> The K-S2 sounds like a pretty good fit for your described usage, and they have a new, more compact collapsible 18-50 kit zoom lens for it.</p>

<p> </p>

[revolver]

<p>after a year of toying with the idea and a few posts here, I am going to call B&H tomorrow and order the K50<br /><br />my K100D still has plenty of life in it but I need to step up a bit.<br /><br />the 18-135mm seems intriguing but Ill probably just stick with the lenses I have</p>