PENTAX K-S2 - brand new - I think it was good price - but an issue. Opinions please.

[lzl]

Hi, I'm new and could benefit from some opinions.

I've dipped in and out of photography over the years and decided to try my luck again.

I didn't want to spend a lot, <£350.

Browsed Amazon and found a brand new Pentax K-S2 kit sold by Amazon with prime next day for £297. Camalcamalcamal told me Amazon were selling it 3 months earlier for £642. I thought this seemed alright, I realised it was a fairly old model, but good enough for me, so bought it.

It arrived the next day and for some reason I wanted to check the Amazon advert again for info, ...it had dropped in price, now they were £267. Annoying, but bought another one, arrived the next day and then I returned the first.

Both boxes were polish stock, but didn't think that mattered, just used a eu-uk travel plug.

Anyway, getting to grips with it over the last 2 days and I now realise, not through incompetence, but an aperture block problem causes all the photos to be very dark, which I have now learnt is because of a common dodgy solenoid. I found an easy work around on YouTube, take about 15 burst photos and it starts to work, but if the camera is left doing nothing for a short period of time the problem comes back.

My question, do I put up with/fix the solenoid issue, or return it? I'm still in 14 days. The only reason I'm considering not returning it is because I think the deal was ok, and I'm unsure what other dslr kit I can get for the same money.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[lindsay]

I'm a devout Pentaxian, however I think you may be better off returning it and getting a used Pentax K5ii or better still perhaps buying into the OlympusM43 range.

 

[Brentor]

Return it.

Was it Amazon or Amazon marketplace?

 

[lzl]

Return it.

Was it Amazon or Amazon marketplace?

Sold buy Amazon, so nice and easy free return. They arranged for UPS to come to my house to pick up the first.

 

[Sangoma]

This is the issue that stopped me using Pentax after being Pentax from 1973.
I had a K50 as a second camera, which they refused to fix when under the 2 year warranty.

However, it is an easy fix, takes about 30 minutes to either replace the solenoid or repair the present one, but do you want to take apart a new camera? (assuming you can)

The fault won't go away, it will get worse, and happen just at the worst time, so I agree, return it.

I also agree with Lindsay that M43 would be a better direction, all mine are Panasonic, I didn't like the Olympus ergonomics and menu, but many others are the opposite way round, and both makes are very similar in specs and performance.

A Panasonic G5 will do more than the Pentax, and a G7 or G80 are even better. (People will soon tell you about the shutter shock problems on the G7, but I never noticed it, and many people say the issue was horribly overplayed, and was worse on many digital SLRs)

Whatever your choice, I think mirrorless in the preferred way to go, dSLR.



Edit:
Something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/17670482...KP6K7D&hash=item29246da30a:g:~r0AAOSw-JxnReFT would be what I would choose.
The camera has very few shots on the mechanical shutter, the seller is excellent (have used him quite a few times and recommended him many times more), the camera has many of the best features like IBIS with dual IS capability, it's a medium size and weight, has the same menu structure as the latest models and takes the M43 lenses that can be used on any M43 camera (a few features don't transfer between Panasonic and Olympus)

You will find one cheaper if you look around and wait, probably won't have any warranty though. When this seller says light marks or scratches, I have never managed to see any yet

 

[lzl]

Thanks all for the advice. I'll send it back.