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Pentax *ist DSLR

Started Mar 30, 2013 | Discussions thread
Gerry Winterbourne Forum Pro • Posts: 19,063
Re: Pentax *ist DSLR

episodic wrote:

I have a chance to pick up a used Pentax *ist DSLR 6.1 megapixel camera. There are about 21,000 shutter clicks the person tells me (a friend, so I tend to trust them). He isn't selling a lens with it, so I would need a lens - for about a hundred bucks. Do these cameras tend to last a while and would this be a good starter DSLR?

As the others have said, $100 without a lens is too much.  Your friend is probably - like most people selling off old gear - honestly expecting a higher price than the item is worth.  If he throws in the kit lens that came with it I'd expect a price of about $80-90; if not, try elsewhere.

On the other hand, if you want to try DSLR photography so you can learn about the techinques involved, I'd say it's a good start for exactly the reasons the others think it poor: because it is so limited by today's standards you need to work a lot harder to get good results so you learn faster.

If, however, you want the improved image quality that DSLRs give without wanting to get deeply into technique it's a bad choice because it is so limited.  Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of people here still using the *ist series and getting good results - but they've had plenty of practice.

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Gerry
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First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne

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