PentaxK-30 lens kit black w DA 18-55WR Weather-Sealed 16 MP CMOS Digital SLR with DA 18-55mm and 3-Inch LCD Screen (OLD MODEL)

The camera is great and I enjoy using it. However, I should caution prospective buyers about the lens packaged with this camera. The description states that it includes the '18-55mm AL WR' lens but the kit I got included the '18-55m AL' lens (without WR), although the box I received stated it had the '18-55mm WR' lens inside - which is fishy. I would therefore advise buyers to contact the seller (mine was Amazon, LLC itself) beforehand to ascertain the version of the lens included. The 'non-WR' lens is not terrible and at ~550 bucks for the kit, I wouldn't say it is a rip-off but if you buy the camera body and the '18-55mm WR' lens separately, it'll cost you nearly the same as what you'd pay for this kit. In addition, what they sell should match the product description, hence the 4 star rating. Five stars for the camera itself, I recommend it to anyone looking for a quality mid-range DSLR at a reasonable price.

I regret buying this camera. I would only recommend this to beginners learning a dslr but even to that I would say don't waste your money. I am a wedding photographer and the Canon 6d puts it to shame. Also, the first wedding I shot with the Pentax k30 it was 3months old and it blew a circuit board! So it can't handle weddings and don't rely on it. Then I submited it to repairs under my warranty and they had it for 3 months! You will not get anywhere with Customer service either. So they finally just replaced my brand new camera with a referbished one and this is after they tried to offer me a step down! Regardless of any of this the picture quality is horrible. It does not do well in low light. I bought the Pentax SMC DA* Series 50-135mm for $1500 and I regret that as well! Horrible quality, sometimes my kit lens does better.

For my anniversary I wanted to get my wife a DSLR camera. She has mostly used point and clicks and her phone, but, we had run into camera fatigue with an over abundance of less desirable photos, so we ended up deleting most of them or never even looking at them. It was time for an upgrade.I actually ordered the Nikon D3200 before this guy, and only noticed it with Amazon's "suggested products" and was glad I did. After intensive searching to make sure this camera wouldn't be to much for a new DSLR user I was convinced.First the Pro's.* It rates at a much higher level than it's price tag. So if your comparing price to price you may want to look up a few levels. For instance, when comparing this against the D3200 or D5200 it comes out ahead in most feature analysis and forum posts with educated camera aficionados.* It's fully sealed and can be used in the rain, outdoors, dust (I live in Arizona) and most other places. The weather sealing feels great to the touch and adds a layer of protection that makes you feel comfortable as a new user.* I like the weight and look of it. Some reviewers say its ugly, or it's to small but it fits perfect in my and my wifes hands.* It takes AMAZING photos. The color, clarity, and overall image quality surpasses anything we have used before. It's actually fun to take pictures again. We have only used auto settings until we feel comfortable enough going manual and really learning this camera.* You get amazing quality for the price. For instance 6FPS, Pentaprism Viewfinder, Twin Control Dials etc.* 6 shots a second! As fast as you can press the button you get photos. With little ones running around I was always "missing the shot", but with this, and until I get better, I can machine gun my photos and choose the best one.Cons* It's not Nikon or Cannon so the aftermarket parts are said to be limited. I haven't seen that, most of what I needed is out there on Amazon, including the Sigma 70-300 that I picked up for $140 that takes absolutely amazing photos.* Battery seems to go quick when LCD screen is on. I recommend buying another battery.* There is a lot to learn. A pro or con if your coming from a point and shoot or your phone. But the photo quality is worth it.Other more experienced folks will write more in depth reviews on actually taking pictures, but this review is for the people looking at Nikon and Cannon and upgrading to their first DSLR camera.Overall my impression is that this camera is well made, has to use better internals compared to Nikon and Cannon because of the name recognition, and is a fantastic find for anyone upgrading from Point and Shoot to a DSLR.

Changing it to 1 star.It's been two years since I've bought the camera and now I'm having serious amount of issues. And looks like it's a common issue with K30 and K50 models.Your aperture motor/level/sensor will become broke. It's a common issue and apparently they charge you $200-$300 dollars for repairs. I'm not blaming this issue on the seller, but Pentax/Ricoh.You can google about the K30/K50/Pentax cameras shooting underexposed (dark) photos.I've contacted Pentax about this issue, and if they don't help me out, I've have wasted $550 on the camera and kit lens 18-55mm, 35mm plastic fantastic and 18-135mm WR lens. That's pretty much $1,000+ dollars I've wasted.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Great bang for your bucks.Water/Weather/Dust Resistant.16MP sensor. To get anything else around this powerful and water resistant you would have to settle for a Canon 60D. And you could buy two K30s with the price!Cons: Motor/Shutter is loud. But I mean it's a solid camera.

I also have and use a Leica M9 full-frame (with full lens complement), a Canon EOS D6 full-frame with 28-135 & 75-300mm lenses, and a Nikon 7100 with 35mm & 18-140mm lenses. I bought the Pentax because it allowed me to use the ton of old Pentax-mount lenses from the seventies and eighties that I had, although not with auto-focus and the like. I use the Pentax in adverse weather conditions like rain, snow or hail, because it and its lens are weather-sealed, something I would never dare to do with my other cameras. Optically, electronically and mechanically, it performs flawlessly, It has only one 'fault': you cannot fit a battery grip on it and, as a result, the battery gets depleted 'quickly', after about 200 shots. It is fun to use and the easiest of my cameras to set up. I love it.

Had the K-30 for just over a year. Great image quality and low light photos. Some of the port covers are a little tricky to push back in place due to the weather sealing. Great build quality camera and not as heavy as some other models I thought about buying. Pentax interface easy to use, intuitive layouts. Lens is OK kit lens. Love that the camera and lens are both weather sealed. Used it in sno and rain with no issues. Good entry to intermediate level camera

Like some others have mentioned I'm having a similar issue with under exposed images. Seems like the aperture motor/level/sensor has broken and it's a $200-$300 repair. Pretty terrible considering the camera is less than three years old.