Marc, On the surface, this isn't a bad way to go. There are a few things I'd be careful of, though. One trick I've seen is that there is a substantial extra charge for something that is already included with the camera: "You want the eyepiece? That's $xx more." Another trick is of course the possibility of off-brand lenses, even if the ad makes them appear to be Pentax. Sometimes it will say "f/ptx" [translation: "for Pentax"] or ptxm ["pentax mount"] or some such nonsense. Another issue is that there might be some small print somewhere about the fact that you're not getting a new product, or not getting a USA warranty, or getting a refurbished item. Sometimes the shipping and handling costs are actually like 10% of the price or more. Also, sometimes they'll charge your card and then tell you that the lenses are out of stock at the moment and on backorder, which they'll be on indefinitely - and good luck getting a refund. These are just off the top of my head as a former New Yorker - I assume we're talking about CCI, Tri-State, Abe's, Beach, Focus, Smile, etc.
I'd recommend B&H, Adorama, or CameraWorld, though I've also had success when I've risked some of the others (such as Focus and 17photo), knowing EXACTLY what I was getting and keeping things simple. How about the PZ-1p ($480 at B&H) and 35mm/2.0 ($284 at B&H) and 50mm/1.4 ($185 at B&H) for a total of $949? Then in a while add the 135/2.8 ($309), then maybe something between the 50 and the 135, then something wider than the 35 or longer than the 135. If that's too expensive, I'd start with the PZ-1p and just the FA 28-105 f/4-5.6 (the older style black powerzoom model 27667, such as the one now at Focus for $254). There have been quite a few 28-105s, and they vary. The one I mention is still around new in a few places and is excellent. The succeeding one, gray instead of black, wasn't quite so good. There's another brand new one, the FA 28-105 f/3.2-4.5 AL (IF), that is getting good reviews. The 100-300 is pretty bad, the 80-320 somewhat better: I'd avoid both, though there's no inexpensive Pentax-brand alternative. By the way, the FA 28-70 f/4 is a super buy, though they're getting difficult to find now. (Focus is one place that still has them - and cheap.) You could get this or the 28-105 I mentioned above, then think about your next step - maybe a longer prime lens. I love my PZ-1p and believe it to be a fantastic value for the money. Good luck with your purchase! Rob _________________________________________________________________ Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
