Pentax general discussion

[ukcatfan]

I just ran across this on Best Buy. It is a two lens kit with a bag for only $750. I know you all have heard me talking up this camera lately, but I really think it would be a great beginner DSLR and with this deal, it is really hard to beat.

http://www.bestbuy.com/

 

[ukcatfan]

I cannot believe my eyes!!! DPReview actually gave a Pentax a good review Seriously though, I don't know how I missed it, but their review of the K-x is out. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxkx/

I will let those interested read it on their own, but here are a couple quotes that shocked me!

At default settings chroma and luminance noise reduction are perfectly balanced. The result is high ISO output that shows some luminance noise (which most viewers can easily live with) but very little chroma noise and a surprising amount of fine detail, even in shadow areas. With this performance the K-x easily beats most other APS-C cameras when shooting JPEGs, including much more expensive models. If you need better low light performance than this, going full-frame is pretty much your only option.

Its high ISO JPEGs are possibly the best of all current DSLRs with an APS-C size sensor; they certainly beat any of its direct competitors.

The K-x is surprisingly a lot better better in low light than its bigger brother K-7, and is no doubt one of the currently best performing APS-C cameras in low light.

 

[Groucho]

I suspect that it helps when it's one of the newer reviewers, not the original guy with his anti-Pentax (and other brands) bias. Still, the K-x has been getting pretty universal praise... good stuff! I foresee one in our family's future...

 

[Golf4food]

The K-x is surprisingly a lot better better in low light than its bigger brother K-7, and is no doubt one of the currently best performing APS-C cameras in low light.

Why is that?

So now I need to buy a K-7 to upgrade from my istDL for outdoors and video and a K-x for dark rides?

 

[ukcatfan]

Why is that?

So now I need to buy a K-7 to upgrade from my istDL for outdoors and video and a K-x for dark rides?

Sounds like a plan!!!

 

[Groucho]

Our household might go with that plan.

Remember that the K-7 is in quite a different league than the K-x; I'm certainly not considering giving up the many additional features for a little extra high ISO performance. I would guess that we'll see another camera positioned inbetween them, with weathersealing, similar controls to the K-x, and hopefully with the K-x sensor.

To be fair to the K-7, it's not bad - it's on par or better than most other APS DSLRs including D300s, 50D, A700, but by default, it does less noise reduction in-camera. That means more visible noise but more visible detail. Unfortunately, that's often hard to see in reviews, especially when they insist on comparing jpgs on high-end camera!

 

[dismikki]

I just got a K-x for Christmas. Love it so far! I was using a K100 so it seems very zippy to me and it is excellent with low light. Looking forward to less frustration at basketball games.

 

[Daisy14]

I am finally ready to spend some money and get us an entry level DSLR.

We really want to get some great shots for our upcoming vacations and want to get the most out of the purchase, we are opting for the Pentax over the Canon and Nikon entry levels to save a few dollars. Is trying to save money a wise move when making a purchase like this? All the reviews for this camera have been stellar so it seems a safe bet.

How does this camera perform for taking firework photos? Lol, that may seem an odd question but for years my wife seems to miss most of the firework displays trying vainly to get decent photos, so I am hoping that this camera will finally provide her some releif! I am also anticipating clear photos of my children during there school recitals!

Thank you in advance to anyone that responds to this thread, I am sure I will have more questions soon!

 

[annnewjerz]

I am finally ready to spend some money and get us an entry level DSLR.

We really want to get some great shots for our upcoming vacations and want to get the most out of the purchase, we are opting for the Pentax over the Canon and Nikon entry levels to save a few dollars. Is trying to save money a wise move when making a purchase like this? All the reviews for this camera have been stellar so it seems a safe bet.

How does this camera perform for taking firework photos? Lol, that may seem an odd question but for years my wife seems to miss most of the firework displays trying vainly to get decent photos, so I am hoping that this camera will finally provide her some releif! I am also anticipating clear photos of my children during there school recitals!

Thank you in advance to anyone that responds to this thread, I am sure I will have more questions soon!

I'll leave it to the Pentaxians on this board to really shed some light on why the Kx would be (or wouldn't be) a good purchase for you, but here are some thoughts.

Picking one camera over another to save an incremental amount of money is a very nice idea. Unfortunately, once you buy the camera you will soon realize it's an absolute money pit. Lenses, filters, batteries, straps, tripods, software---it all adds up quickly. In the long run, $100 more or less on a camera really won't seem like anything.

As mostly anyone on this board will recommend, you should probably go out and play with a few cameras you are considering first before making a final decision. A year and a half ago, I was ready to buy a Canon and after going to the store, decided on a Nikon. It felt better when I held it, for me the menu made more sense, etc. You may be thinking Pentax and want an Olympus, or thinking Nikon and end up with a Sony.

Next up, most cameras can take really nice fireworks shot. You will need some sort of tripod or surface to stabilize your camera on, as well as a remote shutter release or a timer. As long as you have a non-moving surface to keep your camera on and keep the shutter open for a second or two, you will get greatly improved fireworks shots.

Good luck and enjoy whichever camera you do decide on. From what I have read, the Kx is a great dSLR and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

 

[Daisy14]

I went this morning and held all the cameras, the Nikon wouldn't power up so I didnt get the chance to peruse the menu options (in fact I don't know what all the options really are lol) but the Canon felt nice and the Pentax felt nicer still, not nearly as heavy as I thought it would be! I also really like that it takes double AA batteries, I am reknowned for never charging anything so the option of being able to just walk into anystore to buy a set of Lithiums when the rechargeables end up dead is nice for me.

 

[ukcatfan]

Even though it is saving a few dollars, it is not skimping on the features. I personally believ that the K-x and Canon T1i are the best entry level models available right now when it comes to features and performance. While these two can also give a little better results at the high ISO end (from what I have read), really any new generation DSLR is going to have really nice image quality. Another plus for the Pentax is the in body IS since budget is a consideration of yours. It will work on any lens where Canon and Nikon require you to buy a lens with it, which means you spend more compared to a lens without it. Based on lab testing the lens based technically works a little better, but in real world you are not likely to see a difference. Also, since you are on a budget, you are likely to stay with the kit lens longer and the Pentax kit is one of the best there is in terms of build quality and features. Optically, pretty much all kits lenses are about the same.

 

[disneyboy2003]

If you've got your heart set on a Pentax DSLR, please don't let me sway you away from that.

I answered a similar question a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd just copy-and-paste it here (with a few minor edits)...

Regarding your question about Canon vs Nikon vs Pentax, you honestly can't go wrong with any of the entry-level DSLRs, regardless of brand.

The differences come later on if/when you decide on doing more advanced stuff. There are subtle differences in the selection of very-high-priced lenses. For the very advanced photographer, there are differences in how you wirelessly control external flashes. However, like I said, for entry-level DSLRs, you can get the job done with any brand's DSLR.

Also, take a look at rtphokie's recent post about the "Most popular cameras on Disboards" (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2360340). Whether these results are biased or not, you can see that Canon & Nikon *overwhelmingly* dominate the DSLR market. Canon & Nikon are like the Coke & Pepsi of the DSLR world (don't ask me which is which).

The advantage of this is that you'll see TONS of resources, books, message boards, camera accessories, third-party stuff that are dedicated specifically to Canon & Nikon photography on the Internet, bookstores, camera stores, etc. If you ever have a question about lenses, you'll have tons of people who can give advice on Canon & Nikon lenses / accessories...not just on Disboards, but on other photography message boards, as well. If you ever read photography magazines, they are heavily biased toward Canon & Nikon photographers (magazines do mention Sony, Pentax, Olympus, etc lenses & cameras, but I typically see them mentioned in camera / lens reviews).

Canon & Nikon are well known for their HUGE selections of lenses. Right now, you may not know what lenses you need in the future, but Canon & Nikon (and other 3rd party manufacturers) already have those lenses ready for you. (sounds a little eerie, huh?)

Oh, and if you ever decide to resell any lenses, you find TONS of takers for Canon & Nikon lenses, because of the huge popularity of Canon / Nikon DSLRs.

We do have resident Pentax experts on this message board, so you'll get great advice if/when you have questions about a Pentax DSLR camera.

I can only speak about Canon and my experience with having a Canon camera. Others will have better advice about other DSLR brands & their advantages.​

One more thing. The sales rep at Best Buy told me a couple years ago that when it comes to DSLRs, you're not just buying a camera, you're buying into an entire system! I didn't quite understand what he meant back then, but now I totally do. Once I bought that Canon DSLR, all my future purchases from that point on were Canon-related: Canon lenses, Canon flashes, upgrade to a newer Canon DSLR, etc. Because I'm so invested in Canon equipment, it would be very expensive for me to switch to a different brand. So the DSLR choice you make today will be the one you're shooting with years down the road. *no pressure!*

Honestly, I hear that the Pentax K-x is a wonderful entry-level camera, so please don't let me sway you away from Pentax, if you've already got your heart set on it. You should be able to take great pictures with it.

 

[Daisy14]

Wow, great advice here! Yes I pretty much have my heart set on it. We understand that we are taking a slight "risk" when you select a system that is not as popular. But I think that I am not turning pro anytime soon, I just want the best picture I can get for my dollar without going in for more than $900. My wife thinks I'm a little nuts for spending this much... and maybe I am but we were both wuite into photography in High School and would like to try to get a hobby we can share together... other than doing puzzles!

 

[ukcatfan]

One little quirk about Pentax as a company that many people do not seem to mention is that they are selling their entire inventories out with every model. They "might" want more market share but seem content to be where they are, so there is probably not much risk of them just disappearing any time soon. As for lens and accessory selection, at the entry level to enthusiast level, just about anything you want is available from everyone these days. The third parties are making almost all new models in Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony. They also make Olympus (4/3 system) but they are different models due to the system being different. So, unless you think you are going to be upgrading to a $2,000+ camera in the next few years, you really are not at that much of a risk going with one system over another. A few years ago, this was a different story.

 

[dansamy]

In my initial research, I was considering Oly or possibly Sony, but the Sony just felt too clunky to me. So, I was leaning heavily towards Oly. After a little more research, I tossed Pentax onto the short-list too. Then I asked the good folks at Steve's Digicams for some help. In-body stabilization was an important feature to me, so I never considered Canon/Nikon. Given the types of things I wanted to shoot, Oly was immediately axed by Steve's. Sony and Pentax both had cameras that were capable for the shooting environment I had in mind. I hated the feel of the Sony, so Pentax won. I really like the K-x. Here's some of my pics from Ney Year's Eve. Although I wasn't using a tripod or exceptionally long shutter times, I got "ok" fireworks shots. Mostly right after the shell broke. They would have been better pictures if I'd been using a tripod, longer shutter times and better lens. I may have been able to improve them somewhat using the camera settings. I haven't played enough with the Kx to know how to set it up optimally. Still on the learning curve here as it's my first SLR, film or digital.

 

[Groucho]

Because I'm so invested in Canon equipment, it would be very expensive for me to switch to a different brand. So the DSLR choice you make today will be the one you're shooting with years down the road. *no pressure!*

I'm sorry, I've heard this chestnut over and over and I just don't buy it. Especially because it is usually used as an argument against buying anything but C/N.

This idea that you are "locked" or that you will end up losing out in a huge way if you decide to switch systems just doesn't make sense.

Your average "serious" DSLR buyer is likely going to buy a new camera every couple years or so. This is the same regardless of manufacturer, so you'll take a bath whichever way you go. Comparatively, you will usually spend more for the "big names", too. Regardless, switching bodies at this point is no additional cost since you're buying a new camera anyway.

So what's left? Accessories? Well, most accessories are interchangeable between brands; the only big one that I can think of that isn't is an external flash. But c'mon - you'd probably want to upgrade to a bigger flash at some point anyway. Also, flashes don't depreciate the way bodies do; you will get most of your money back. Buy the flash second-hand in the first place and you will likely lose nothing.

Lenses... well sure, the kit lens and related low-buck lenses won't retain value. (Again, you can buy used if you want to protect against that.) Quality lenses will retain their value or appreciate. I bought a lens in February that I just sold for more than four times what I paid for it. That is certainly not common - but I bet that out of my fairly extensive lens collection, I could sell virtually every single lens for more than I paid for it. And those cheap lenses that do depreciate? Guess what - you'd be replacing them with better lenses anyway, no matter what system you use.

Finally - the other problem that I have with this stance is that if no one buys anything except the "big 2", then of course other lines will suffer! The industry needs more competition, not less.

Daisy14 - don't worry, take the plunge; you're not taking a risk any more than buying any DSLR. You should be able to find the K-x for $550 in a few places. We just bought our red one for $535 w/free shipping (which we upgraded to 2-day.) (Abe's of Maine, $550 minus $15 coupon. I go with them because they don't charge NYS tax unlike Amazon; the downside is that they will make you call them so they can try to sell you a UV filter. Just say no thanks and you'll do fine.) I think that you'd have a hard time finding anything better for anywhere near that price.

 

[disneyboy2003]

I'm sorry, I've heard this chestnut over and over and I just don't buy it. Especially because it is usually used as an argument against buying anything but C/N.

This idea that you are "locked" or that you will end up losing out in a huge way if you decide to switch systems just doesn't make sense.

Your average "serious" DSLR buyer is likely going to buy a new camera every couple years or so. This is the same regardless of manufacturer, so you'll take a bath whichever way you go. Comparatively, you will usually spend more for the "big names", too. Regardless, switching bodies at this point is no additional cost since you're buying a new camera anyway.

Hmmm...I'm glad you brought this up.

I've been looking back at my own Canon purchases these past few years. I started with a Canon 30D, and I subsequently invested in a bunch of Canon lenses & accessories over the next several months.

A couple years later, I decided to buy a Canon 40D. From what you're saying, if I was considering switching to a different brand, then that would have been the time to do so.

For me, the benefits of going with the Canon 40D were that I could immediately use the same lenses I was already using on my 30D. Just pop my old lenses onto the 40D, and I'm good to go...right away.

If I had switched to a different brand (say, Pentax), I would then have to look into buying several equivalent Pentax lenses at the same time so that I could continue shooting with lenses that were similar to the Canon ones that I already own.

I'd then have to spend some time and energy trying to sell all my Canon equipment. You're right in that I could probably get the same price (or hopefully more) for my Canon lenses, probably a little less for my Canon 30D...and in the end, I'd hopefully come out even for selling everything off. It just sounds like a big hassle to do so. I know you have a lot more experience buying, selling, and re-selling stuff, but the thought of it doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe I'm just lazy. I'm sure I'll have to start feel differently about re-selling stuff, cuz I've got some unused lenses I should try to get rid of.

However, if I were in the situation where I *DID* feel very strongly about switching brands, then I'm sure all the time & effort in buying $$$$$$-worth of new equipment all at once (my credit card and my wife would both have heart attacks) and selling all my old equipment (getting $$$ back would lessen the blow) would all be worth it.

 

[ukcatfan]

I've been looking back at my own Canon purchases these past few years. I started with a Canon 30D, and I subsequently invested in a bunch of Canon lenses & accessories over the next several months.

A couple years later, I decided to buy a Canon 40D. From what you're saying, if I was considering switching to a different brand, then that would have been the time to do so.

Another thing to mention is that your move was not really the type of upgrade that people use as example when talking about this subject. You stayed in the same class of camera, just a newer model. If you had moved to say the 5D, then you might have been in the same situation of selling glass as if you had switched systems.

 

[Daisy14]

I'm sorry, I've heard this chestnut over and over and I just don't buy it. Especially because it is usually used as an argument against buying anything but C/N.

This idea that you are "locked" or that you will end up losing out in a huge way if you decide to switch systems just doesn't make sense.

Your average "serious" DSLR buyer is likely going to buy a new camera every couple years or so. This is the same regardless of manufacturer, so you'll take a bath whichever way you go. Comparatively, you will usually spend more for the "big names", too. Regardless, switching bodies at this point is no additional cost since you're buying a new camera anyway.

So what's left? Accessories? Well, most accessories are interchangeable between brands; the only big one that I can think of that isn't is an external flash. But c'mon - you'd probably want to upgrade to a bigger flash at some point anyway. Also, flashes don't depreciate the way bodies do; you will get most of your money back. Buy the flash second-hand in the first place and you will likely lose nothing.

Lenses... well sure, the kit lens and related low-buck lenses won't retain value. (Again, you can buy used if you want to protect against that.) Quality lenses will retain their value or appreciate. I bought a lens in February that I just sold for more than four times what I paid for it. That is certainly not common - but I bet that out of my fairly extensive lens collection, I could sell virtually every single lens for more than I paid for it. And those cheap lenses that do depreciate? Guess what - you'd be replacing them with better lenses anyway, no matter what system you use.

Finally - the other problem that I have with this stance is that if no one buys anything except the "big 2", then of course other lines will suffer! The industry needs more competition, not less.

Daisy14 - don't worry, take the plunge; you're not taking a risk any more than buying any DSLR. You should be able to find the K-x for $550 in a few places. We just bought our red one for $535 w/free shipping (which we upgraded to 2-day.) (Abe's of Maine, $550 minus $15 coupon. I go with them because they don't charge NYS tax unlike Amazon; the downside is that they will make you call them so they can try to sell you a UV filter. Just say no thanks and you'll do fine.) I think that you'd have a hard time finding anything better for anywhere near that price.

Well I took the plunge today, paid a little more than planned and there was a lot of leg work involved... long story...

But I bought the small kit with only the 18-55 lens which I am sure will be enough for a little while but I really wanted a bigger lens for our upcoming cruise... I don't know if it even came with a neck strap darn it!!!

 

[ukcatfan]

I am assuming you did go wiht the K-x. Congrats! I am sure you will enjoy it. What color did you go with? Mine is the red one. It will come with a neck strap, but I suggest buying a better one. I use an OP/Tech strap.

As for the lens, you might consider picking up a used lens with some more reach. My first tele lens was only $25 from KEH. Sure it is not a great lens, but it got me through until I could afford a better one. You might also consider a used 50mm large aperture for low light shooting. There are many of them available used in a variety of different versions. They will likely be manual focus for the inexpensive ones, but there are still some very nice lenses to be had for a decent price. For ease of use, a SMC-A mount lens might be better than some of the other manual focus mounts because it allows the aperture to be controlled in camera instead of just by the ring.