Help me decide!

[ukcatfan]

Thank you! I am pretty excited!!!

I spent my lunch today looking over the manual

So far, there is only one thing unexpected I will miss (but only just a little). It does not have the option of using a wired shutter release, so I am going to have to buy a wireless one. Before I bought I was having reservations about the AF point selection not being imposed on the VF, but then I thought about it and I use center point about 99.9% of the time, so no big deal for me. I will also miss the extra LCD a little, but I am gaining so much that I can deal.


OT: As for John Wall, I am a believer!!! One of his best traits is that he is not a ball hog and has a bunch of assists. If he had not cramped up, I don't think it would have been as close. We have another test this week with UCONN. If we can weather that, we can build up some real confidence before taking on Ricky P here in a few weeks.

 

[Pooh_Girl]

........
Before I bought I was having reservations about the AF point selection not being imposed on the VF, but then I thought about it and I use center point about 99.9% of the time, so no big deal for me.

Ok, I'm about to show my ignorance here (what's new??) but care to elaborate on this?

P.S. - Sorry, forgot I was under DW's account. RBennett

 

[locodemickey]

Is this a really new camera? I've been researching them on Consumer Reports and they do not list the K-x anywhere.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Yes it is. It was just announced September 17th.

 

[locodemickey]

I have a chance to get it for $585.60 (incl. tax) is that a decent deal? it comes with the 18-55 lenz.
I am also looking at the following (all prices include tax):
Nikon D3000 for $540.49 (includes carry case and 2GB SD card)
Olympus E-620 for $664.37
CanonXsi for $581.94

A newbie could go nuts looking at all this Any suggestions for which to start with? TIA

 

[ukcatfan]

Before I bought I was having reservations about the AF point selection not being imposed on the VF, but then I thought about it and I use center point about 99.9% of the time, so no big deal for me.

Ok, I'm about to show my ignorance here (what's new??) but care to elaborate on this?

P.S. - Sorry, forgot I was under DW's account. RBennett

The little red square lights in the viewfinder on your K100D, that confirm focus, are not there. You can only confirm focus lock with the little hexagon down on the info bar going solid. The confirmation sound is still there though. The problem is that you do not know which of the 11 sensors locked the focus. Considering that I almost never use that anyway, it is not a big deal to me. There is still the same overlay of lines to help compose the shot, so you know where the the center one is pretty easily. I just prefer to lock the focus before composing the shot anyway, so nothing changes for me. If you are someone that always uses all 11 points, then not knowing which one locked could be frustrating.

 

[ukcatfan]

I have a chance to get it for $585.60 (incl. tax) is that a decent deal? it comes with the 18-55 lenz.
I am also looking at the following (all prices include tax):
Nikon D3000 for $540.49 (includes carry case and 2GB SD card)
Olympus E-620 for $664.37
CanonXsi for $581.94

A newbie could go nuts looking at all this Any suggestions for which to start with? TIA

I ordered it for 549.88 with free shipping this morning from Adorama.

I am not just saying this out of brand loyalty, but the K-x is a really good bang for the buck! It has class leading frames per second shooting speed, high ISO performance that some are saying is better than cameras more than twice the price, in-body IS that works on all lenses, plus it comes in different colors!!!

It is impossible to make direct comparisons, but it is closest to the Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 from those brands. I am not sure about the other brands models. It most closely compares to the T1i and they sort of split the line on which has the best features (i.e. some to Pentax and some to Canon). The difference is that the Pentax is less expensive.

 

[locodemickey]

Thanks for the info. Is is worth it to get the package with the camera case, etc. from Adorama for $595?

 

[ukcatfan]

Thanks for the info. Is is worth it to get the package with the camera case, etc. from Adorama for $595?

To me, yes and no. You are getting a decent amount for the money, but I do not like that kind of case, 4GB is not enough memory, and rechargeable AAs can be bought about anywhere. I would end up spending more than that but get higher quality stuff. I have a Lowepro backpack that I really like. I buy most of my memory from Newegg and Buy.com b/c they are some of the cheapest and are reputable. I buy my AAs from whoever has them on sale locally. Publix and Walgreens seem to have sales on them often.

If you are willing to spend $649.88, they have the two lens kit which gives you coverage from 18-200mm. The basic kit is 18-55mm.

 

[Groucho]

Congrats on the upgrade bud!! I think I'm just as excited for you as you are (maybe not QUITE as excited as you are, but awfully excited!) As another Pentaxian, I'm looking at doing the same thing in a year or so. I REALLY like the K-x, especially since it has the largest sensor in the Pentax line and the slight increase in megapixels will allow for larger prints around the office/house. I'm excited to see your pictures with it! For Pentax to consider this a new "entry level" DSLR it sure gives the upper ones a run for the $$!!

It's got the same size sensor as all the other Pentax DSLRs, but it does have the highest high ISO capability (12,800.)

So far, there is only one thing unexpected I will miss (but only just a little). It does not have the option of using a wired shutter release, so I am going to have to buy a wireless one. Before I bought I was having reservations about the AF point selection not being imposed on the VF, but then I thought about it and I use center point about 99.9% of the time, so no big deal for me. I will also miss the extra LCD a little, but I am gaining so much that I can deal.

Top LCD... well, Pentax was the last holdout so it was inevitable that it would get dropped in the battle to shrink the entry-level DSLR. As for the AF point lighting up - it didn't in my original *ist DL, but since I pretty much exclusively used center point AF, it didn't bother me too much. I am doing more manual AF point selection now, but that is kind of a pain on the smaller DSLRs because they don't have a switch to go between the different AF point modes, so I never really bothered with the DL or the K100D.

Too bad about the wired remote, I didn't realize that. Especially since IIRC the K-x can go longer than than the K20D or K-7 without required dark frame subtraction (I think it's 30 minutes!) I'm just working now on completely rewiring my Tic-Tac remote to solve the frustrating ongoing problems due to the flaky Radio Shack plug that I used.

Oh well. As I said, it will definitely be a very big upgrade from the K100D! You will love it.

 

[RBennett]

It's got the same size sensor as all the other Pentax DSLRs, but it does have the highest high ISO capability (12,800.)

Really?? I went to the dpreview here and it showed the k-x as having 3.72cm squared where the next largest is 3.68. But then again, I guess it could be a typo. Who says websites can't make mistakes!

 

[ukcatfan]

Too bad about the wired remote, I didn't realize that. Especially since IIRC the K-x can go longer than than the K20D or K-7 without required dark frame subtraction (I think it's 30 minutes!) I'm just working now on completely rewiring my Tic-Tac remote to solve the frustrating ongoing problems due to the flaky Radio Shack plug that I used.

It is just about a $20 frustration, so no biggie. I do not know if this is a new feature or not, but it can be set in bulb mode to start recording with one click of the remote and stop with a second click. That way you do not have to keep it pressed the whole time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Congratulations on the new gear! Enjoy it!

 

[ukcatfan]

Congratulations on the new gear! Enjoy it!

Thank you. It is supposed to be here on Thursday (if it comes while my wife is home that day). It will be exactly what I need after the next two days at work. I have a two day PMO process training session.

 

[zackiedawg]

I am not just saying this out of brand loyalty, but the K-x is a really good bang for the buck! It has class leading frames per second shooting speed, high ISO performance that some are saying is better than cameras more than twice the price, in-body IS that works on all lenses, plus it comes in different colors!!!

It is impossible to make direct comparisons, but it is closest to the Canon T1i and Nikon D5000 from those brands. I am not sure about the other brands models. It most closely compares to the T1i and they sort of split the line on which has the best features (i.e. some to Pentax and some to Canon). The difference is that the Pentax is less expensive.

Congrats on the new cam!

Just to answer your inquiry, the direct comparison from Sony would be the A500, which shares the same Sony-made sensor as the Kx. They both have some very strong high ISO performance, and some nice performance gains. I recently upgraded to the 'cousin' of the A500, which is the A550 - it uses a new 14mp sensor which performs very similarly to the A500 sensor...it's definitely been an eye-opener with the detail, the high ISO performance, and the speed (7 fps!).

It is fantastic to see so many of the new cams coming out performing so spectacularly well - the Sony A500/550, Canon 7D, Pentax Kx, and Nikon D90 all have stepped up the game from their ancestors. The Sony A500 and Pentax Kx all the more so for doing it at such a low price. It confirms what I've always said - the brand doesn't really much matter anymore - they're all getting so good that you can't really get a 'bad' one anymore - it's all about price, features, heritage (if you've already got lenses), and handling.

Looking forward to seeing your samples.

 

[locodemickey]

I got this camera and used it today after buying the SDHC card . The problem is that my computer does not read the card. It says it's an SD slot, but maybe can't read the SDHC card. Any suggestions? I'm dying to see my pictures

 

[Groucho]

I got this camera and used it today after buying the SDHC card . The problem is that my computer does not read the card. It says it's an SD slot, but maybe can't read the SDHC card. Any suggestions? I'm dying to see my pictures

Congratulations!

As for your question - older card readers can't read SDHC cards. For the moment, you can hook the camera directly into your PC and read them that way, but you will want to pick up a card reader that supports SDHC. You can get dirt-cheap ones from Meritline, DealExtreme, Supermediastore, etc... like less than $5 shipped.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Congrats on the new camera! Be sure to post some pictures both with and of the camera

 

[ukcatfan]

Congrats on the new camera! Be sure to post some pictures both with and of the camera

It has been an extremely busy couple of weeks, so not many chances to take pictures, but here are a couple snapshots I took with it. Unfortunately this is the time of year that when I have a few free minutes, there is usually a UK basketball game on or a good football game, so photography takes the back seat

This is at ISO 6400 and straight JPG out of camera. I am satisfied with the results. So is the Queen

Sorry everyone up north, but it was nice here today and the kids were outside playing.