When is the new DSLR Pentax coming out?

[Camping Griswalds]

I think I have decided that I want a DSLR with video option. I'm so used to having it with a P & S that I'd like it when I upgrade to a DSLR. Anyway, if I remember correctly, the new Pentax will have video. ( As do the Canon T1I and the Nikon D 5000 right?) I have held the Canon and Nikon, but want to "feel" all 3 options before I make a decison. And I am really new to all of this, but will the lenses be easy to find for all 3 of these cameras?

 

[gokenin]

Both the K7 and the Kx from Pentax are out and both models offer the option to shoot videos as well as Raw and JPEG. I will be honest right now you will be able to find Canon and Nikon lenses easier than Pentax but dont let this discourage you from looking at the Pentax offerings.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

The K-7 and K-x are both on the market and include video. The K-7 is the higher end camera with the K-x being the entry level. As far as lenses, Pentax has continued to use the K mount for many years, so any K mount lens will fit. There are adaptors for the real older screw type mount. The nice thing about Pentax (and Sony) is that image stabilization is in the camera body so even older lenses will have IS. Someone else will have to speak to the other models since I'm a Pentax owner.

 

[Golf4food]

Yeah... the K-7 came out two or three months ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Digital-Reduction-18-55mm-Resistant/dp/B002OHDBZS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259098051&sr=8-2

 

[Camping Griswalds]

Wow none of my local stores have it. i just assumed what i had read about it, that it wasn't out yet if the stores didn't have it! Silly me i guess! I like that Pentax has the colors.

 

[WVDisGeek]

We only have one local photo shop here and they do not carry Pentax equipment (except for some old 35mm cameras gathering dust in a corner) as a general rule. They focus on the brands most folks buy (Nikon and Cannon) because they are trying to stay alive against online competition.

It would be nice if more local shops carried Pentax because I happen to think they have a nice line-up for folks like me (amateurs to advanced amateurs) and hopefully, they will have a full-frame camera soon to act as a halo offering to bring up their profile and make Pentax a more common sight.

Can't speak to the Nikon, but in holding a friend's Canon, it just didn't have the same substantial "feel" to it that my Pentax has. I like a heavier camera as I find it easier to steady. Also, the Pentax fit my grip better when I was looking for my first DSLR.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Pentax has colors only in the Kx model. The K7 only comes in black. I prefer the Pentax over the others because of the weathersealing and the lenses. They are introducing more and more weather resistant (WR) lenses to match their cameras. I can't think of a better camera/lens combination to have in Florida with the rain and water rides!

 

[Groucho]

Yeah, the weathersealing is really, really wonderful IMHO.

As for the K-7 - yeah, it's been out for a little while, I've had mine for a month and a half or so, and it had been out for a few months before that. The video functionality works very well IMHO, as long as you're comfortable manual focusing. It is unique also in that it is a semi-pro camera, competing directly with the D300S and 50D and 7D, but it is quite a bit smaller and lighter than those cameras as well as having weathersealing and build quality and ergonomics to match or beat any of them.

In terms of video, most DSLRs released in the past year or so have had video - this includes a few different Canons and the Nikon D90 and D300S and maybe one or two others. Note that the Nikons max out at 720P at 24 fps with 11 kHz sound, versus 30 fps (like your television) and 44 kHz sound in the Canons and Pentaxes.

As for local shops - from what I understand, Pentax made a conscious decision to focus more on primarily internet sales along with the really large photo stores like B&H, etc. It's a double-edged sword - from what I understand, they sell very well and they don't have leftover stock when they come out with a new model (unlike the other brands which tend to flog old discontinued models for many months after the new ones are released) but it means that they are a ways from the heady '60s/'70s where they producing the best-selling SLR of all time. They also don't advertise very much, relying instead on positive reviews and word of mouth. I think they've very much positioned themselves as the Subaru (another brand that I love!) of the DSLR world - unique benefits, rugged, reliable, maybe a little quirky, and content to be smaller but loved by their fans.