Pentax... how are they now?

Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I like
my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command dial' issue
(after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before it broke). I
shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the Pentax will hold
up?

I am considering either the Kx or the K2000.

I use an electronic shutter release cable *often* for low light/night and do
not know for sure that the 2000 accepts one. My only gripe with the S9000 is
the noise at high ISO and reviews look promising for the Pentax models...
Can I expect good shots from the Pentax with cable?

Does the anti-shake sensor have an on/off switch? I don't notice one on
either's spec pages. I in situations where I move quickly and erratically
and am afraid this will wear out from constant action.

Pentax looks to be packing a lot of bang for the buck... Is that real or
imagined?

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though Pentax
is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or just a
marketing line?

I've known folks who swore by Pentax in the past... but they all seem to not
want to give up film for digital and so I have no real-life experiences with
Pentax in the digital age. In general... How are entry level dslr Pentax
these days?

I was not planning on putting a new camera in the budget right now so, if I
hope to keep a peaceful marriage, I think I should limit the price range to
the entry levels.



Thanks for any help!

rdoc wrote:
Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I like
my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command dial' issue
(after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before it broke). I
shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the Pentax will hold
up?

Depending how extreme you might want to save up for a bit longer to get
the weatherproof K-7 and matching lenses.

I am considering either the Kx or the K2000.

I am thinking of getting a K-x as a second body. You need to handle it a
bit to decide if the angular battery compartment is OK for the way you
grip a camera. I am still undecided on that for myself.

I use an electronic shutter release cable *often* for low light/night and do
not know for sure that the 2000 accepts one. My only gripe with the S9000 is
the noise at high ISO and reviews look promising for the Pentax models...
Can I expect good shots from the Pentax with cable?

I encountered a minor autofocus annoyance with the istD in low light
using the electronic remote. But apart from that it was well behaved.

Does the anti-shake sensor have an on/off switch? I don't notice one on
either's spec pages. I in situations where I move quickly and erratically
and am afraid this will wear out from constant action.

I doubt it will wear out.

Pentax looks to be packing a lot of bang for the buck... Is that real or
imagined?

Seems fairly real and 720p HD video on the K-x.

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though Pentax
is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or just a
marketing line?

Pretty much. Even used one ancient Russian made Zenit lens on it with a
KX adapter. Obviously you are manual everything in that case. All my old
film Pentax lenses have worked fine with my *istD DSLR. The only ones to
watch out for are a few very old non Pentax M42 lenses that stick into
the camera a bit far and may foul the mirror.

I've known folks who swore by Pentax in the past... but they all seem to not
want to give up film for digital and so I have no real-life experiences with
Pentax in the digital age. In general... How are entry level dslr Pentax
these days?

The istD was pretty good in its day. And I have just about rolled over
the image counter on it. Minor firmware irritaion with 1GB sD cards in
the original version was fixed by a firmware update but not before I
lost a couple of irreproducible shots.

I was not planning on putting a new camera in the budget right now so, if I
hope to keep a peaceful marriage, I think I should limit the price range to
the entry levels.

K-x reviews well and looks very competant. The only thing stopping me
buying one is that I don't quite like the right hand grip.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:

rdoc wrote:
Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I
like my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command
dial' issue (after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before
it broke). I shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the
Pentax will hold up?

I went from a Fuji S9500/S9000 to Pentax K20D via Fuji S3Pro - actually,
I still use the S9500 & S3 in some situations.

Depending how extreme you might want to save up for a bit longer to get
the weatherproof K-7 and matching lenses.

Or see if you can find an end of line K20D, unless you really want
movies. K-7 & K20D will give you better control layout (2 dials) and
brighter pentaprism viewfinder (and 100% coverage with K-7).

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though
Pentax is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or
just a marketing line?

Pretty much. Even used one ancient Russian made Zenit lens on it with a
KX adapter. Obviously you are manual everything in that case. All my old
film Pentax lenses have worked fine with my *istD DSLR. The only ones to
watch out for are a few very old non Pentax M42 lenses that stick into
the camera a bit far and may foul the mirror.

Pentax have better backward compatibility than any other DSLR make. Any
AF lens will be fully functional with any current body, MF lenses with
an "A" setting on the aperture ring (PKA) will allow aperture priority
AE, lenses without the "A" setting can be used with stop down metering
at a single button press. M42 lenses need an adapter of course.

Every time I've been about ready to post back to the thread I find something
else to read or look at:


"Martin Brown" wrote in message
news
rdoc wrote:
Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I
like my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command
dial' issue (after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before
it broke). I shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the
Pentax will hold up?

Depending how extreme you might want to save up for a bit longer to get
the weatherproof K-7 and matching lenses.

Pretty extreme at times, but the low light abilities were what drew me to
the Kx... more about that later.



I am considering either the Kx or the K2000.

I am thinking of getting a K-x as a second body. You need to handle it a
bit to decide if the angular battery compartment is OK for the way you
grip a camera. I am still undecided on that for myself.

I have swung way to the Kx side... Unfortunately there is no shop around to
try one. Is it significantly different feeling from the S9000?




I use an electronic shutter release cable *often* for low light/night and
do not know for sure that the 2000 accepts one. My only gripe with the
S9000 is the noise at high ISO and reviews look promising for the Pentax
models... Can I expect good shots from the Pentax with cable?

I encountered a minor autofocus annoyance with the istD in low light using
the electronic remote. But apart from that it was well behaved.

Bad news on this one. I called Pentax today and found out that there is no
provision on the Kx for a shutter release cable. I do a fair amount of night
shooting from a tripod... SIGH I was hoping that, like the Fuji, it was a
usb thing.



Does the anti-shake sensor have an on/off switch? I don't notice one on
either's spec pages. I in situations where I move quickly and erratically
and am afraid this will wear out from constant action.

I didn't fully express my concerns on this one. I was most worried that in
low light or dark that it might confuse a situation. I became more concerned
while speaking with Pentax when I found I would have to handle the camera
for the half push while on a tripod... but the very good CS rep asssured me
that it can be turned off.


I doubt it will wear out.

Pentax looks to be packing a lot of bang for the buck... Is that real or
imagined?

Seems fairly real and 720p HD video on the K-x.

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though
Pentax is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or
just a marketing line?

Pretty much. Even used one ancient Russian made Zenit lens on it with a KX
adapter. Obviously you are manual everything in that case. All my old film
Pentax lenses have worked fine with my *istD DSLR. The only ones to watch
out for are a few very old non Pentax M42 lenses that stick into the
camera a bit far and may foul the mirror.

I've known folks who swore by Pentax in the past... but they all seem to
not want to give up film for digital and so I have no real-life
experiences with Pentax in the digital age. In general... How are entry
level dslr Pentax these days?

The istD was pretty good in its day. And I have just about rolled over the
image counter on it. Minor firmware irritaion with 1GB sD cards in the
original version was fixed by a firmware update but not before I lost a
couple of irreproducible shots.

How was the istD in the low light high ISO?



I was not planning on putting a new camera in the budget right now so, if
I hope to keep a peaceful marriage, I think I should limit the price
range to the entry levels.

K-x reviews well and looks very competant. The only thing stopping me
buying one is that I don't quite like the right hand grip.

Regards,
Martin Brown


Thanks for the reply

"Alex Monro" wrote in message
...
Martin Brown wrote:

rdoc wrote:
Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I
like my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command
dial' issue (after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before
it broke). I shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the
Pentax will hold up?

I went from a Fuji S9500/S9000 to Pentax K20D via Fuji S3Pro - actually,
I still use the S9500 & S3 in some situations.

Depending how extreme you might want to save up for a bit longer to get
the weatherproof K-7 and matching lenses.

Or see if you can find an end of line K20D, unless you really want
movies. K-7 & K20D will give you better control layout (2 dials) and
brighter pentaprism viewfinder (and 100% coverage with K-7).

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though
Pentax is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or
just a marketing line?

Pretty much. Even used one ancient Russian made Zenit lens on it with a
KX adapter. Obviously you are manual everything in that case. All my old
film Pentax lenses have worked fine with my *istD DSLR. The only ones to
watch out for are a few very old non Pentax M42 lenses that stick into
the camera a bit far and may foul the mirror.

Pentax have better backward compatibility than any other DSLR make. Any
AF lens will be fully functional with any current body, MF lenses with
an "A" setting on the aperture ring (PKA) will allow aperture priority
AE, lenses without the "A" setting can be used with stop down metering
at a single button press. M42 lenses need an adapter of course.


Thanks for the reply,

What situations do you find the S9(5)000 more suited to?

"JoeBob" wrote in message
...
Everything you want to know about Pentax can be found here.

http://pentaxforums.com/

Thanks for that... I spent a fair chunk of last evening looking it over.
When done I was ready to go order the Kx as it's low light seemed just what
the doctor ordered... then I found out, maybe just in time, that it has no
shutter release cable. When I use one I really depend on it so it might be a
deal killer except that I can't find anything in that price range with
comparable abilities.

Nothing is ever simple.






On Mar 15, 11:13 am, "rdoc" wrote:
Hello,

I am considering moving to dslr from a 'bridge' style (Fuji S9000). I like
my Fuji a lot but it has finally developed the dreaded 'command dial'
issue
(after waaaay more shots than most seem to have taken before it broke). I
shoot in some extreme conditions and am wondering how the Pentax will hold
up?

I am considering either the Kx or the K2000.

I use an electronic shutter release cable *often* for low light/night and
do
not know for sure that the 2000 accepts one. My only gripe with the S9000
is
the noise at high ISO and reviews look promising for the Pentax models...
Can I expect good shots from the Pentax with cable?

Does the anti-shake sensor have an on/off switch? I don't notice one on
either's spec pages. I in situations where I move quickly and erratically
and am afraid this will wear out from constant action.

Pentax looks to be packing a lot of bang for the buck... Is that real or
imagined?

I think I'm about to acquire some Pentax lenses... It looks as though
Pentax
is backward compatible with them... again, is that for real or just a
marketing line?

I've known folks who swore by Pentax in the past... but they all seem to
not
want to give up film for digital and so I have no real-life experiences
with
Pentax in the digital age. In general... How are entry level dslr Pentax
these days?

I was not planning on putting a new camera in the budget right now so, if
I
hope to keep a peaceful marriage, I think I should limit the price range
to
the entry levels.

Thanks for any help!

rdoc wrote:
I encountered a minor autofocus annoyance with the istD in low light using
the electronic remote. But apart from that it was well behaved.

Bad news on this one. I called Pentax today and found out that there is no
provision on the Kx for a shutter release cable. I do a fair amount of night
shooting from a tripod... SIGH I was hoping that, like the Fuji, it was a
usb thing.

Is there a timer with short shutter delay? That's mostly what I use anyways.

Paul Furman wrote:
rdoc wrote:
I encountered a minor autofocus annoyance with the istD in low light
using the electronic remote. But apart from that it was well behaved.

Bad news on this one. I called Pentax today and found out that there
is no provision on the Kx for a shutter release cable. I do a fair
amount of night shooting from a tripod... SIGH I was hoping that,
like the Fuji, it was a usb thing.

Is there a timer with short shutter delay? That's mostly what I use
anyways.

There is a 2s wait mode that I use on the istD and also an electronic
remote (I expect similar on the K-x but haven't checked). Maximum
exposure on the istD is 30s and the high ISO settings are obviously
noticeably grainy.

These days it is outclassed in sensitivity by newer kit. That is one
reason for my considering a new K-x body.

Regards,
Martin Brown

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
Paul Furman wrote:
rdoc wrote:
I encountered a minor autofocus annoyance with the istD in low light
using the electronic remote. But apart from that it was well behaved.

Bad news on this one. I called Pentax today and found out that there is
no provision on the Kx for a shutter release cable. I do a fair amount
of night shooting from a tripod... SIGH I was hoping that, like the
Fuji, it was a usb thing.

Is there a timer with short shutter delay? That's mostly what I use
anyways.

There is a 2s wait mode that I use on the istD and also an electronic
remote (I expect similar on the K-x but haven't checked). Maximum
exposure on the istD is 30s and the high ISO settings are obviously
noticeably grainy.

These days it is outclassed in sensitivity by newer kit. That is one
reason for my considering a new K-x body.



I could go backwards and do the delays and such as I did years ago but it
would be a major step backward. There is nothing like looking at your shot
and composition and pressing the button at just the instant you want,
however. Delays are good for landscapes and such but not so good for active,
changing low light scenes. I decide what is the shortest shutter I can get
away with and adjust everything else accordingly (or let the camera decide
the rest)... then pop the cable button at the instant I feel everything has
stopped for just long enough. Doesn't always work but it's a heck of a
feeling when the shot happens as envisioned. It's almost sport.

The results I've seen with the Kx sensitivity had me nearly foaming to get
at it. It was a major disappointment to find they had no remote shutter
release provision. Why go to such length to develop such low light abilities
and then not include shutter release cable ability?

IR is *not* the same.

What I need to decide at this point is this: Do I think that, based on the
tremendous examples I've seen posted, the no/low noise at insanely high ISO
potential of the Kx would allow me to take enough shots that I could never
have taken with the old camera to outweigh the number of shots that I might
not be able to take that I used to?

Hmmmm... that's a peculiar sentence... what the heck... I'm posting it
anyway. ;-)