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#1
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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! |
#2
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Pentax... how are they now?
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 |
#3
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Pentax... how are they now?
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. |
#4
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Pentax... how are they now?
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 |
#5
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Pentax... how are they now?
"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? |
#6
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Pentax... how are they now?
"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! |
#7
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Pentax... how are they now?
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. |
#8
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Pentax... how are they now?
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 |
#9
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Pentax... how are they now?
"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. ;-) |
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