I have been looking for a camera that will give me the biggest bang for my buck! I hope to spend more time using my camera as a hobby. Until now have used my point and shoot Canon S3IS digital for children, relatives, show choir and sporting events. The Canon S3IS is a great camera; I need to step up a bit.
I am an avid reader of reviews and lots of times use this information to help in my buying decision. Since I suppose I am like most others who shop, compare, read, read some more and still cannot pick I hope this might help in your quest for the right camera. Of the cameras I tried, all were lovely and I would be happy with any of them.
Both manufacturers offered what I wanted in a camera; the ability to capture video, able to shoot in low light and had speedy and accurate auto-focus capabilities. I tried both brands back and forth for several weeks and preferred the Canon T1i. I proceeded to sell my older Nikon equipment to help pay for the Canon T1i and move that direction
I started looking at used Nikon camera bodies as I had an elderly Nikon 2020 35mm film camera with the 35-70mm ; 70-210mm AF lens. I stopped by my local camera shop and found my elderly lenses would work on the Nikon D50, D70, D80 and D90 bodies. I didn't find anything used locally or on eBay ( expensive) that I wanted so I looked at the new Nikon D90. Since Canon is the other gigantic player in this field I decided to think about their cameras as well.
While saving for my new purchase and reading about digital SLR cameras I became aware of a quantity of other SLR brands. I found several online reviewers that had lovely comments about these less popular cameras. Sony, Olympus, etc had lovely features but for one reason or another I took them out of contention. Sony, I thought the lenses were expensive. The Olympus didn't click with me.(pun intended) Pentax had lovely remarks and had similar capabilities as the Canon T1i. Best of all, the Pentax is considerably cheaper than the Canon.
What helped me to lean towards the Pentax Kx was that I could watch some video shots taken with the Nikon, Canon and Pentax on Google. I preferred the Pentax video, it didn't seem jerky in motion. Still pics side by side were also similar in clarity. I also read several reviews comparing the Canon and Pentax side by side with similar remarks about the performance of both cameras. The biggest positive comment about the Pentax was the exceptional low light pics it could take. The biggest complaint with the Pentax Kx was a battery issue mentioned by a quantity of reviewers. I called Pentax and spoke with a technical rep about the battery issue and any other issues Pentax might be having. I was told the battery issue has been taken care of with a firmware update. I must say I was impressed with the tech rep. They was helpful, took time to discuss his products and said that if I ever had a problem with my Pentax to give them a call as they were here to help me out.
I can use any Pentax lens, new or elderly on this camera. The lenses I will likely use most is the 55-300mm or the 18-55mm. Both these are included in the kit I purchased. Since vibration reduction is built in to the body of the camera in lieu of the lens, any lens I use will automatically be a vibration reduction lens.
My thoughts about the camera.
Positives:
-It's a compact body but not little. My wife likes the size and it is not heavy hanging around the neck.
-The menu is straight forward (I haven't had to pull the book out yet and can still get around easy !)
-Takes lovely pics in several of the modes I tried. pleased.
-The auto focus is relatively speedy and hits dead on at what I am pointing at.
-Some lovely filter features are included in the menu options, great to play with but doubt I'll use them much.
-The low light pics I have taken so far are impressive. When I downloaded pics they were tidy, without any or tiny noise even set at the high ISO setting!
-Used the batteries that are included and absolutely no problems.
-Lenses seem a bit light but balance well on the camera and focus smoothly.
I purchased the Pentax Kx with the 18-55mm and 55-300mm lens package for $653.00 on Amazon. It stated the Pentax camera kit would ship in 1-4 months but I ordered it on Friday and it arrived the following Wednesday, less than a week's time, not bad!
Overall Impressions:
Would I say it feels as solid as the Canon? No, but I love the Canon! However, I am still impressed with the Pentax Kx. The Pentax is not as thick or wide and I think the size might be most of the difference. You know you are shooting a SLR and my wife likes it! For the price, I figure I saved close to $400 over the Canon with similar lenses. If you need a Nikon or a Canon I am sure you will be perfectly happy. If you pick to purchase the Pentax you won't be disappointed in this camera either. It is not the gigantic name of Nikon or Canon but I bet you'll start to see more of Pentax with what all they offer and at the price point it is offered for! My budget was limited to $1600.00 but of work I was hoping to spend less. That is a lot of money to spend on a camera and I could have bought up to a higher level camera which I thought about but I am comfortable this camera will give me what I am looking for and saved me a bit in the method. I added a few pics on flickr that were taken with this camera to give you an idea of the photo quality. Recall, I am not a pro, I enjoy taking pics. Go to flickr and search for scubaguy4409
Negatives:
-The shutter action could be quieter. This is my biggest complaint. It is not like everyone will turn around everytime you take a picture but I'd not listen to it!
-The dust reduction feature rattles inside when you turn the camera to its side but I read that was normal as was mentioned by a reviewer. Otherwise I would have thought something was loose inside.
-I liked the view finder of the Canon. I think the information inside is a bit larger.
-The Pentax does not have auto focus points that light up when looking through the view finder but to me that doesn't make any difference. As I said when I pointed at what I intended to point at, it focused right on it, so this to me is a mute point.
- It seems a bit slow when first reviewing my picture after each shot but I think that is due to the cheap memory card I am using. I'll get another one tonight and expect it to correct the slow method. If it doesn't, I'll update this review and mention it! Otherwise, assume it was taken care of with a faster card.
Tips to think about:
I suggest when buying online you check the retailer thoroughly. I searched several sellers on both Google and Bing and found prices from $400.00 to $900+for a Pentax Kx camera kit. The one low priced sellers I checked on had nasty reviews about shipping and more importantly when I called to ask about their camera packages they were short with me on the phone. I do not like to spend anymore than the next guy but i figured if I had a problem with my purchase I would be out of luck with this guy!
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