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Pentax K-x?

Panther_99FS said:
However,
Why not take a walk on the "wild side" & get one of these....:d

--> http://www.sigma-sd14.com/
--> http://www.samsungimaging.com/learn...o?forward=feature&prdCtgSeq=6&langPrdSeq=4234
Click to expand...


P, You do know the GX-20 is just a Pentax K20D with a different name on the outside right? :kilroy:
Good camera, just has a heck of a pricetag and they are a lot bigger and heavier than I care for in a walkaround camera.

As for their new NX10...until there's a good selection of glass available for it, it's not worth considering. It's an all new mount and will take some market time to see if the aftermarket lens manufacturers (Sigma, Tamron, etc) will develop glass for the new mount or if users will be limited to just a few Samsung lenses.
But then again....both Canon and Nikon went through the "new-mount" transition phase too.
 
Erm....yes to both. :d

Pentax K-mount, Pentax engineered camera body.
Samsung electronics and sensor...but there are a couple other big name competitors that are using the exact same sensor too.

Samsung is an electronic technology provider...big electronics brand-name but fairly new on the photography scene. Pentax has been in the camera business for years...but (like all the big name Camera makers) is new to the whole electronics scene.
The Pentax/Samsung partnership is kinda unique. They kinda cross into each other's territory more as a marketing ploy. Someone familiar with Samsung electronics might be more inclined to buy a Samsung camera than a Pentax. Someone familiar with Pentax cameras will be more likely to stick with that brand, but still get the benefits of Samsung's electronic experience. Coming from both directions...it boils down to getting a larger customer-base for their products. Hopefully instead of those customers buying from the competition.
It's kinda like buying a Pontiac Grand Am or an Olds Alero...different badge on the outside but the same thing under the sheetmetal. Whichever one you buy, GM still wins.

Now that NX10 abortion really kinda scares me as the direction that Pentax will head as well. Either the Pentax name might disappear or they'll do the same mount system switch that the other guys have done.
Whichever way it goes, if I stick with that family I'm gonna need to be in the market for a whole new set of lenses.
 
The same happens with Nikon and Sony. Lots of Nikon's DSLR sensors (like the one in the D90, same as the A500's sensor, or the 24 MP full-frame sensor of the D3X and A850/900) are made by Sony...

In the end, all these companies will have to work together in order to survive...
 
Moparmike said:
The specs look very tempting and I'm still a hold-out that wants an AA powered camera for those times that I disappear out into nowhere near an outlet to recharge a battery pack.
Click to expand...

The K-X can use AA batteries...
"AA Batteries
Capture up to 1900 shots with universally available, easy-to-find AA lithium batteries (also compatible with AA NiMH rechargeable and alkaline batteries)."
 
Panther_99FS said:
The K-X can use AA batteries...
"AA Batteries
Capture up to 1900 shots with universally available, easy-to-find AA lithium batteries (also compatible with AA NiMH rechargeable and alkaline batteries)."
Click to expand...

Actually, I prefer the lithium batteries Panther, even though they cost twice as much. I found in my old Nikon CoolPix that Lithium batteries would last nearly four months and all of you know I do my fair share of photography. Cold weather doesn't effect them as badly as alkaline (forget those) or NiCad/NiMH. I use them in my Pentax istDL and battery life is about the same. One should always have an extra set, however, because it has been my experience that Lithium batteries give out all at once, there is no Low Battery warning.

Caz
 
Panther_99FS said:
The K-X can use AA batteries...
"AA Batteries
Capture up to 1900 shots with universally available, easy-to-find AA lithium batteries (also compatible with AA NiMH rechargeable and alkaline batteries)."
Click to expand...

Yup, that's one reason why I've been eyeballing the K-x as much as I have been. Same reason I got my DL. Sure, I'd love a K-7 (or even a K-20d) but I dislike proprietary battery packs and those two are both a bit bigger than what I want as a carry-around camera.
Now I just need to convince myself that I need to drop $500 on a new body! LOL

Cazzie said:
Actually, I prefer the lithium batteries Panther, even though they cost twice as much. I found in my old Nikon CoolPix that Lithium batteries would last nearly four months and all of you know I do my fair share of photography. Cold weather doesn't effect them as badly as alkaline (forget those) or NiCad/NiMH. I use them in my Pentax istDL and battery life is about the same. One should always have an extra set, however, because it has been my experience that Lithium batteries give out all at once, there is no Low Battery warning.
Caz
Click to expand...

Yup, When lithiums poop out they do it with little warning. So, as with all batteries...carry a spare set.
I've got a nice compliment of the 'precharged' NiMH batteries that don't drain down much at all when charged but not used for a while (unlike the regular NiMHs). They work just fine for me, but like Caz I do like lithiums for winter.

BTW, cold weather tip for NiMH...
I keep my spare batteries in a pant pocket under my coveralls while out in the cold. Keeps em warm and if the set in the camera gets weak I just swap em with the warm set and let the cold ones warm up a while.
 
Panther_99FS said:
The K-X can use AA batteries...
"AA Batteries
Capture up to 1900 shots with universally available, easy-to-find AA lithium batteries (also compatible with AA NiMH rechargeable and alkaline batteries)."
Click to expand...

Being universally available is a good thing, but the K-x has in-camera IS, Autofocus, and live view, all of which eat battery life. Supposedly you can get about 3.5-4 hours off each battery change.
 
djscoo said:
Being universally available is a good thing, but the K-x has in-camera IS, Autofocus, and live view, all of which eat battery life. Supposedly you can get about 3.5-4 hours off each battery change.
Click to expand...

Only if ya use em. :d

IS is nice and doesn't affect battery life too bad on the Pentaxes. Autofocus isn't bad if you use AF-S mode...if you run AF-C (continuous focus mode) it eats batteries rather quickly.
Live View? That's about like excessive chimping (which is a syndrome all by itself :kilroy:). Any time the LCD is powered up you're sucking the batteries down big time. Best bet, treat your camera like a film camera and forget the LCD is even there except when fiddling with the menu.

(Yes...I'm old school.)

Rant mode...
I can't speak for everyone, but I really don't understand the want for live view on a DSLR (or vid-capture for that matter). I can't stand using the LCD for a viewfinder on the little PnS camera...holding the camera out at arms length where you need to use IS instead of planting the camera up to your face where it's inherently more stable (and for many situations you can also keep the IS turned off too :)).
I love watching the average PnS user checking out DSLRs. Trying to figure out how to take a shot holding the thing out like it's a little pocket camera...
I'm sorry, maybe I'm just mean! :icon_twi:
 
*A little bit* off-topic, but LV is handy when you want to photograph over the heads of an audience for instance - at least, assuming you have a tilting screen (D5000, A300/350/330/380/500/550) and some sort of fast live view. Not the stuff you see on Canon and Nikon. As far as I know Sony's the only major brand to have this in a DSLR.

And for lower angles, like a close-up of our cat. Animals, plants, etc benefit of a lower angle. Same remark, not that handy without a tilting screen and fast LV.

If there's one thing you should try when in a camera store, is the difference in speed. There's a significant difference in the speed you see when using LV on a Canikon camera or a Sony - the latter uses a double sensor, the second one being used only for LV, hence the fast (as fast as when using the viewfinder) LV.

Agree about the video stuff. Heck, even the 7D, Canon's APS-C (read: crop camera) flagship, can't film with AF. Nikon's D300S retains it's AF, but with contrast-detection, so slow.

If there's anyone willing to continue this little discussion, we can always start a thread about it - 'Live View and filming on a DSLR - do you like it or not ?' ;).
 
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