Here's what you should expect from the K-x

[jsherman999]

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I'm ready to call it.

Based on what I know about the sensor technology involved and from the
sample images I've seen so far...

The K-x is going to be recognized as not only the best Pentax high-ISO machine
to date, it might be considered a class-leader in APS-C - at least equal to the best
offerings from Canon & Nikon.

Up until now, the Nikon D90 has held that title, with the Canon 40D in second
place, and everyone else jumbled below that. (At least in people's minds - DPR
has now recognized that the K20D's raw performance at high-ISO is a class-
leader, but the K20D does apply some NR in raw, and 'raw-only' is often a
disqualifying caveat anyway.)

So - the K-x, with in-body SR, will be able to shoot at low shutter speeds, ISO
2000+, and give you phenomenal IQ. Comparable, or better than, the following -
shot with a D90 and the new Tamron 17-50 2.8 VR (image stabilized) -->

(This is not my image, taken from a thread linked below - but it's at
between ISO 2000 --> ISO 3200)




Link To Thread

The reason I'm using the D90 + a VR lens as an example is because the
D90 does not offer Shake Reduction in-body - so, for the D90 to compete
with the new leader - the K-x () - we need to add a stabilized lens in low-light.
And the D90 is using a sensor 1/2 generation behind the K-x's sensor.

For raw shooters who enjoy applying carefully-applied swabs of NR in
PP on layers, this is so-so news. To those raw shooters who apply NR to the
entire image in PP - consider the advantage of a camera body that does it as
well as a NR application can - in body.

This may be preliminary - hell, it is preliminary - but congrats, K-x, and Pentax.


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[ilya80]

Originally Posted by jsherman999

.
I'm ready to call it.

Interesting read, but really there is no way "entry level" K-x matches D90 on overall basis.

However i`m keeping my fingers crossed for my K-x that i already ordered. ISO3200 seems to be very usable!

[jsherman999]

Originally Posted by ilya80

Interesting read, but really there is no way "entry level" K-x matches D90 on overall basis.

.

No, please read carefully - my bet is "best in high-ISO performance for
APS-C". One category.


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[Gooshin]

in light of my post made in the off-brand forum

i have seriously started considering the K-X

however when i learned that it does not have the autofocus selector in the viewfinder i was a little put off

was it really that hard to put that feature in.. so convenient.


also, after messing around enough with my K100D, i do NOT want a AA-battery powered camera,

even powered by eneloops, it provides no where near the consistancy of a typical ion cell.

[Eruditass]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

in light of my post made in the off-brand forum

i have seriously started considering the K-X

however when i learned that it does not have the autofocus selector in the viewfinder i was a little put off

was it really that hard to put that feature in.. so convenient.

It served 2 purposes:
1) save money (there is a lot of wiring that goes into it) / space
2) prevent cannibalization of K-7 sales

Personally, I miss it, but don't mind that much - I would never use 11-point auto-focus, I would select a single point and use that, and it's pretty easy to remember which point it is. In addition, if you forget while moving the AF point around and looking in the VF, there is a reset to center AF point function that the green button can be set to so you don't even have to look at the rear LCD.

also, after messing around enough with my K100D, i do NOT want a AA-battery powered camera,

even powered by eneloops, it provides no where near the consistancy of a typical ion cell.

One of the main reasons I did not get a K20D is so I can use AA batteries - every upgrade to AA's (this is a form factor, not a battery chemistry) will upgrade my camera. We've gone from Alkaline to NiCd to NiMh and NiZn - who knows what is next. And I have flashes and chargers for other devices (including flashes) so it simplifies things.

On my K2000 I regularly got 1200+ shots (though I dimmed the LCD and such). However I can appreciate the desire for smaller lighter rechargable batteries (lithium AA's only satisfy the first one).

[Gooshin]

Originally Posted by Eruditass

It served 2 purposes:
1) save money (there is a lot of wiring that goes into it) / space
2) prevent cannibalization of K-7 sales

Personally, I miss it, but don't mind that much - I would never use 11-point auto-focus, I would select a single point and use that, and it's pretty easy to remember which point it is. In addition, if you forget while moving the AF point around and looking in the VF, there is a reset to center AF point function that the green button can be set to so you don't even have to look at the rear LCD.

One of the main reasons I did not get a K20D is so I can use AA batteries - every upgrade to AA's (this is a form factor, not a battery chemistry) will upgrade my camera. We've gone from Alkaline to NiCd to NiMh and NiZn - who knows what is next. And I have flashes and chargers for other devices (including flashes) so it simplifies things.

On my K2000 I regularly got 1200+ shots (though I dimmed the LCD and such). However I can appreciate the desire for smaller lighter rechargable batteries (lithium AA's only satisfy the first one).

1200 shots off AA's?

what are these mythical beings?

[Eruditass]

Duracell pre-charged white-tops, supposedly eneloop rebrands, have not tried eneloops. They even outperformed CR-V3's in this guy's test:

CandlePowerForums - View Single Post - eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance

A major problem with AA's is the chargers - get a decent smart charger or over time even your eneloops and LSDs will not be as good.

[jsherman999]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

in light of my post made in the off-brand forum

i have seriously started considering the K-X

however when i learned that it does not have the autofocus selector in the viewfinder i was a little put off

was it really that hard to put that feature in.. so convenient.


also, after messing around enough with my K100D, i do NOT want a AA-battery powered camera,

even powered by eneloops, it provides no where near the consistancy of a typical ion cell.

.

I sold my K-M because 1) it didn't have the focal point indicator, 2) no AF-adjust, 3) high ISO was no better than the K10D.

The K-x is going to take #3 and turn it completely around - now that's a strong point.

I could live without the focal point indicator, but lack of AF adjust is a killer to me. I really, really like being able to make my lenses spot-on (if they need it.)

But I understand. Add FP indicator, AF adjust - and you're getting uncomfortably close to K-7 territory. Pentax wants them to clearly remain in separate classes.

[Gooshin]

Originally Posted by Eruditass

Duracell pre-charged white-tops, supposedly eneloop rebrands, have not tried eneloops. They even outperformed CR-V3's in this guy's test:

CandlePowerForums - View Single Post - eneloop vs. Kodak Pre-Charged Voltage Maintenance

A major problem with AA's is the chargers - get a decent smart charger or over time even your eneloops and LSDs will not be as good.

what do you use for chargers?

i currently use the Sanyo provided 4 pot charger provided with the Eneloops.

[Andi Lo]

I can vouch that I did get more than 1000 shots off my one set of eneloops in a 5 hour shooting spree, but I never seem to reach 600 when I use it spread along multiple days... I guess they do still discharge after all!

I use an out of date panasonic charger

[Eruditass]

I'm not familliar with the sanyo one, you can google or seach candlepowerforums for the model number. look for one that has intelligent cutoff (0dv, -dv, temperature cutoff) and independent charging circuits. Also, a charge time of ~2-4 hours is typically best but it depends on the design - how hot the batteries get while charging (heat = kills batteries)

This is a good one:
Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger: Patio, Lawn & Garden

But there are some cheaper ones that get the job done which you can find on candlepowerforums.com or by reading spec sheets.

[rawr]

Originally Posted by jsherman999

.
...
The K-x is going to be recognized as not only the best Pentax high-ISO machine to date [...]
Up until now, the Nikon D90 has held that title, with the Canon 40D in second place, and everyone else jumbled below that.

Just for info, according to DXOMark, this is the current low-light ISO ranking for APS-C and FF.

D90/D5000 lead, then 1000D, 40D etc. The Pentax KM/K2000 certainly trailed the pack.



If the K-x is able to get into the territory of the D90, that would indeed be a great result, esp for an entry-level camera. DXO hasn't assessed the K7 yet, but I expect it would sit near the K20D result.

Note also that the Nikon D300 here is the older model, not the newer D300s with the same sensor as the D90. I expect when DXO update their results the new king of APS-C low-light will probably be the D300s.

[Ash]

A great boost for Pentax.
Keep pushing those boundaries, giving the big guns a run for their money.
Thanks for posting this Jay.

[Igilligan]

Just wondering

[schmik]

Originally Posted by jsherman999

.
I could live without the focal point indicator, but lack of AF adjust is a killer to me. I really, really like being able to make my lenses spot-on (if they need it.)

Me too... the quality (or lack of) in the accuracy of the fast glass is pointless with no AF adjustment. What's the point of paying for 2.4 / 2.8 if you ALWAYS haqve to shoot at 5.6 to get a sharp image. Knowing that some of my glass is 'off' makes AF adjustment a must.

Does the KX have it?

mike