K-r Menu System - How do you like it?

jzazzera · 03-16-2011, 01:57 PM

I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks!

MrHungry · 03-16-2011, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by jzazzera

I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks!

The K-r is my first DSLR and I'm very happy with the menu system. When I tried it in the store prior to my purchase I found it suprisingly intuitive, and I learned to handle it easily. Compared to the Nikon cameras I've tried it's a bliss (D5000, 3 of them).

Only held a canon camera once or twice (500D), but my impression was that their menu system was rather similar.

Hope it helps

jzazzera · 03-16-2011, 03:19 PM

Thanks, that is actually very helpful.

SpecialK · 03-16-2011, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by jzazzera

I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks!

You could look at the manual on pentaxusa.com to see the menu structure.

einstrigger · 03-16-2011, 03:37 PM

Greetings from another Sacramento member. Have you checked at either Fry's locations around town? I haven't been in a while, but the Fry's near Roseville had a K-x the last time I was there. The menu's between the K-x and K-r are essentially identical if you wanted to see it in person. In any case, hopefully, menu interface isn't the only thing you're basing your purchase on.

jzazzera · 03-16-2011, 04:11 PM

No - not just the menu system...but actually seeing and feeling the camera would be nice. Thanks,
Last time I was at Frys I didn't see any Pentax DSLRs - but I will check.

loco · 03-16-2011, 05:27 PM

FWIW, I've never had a dSLR before and I find the menu system quite intuitive. It's not the slickest or prettiest I've seen, but I don't care about that. It works and that's what matters.

You mentioned seeing and feeling the camera. You'll likely buy it if you do that! Very well made, very ergonomic. Love the feel of it, everything seems to fall well to hand (or finger).

shiner · 03-17-2011, 02:01 AM

A friend recently bought one, and there is very little that I don't love about the K-r. The menu is well laid out IMO and I wouldn't mind having a K-r to compliment my shiny new K-5. I suggest buying it immediately, lol.

GrinMode · 03-17-2011, 07:37 AM

If you have used a Pentax model prior to the K-m, the K-r is a big improvement. I cannot compare to other brands though. I only briefly handled a Nikon D90 and a Canon 1000D.

But IMHO the K-r menu is intuitive enough. One thing I'd like though is a page where you can set your most commonly used functions.

Bottom line, I like

.

AstraNine · 03-17-2011, 08:19 AM

The menu is pretty good although if you come (as I did) from a P&S then all the options are daunting

jzazzera · 03-17-2011, 08:52 AM

Thanks again - the order is going in today for the K-r!!!

**Deimos** · 03-18-2011, 07:25 AM

The Nikon menus on my D60 were easier for a total newb. But I find the K-r menus easy and quick to navigate once you get used to them. Tons of customization available as well.

DeadJohn · 03-18-2011, 07:25 AM

I like the K-r menu system.

My only complaint is that shake reduction is fairly deep in the menu; I have to press a few buttons when turning it off for tripod use.

mp29k · 03-18-2011, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by DeadJohn

I like the K-r menu system.

My only complaint is that shake reduction is fairly deep in the menu; I have to press a few buttons when turning it off for tripod use.

Press "Info" when in shooting mode, and you will have LOTS of quick access to otherwise buried options like SR, and color mode, etc

Hypocorism · 03-18-2011, 07:12 PM

Originally posted by mp29k

Press "Info" when in shooting mode, and you will have LOTS of quick access to otherwise buried options like SR, and color mode, etc

Ditto. The Info button on K-x/K-r is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The Section-grouped and Single-page per Tab oriented Menuing layout is fairly user-friendly too IMhO, making most options per page and in-yer-face and not hidden forcing you to to dig deeper, ie. you don't have to scroll down to expose more as with reading long webpages.
(There are a few multi-choice item dropdowns, but they are rare and well indicated.)

The 4-way directional arrow keys are the real pain, for something needed so often they need to be more prominent, or better shaped... anything to make them more tactile friendly to locate and operate fast by even normal sized thumbs.

How do women do it? Even I have to chop my thumbnails.

And the e_Dial should be put on the front or the top of the camera. With your face against the viewfinder it's impossible to roll the e_Dial a back and forth a notch or two without dislocating the bridge of your nose!

DSLR and ergonomic in the same sentence is an oxymoron!
They are all bad, it's a matter of finding one that's least annoying to tolerate and live with.

And the horrible things are all right-handed too. Grrrr....

.R.

03-16-2011, 01:57 PM	#1
jzazzera New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 9	K-r Menu System - How do you like it? I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks!

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03-16-2011, 03:18 PM	#2
MrHungry New Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Lund Posts: 12	Originally posted by jzazzera I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks! The K-r is my first DSLR and I'm very happy with the menu system. When I tried it in the store prior to my purchase I found it suprisingly intuitive, and I learned to handle it easily. Compared to the Nikon cameras I've tried it's a bliss (D5000, 3 of them). Only held a canon camera once or twice (500D), but my impression was that their menu system was rather similar. Hope it helps

03-16-2011, 03:19 PM	#3
jzazzera New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 9 Original Poster	Thanks, that is actually very helpful.

03-16-2011, 03:22 PM	#4
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	Originally posted by jzazzera I am still moving toward my K-r purchase, but haven't come to a final decision. The problem is there is nowhere around here (Sacramento) to get my hands on one. So I wonder, how do you like the menu system. I have had a chance to look at those on other cameras, and find the Canon T2i the best of the bunch. I would love to hear some feedback. Thanks! You could look at the manual on pentaxusa.com to see the menu structure.

03-16-2011, 03:37 PM	#5
einstrigger Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 728	Greetings from another Sacramento member. Have you checked at either Fry's locations around town? I haven't been in a while, but the Fry's near Roseville had a K-x the last time I was there. The menu's between the K-x and K-r are essentially identical if you wanted to see it in person. In any case, hopefully, menu interface isn't the only thing you're basing your purchase on.

03-16-2011, 04:11 PM	#6
jzazzera New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 9 Original Poster	No - not just the menu system...but actually seeing and feeling the camera would be nice. Thanks, Last time I was at Frys I didn't see any Pentax DSLRs - but I will check.

03-16-2011, 05:27 PM	#7
loco Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,846	FWIW, I've never had a dSLR before and I find the menu system quite intuitive. It's not the slickest or prettiest I've seen, but I don't care about that. It works and that's what matters. You mentioned seeing and feeling the camera. You'll likely buy it if you do that! Very well made, very ergonomic. Love the feel of it, everything seems to fall well to hand (or finger).

03-17-2011, 02:01 AM	#8
shiner Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: N GA USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,127	A friend recently bought one, and there is very little that I don't love about the K-r. The menu is well laid out IMO and I wouldn't mind having a K-r to compliment my shiny new K-5. I suggest buying it immediately, lol.

03-17-2011, 07:37 AM	#9
GrinMode Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 249	If you have used a Pentax model prior to the K-m, the K-r is a big improvement. I cannot compare to other brands though. I only briefly handled a Nikon D90 and a Canon 1000D. But IMHO the K-r menu is intuitive enough. One thing I'd like though is a page where you can set your most commonly used functions. Bottom line, I like .

03-17-2011, 08:19 AM	#10
AstraNine Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 45	The menu is pretty good although if you come (as I did) from a P&S then all the options are daunting

03-17-2011, 08:52 AM	#11
jzazzera New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 9 Original Poster	Thanks again - the order is going in today for the K-r!!!

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03-18-2011, 07:25 AM	#12
Deimos Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Kingdom of Wonder Posts: 1,777	The Nikon menus on my D60 were easier for a total newb. But I find the K-r menus easy and quick to navigate once you get used to them. Tons of customization available as well.

03-18-2011, 07:25 AM	#13
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	I like the K-r menu system. My only complaint is that shake reduction is fairly deep in the menu; I have to press a few buttons when turning it off for tripod use.

03-18-2011, 08:06 AM	#14
mp29k Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bangor, ME Posts: 90	Originally posted by DeadJohn I like the K-r menu system. My only complaint is that shake reduction is fairly deep in the menu; I have to press a few buttons when turning it off for tripod use. Press "Info" when in shooting mode, and you will have LOTS of quick access to otherwise buried options like SR, and color mode, etc

03-18-2011, 07:12 PM	#15
Hypocorism Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Melbourne .au Posts: 623	Originally posted by mp29k Press "Info" when in shooting mode, and you will have LOTS of quick access to otherwise buried options like SR, and color mode, etc Ditto. The Info button on K-x/K-r is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The Section-grouped and Single-page per Tab oriented Menuing layout is fairly user-friendly too IMhO, making most options per page and in-yer-face and not hidden forcing you to to dig deeper, ie. you don't have to scroll down to expose more as with reading long webpages. (There are a few multi-choice item dropdowns, but they are rare and well indicated.) The 4-way directional arrow keys are the real pain, for something needed so often they need to be more prominent, or better shaped... anything to make them more tactile friendly to locate and operate fast by even normal sized thumbs. How do women do it? Even I have to chop my thumbnails. And the e_Dial should be put on the front or the top of the camera. With your face against the viewfinder it's impossible to roll the e_Dial a back and forth a notch or two without dislocating the bridge of your nose! DSLR and ergonomic in the same sentence is an oxymoron! They are all bad, it's a matter of finding one that's least annoying to tolerate and live with. And the horrible things are all right-handed too. Grrrr.... .R.