[fevbusch]

Hi, I'm an old timer on this forum but have been away for awhile due to health issues.
I'm 74 years old and have a good collection of Pentax lenses: DA50-200 Da18-55 40mm pancake, DA 16-45 , takumar 55, the old but good Fa 28-105 Powerzoom lens, 50mm 1.7 pentax, Sigma 50mm .
By the way, I'm fully satisfied with my range of lenses and will never buy anymore. So my lens buying lust is satisfied!
I have about 18 photos accepted into the Pentax Gallery, which is a feel good experience.
I'm DETERMINED TO UPGRADE MY PENTAX k100D TO SOMETHING BETTER, THAT WORKS MUCH BETTER IN LOW LIGHT. i HAVE BEEN DRAWN TO THE kX BECAUSE i CAN SEE IT IS AVAILABLE FOR
ABOUT $350. USED,WHICH IS IN MY PRICE RANGE. Hoping to con my family into buying it for me for my 75th anniversary. An upgrade on the camera body will be a high point in my final years.
Sorry for the long speech but I would love opinions on my choice of the kX body, used (I don't think they're available new anymore).
Any feedback from you guys would be greatly appreciated. I want to make this a good choice.
P.S. I shoot in both automatic and manual focus and my experience is mostly in shooting flowers close up. But I'm branching out into more landscape shooting, and hope to improve my indoor shooting with
a better camera body. Freddy

[VoiceOfReason]

I would also check on the Kr in your price range too. It's like a Kx with a few extras.

I loved how well my Kx served me, and now it serves the people who have it very well too. I got some great pictures with it before moving on to the K5.

One thing to remember, is that it is not WR, so you can get dust in it more easily and avoid the rain. I do think you will enjoy it when you get it!

[THoog]

I went from a K100D to a K-x specifically for the low-light performance, and was very satisfied with it - no more "going yellow" in low light situations. The K-x is a little smaller body, and lacks a top LCD panel or AF points in the viewfinder, but everything else was a step up for me. If you do a lot of manual focusing, then the lack of AF points doesn't matter. You should be able to find a K-x for $300 or less. If your budget was a little higher, I'd suggest looking for a K-30 - it's a big step up from the K-x (maybe not as big as the K100D->K-x, but the 16MP sensor really is sweet).

I used a K-r while my K-x was in the shop. The K-r is basically a K-x with AF points, faster LiveView focusing (the K-x is slooooow at LiveView), and more frames per second. Its Autofocus can be a little quirky in low light, but I found by setting the AF mode to Single instead of Continuous or Auto, the problem went away.

[jatrax]

k-x is a great little camera. My wife now has mine when I moved to the k-5. The k-5 is not a big camera but it still amazes me how small and light the k-x is after I've gotten used to the k-5.

If k-x is in your price range, go for it. I've taken lots of great images with mine. We bought a white k-x for our DIL for Christmas so we have 2 in the family now.

[Gerbermiester]

The three bodies I own are the K-x, the K-5, and the K100d. The difference between the k100d and the K-x is night and day. It's a massive upgrade in terms of ISO, enlargement/cropping ability, and interface/processing speed.

The K-r is another good option for overall value because, as others have already mentioned, it has the same sensor as the K-x, but includes light up focus points in the viewfinder. I've heard reports that the K-r suffers from front focusing issues under certain indoor lighting conditions where the K-x would not, but I don't own a k-r so I'm afraid I can't comment much on that issue in particular.

Also noteworthy is that the K-r has a focus assist light that will come on when you are trying to auto-focus in dim lighting conditions. This is something that the K-x lacks, and was rather frustrating for myself when I was using the K-x.

Bottom line, would I recommend a K-x to a friend? Yes.
Are there better options out there at the price you're looking for: No
For a similar price? Yes, the K-r
For a few hundred dollars more? Yes, the K-30

Here's a decent secondhand price on a K-x in new Jersey, about a 40 minute drive from Brooklyn. If you so chose to sell the lenses it comes with alongside your current k100d that you will be replacing, you might be able to come close to breaking even in the end.
Craigslist K-x for Sale, Elizabeth NJ

[seventysixersfan]

By the way, I'm fully satisfied with my range of lenses and will never buy anymore. So my lens buying lust is satisfied!

Wow, I sure can't wait until I can say the same for me!

I think you'll be very pleased with the K-x; I have one and use it as my main camera. It's excellent in low light. You should be able to easily buy one for a $350 budget. I'd recommend KEH if you want to get it online. Comes with a 6 month warranty, and KEH has a great seller reputation.

Here's a "like-new" condition black body K-X for $265.
http://www.keh.com/camera/Pentax-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DP029991123440?r=FE

Or an excellent+ condition black body K-R for $310
http://www.keh.com/camera/Pentax-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DP029991235370?r=FE

[Na Horuk]

How about a used K-01 or K-30? The K-01 can be found for under $300, the K-30 now goes for under $500. And they offer top-notch noise performance.
In regards to K-x vs. K-r: The K-r has a couple more features (probably most importantly the Af point overlay in viewfinder), but the K-x a little smaller and cuter - and I think was generally more well-received than the K-r. But their output is virtually identical

[interested_observer]

I did a quick search and you can acquire a new K30 for $360 - body only. Here is the link.

• K-30 16MP Body Kit - Black

I have never heard of the company so I clicked on their "contact us" link down at the bottom. I was surprised! Apparently they are part of Wal-Mart.

Address:
Store Electronic Online
Myron Eng
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
702 S.W. 8th Street
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-0520

For the same price, new camera, great low light sensor - same as the K5. The internals are the same as the new K50, so you are essentially getting a new current camera, for a very good price. You get both IR and wired shutter release. I really do not see any way of beating this.

PS - Happy 75th Birthday!!!

[pero]

I love my K-x even if I don't use it much since I got a K-5 as well. Image quality is great and it's a very good camera for the price. Good to handle too, I like the compact size. I think the main drawback is that the viewfinder is a bit on the small side, and the data in the viewfinder is almost impossible to read in bright sunlight. The K-5 is a huge improvement in that department. But the K-x is still really fun to use and gives great pictures, in low light too.

[jb09ss]

I did a quick search and you can acquire a new K30 for $360 - body only. Here is the link.

• K-30 16MP Body Kit - Black

I have never heard of the company so I clicked on their "contact us" link down at the bottom. I was surprised! Apparently they are part of Wal-Mart.

Address:
Store Electronic Online
Myron Eng
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
702 S.W. 8th Street
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-0520

For the same price, new camera, great low light sensor - same as the K5. The internals are the same as the new K50, so you are essentially getting a new current camera, for a very good price. You get both IR and wired shutter release. I really do not see any way of beating this.

PS - Happy 75th Birthday!!!

You can't even add the product to the cart on this website. When you click the "learn more" button, it links you to an external website that sells the k-30 for 625$. I would not trust that.

[causey]

A used k-x should cost about $200. I recently sold mine for $200, with DA 18-55AL.

[mike.hiran]

About a year ago when I was shooting with a k5 I left that camera at my mom's house just before leaving for a trip to the coast. I didn't have time to go back and get it so I took my KX that had been sitting in a container for around a year. It did awesome - my favorite Oregon coast pics are from this trip and the kx did not let me down in the least. In fact, I've printed some 20x30's and have them hanging on the wall in the room I'm in.

A word of warning - when the k100d was around, the 18-55 was designed for resolutions that the kx surpasses. When the k20d came out, the da18-55 II came out as a replacement. I see you have the 16-45 which is a far superior lens anyway, but just wanted to say that you may not want to use the 18-55 if you did before.

Take care and glad you're feeling better!

[interested_observer]

You can't even add the product to the cart on this website. When you click the "learn more" button, it links you to an external website that sells the k-30 for 625$. I would not trust that.

I did not try to add it to the website, so thanks for the warring. I am not a fan of WalMart, but I am wondering if this is just a claimed fake association? I did a who is on the url, and it looks like they are out of PA, not a corporate WalMart server as one would expect.

• storeelectronic.info Whois Lookup & IP | Whois.net

Who knows anymore.....

[fevbusch]

About a year ago when I was shooting with a k5 I left that camera at my mom's house just before leaving for a trip to the coast. I didn't have time to go back and get it so I took my KX that had been sitting in a container for around a year. It did awesome - my favorite Oregon coast pics are from this trip and the kx did not let me down in the least. In fact, I've printed some 20x30's and have them hanging on the wall in the room I'm in.

A word of warning - when the k100d was around, the 18-55 was designed for resolutions that the kx surpasses. When the k20d came out, the da18-55 II came out as a replacement. I see you have the 16-45 which is a far superior lens anyway, but just wanted to say that you may not want to use the 18-55 if you did before.

Take care and glad you're feeling better!

Thanks, Vagrant. I was interested in your comment about the 18-55 len. I don't particularly care for my 18-55 lens and luckily I have the 16-45 lens, which I really love.
Did you find spot focusing difficult with the KX either in manual or autofocus? I normally just use spot focus. Is the viewfinder adequate. I have an enlarger on my K100D cam which made
that viewfinder much easier to use. Perhaps I can use it on the KX. It is magnifying eyepiece #ME53. Freddy

[clockwork247]

Thanks, Vagrant. I was interested in your comment about the 18-55 len. I don't particularly care for my 18-55 lens and luckily I have the 16-45 lens, which I really love.
Did you find spot focusing difficult with the KX either in manual or autofocus? I normally just use spot focus. Is the viewfinder adequate. I have an enlarger on my K100D cam which made
that viewfinder much easier to use. Perhaps I can use it on the KX. It is magnifying eyepiece #ME53. Freddy

are you really stuck on the k-x? the K-30 is a lot better because camera tech have been pushed pretty hard in the last few years since the k-x released.

the K-01 is a good alternative if you're not out in bright sun light often, the k-x/k-r was supposed to be my 1st camera and I never got it, so I'm bias toward them, but even then at this point and time I don't see a reason for getting them for 200.