Originally posted by mindglow I bought the K100D as my first DSLR back in 2006. I was reading magazines and reviews on the internet and everyone was raving about the K100D, but the thing that really got me to make the decision was how good it felt. Nikon and Canon cameras in the same price range were way more cheap feeling when holding them. The K100D felt solid and professional though it was an entry-level camera.
I have since then upgraded to the K7 wich I really like. I was reading a lot on this forum before my purchase and was of course concerned with the high ISO noise and stuff that everyone is complaining about, and I agree, the KX looks much better at high ISO but I think I would rarely use that camera if i owned it. I want two input dials and I want to be able to change things like metering and focusing modes fast without having to enter menus and looking at the LCD.
I'm actually quite surprised that some of you seemingly advanced photographers choose the KX over the K7. Is high ISO performance all you care about? Or is it so important that you rate that higher than having two input dials, top LCD and dedicated buttons for most of the functions. I know that theres the price factor as well of course.
where did you base this assumption? if you are going to look at some of the poll here concerning dslr preference, people in general would choose the K-7 over the k-x. the major factor is the price. if the k-x was priced at 1,200 the same with the K-7, people would get the K-7. if the K-7 was priced around 650 the same price as the k-x, the people would definitely get the K-7. a better High-ISO performance is a great addition, but it is not everything that people are looking for. the fact is, you would be shooting 80%(minimum) of the time in daylight or with a lightsource (lighting setup, flash/strobist, indoor lighting) or use bulb or long exposure during night shots. High ISO is usable in certain situations where you need to get a shot off immediately or real fast, but it doesn't mean you need to use it everytime. I think it wouldn't even make sense to shoot above ISO 400 for the entire sunny/cloudy day. use High ISO where it really counts (lowlight and nighttime).
regarding the concern about High ISO performance of the K-7, it does just fine even at ISO 3200, with a bit of Noise cleaning during RAW post-processing and pulling exposure. the push or pull exposure (I prefer pull) is a great trick in eliminating or minimizing Noise, thus improving image to a great extent. I suggest that you read some of the threads regarding it here.