Originally posted by Aristophanes Too expensive. Canon T1i $400 cheaper in my market. Nikon D5000 also cheaper. Both have feature sets (sans AA power) above the K-x. It's good to see the K-7 coming down in price, but it's still a very expensive body.
While the T1i and D5000 have a couple of unique features, I wouldn't necessarily consider them above the K-x in a strictly photographic sense. The D5000 has an articulated LCD, but the smallest viewfinder out of the three cameras. The T1i has 1080p @ 20fps (and 720p at 30fps) and a 3" LCD, but the slowest FPS and significantly more chroma noise than the other two cameras.
The K-7 is already on par with the D90/D300/50D in terms of high ISO performance, and if the initial shots are any indication, the K-x looks to be at least a half a stop better than the K-7. Despite being a mid-range camera, the excellent sensor performance is almost enough to entice K10D/K20D owners into purchasing one--or at least make them wish Pentax would release a K-7 with a K-x sensor installed.
For owners of the K200D, the K-x seems to be the clearest upgrade path at the moment. The K200D was a hybrid of the discontinued K10D and K100D brought about to fill the then vacant entry-level market segment. The inclusion of weather sealing probably had as much to do with Pentax's then "rugged" marketing campaign as it did with anything else, whereas the current theme seems to be "compact."
The key to whether or not the K200D will get a replacement probably hinges on whether or not the K-m is kept around to compete with the D3000/EOS 1000D. As long as the K-m exists as the entry level, the K-x will remain mid-level in Pentax's lineup. And, with the K-7 competing with both mid and high level entries from C&N (50D/7D, D90/D300), there doesn't seem to be a pressing need to fill that segment with another body.
In any event, though, going from a K200D to a K-x gets you:
- vastly improved white balance
- faster autofocus
- nearly 2FPS on continuous shooting
- video
- 2mpix
- 1-2 stops improved ISO performance
In exchange for that you lose a selectable AF point in the viewfinder and weather sealing. The viewfinder AF issue is really more of an annoyance than it is an issue that will prohibit you from taking good photographs. As for the loss of weather sealing, while regrettable, it isn't necessarily a deal breaker. Most lenses aren't weather sealed, yet that's where the majority of one's investment lies in a system. If your shooting environment is so extreme that it necessitates a range of DA* lenses, the cost of the K-7 would merely be incremental.
Personally, if I were already used to a one control dial camera, I'd have upgraded to the K-x as soon as they were available for purchase. However, I knowingly took a step backwards in ISO performance upgrading from the K100D to the K10D for the sole purpose of the extra e-dial and on-body controls.