[Eruditass]

I think your list has a few other slight inaccuracies mentioned by others, but I want to focus on these, becauise there is more to it thn meets the eye, I think. As far as I know, *both* K200D and K-x are "crippled" in precisely the same way - camera cannot read aperture ring and therefore must use stop down metering. The K-x does have both optical and digital preview, and the optical preview does work to stop down and display a meter reading with manual lenses, and it also provides a one-button way to momentarily stop down and set shutter speed. So they are functionally equal here as far as I can tell. But I've read the K-x always flips the mirror up when stopping the lens down for metering - true? If so, that would be kind of a drag (although nowhere near as much so as the K-m not having a live meter reading via optical DOF preivew at all), as I use these operations pretty often and wouldn't want all that mirror slapping every time I meter.

Overall though, I'd say the K200D and K-x each have advantages and disadvantages. Saying one clearly trumps the other would overly simplistic no matter which one you were to claim was superior.

Note we are talking here about the K200D, not the K2000. I would agree the K-x does beat the K2000 in virtually every possible way. But between the K200D and K-x, it's more complicated.

Yep, actually, when releasing DoF preview or after stopping down, it does seem to flip the mirror or something, not sure why!

I have added it to the firmware wishlist - I hope it is not linked mechanically to the stop down function as the mirror flip seems linked to the shutter as with the K20D.

I also verified the trap-AF bug from the firmware thread just now

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Last edited by Eruditass; 11-12-2009 at 06:11 PM.

[Eruditass]

Is the K-x mount plastic?

Okay I updated the difference(k200D side) to reflect the changes.

• Dust-proof Water-resistant
• AF Indicators
• Flash modes
• Dust-alert function
• Additional Grip
• Top LCD.
• Full SDM lens support
• Metal Mount

I too agree that the Kx is beneficial in many ways to the K200D.

Though I am somewhat disappointed that Pentax did not deliver an equivalent K200D upgrade with the Kx sensor. I would of loved to use the Kx, but since our K200D is a dedicated manual shooter, the Kx just didn't like it would work with the lack of AF and grip option.

Though I still hope they put something out there though.
I am really looking forward to the higher ISO performance of the Kx in a better body.

Flash modes are the same, dust alert is the same, SDM support is the same, metal mount is the same.

The lenses that come with the K-x, on the other hand, are what is plastic. Not quite the same thing, since we're talking about bodies.

AF focus points are not a big deal at all. Shooting sports is pretty much just as easy, as with slower subjects while changing the focus point:

K-x AF point selection without moving eye from VF: easy: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Grip and top LCD are more noticeable, but I personally didn't use either on the K10D.

WR is the only real difference to me, while the K20D has a number of features over both, particularly two e-dials and lens-specific AF adjust

[LeDave]

Yes overall the K200D may have it's bonuses, but in the end it doesn't change the fact that the K-x is the newer and technically better camera, it's sensor is a huge improvement that I will take over what the features the K200D has to offer over the K-x, and to me even the better low-light AF of the K-x is only a bonus and not a deal-breaker like the sensor is. People who owned the K10D, K100D, istD, istDs, and even K200D and K-m are switching over to the K-x. This shows that the K-x has something that's just there. I had a choice from upgrading from my K2000 to either a K-x or K-7 and I was sooo close to choosing the K-x over the K-7, just so close that it's ridiculous because the K-7 is well... the K-7 and I guess that is why I chose it in the end. But nevertheless, the K-x is a monster of a camera for a monster of a deal... You get so much in that little package, it's like the K-m just got bit by a vampire and transformed into a bloodthirsty K-x that just wants to kill it's competitors.

[Marc Sabatella]

Is the K-x mount plastic?

The term "crippled K-mount" usually doesn't refer to whether it is madeof plastic or metal, but rather to whether the camera can read the aperture ring or not.

My understanding, though, is that the K-x is not plastic anywhere the K200D isn't, but the "DA L" lens that is often sold with the K-x does indeed have a plastic mount.

[*]Full SDM lens support

Maybe I missed something - is the K-x limited in some way here?

[LeDave]

The K-x's mount is metal and not plastic, the lenses that come with the K-x however are with plastic mount as they are "DA L" which are the same one that came with the K-m, I used to own the K-m/K2000 and it's mount is metal.

[audiobomber]

Aside from high ISO, I don't think anyone's mentioned the items that interest me most about the K-x. These are areas where it betters the K200 and the K20;

- improved auto-focus
- improved dynamic range
- higher frames per second & faster image developing

The first two are huge to me, the third not so much.

[mrpackerguy]

The great discussion above (thanks everyone) is leading me in the direction of getting a K-x, keeping the K200D, then seeing if there are feature of the K200d I asbolutely have to go back to from the K-x, that I'd end up keeping both. Of course the resale of the K200D will probably not in 6 months, be what it is to day.

[Marc Sabatella]

Yep, actually, when releasing DoF preview or after stopping down, it does seem to flip the mirror or something, not sure why!

Since the K-m doesn't allow DOF preview at all, I'm guessing there is something about the hardware on both of these cameras that doesn't allow aperture stop-down to be disassociated from mirror flip. For the K-m, they didn't provide DOF preview at all, but for the K-x, they realized they could do it by simply allowing the mirror to be flipped too. If I'm right, chances are they could add that same ability to the K-m via firmware, but they probably could not do any better on either camera.

[tomtor]

The great discussion above (thanks everyone) is leading me in the direction of getting a K-x, keeping the K200D, then seeing if there are feature of the K200d I asbolutely have to go back to from the K-x, that I'd end up keeping both. Of course the resale of the K200D will probably not in 6 months, be what it is to day.

I have the K10 and the K-X. The K10 shares its sensor with your K200. I'm keeping the K10 because of it's weathersealing and excellent ISO 100 and to have two bodies for those situations I don't want to change lenses. It's also comforting to have a spare body.

It's a good idea to own both a K200 and a K-X in my opinion.

[Biro]

I have a K200D that's working just fine... but I plan to pick up a K-x body anyway. These cameras will make up a two-body kit for me over the next 6-12 months. The combination makes sense: The image quality, AF enhancements, faster burst mode and high ISO performance of the K-x with the weather resistance and battery grip of the K200D when I need it. I'll decide which stays when the K-7 or K200D replacement comes out (or possibly if the K-7's price drops to what the K20D's price point is now). If I keep the K-x after buying a new, higher-end camera, I suspect K-x would become my vacation/walk around camera with the 18-250 lens almost permanently afixed. It would be even smaller and lighter than the K200D with the same lens, which is a great vacation package now. My expensive lenses would probably go with the expensive camera.

[vin000]

After searching and considering, I decided to get K-x over K200D, K10D and K20D because of:
- New sensor
- AF faster in low light
- Less noise in high ISO.
- Movie
- Liveview (I thought it's better than K20D)
- Faster 4,7 fps
- Lens correction and distortion
- Lightweight (I accepted no WS)
- some other features but can have more improvements

Also over D90 due to have metering, AF confirm and SR with old lens, new sensor, low noise but cheaper price.

I'm now very pleased with K-x.

[rawr]

I have held onto my K200D even after I bought a K-x.

The K200D is still a good camera. It's a handy backup, a tough camera, and in combination with a WR lens (I have the 18-55WR on it now) it's a great outdoors/ bad weather camera - eg I just used the K200D for a week when travelling around in wet weather and left the K-x at home.

At some point I may sell the K200D but I am in no great rush to do so. It's good to have two competent and complementary cameras around the place.

[ogl]

Could anybody post the sharp photos from K-x? Full-sized.
I've seen a lot of photos of K-x and downloaded RAW files and can't see sharp photos.
All photos I've seen (even with sharpness in RAW convertor) are rather soft.

[rawr]

Could anybody post the sharp photos from K-x? Full-sized.
I've seen a lot of photos of K-x and downloaded RAW files and can't see sharp photos.
All photos I've seen (even with sharpness in RAW convertor) are rather soft.

You don't like the K-x colours, and led everyone on a wild goose chase over that.

Now you don't like the K-x sharpness...

There is nothing wrong with the K-x RAW samples from photographyblog - Pentax K-x Review - Sample Images | PhotographyBLOG - just pixel peep them to death.

[ogl]

My Orange Pentax K-x [Page 2]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

My impression, looking at the first few hundred images from my K-x, is that the camera is simply not sharp at the pixel level at any ISO. It seems intentional and fundamental to the sensor data. As the ISO increases sharpness decreases further. Converting from RAW with the pentax photo utility, turning off the NR and highlight correction, using my best lenses … nothing helps.