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04-08-2010, 03:51 AM   #91
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both camera are good. it just depends on which one you like. the d5000 does not have a focus motor and i don't like the screen of d5000. i like kx much more.

04-08-2010, 12:40 PM   #92
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Both are very good as previously stated, but I prefer Pentax as a brand compared to Nikon. Pentax's community is also awesome!
Good luck in your decision!
06-16-2010, 10:47 PM   #93
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I recently bought the Nikon D5000 for 640 dollars and am having second thoughts. I went to the store thinking I was going to leave with the Pentax K-X but left with the Nikon after talking to the salesman who convinced me I'd get more 'bang for my buck'.

I was leaning more towards the Pentax because of its small size, great reviews and durability. (Price was not the biggest deciding factor because it was only $40 less than the Nikon).

The salesman made a note that Nikon offered a larger vary of lenses, however, I am only an amateur dslr photographer and to be completely honest, I don't think I'll be upgrading lenses in the future. (1 or 2 more lenses max.)

Lastly, both cameras do offer the video feature which I do like, though I've read and watched comparison videos and I am more impressed with the Pentax.

Bottom line- should I listen to my gut and get the Pentax? I know the Nikon is a great camera, but for the purposes I'll be using my dslr for I am afraid I 'overpurchased'.

Any insight or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
06-17-2010, 02:35 AM   #94
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Absolutely cm9210. That goes for life and your choice in cameras. The Salesperson sold you on that because of his bias and not what was good for his customer. I'm not saying this because I shoot Pentax. There's noting wrong with Nikon products at all. In fact if I were to switch brands for some reason, That's where I'd go.

I've had a K-x now for serveral months and shot over 5,000 frames with it. It deserves the good reviews it gets everywhere. In fact I really can't complain about anything with this camera. For the hobby shooter, there are more than enough inexpensive lens choices. I'd buy the 18-55mm and 55-300mm lens kit to start. That covers a huge focal range and maybe all you ever need. If you want to "upgrade" lenses, Pentax offers enough variety to cover your needs. Plus we have the Tamron lenses and Sigma line. More than enough choice for even the working photographer.

If you like, have a look at my more detailed thoughts on the camera here: Review – Pentax K-x Part 1: First Look | Enticing the Light

06-17-2010, 04:11 AM   #95
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You have to be a little careful of salesmen. First of all, while they often present themselves as experts, they may know little more than you do on the subject. Second, they aren't really "playing for the same team." They often want to sell a particular camera, not necessarily find the best camera for you.

The D5000 is a decent camera. The rest of the thread explores some of the differences. In my opinion they aren't huge, but Nikon did make certain that if you want to do serious shooting that you have to move up to a D90 minimum.
06-17-2010, 04:29 AM   #96
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if i were to switch, i'd go the nikon route as well, but nothing less than the D90.

the d5000 is not a bad camera, but it doesn't have a built-in focus motor so some lenses will not AF, and don't get fooled w/ the ad on tv by Ashton Kutcher about using live view in such fast sequences (modeling runway) AF w/ live view are slow on both cameras.


most salesman would point you in the direction of nikon or canon, or the so called "big 2" because that's all they "know" and maybe get better commisions.

i have a kx today and love it. the kx is not perfect as it has its own kinks.
you will have to make that decision yourself.
06-17-2010, 05:27 AM   #97
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For me, the apparent biggest draw-back of the K-x vs the D5000 is the lack of AF points in VF. On the other hand, If you want to really controll your focus, you should use center everytime because otherwise the camera could lock on wrong points. Just make sure you put the centerspot where you want the focus because it is quite sensitive.

06-17-2010, 08:54 AM   #98
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QuoteOriginally posted by cm9210 Quote
I recently bought the Nikon D5000 for 640 dollars and am having second thoughts. I went to the store thinking I was going to leave with the Pentax K-X but left with the Nikon after talking to the salesman who convinced me I'd get more 'bang for my buck'.

I was leaning more towards the Pentax because of its small size, great reviews and durability. (Price was not the biggest deciding factor because it was only $40 less than the Nikon).

The salesman made a note that Nikon offered a larger vary of lenses, however, I am only an amateur dslr photographer and to be completely honest, I don't think I'll be upgrading lenses in the future. (1 or 2 more lenses max.)

Lastly, both cameras do offer the video feature which I do like, though I've read and watched comparison videos and I am more impressed with the Pentax.

Bottom line- should I listen to my gut and get the Pentax? I know the Nikon is a great camera, but for the purposes I'll be using my dslr for I am afraid I 'overpurchased'.

Any insight or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Unless you have your heart set on the K-x for some reason, the Nikon will serve you fine. You just won't get to hang around here with us
06-17-2010, 10:42 AM   #99
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QuoteOriginally posted by cm9210 Quote
I was going to leave with the Pentax K-X but left with the Nikon after talking to the salesman who convinced me I'd get more 'bang for my buck'.

The salesman made a note that Nikon offered a larger vary of lenses, however, I am only an amateur dslr photographer and to be completely honest, I don't think I'll be upgrading lenses in the future. (1 or 2 more lenses max.)
Well that there's the kicker... the D5000 has no in-body focusing motor, so you have a smaller variety of fully functional lenses available for the Nikon. Sure, you can buy the lenses anyway and use them manual-focus only, but you'll be paying full prices for them. You could spend a whole lot less on old fully manual glass for the Pentax and get the same functionality. You don't have that option for the D5000 though, since it has absolutely no metering capabilities with older glass. Dunno where that bang for the buck is he's talking about. And in your case with no intention to upgrade from the kit lens, the Pentax kit lens (as long as you get a good copy) is considered to be best in its class.

Sounds like the salesman was putting a bit of a spin on things. The K-x manages to outspec the D5000 on just about everything besides AF and has a more direct-control interface. The D5000's swivel-LCD is a pro or a con (breakable moving part, but you can turn the LCD around to protect it when not in use) and the K-x's AA batteries are either a pro or a con (people like proprietary lithiums but you can use rechargeable AAs in functionally the same way and carry a set of weightless Lithium AAs as backup and get almost 2000 shots on a set).

The D5000 is certainly a fine little camera, and you will no doubt have a great time with it if you keep it. But in that particular price bracket, at least from my perspective, the K-x is a cut above the rest.
06-17-2010, 10:59 AM   #100
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QuoteOriginally posted by sjwoo Quote
Thanks, guys. I took three sample shots with three different cameras this morning. I'm sure all of this is obvious to everyone on this forum, but as a first-time DSLR user, I can't believe the difference in quality. It really is literally night and day. It's just amazing how little noise there is in these Pentax shots (all at ISO200 from all three cameras).

I've attached the maximum number of pictures -- you can see them here, too, in their full size:

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2478/crystaldetail.jpg
The Panasonic DCM FZ18 may at first glance appear to be punchier - but there are good reasons for this - it has a much smaller sensor so the DoF is much greater having more in focus on closeups tend to make them look sharper. Being more of a consumer p&s it is also given more in-camera sharpening and contrast which again gives the straight out of the camera image more immediate punch.

All this can be very easily adjusted with a dSLR image with very simple pp.


all I did was to adjust brightness/contrast, and add a bit of sharpening to the K-x image - now it looks punchier than the other two to my eyes.

Last edited by UnknownVT; 06-17-2010 at 11:06 AM.
06-17-2010, 12:00 PM   #101
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QuoteOriginally posted by kytra Quote
For me, the apparent biggest draw-back of the K-x vs the D5000 is the lack of AF points in VF.
Agreed, but this pales in significance to lack of stabilization and lack of an AF motor. Reviewers don't tend to stress the latter two gigantic glaring weaknesses because they are accustomed to Nikon cameras that lack these two features, and they think their absence is to be expected.
06-17-2010, 01:25 PM   #102
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
Agreed, but this pales in significance to lack of stabilization and lack of an AF motor. Reviewers don't tend to stress the latter two gigantic glaring weaknesses because they are accustomed to Nikon cameras that lack these two features, and they think their absence is to be expected.
i guess to each his own. some folks bashed pentax for leaving out the af point indicators. some folks have no problem withi

i'm with the latter

i had a Km before and didn't mind the AF points not being there. i use center point 99.9% of the times anyway.

same way with the kx.
and as mark mentioned, not having the in-body af motor and SR is MUCH more significant than the lack of af point indication.

YMMV
06-17-2010, 03:16 PM   #103
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I don't understand why people fuss about focus points? I don't use them on any of my cameras.
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