Originally posted by cm9210 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.