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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2017, 09:18 AM
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I just checked prices at B&H. You can get a lot for the money. Right now the K-S2, which has a base body price of $500 is selling for $536 with the little compact kit lens in black. Even though you have the former kit lens, this one offers weather sealing (WR) like the camera body does also. The lens separately cost about $300, but this way you get it for $36! When retracted for carrying, which is a bit fiddly to get used to but I've found no big deal, is the smallest APS-C zoom lens on the market.
If you have more to spend, and especially if you shoot a lot of RAW files, the K-70 is the best way to go. The base body price is $600. You can get it with the DA 18-135mm lens, which is a much better lens than the one you have, also with WR and a great build quality, for $870. This means you get a lens that normally costs $477 for $270! You don't get WR in lenses and camera bodies at anywhere near these prices with other brands. With them, WR comes at around $1,000+ for the camera, and around $1,000+ for the lens.
When you get your new camera, I always recommend the same as dpreview's testing does- add "fine" to the sharpness settings in the custom image menu for both the "Bright" and "Natural" categories.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-07-2017, 09:47 PM
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The K-70 is by far the most capable of the bunch, and it'll deliver the best image quality. I don't believe it can be used with AA's, but I totally recommend the upgrade as the improvements all around are easily worth it. Just get a couple extra third-party batteries and you should be good to go.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2017, 09:27 AM
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I got the k-x specifically because it used AA batteries and I was heavily invested in rechargeable AA's. Glad I did because that led me to Pentax. But those days are gone and you need to let the AA's go. It really is not the bother I thought it would be.
The k-r is out unless you are severely budget restricted, it is not that much of an upgrade considering the newer models.
As others have said, get the k-70 and be done.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2017, 02:39 PM
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If you want to save money, get the K50, but I'd rather go with the K70.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2017, 02:53 PM
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Given the fact that this model is (a) superceded and (b) known to suffer from a crippling defect in some examples, any savings thus had might evaporate terribly quickly if the camera needs an aperture-module repair.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2017, 08:01 AM
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I recently upgraded from the K-x to the K-50. I'll briefly go over some things I noticed in adjusting.
- The k-50 has a little more bulk, I actually liked the compactness of the K-x more, but the K-x is also one of the smallest dslr bodies ever made so it wouldn't be easy to "replace" in that regard. On the other hand the hi-res screen on the K-50 is SUCH and improvement over the lower-res screen of the K-x. But just about any camera made after 2010 is going to have a higher res screen, so that should be something you notice on any upgrade. The K-50 is also weather-sealed and just a sturdier feeling camera all around.
- The user interfaces of the two cameras are nearly identical but there are some slight differences.
Pros of the K-50 interface: I've heard people complain about the live view/delete button location on the K-50. I personally think it is in a great spot. On the k-x I would accidentally hit it because it was next to all the other right thumb buttons. I prefer it out of the way on the opposite side of the screen. Also having 2 dials makes you wonder how you ever got by with just one on the K-x.
Pros of the K-x interface: On the other hand the display on the k-50 is a little more finicky. On the K-x, you could set the display to be turned off all the time in the menu settings (which I would commonly do). This is not as easily done on the K-50, on this camera, you have to cycle through several different screens just to turn off the display screen. Easily the most aggravating thing for someone who likes to use rear display as minimally as possible.
I am having what I think is a fairly common problem on the K-50 regarding the aperture ring. When I turn the camera on after a long period of non-use the first shot I take is stopped all the way down to f22 or f16. Every shot after this is fine with no problems. I have worked around this by just hitting the depth of field preview button right after I turn on the camera. This fires the aperture ring without firing the shutter and taking a picture. It's almost like it has to be "re-calibrated" after a long period of non use. I can deal with this problem though and am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not worsen. If it does, I have seen some diy fix videos on youtube for it. I even read on another forum that someone fixed it simply by spraying some WD40 on the defective part!
Bottom line: K-50 is a great upgrade, but there are some trade-offs as there always is. Considering the affordability of K-50 bodies right now I have no regrets about doing it though. Now if this aperture problem worsens, I might be singing a different tune, but for now I am fully satisfied with the K-50. |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-07-2017, 06:20 AM
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That is back focusing like crazy. Unfortunately the KX does not have focus adjustment. You can upgrade your camera to a K-30 or newer, or you can contact Tamron to ask them to adjust the lens to your camera. When I had a KX, I had Sigma do it for my 30mm/1.4. It was free and took about two weeks. I had to send my camera and lens to them.
Or you can return the lens and try again.
If Tamron will adjust it, you should end up with great results.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-25-2017, 09:40 AM
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Since you're looking to replace the old 18-55mm, mostly for quality reasons, I'd look to the following (based on your criteria you've listed):
- Pentax 16-85mm (a litte more expensive, but highly rated lens) this will be larger/heavier than your 18-55mm kit by far
- Pentax 18-135mm ( good general purpose lens - I have one its on my camera most of the time )
- Tamron 17-50 / Sigma 17-50 - These are great lenses - f/2.8 would be great for indoors.
As an owner of the K-x some of these lenses may be a little bulky, and you won't enjoy the benefits of WR as much.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-25-2017, 05:39 PM
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Great list ... they're all slightly different from each other to suit different styles.
You can't go wrong, Krishna.
Just remember, buy only from someone who will accept returns, and do tests for decentreing and front/back focus when you get it, so that you really get what you paid for. :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-24-2017, 04:07 PM
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One small advantage of the 18-135 over the other options is that the 62mm filter size will match your Tamron 70-300. A CP-L is handy for outdoor shots with these lenses. I figure that if it's bright enough for me to wear sunglasses, the lens should have them too.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-24-2017, 08:52 AM
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Actually this needs serious clarification.
The 18-135 has better centre sharpness throughout it's entire range than any other zoom lens with it's range. In fact at every focal length, it's has measured excellent centre sharpness. It's edge sharpness falls off considerably after 50mm. It's rating is brought down by how soft the edges are from 85mm to 135mm. But when you consider neither the 17-50 or 16-85 don't include 85-135 in their range, I'm not sure how that should be held against the 18-135.
It's rated excellent or near excellent in 17 of 53 measured FL and apertures.
By comparison the DA 16-85 which folks are always comparing it to is excellent or near excellent in 17 of 45 measured categories, and it has more range. The 16-85 tends to be stronger edge to edge but not always.
At 24 mm the lenses are pretty close to even.
You can't make a direct comparison but it appears the Tamron 17-50 exceeds them both at 24mm as des the Sigma 17-50, but they are constant aperture 2.8 lenses, so sort of a different class.
So as i said before, go for the best deal you can find. You aren't going to be unhappy with the sharpness of any of these lenses. The weakest premium lens in this category on the test charts is probably the Pentax DA*16-50, and many people love that lens. Worrying about the sharpness of an 18-135 is just crazy. Why not worry about that lack of range in it's competitors instead? It's truly a one stop solution. With other lenses, there will be times you wish you had the extra reach and may even end up buying a second lens to cover it. I would really only consider a 17-50 type lens if i was also getting the 55-300 PLM. 50mm or even 85mm is just to short to be an everything all the time type of lens.
Any of the mentioned lenses will be great for flowers, the 16-85 and 18-135 are pretty good pseudo macro lenses, but for birds the 55-300 is pretty much the bare minimum. But you have the 70-300 so you're covered for now. You'll probably want to look for something a bit sharper in the future.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-24-2017, 06:40 AM
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
05-01-2010, 05:09 AM
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Welcome to the Forum, although I am sorry to hear your problem. Based upon a number of earlier threads on some related topic:
- Try another SD card as suggested. Preferably a Sandisk Class 6 or above.
- Make sure that your batteries are 100% charged or better brank new Lithium batteries.
- Update your firmware to have the latest.
The K-x with the earlier firmware version was very susceptible with partially-discharged batteries. The latest firmware solved the problem, but your camera might not have come with it. The new firmware is free. You must download it from Pentax, expand the file and copy the file to the SD card. Then start follow the Pentax instructions.
Hope that the suggestions will assist....:rolleyes:
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