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Pentax K x 12 4 MP Digital SLR with 2 7 inch LCD and 18 55mm f 3 5 5 6 AL Lens Black

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Pentax K x 12 4 MP Digital SLR with 2 7 inch LCD and 18 55mm f 3 5 5 6 AL Lens Black




The Pentax K-X DSLR Digital Camera is the perfect model for hobbyists, photographers and beginners that don’t want to sacrifice camera quality for price! This DSLR has a 12.4 megapixel images sensor and in-camera shake reduction technology. It’s capable of capturing 720p HD video at a steady 24 frames per second, and features several essential tools to improve your pictures such as Face Recognition, contrast autofocus, various picture modes so you can adjust your shot to various light conditions, and more. You can capture fast-action shots with thePentax K-X DSLR Digital Camera’s continuous frame rate of 4.7FPS (frames per second). Check out the Pentax K-X DSLR Digital Camera and 18-55MM Lens today!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Really nice
This camera is the best value in DSLRs on the market today.

I got it to replace an Olympus e-510 which is a fine camera, but the K-x blows it away.

My favorite features are the high ISO performance which allows for shooting without a flash in lower light, and using faster shutter speeds with the relatively slow kit lens, the quick auto focus, and it’s small size and low weight.

I like to get out into the wilderness on my skis and bike but love to bring a good SLR with me. The K-x now makes that easier than ever. Also, being compatible with every Pentax lens made in the last 50 years is a huge plus. I picked up an inexpensive 50mm f1.7 prime on eBay and have been having fun shooting with that too. Much sharper (when stopped down) and faster (when opened up) than the kit lens which is ok but not fantastic.

Shooting around the house without having the use a flash is also a huge advantage. The shots just look more natural and when shooting it’s less intrusive for my subjects to not have the flash going off all the time.

The two things I would add to this would be the weather seals found in the higher Pentax models and AF illumination (the rod spot that tells you what point is focused).

I haven’t had any problems due to lack of seals yet, but the peace of mind would be nice while taking it out into the elements.

Video is ok but not great. That’s a nice feature that I probably will not use a whole lot but it’s nice to know I have the capability if the right opportunity arises.

Be sure to upgrade the firmware to 1.01 if your camera doesn’t already have that version. It fixes some problem the original fw had with the battery meter and different kinds of batteries. Without it battery performance is not very good when using rechargeables.

4 Stars Picture Request
I am seriously considering this this camera. I am thankful for all of the people that took the time to review this camera. I hope that some of the proud owners of this camera will post more pictures so that I can get a look at your handy work.

More pictures on here would give me an idea of what this fine camera is capable of. Thank You all in advance.

5 Stars Excellent SLR, especially for the money
I’m using my Pentax K-x for stills and video, mostly portraits and product shots. It’s my first DSLR but after reading up a bit on its capabilities I was good to go. For the price, this is simply an amazing camera. I had considered entry-level models from Canon and Nikon, but after reading a bunch of online reviews I decided that the K-x was a better bet. Indeed, the sensor quality and features (it shoots great 720p video) are unbeatable in its segment.

A few likes and dislikes:

Likes:

I shoot from the viewfinder. I’m not sure if this is because the LCD isn’t big enough or because I just like shooting from the viewfinder better – probably the latter. I like to use a manual focus when the situation allows, and I can just see a lot more using my naked eye instead of live view.

The video feature is great for casual shooting. I used it on Christmas morning to capture my 18 month old opening gifts.

Since I rarely use live view, rarely use a flash and set up my shots before turning the camera on, the original batteries have lasted me about two weeks. Can’t complain about that. I bought 8 Eneloop AAA rechargeables for when the originals run out, but haven’t had to swap them out yet.

Low light performance is amazing. Check out the reviews. It’s as good as cameras that cost twice as much.

Dislikes:

The audio is mono on the camera, and there’s no audio input. So if you want to shoot something with sound, i.e. an interview, you’ll have to use a separate recorder and sync the audio later. That’s probably too much of a hassle for a project with a lot of cuts, but if it’s something simple it’s workable. I managed to sync some audio in iMovie that looks/sounds really good.

The shutter is on the loud side. I haven’t yet found this to be a real problem for me, but some reviewers have been annoyed by it.

It’s rare for me to get a decent-looking picture using the internal flash. Some of that is probably just the nature of internal flash, but I’m guessing some of it owes to the implementation in the K-x. Fortunately, images still look good at ISO 1600 and usable at ISO 3200, so it’s possible to get up to a high enough shutter speed to take photos of a toddler indoors during the day.

5 Stars Could not be happier
After several agonizing months of research and forum crawling, I found myself firmly stuck between the Canon T1i and the Pentax k-x. [...] analysis of the Pentax ultimately sealed the deal for me, promising a compact and responsive starter DSLR with lots of headroom to grow in to (and for hundreds less than the canon). Having had the camera for a few days now (and promptly updating the firmware to avoid the nefarious battery issue)I can honestly say I could not be happier. The kit lens has proven more than sufficient for me to cut my teeth on and can definitely produce sharp, vibrant pictures, provided you’re not relying on the idiot setting. The button and menu layout is concise and accessible, allowing you to learn the camera inside and out in only a day’s time. The camera itself is extremely compact but still manages to have a very solid and comfortable feel. And as so many have noted, the high-iso capabilities allow you to shoot in available light with fantastic results. And while hardcore photographers complain they’re pointless, the in-camera filters and cross processing abilities give great results with minimal effort and absolutely add value to the camera. My only gripes thus far are the lack of focus points in the viewfinder (which i wouldn’t actually use but feel i should get for spending 6 bills) and the AA batteries, which were easily remedied with a set of Eneloops. All in all though a FANTASTIC camera and ridiculous bargain. If you’re reading this you want the k-x but are probably worried about going non-Canikon. My two cents: Buy Pentax and don’t look back.

4 Stars Surprising High ISO pics and JPEG engine
from Dpreview linked here at amazon.com on the Pentax K-x: “Its high ISO JPEGs are possibly the best of all current DSLRs with an APS-C size sensor; they certainly beat any of its direct competitors.”

“With this performance the K-x easily beats most other APS-C cameras when

shooting JPEGs, including much more expensive models. If you need better low light performance than this, going full-frame is pretty much your only option.”

Of course full frame entails bigger, heavier and more expensive cameras and lenses.

BTW, new firmware update resolves any battery issues :-)

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Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

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Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens




This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent price/quality lens
Very good picture quality relative to similar-price zoom lens. Of course, lower f-number further improves quality, but considerably increases cost

2 Stars Consider buying the 1.4 instead!
I was totally stoked to get the Canon 50mm EF II f1.8 and read the reviews about how cool it was, how the pictures were awesome, and how if you are careful the plastic casing wouldn’t be an issue. Boy was I wrong. Let me start by telling you that I ADORE the photos I have with this lens. Completely love them, but the problem is I bought the lens in August and it has been broken more than it works. After one months the near focus didn’t work. I could only shoot at infinity with it. I sent it back to Canon and it took two months to get it back! It worked fine again, but I noticed it’s very loud when shooting AI SERVO (which I did on a dance concert photo shoot where I had 4,000 shots with it). It also made grinding noises. I shot with it for about another month and while away on holiday I went to take a shot and the focus didn’t work again. I flipped to manual to get my shot before finding a table where I could examine the lens closer, but the focus ring would NOT turn. I took what amounted to a terribly blurry shot and went to a table. I took off the lens and tried to turn the ring again. This time, the front glass of the 1.4 fell of right in my hand! My lens is now in two pieces, and I am ready to call Canon to demand a replacement not a repair. I will then sell the replacement and use the money towards a 50mm f1.4!

4 Stars Buy it!
This lens really ‘opened up’ the camera capabilties for me!

I am a beginner. I got my Canon 450D as a first SLR with the 18-55 kit lens. My first additional lens was a zoom-tele lens (Canon 75-300) so I can get bigger range, mainly for wildlife when spending time with the family outdoors.

the 2nd additional lens was this one. I bought it because the price was attractive and I thought that it would help taking pictures indoors with relatively low light (“natural”).

The lens did that, and much more! It’s a great lens for taking pictures in low light. With the appertura at ‘max’ you can user 1/50 shutter where with the kit lens you would use 1/15. around 3 times faster which of course create much better photos. Note however that with 1.8F you can’t really focus on many objects in the same frame so it’s limited to portraits and ‘single object’ photos but for family photos that’s good enough.

The other great thing you can do with this lens is take photos of flowers close up – which i really love. It’s not a true macro lens however: the min. focus distances is .45m which is not that close and with a 50mm focal length it means that you can’t really get too close to your object or get a really high magnification. I would assume a 60mm or even a 90/100 with macro abilities would be much better here but they cost around 4x more than this one. Still, with the 1.8f the flower ‘close ups’ are much better! the lens is sharp, the focus is great and the results have definitely improved!

another nice use is portraits. They got improved as well comparing to the lens kit.

I didn’t notice any problems with focusing comparing to the other lenses I have. It may not be the quickest one but it certainly performs very well in most conditions including low light. The only time I noticed an issue is when you get close to your object and starting to push that 54cm min. focus distance.

the AF noise is really not an issue – I don’t see why people see this as a problem in other reviews I’ve seen.

It’s true that a better build quality would have been nice. The lens looks a bit cheap and it would be nice if it at least would have created a better impression of robustness. It looks like it can crack open if it ever falls down to the floor – which I haven’t tested and not going to… However, I don’t see this as an issue. It’s still not much different than the lens kit which means that it’s built OK. it’s also very light and small, you really feel like you carry a compact camera.

Bottom line is – i hardly ever use any other lens anymore… this one is great for most indoor photos and family photos and for portraits and flower shots. It practically replaced the lens kit. The 1.8F really opens up camera capabilities I wasn’t exposed to using the kit lens with its 5.6F value (at the same focal length).

3 Stars The Learner’s Lens
-Plastic

-Super sharp after f4.0, attempt f1.8 at YOUR OWN RISK

-Small/stubby

-Too long on crop body (unfortunately 99.999% of people who bought this lens probably don’t own full frame body)

-Cheap

-Fun to play for a short time

-Not that expensive even after you’re bored with its initial awesomeness

4 Stars Not ugly and a great bargain
I don’t understand why one reviewer called this ugly. My lens has a smooth black matte finish and the plastic casing has a sturdy feel. It’s lightweight so my hands don’t tire quickly when taking lots of pictures with my Canon 30D. The sharpness of my pictures is much more than I expected for such an inexpensive lens. It’s not good for close-up work and I had to play with all the settings to see which would yield the best photos. Overall, it’s a great bargain for hobbyists and amateurs.

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