hello yet another newbie here looking for expert advice

[madhav96001]

hi all
i know its boring to answer the same question again and again from all the newbies
but i hope to see some advice from u all Pro...

i am new to this hobby and i know nuts!! would like to have one entry level DSLR to take some "fantastic";p pics of my new born baby (6months now)
is there any good deal around ? like Pentax K-m....I checked with OP but they said its no longer available, K-x with dual lens kit they offered me at 1390.

which one u recommend me ? Pentax K-x or Sony alpha 330 or Nikon D3000 or D5000 ?

is there any distributor carrying Pentax K-m with 2 lens @ 830+

replies would be highly appreciated.
madhav

 

[akszaksz]

Welcome to CS~!

hmm... i'm not sure about the price.

but have you physically do some on-hand testing with those models you've shortlisted?
sometimes you also need to "feel"

 

[Rashkae]

Have you actually tried the cameras? What is your budget? The Fast AF in LiveView on the sonys wit hthe tilting LCD is pretty good for kids. Get an A500 is you can.

 

[ttyh1812]

madhav,
If you know nuts about this, then any DSLR is fine cos you won't see the difference.

So, eliminate the rest of the factors and stare at only 1 - Budget.

 

[woefulwabbit]

Hi madhav, welcome to clubsnap.
The Pentax K-m is pretty much obseleted by the K-x, I'm not sure if you can still find them. If OP doesn't have that anymore, then I can only think of TK as the only place that may still have it, but to be sure, you can try calling Emjay http://www.emjay1984.biz/support (local distributor for Pentax) to see if they know of any retailer that still has it.

In any case, I think you should forget about the K-m and go for the K-x, it's a huge improvement over the K-m and the price is still very excellent especially when compared against the D5000 and 500D. There are two different dual lens kit available for the K-x. The 18-55mm + 50-200mm kit should be obtainable at ~$1200 (out of stock at OP that's why they didn't offer you that). The ~$1350 quoted to you is for the 18-55mm + 55-300mm kit. If you get the basic single lens kit, it is ~$960.

I invite you to take a look at this thread which has some updates on the dual lens kit price as well as some alternatives you can consider http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=630377 If you have further queries, feel free to join in the Pentax forum and ask around and we'll all be happy to help you. Enjoy!

 

[fengwei]

Get the Kx if I were you, it's the best ban for bucks right now

Have you seen Kx review by DPR?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxkx/

Detail (D-SLR) Rating (out of 10)
Build quality 8.0
Ergonomics & handling 8.0
Features 9.0
Image quality 9.0
Performance (speed) 8.5
Value 9.0

Check out some of the conclusions:

Overall the Pentax K-x performs, for a DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor, extremely well in low light. It appears with its newest model in the DSLR range Pentax has (finally) sorted the noise reduction in its JPEG engine (the K-x is miles ahead of the K-7 in low light). At default settings chroma and luminance noise reduction are perfectly balanced. The result is high ISO output that shows some luminance noise (which most viewers can easily live with) but very little chroma noise and a surprising amount of fine detail, even in shadow areas. 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.

While the image quality at base ISO is generally very good, what we were really surprised about (in a good way) is the K-x's performance in low light. Up to very high sensitivities the Pentax output shows a very good balance between noise reduction and the retention of fine detail in JPEGs (raw output is similar to other cameras in its class). The K-x approach: leaning heavily on chroma noise with more lenient handling of luminance noise results in images with grainy, almost film-like noise characteristics, that show very good detail up to the very highest sensitivities. The K-x is surprisingly a lot better better in low light than its bigger brother K-7, and is no doubt one of the currently best performing APS-C cameras in low light.

Good luck and happy hunting

 

[limwhow]

There you are, madhav96001. You've got your some of the answers you are looking for.
I wish you a warm welcome.

 

[jaRv1s]

expert advice would be k7 i think... ;p

 

[airconvent]

Why go for the older k-m when the full-featured Pentax Kx kit can be bought for less than $950?
It has superb low light performance for its price range, comes with stabilised 12mp CCD and HD video recording too.

having said that, the km is also a good camera too if you can buy it second hand. In fact the current pentax range offers value for money and there are alot of good lenses in their range too.

But if you can push beyond $1400, the Pentax K7 is a great buy at them moment!

 

[eagle star]

I am also newbie. I understand that K7 is now on offer at about $1400 with exchange for any old camera, working or not working. But this is for body only. How about lenses. What type of lenses to get and how much budget?

 

[woefulwabbit]

I am also newbie. I understand that K7 is now on offer at about $1400 with exchange for any old camera, working or not working. But this is for body only. How about lenses. What type of lenses to get and how much budget?

The best thing about getting a body only is that you have the full freedom to choose your lens! Most people start out with a standard zoom kit lens that covers ~18-55mm focal lengths, or get a superzoom, e.g. the DA 18-250mm.

Assuming you want to start with a basic zoom lens first, you actually have a few choices. There's an oversupply of 18-55mm kit lenses in the Pentax market at the moment because of all the new K-x users around, some of whom have upgraded their kit lens. You might be able to get a second hand kit lens for between $50-$100. Maybe more for the II AL version.

But you're not going to buy such a powerful camera like the K-7 and put a basic kit lens on it right? If you spend more ~$500-600 you have two nice choices. The Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 gives you much better low light performance over the kit lens. The WR version of the 18-55mm kit lens is also a decent choice especially since your K-7 is going to be Weather Resistant... so in case you need to do something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9mBbo92Ik

Of course, if you can afford it (~$1000+), the best option would be to get the DA* 16-50mm f/2.8, which gives you both WR and a fast lens

Anyway, the choice is all yours, really depends on how much you want to spend.

P.S. other possible choices: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5, Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4, Pentax DA 17-70mm f/4

 

[madhav96001]

thank you all very much for the advice
didn't expect these many replies for a stereo type query
i tried alpha 330 yesterday at MS @ AMK hub... those guys are friendly and let me try 330.
i found its better than my PnS cam
as ttyh1812 mentioned... i feel any entry level DSLR is fine as i can not find the difference.
n e way i ll consider your valued suggestions and get in touch with you all as i will need your assistance in near future.....

happy photographing !!!

Madhav

 

[ianhyk]

Get the Kx if I were you, it's the best ban for bucks right now

The K-x is a good camera. But the thing about pentax is that because fewer ppl use it, its harder to find sell and buy second hand lenses for pentax.

 

[pinholecam]

The K-x is a good camera. But the thing about pentax is that because fewer ppl use it, its harder to find sell and buy second hand lenses for pentax.

Fewer people using it yes (but certainly the community is growing esp. with the popularity of the Kx). I'd have to disagree on the difficulty of getting items in BnS. I have over ~20 lenses, all acquired in BnS, through Pentaxian friends in the sub forum, ebay and online stores. My brother accumulated his Pentax range (from 30+yr old K series to current DA series) within the span on 1yr. Large BnS community also does not mean we need to nor have the means to buy everything.

 

[woefulwabbit]

The K-x is a good camera. But the thing about pentax is that because fewer ppl use it, its harder to find sell and buy second hand lenses for pentax.

There's also less people to compete with when you want to buy or sell a lens for Pentax.

When I was looking for my first DSLR I decided on a Nikon D80, so I SMS'ed a few sellers on B&S but always too slow, reserved already. After researching further I reading about Pentax I decided to get a K10D instead. Waited a couple of days for one to appear on B&S I SMS'ed the seller and got it.

 

[madhav96001]

hi guys,
saturday i bought my Sony alpha 330 for S$800+3% CC charge @ Edison electronics Sim Lim square. how about it??
soon will post few photographs taken to seek your advice on the settings to improve (to look more professional)

thanks a lot
madhav

 

[Rashkae]

hi guys,
saturday i bought my Sony alpha 330 for S$800+3% CC charge @ Edison electronics Sim Lim square. how about it??
soon will post few photographs taken to seek your advice on the settings to improve (to look more professional)

thanks a lot
madhav

Well, Edison isn't a recommended shop, but what was included in the package? Is the 800+3% all that you paid? Make sure to stop by the sony forum secton.

 

[madmartian]

Welcome to CS

 

[madhav96001]

Well, Edison isn't a recommended shop, but what was included in the package? Is the 800+3% all that you paid? Make sure to stop by the sony forum secton.

hi Rashkae,
plz dont tell me it isn't a recommended shop to buy. i already bought alpha 330. kit contains body+lens+8gb sony ms + bag.
I checked in sony store, their price is 860, and Song brothers is 899 and few more also 850+
so I found it cheaper and trapped.
n e way no regrets

happy photographing
Madhav

 

[horizon_grazer]

Glad u got ur new camera !
Now is the time to start shooting those wonderful memories !