Crossroads

As a result of a recent clear-out of kit, I now find myself at something of a crossroads (sorry for anyone entering this thread hoping for a discussion of the famous Motel-based soap opera).

The only Pentax kit I now own is as follows:

DA 21mm Limited
DA 50-200mm
AF360FGZ

I've built up some funds in my Paypal account, and I'm looking to acquire a new body, and a couple of new lenses.

Now, lenses I'm pretty clear what I'm after, but body is a different matter. It basically comes down to a choice of:

K-x
K200d
K10d
K20d

Now comes the hard part. I prefer smaller bodies & shoot a fair bit in less than perfect light, but weather sealing really appeals to me, as do visible AF points (never an issue previously, but having had more use of them recently find them a definite plus point). To add further confusion I prefer physical controls as opposed to going through menus.

The sum of the above seeems to point me towards the K200d, but I wonder whether buying the "older" technology (compared to the K-x) would be a bad move, and whether I would regret not having the K-x's low light capabilities.

Looking for any input from people who have been/are in the same position, or people who have experience of two or more of the bodies I've mentioned above.

Cheers.

I'd go for the K20D out of that lot, I don't think there much in it price-wise. I upgraded from the K100Ds and the extra weight and size is noticeable but pretty minimal.

My main concern would be that the jump in resolution may result in sluggishness in Lightroom, especially if your PC isn't especially powerful. This happened to me, moving from the 6MP K100Ds images to the 15MP K20D images means I spend more time twiddling my thumbs waiting for Aperture to catch up.

PS Don't forget that the K-x and K200D don't have the 2nd e-dial, which you will find quite useful in the semi manual modes, especially if you don't like menus.

Very much depends on how much you like the K-m...

If it did everything you asked - get the K-x

and also on what type of photography you wish to pursue....

if you have the pennies get the latest - K-x or K7..

Thanks for the prompt responses guys.

Tim, good to know that the upgrade to K20d wasn't too bad in terms of weight and size. I'm hoping that regardless of choice the jump in resolution shouldn't be too big (I'm coming from the K-m which is 10MP), and I'm lucky to have at my disposal a Quad core 3.6 GHZ per core gaming rig as my main computer. That said, the K20d is nearly 15MP, so it will have an impact.

The second e-dial is a good point, but the K-m did at least compensate by allowing a button press to change the function of the one e-dial the camera had. I assume this is the same on the K-x, not sure about the K200d.

Pwynnej, I liked the K-m, but only one of the key improvements I'm after is addressed by the K-x and that is the low-light (not that the K-m is bad, just the K-x is by all accounts excellent), but your piece about buying the latest if you can, that resonates quite strongly. I guess the answer might be hold tight until the next model(s) are launched! Could be a long wait though...

Are you seriously considering waiting, with no dSLR at all, until the next models come out?

Honestly? Probably not. I'm just hugely indecisive when it comes to consumer purchases!

Just do it, you can always upgrade when the new models come out if you get an older model (i.e. not the K-x) the resale value probably won't change too much in the near future.

I'll be sure to tell my girlfriend it's all your fault...

I would go for the K20D myself. I upgraded from the K10D mainly for the lens adjustment feature but find myself now using ISO200 as standard rather than ISO 100. The two control wheels makes for excellent and easy control: Av mode, ISO on one wheel, aperture on the other. Although I find it big compared to, say my MX, it isn't huge and I have more-or-less given up on using the battery grip.

Best wishes, Kris.

Thanks for your comments Kris.

The point re: battery grip is an interesting one, I have always thought it would be nice to have the option to use one, but in reality I would probably find myself using it rarely.

What do other owners of grips think about this?

Oh yes, I also don't use a battery grip Robbie, so my comments regarding size are without grip.

Supposedly it makes holding the camera easier if you have large hands, or do a lot of portait orientation stuff.

Having said that I've never considered myself to be 'tiny hands Tim', and I seem to be able to hold it fine without a grip.

The camera also looks more 'pro' with a grip, which may help you blag your way into certain events etc. Personally I would rather have a smaller camera.

I've always been indecisive about the grip...

On the K20D I found the grip made the thing really heavy and bulky. Great for things like weddings, but not for day-to-day stuff. So, I didn't often use the grip.

The K7 feels more diminutive. I really like it without the grip (especially with a prime like the FA 35/2). However, there are times the grip is nice too!

Having said all that - I could probably live without the grip though (especially as battery life is exceptionally good!)

Matt

I bought a grip thinking it would be helpful for (a) second battery (b) place to spare store card and remote and (c) the extra controls.

(a) just as easy to carry a spare
(b) I never fill up my 8 gig card.
(c) Having spent 25 years plus happily using the one shutter release I found that I forgot to use the extra one. I also often found the camera "doing something odd" which turned out to be me knocking the extra controls by accident.

The one thing I haven't cracked is where to put the little remote release. I am always mislaying it!

One last thing. As I use a tripod a great deal, I find the extra bulk/weight of the grip unhelpful. I'd rather use the extra space in my bag to stuff in another couple of primes.

Best wishes, Kris.

With the Ds I didn't have the option of a grip. With the K20D the thing is so big I can't imagine what it would be like with a grip added.

I keep my remote in a little keyring memory card holder I got free from Sandisk one time. I used to use the strap I got back in the dawn of time which had two little pockets at the end but since switching to an OpTech strap it now lives with the spare cards.

Back on topic if you don't mind a bigger camera then go for the K20D. If you like a smaller camera get a K-x.
If you can find a K10 at a good price you could go for that and then you can always upgrade when the new model eventually comes out .