K30 really 'entry level'?

I agree that 'fast access' or physical lever / switch controls to key shooting functions would help define the 'level' of a camera's target user - such as the AF / Metering Mode / AF Point Select switches on the K7 / K5 series cameras. This is the sort of thing that pros would traditionally have expected going back to film days.

I don't believe items such as burst rate and buffer will remain as reliable an indicator as to camera 'level' however - these technologies (along with general IQ improvements) keep advancing and I think will continue to be increasingly boosted in lower-end products. I think the best defining features will be 'beginner-assist' type features (like the scene modes) on the lower end products and the 'pro-assist' features on the high end ones (like the switches and levers).

So, what do you think about the Pentax LX - aperture priority and manual exposure only, no modes at all. In fact, less in terms of features than the K500.

And yet the LX is a Pro system camera of the highest calibre.

Are you talking about the LX from the 1980's or the new LX-D being announced on October 8th ?

I shall have to answer that lest silence be taken as knowledge I don't have. The LX from the 1980s is that to which I was referring.

The following LX features I would categories as 'Higher-level', and presumably advanced for its time : DOF preview, 4 or 10 sec timer, mirror lock-up, viewfinder overexposure warning, flash ready indicator, Exposure overides in 1/3rd stop increments. From the photo I can see it looks like these are mostly directly applied control-wise. And lets not forget the data backs, motor drive features (multi-speed), interchangable viewfinders and 8 focussing screen options.

A lot of this goes way beyond the K500 I'd say, (as far as photographer control and choice goes and in terms of the type of photographer it is all aimed at) .But we're comparing very different technologies in terms of age - I wasn't trying to suggest my definitions would extend through the ages

There are no scene modes either, so it's not entry-level!

My K30 has a wired remote socket which was one of the reasons I upgraded from a Kr

Yes, the K30 seems to be emerging here as anything but 'entry level'. It does have many control and customisation options, as well as advanced and high tech shooting functions. However, its more budget construction and lack of the levers and switches, compared to the K7 / K5 models, would limit its usefulness to pro or other high volume photographers I feel.

Maybe we can call it 'mid-level'.

The K500 appears to be the entry level DSLR of todays line up, given the lack of weather sealing and some more technical aspects.

The K-30 seemed to be a different tack to me, in that it made some cuts in the name of cost saving, but not which dialed back any of it's capabilities. The top screen is the obvious one here for example. It turns out I don't miss it at all any more, and this is the type of savings move I'm personally prepared to make, rather than produce a deliberately dumbed down product like some of the other manufacturers appear to do.

Metal frame construction is a tricky one. Obviously I'd prefer to have it, but realistically, if you drop your camera something else is likely to go (break or misalign etc) (- they are precision optical/electronics devices after all) before the frame does.

If you are talking entry or mid level etc, then the product will be compromised in some way, so it really is a matter of matching priorities and important features to you against the offerings of the model you're considering. In the K-30 you opt to not have an external microphone socket for instance.

Apparently the K500 has no focus point indicators in the viewfinder. No doubt that saves some money, but I can't help feeling that it is also to do with how Pentax perceive the knowledge and abilities of the target user. Are they assuming that the concept of focusing, and choosing specifically where to focus is all beyond the grasp of likely buyers of the model?

It could have a FF 24mp sensor and shoot at 9fps, but this one omission would render it 'entry level' IMO.

I think there is a bit of 'Snob' value conected with the 'Entry Level' title in that some photographers would not buy one because they need the more 'professional' model because they would loose 'the' shot because they didn't have 'that' lever to pull! God forbid if someone saw them with a mere entry level camera.
There weren't many levers and switches on the first camera's/SLR's (my first was a Zenith B :shock.
I tend to set my camera up and don't make many big changes no matter what the subject is apart from f number shutter speed etc.
Truth is the K30 is a superb piece of kit that produces superb images and isn't that what the camera was made for?
Apologies for all of the ''s