Pentax KX

This has been done to death but apparently there is still a factual misunderstanding. When the camera is choosing the focus points you have no idea which one it has chosen, since it does not show you.

If you, as photographer, choose the focus point then this is not an issue.

That was where the conversation was about but thank you for making things clearer.

Sorry but I am missing your point here if you can not see the focus point then how can you a photographer choose it ?.
Ian

People managed OK with the ME-F focussing by just the green light and beep.

I've taken about 15,000 shots with my K-x and here are my impressions. Note: I only shoot to RAW dng, not to jpeg.

Good sensor produces great quality. Perfectly usable, in fact jolly good, at ISO 800 though a little washed out, and still usuable at ASA 1600 though quite a lot of post-processing needed. It captures enough range and information so that even quite unpromising RAW shots can be processed into acceptable results.

Nice grip, feels very comfortable in my hands. I would not buy any camera that didn't feel comfortable to hold.

Menu system is fairly simple and slick but a couple of options are buried in too many submenus for my taste.

AF seems a little slow and hesitant to me. I feel it only just does the job. I often use MF because I don't trust the AF to achieve an accurate lock or a lock at all sometimes, particularly in dim conditions as there is no AF assist lamp.

Lack of AF focus indicators in the OVF does not worry me. I use the centre one only and recompose and have always done with with my cameras. Not an issue with me at all, though I can see it being one for other folks.

Rear LCD is too crude to show anything useful. The resolution isn't enough to tell you whether your picture is sharp. I've found this a minus for macro stuff.

Rear focus dial a bit soft and easy to turn by accident.

AA batteries overall have been a pain. Yes, this is a very useful feature in some circumstances. But I've found that my eneloop rechargeables degrade fairly quickly. When new, they give a large number of shots. A few months later, they are barely giving me 100. My guess is that the camera's electronics are fairly demanding and a lot of AA batteries can only just cope with them. Not true of non-rechargable Li-Ion AAs which go like a steam train for hundreds of shots but at 10 bucks or more a set this is far too expensive for me.

Cheapn 'n' nasty mirror set-up. It is very noisy and seems rackety. I don't like it.

I'm not sure this camera is built to last. I've had mine since February this year. The on/off swtich is already starting to stick and I'm a little worried at how much longer the battery door will last - it was flimsy to begin with.

Limited continuous shooting. The camera has no problem with this, which I rarely use. However, the AA batteries do. After a couple of bursts the battery indicator will show red. If I switch the camera off and on again, the indicator goes back to showing sufficient charge. A slight pain.

In sum, a very nice camera for the price with an excellent sensor. I've been very pleased with mine and feel it's a fine camera. However, don't expect miracles at this price and feature set. Not designed for heavy use. After about a year and 25,000 shots I suspect it will be well ready for replacement. My needs are simple, though. About 80% of my shots are taken using aperture-priority auto and about 20% on manual. I have never used live view or video mode, nor have I used any of the jpeg settings or "fun" modes.

Would I have bought the same model again? Yes, absolutely. Would I buy the same model now? No, the market has moved on and the competition has improved. I would go for a Nikon or a Canon which now offer more in roughly this price range. But I would go for the new K-r model if it checks out in reviews and is not priced too highly. Too soon to say about either. In my book, the K-r on paper is very clearly not a step up from the K-x. It is a refresh of the K-x to take account of a changed market and new technology one year later and it fills the same niche as the K-x. Thus I would not buy it unless its price was in line as well.

You choose it using a different mechanism, namely an LCD display. That doesn't help you when shooting, however.

FWIW this oversight has been corrected on the K-r.

People also managed OK with oil and canvas.

But it does not take much perception to realise that if automatic features are provided, suitable feedback should also be provided to allow the user interactive control over these features. It's a basic premise of UI design. Those interested can read the Ten Interface Design Principles.