Could I show my ignorance...what is the three battery test?

Does anyone know if there is a way of making any adjustments to the AF of a KX?

If there isn't then I'll not be checking the AF! I agree about shutter speed and the clarity of the enlarged picture. No doubt at all the the SR on Pentax bodies works well but in shooting with the tele lenses I feel I see sharper results at faster shutter speeds.

Hello Dave and welcome to the forum from a fellow E Midlander.

Years ago I aspired to a Pentax film camera but somehow stayed with Practica and Olympus. It was digital that got me to Pentax and both the cameras and the helpful people on this forum have combined to really make me happy to be with Pentax.

I've seen super results from all of the DSLR bodies showing that we can get great pictures with Pentax -providing we see them. The limitations for me are seeing the picture in the first place!

Hello Dave - I've been researching the Pentax zoom offerings. Certainly there are people who speak as highly of the DA* 60-250 as do the DA*50-135 (which I have and know well)

I haven't yet seen any real time shots taken side by side with the Pentax zooms. One link goes into the depths of resolution and other lab tests and conclude about a 10-15% improvement in resolution from the 50-300 to the DA 60-250

Sometimes lenses show colour and contrast differences which are their fingerprints.

A comment for Don -I wonder if a 200 mm telephoto would be long enough for photographing birds. With the 50-300 mm zoom I seem to end up at the 300mm end even if its just for the robin in the garden.

Hello All

Perhaps like other members from time to time you wonder how much your IQ could improve with a change of glass. I found the Pentax zoom to be a little better than the Sigma 70-300. Would moving on to the DA*60-250 really be worth the extra money?

Are there other high quality zooms to consider if the weatherproofing of the DA* is not required? I have Kx and K10 bodies.

Would appreciate any experiences/comments as I'm thinking others will have been in this situation.

Hello Dan

I have both K10 and KX. No doubt the K10 offers more control and produces what I think are quite natural, almost retro looking images straight from the camera. Its also pretty robust and weatherproof.

The KX has that big advantage of great high ISO performance and so suits action and low light work. You can use it with manual control also but you need to use the lcd screen to make some of the adjustments. The KX images seem to be more punchy to me, more digital and a little lesds like film. No doubt all such comments can be sorted on the PC later.

Everyone has their own preferences but whichever camera you select you'll be in for some great times and surely get some excellent pictures.

Thanks for the thoughts on the wide to normal zoom. I wonder if anyone has checked the 60-250* vs the kit 50-300 telephoto zooms on either the KX or the K10?

I haven't seen too much about the DA*60-250 on here for a while. Is it really worth the money? Will the K10/KX bodies focus quickly enough compared to those bodies linked to the DAL 50-300?

Of course there are always sad stories about technology not working as it should. I have the 50-135 DA* and for me its been a beauty -others have reported issues. I think if I was going to spend £1100 on a tele zoom I would certainly expect flawless performance and a marked jump in IQ.

I can see that there's lots to balance and it will serve me well to keep out of the camera shop for a few more days!

Decisions, decisions......

Thanks everyone. I'm picking up a strong vibe that lenses would bring more benefit then the K5. The DA*50-250 has, I understand, many admirer's as does the DA*50-135. I justified the 50-135 because of its speed for low light sports and natural light portraits.

In poor/damp weather it serves along with the K10 as the safest way of getting any pictures as I wouldnt want to risk the KX getting damp.

I hadn't contemplated the KR as a step up from the KX (I'm prepared to be corrected) and having KR and KX could mean no photographs at all if the rain comes.

I do agree about the "special" quality of the K10Ds images but feel that the reliability of the autofocus is not as good as I have with the KX.

The DA*16-50 is one lens I haven't checked out thinking that maybe the 17-70 was already a suitable step up from the K10s kit lens.

I posed this question because I couldn't see an easy answer. Thanks for all the responses. Now back to the drawing board. Anyone want to part with either of the DA* lenses mentioned?

Hello All

I'd really like to hear the views of fellow site members. I started with the K10 and then bought a KX because it allowed me use use higher ISO settings for low light or sports photography, I was pleased with the results and knew that their were some compromises in feel and use vs the K10.

Now along comes the K5 with its faster focusing andlow light performance coupled with the full control options I have in the K10 I wonder if the time has come for a serious look at the K5 (maybe body only)

If I get a K5 I can see I will have a dilemna so if any photographers can give me the benefit of their own experiences I'd be very glad.

For those of you who have one or other of my existing bodies and have bought a K5 did you find the upgrade worthwhile and why?

If you had the three bodies above and could only keep 2 which one would you sell?

I look forward to any thoughts and experiences you can share.

Thanks, Geoff

Good point about the cold weather and batteries. I also had my K10 with its dedicated battery and that combo never faltered. I took a set of eneloops from my trouser pocket and they also struggled to power up the KX.

Is there a difference between the rechargeable technology used in the Pentax batteries and that used in the hybrid AAs? Or could it be that the KX doesnt like -5 deg?

Are all hybrids the same or could it be that the Powerex ones might behave better than the Eneloops if only because they have a higher capacity?

Would be good to get to the bottom of this so that I'm better prepared for next winter. Cheers all.

I use Eneloops with my KX. I have had issues this winter with them flashing red even though they had been fully charged the day before. The temperature was about -5 deg C. The batteries are about 12 -14 months old and have been charged/used about 20 times.

I have the camera set on the auto-recognise batteries setting. Changing to manual selection of batteries made no difference - nor did the usual trick of loading a set and waiting a few minutes before switching on.

Anyone have any thoughts? Its certainly always good to have a set of lithiums in the bag! They are working fine again now its not freezing.

Geoff