One big difference for me was that with the K20 and earlier I really had to have good conditions (lighting, processing, etc) to make a high ISO shot reasonable. For instance, when shooting weddings I could take a couple of shots with the 50/1.4 lens close to wide open and no flash, then process to remove ugly color cast and grain, etc. The resulting image would possibly even need to be turned to B&W. Basically, this meant that the shot was not the norm, but the exception.
With the K-x, it is totally changed. Straight out of the camera, ISO 6400 is looking quite good - no extra work. So now I have shot entire receptions with no flash and no heavy post processing. Even more so, simple snaps of the family in situations where I would have used a flash in the past, I no longer need to. Gathered around the dinner table talking in the evening or playing a game or one of the kids receiving an award at school, etc. The ability to shoot consistently at high ISO (1600+) is a real game changer. ISO 6400, 85mm Soft Focus lens, no post processing, shot right after dinner: http://www.daytonphoto.com/PAW/imgp1200-1.htm I would never have thought to take that kind of shot in the past. That is why I am saying to try the K-x and really see how different you start shooting and thinking. When I got mine, it was only to shoot a gymnastics sporting event - that covered the cost for me. It turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. Here is a shot from a reception - fairly dim lighting - ISO 6400 - pretty much no post processing: http://www.daytonphoto.com/PAW/hoffman_00295.htm With flash, the shot would not be the same. This is the kind of thing I am talking about. Not really thinking about how you shoot today, but really thinking outside of the box. For me, the K-x was really a game changer in thought process and fun. Prior to that, pretty much the old thought process all the way back into my film days. "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." Time to change it up and see what this Brave New World is offering. -- Best regards, Bruce Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 10:07:28 AM, you wrote: SD> Thanks for the shots. When needed, I would push the K10D to 800. The SD> K7 should be at least that good, yes? I am intrigued by Bruce's SD> comment. We are now reaching the stage where digital will begin to SD> have capabilities that will change the way people shoot. HDR might SD> also that it they ever get it right. My own wild prediction is that SD> eventually exposure will be a non-issue and will be a processed SD> property. Maybe even focus. SD> On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 12:33 PM, paul stenquist SD> <pnstenqu...@comcast.net> wrote: >> On the other hand, if you plan to shoot in bad weather or if you work your >> cameras as hard as I do, you'll probably want the K7. While the K7 does >> begin to show some noise in exposures at ISOs above 400, the noise doesn't >> ramp up all that much at levels above 400. My photo for the Pentax show in >> Chicago was shot at ISO 3200 with the K7: >> http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9902961&size=lg >> >> I've had reasonable success with the K7 at 6400: >> http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=10541951&size=lg >> >> And I regularly use it at ISO 800: >> http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=11014855 >> >> Film grain never bothered me a lot, and a bit of digital noise isn't a >> problem for me or my clients. But I will be adding a K5 to the arsenal when >> it becomes available. My k7 is closing in on 30,000 frames, so it's time to >> send it to back-up mode. >> >> Paul >> >> >> On Aug 31, 2010, at 12:02 PM, Bruce Dayton wrote: >> >>> Funny thing about the low light question...before I got a K-x, I didn't >>> shoot low light much without a tripod but that was really because my K20 >>> and earlier cameras couldn't shoot low light. Now that I have a K-x, my >>> shooting techniques and style s have been changing due too the new >>> capability. So the K7 represents the best of shooting the old way and the >>> K-x represents the opportunity to do some new and exciting things. >>> For me at this stage, I would go for the K-x. If you buy from B&H you have >>> some time to return and exchange. That would be ideal. Get the K-x >>> because it lets you try things you haven't done before. If you find you >>> aren't delighted with it you can return it and get the K7. >>> >>> For me, at this point I never use my K20 anymore unless my daughter is >>> using at the time I need it. Given the choice, I always pick the K-x over >>> the K20. >>> -- >>> Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. >>> >>> "Dario Bonazza" <dario.bona...@virgilio.it> wrote: >>> >>>> Steven Desjardins wrote: >>>> >>>>> I thought of that, but I'd like to buy a new body. KEH has two K7 now >>>>> for $789 and $819 which is not much of a savings, and I don't think >>>>> I'd buy one off ebay, etc. >>>>> >>>>> I do like your comment "But K-x has a sensor second to none." I think >>>>> Canon and Nikon might contest that. Of course, it could be a better >>>>> sensor than the K7. I'm not one that too fussy about micro-artifacts >>>>> however. >>>> >>>> I've used both the K-7 and the K-x and my advice is simple: >>>> 1) Do you shoot mainly in good/reasonable light, using ISO 100 to 400 and >>>> add flash in low light? Go for the K-7, which is an overall better capable >>>> camera for sure. >>>> 2) Do you shoot with available light? The K-x is far better for that. IMO, >>>> all of the K-7 pluses put together cannot compensate for the huge >>>> difference >>>> in image quality in favor of the K-x above ISO 400. >>>> >>>> Whichever you choose now, it is likely after Photokina you'll want to jump >>>> all feet on such camera and replace it with one of the new ones for a good >>>> reason :-) >>>> >>>> Dario >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>>> PDML@pdml.net >>>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>>> follow the directions. >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> SD> -- SD> Steve Desjardins -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.