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Pentax K-r = good choice?

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TimDSLR

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I'm struggling to select my first DSLR camera. I had the Sony A33 for a few days and had to return it because the small grip was really hurting my fingers. Right now I'm looking at the usual contenders: Canon T2i, Sony A580 and Pentax K-r. I dropped the Nikon D3100 from the list because its grip felt small too when I played with it in store.

I only had the chance to hold the K-x in my hand and it felt good, no direct experience with the K-r but from what I read it's the same body (in terms of size and grip) as the K-x, is that right?

The downsides for the K-r are the 720p video, the older generation 12MP sensor and the fact that I don't know much for Pentax. Are there any issues with reliability and quality of Pentax cameras? I think I read they were 'made in Vietnam' does that make them 2nd tier cameras because they don't have a sticker that reads 'made in Japan'?

Question on the AA battery adapter: is there one included with the camera or does it need to be purchased separately? It's nice to have 4 AA's around as spare batteries in case they are needed, though its rechargeable battery seems to be pretty good.

If you were in the same situation as myself and decided for the K-r what made you buy it and are you happy with the choice?
 
The Pentax Kr could be a good choice.

Although I don't have the Kr, (I have a K10) I have reviewed it closely and have compared it to my K10. The battery accessory is optional and has to be purchased by itself. As for the 12mp my K10 has only 10pm and it does just fine. I suppose if you are into making very large prints you might want to look at the K5. As for Pentax quality, I have had no problems with either their camera bodies or lens. To me Pentax is great for all types of shooting except for those times you need longer lens. This is an area they fall short on in my humble opinion. On the other hand, they have wonderful smaller easy to cary high-quality lens available. The Kr is not weather resistant like the K5 but also cost a lot less. Also, may or may not be important to you, but you most likely will have to make most of your purchases via mail order as most camera shops don't carry Pentax. This has not been a problem for me except for those times I wanted to actually handle the camera before purchasing it. Just like you discovered some cameras do not fit your hands.

Good luck with your choice. I am sure others here on this forum who have already purchased the Kr will answer the questions I could not.
If you purchase the Kr let me be the first to welcome you as a Pentaxian!
GR

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grcolts
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TimDSLR said:
I'm struggling to select my first DSLR camera. I had the Sony A33 for a few days and had to return it because the small grip was really hurting my fingers. Right now I'm looking at the usual contenders: Canon T2i, Sony A580 and Pentax K-r. I dropped the Nikon D3100 from the list because its grip felt small too when I played with it in store.
Click to expand...
Have you tried the Canon and Sony as well? I personally can't hold the Canon Rebels at all, they're too small for me.
TimDSLR said:
I only had the chance to hold the K-x in my hand and it felt good, no direct experience with the K-r but from what I read it's the same body (in terms of size and grip) as the K-x, is that right?
Click to expand...
It's slightly taller, but otherwise identical.
TimDSLR said:
The downsides for the K-r are the 720p video, the older generation 12MP sensor and the fact that I don't know much for Pentax. Are there any issues with reliability and quality of Pentax cameras? I think I read they were 'made in Vietnam' does that make them 2nd tier cameras because they don't have a sticker that reads 'made in Japan'?
Click to expand...
Are you really going to notice the difference in 720p and 1080p? It's not as good, sure, but how important is that, really? If you're looking for a the best video experience I'd recommend you take a look at the Canon 60D, otherwise I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor.

Also, the 'older generation' 12MP sensor is still among the best there is. It's not as good as the one in the Pentax K-5, but you're going to have to wait a long time before a sensor that good will end up in a camera as (relatively) cheap as the K-r. And really, the differences are small.

Every brand has its issues every now and then, and I don't think Pentax has more issues than other makers per se. I haven't heard of any major K-r problems, but I don't really read much threads about that camera so I wouldn't really know for sure.

Pentax cameras are assembled in the Philippines. Nikon cameras are assembled in Thailand (safe of their most expensive ones). All Canons are made in Japan, as far as I know, but they do too have their occasional manufacturing problems. I don't think the country of assembly is overly important. It's more marketing than anything else, really.
TimDSLR said:
Question on the AA battery adapter: is there one included with the camera or does it need to be purchased separately? It's nice to have 4 AA's around as spare batteries in case they are needed, though its rechargeable battery seems to be pretty good.
Click to expand...
You have to buy this seperately.

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl
 
I bought a Panetax k-r nearly 2 weeks ago. I had Sony A33, Nikon 3100 and Pentax k-x in my short list. I had aimed to but a camera good in High ISO, with movie and lightweight. I have eliminated Sony because of its high price. I was trying both Nikon 3100 and pentax k-x. I have seen k-x slow in AF with LV. My comparison has been Pentax k-r nearby on the shelf. It was the same build, same sensor but faster camera. It was flying in AF. And a zoom rectangle in the screen is enabling you to ensure AF correction. And Pentax k-r has both LI battery and AA battery options. It comes with LI battery. You need an additional AA battery holder for that which needs to be purchased separately. Do not think that 12 Mp is not good or old. It is enough if you don't have an intention of printing very large size of pictures.

I tried movie it is big in size in the computer. But it has a focus before you start the movie and it continues with this focus adjustment. It is not refocused during movie record. As far as I know only Sony SLT A33 or A55 can handle continuous AF during movie recording. I din't try it by myself but in the forums it is said that this Continuous AF is annoying because camera is always trying to refocus for any object. It requires an AF lock. So I haven't seen a still camera with full satisfying movie feature.
All in all the reason of my selection for purchasing Pentax k-r was as follows;
-Very fast AF with live view
-Crisp pictures in high ISO (You can compare it with others in dpreview)

-If you are not using live view, the screen is so simply show 3 parameters in very big sizes. Aperture value, shutter speed value, ISO value.
-6fps continuous speed
  • The option of using AA batteries.
  • Battery life which allows you tale 560 pictures with full charge without flash use.
I hope it helps you. Good luck in your choice.
-1/6000 shutter speed which is above the standards in this class.
 
I wouldn't be put off with the 12mp CMOS sensor it's still very capable and I doubt there is a lot in it between it and the new 16mp CMOS one..not enough to get worked up about anyway.

Res wise 12mp to 16mp is not a big leap so I'd have no problems on that front. Once you get to 10mp+ the increases are a lot smaller than you might think.

For some reason the 14mp CMOS looks a little weaker than I expected though not sure why that is
 
TimDSLR said:
I only had the chance to hold the K-x in my hand and it felt good, no direct > experience with the K-r but from what I read it's the same body (in terms of size and > grip) as the K-x, is that right?
Click to expand...
Almost the same body, the slight styling difference means that the K-r feels even better.
TimDSLR said:
The downsides for the K-r are the 720p video, the older generation 12MP sensor > and the fact that I don't know much for Pentax.
Click to expand...
The sensor is not "older generation 12Mp sensor".

The sensor is a new generation 12Mp sensor, it is not the same 12Mp sensor as in the K-x but a newly developed one. K-x was famous for having the best IQ in it's class, the K-r is not worse... :)
TimDSLR said:
Are there any issues with reliability and quality of Pentax cameras?
Click to expand...
I have been a Pentax user since 1988 and I own three Pentax DSLR's - *ist DS, K10D and the K-x. All of them works great. I have not had any problem with them.
TimDSLR said:
I think I read they were 'made in Vietnam' does that make them 2nd tier cameras > because they don't have a sticker that reads 'made in Japan'?
Click to expand...
They are not made in Vietnam, they are assembled in the Phillipines where Pentax has had a camera factory for 20 years. I've had 7 Pentax SLR's/DSLR's since 1988, and 2 of them were "Made in Japan", this means 5 of them was "Assembled in the Phillipines". I could not find any difference in build quality between my MZ-5 (Japan) and MZ-5N (Phillipines).
TimDSLR said:
Question on the AA battery adapter: is there one included with the camera or does > it need to be purchased separately?
Click to expand...
Need to be purchased separately.

--
Take care
Raphael
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaelmabo/
 
FWIW, I ended up getting a Canon T2i from Amazon, they had a deal I could not resist. So far I like it. Not the perfect camera, but it will do for a beginner. It seems I'm very picky and the perfect camera for me has not been made yet.
 
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