K-x is here! A short review ... K-x vs K-7

[pinholecam]

A question for Pentaxians experienced with the following two lenses: Which lens has better IQ in your opinion:

DA 55-200mm f/4-5.6 ED

or

DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED

I am planning to order one of the above along with a K-x (with 18-55mm kit lens.) Are there any other pros and cons that I should be aware of?

DA 55-300 is a good choice for a budget long lens.
It is still f4.5 up till 190mm, and f5.6 from 200mm till around 280mm; Most importantly, it is very usable wide open (sharp enough) at those apertures. It means it about 1 stop slower than a faster lens that is around 3x the price.

The only downside for me is that I seldom use it. My favorite subjects are always from 10mm to 85mm focal length. When I do use it, only drawback is lens speed wrt a very costly f4 or f2.8 telephoto lens. So if I think about it logically, the 55-300 makes a lot of sense since I am not paying for a focal length I use less often.

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

if it's cheaper, anyways. the only problem with the tamron is horrible purple fringing. and i mean horrible:

i've experienced worse PF with the 70-300, much worse. it's still a nice lens for the price, but if you can spare the cash i think the 55-300 is worth the difference.

 

[night86mare]

i've experienced worse PF with the 70-300, much worse. it's still a nice lens for the price, but if you can spare the cash i think the 55-300 is worth the difference.

yeah, all in, for the price, i won't complain. i only got it once anyways..

and i got mine at a disgustingly low price.. some uk shop was clearing stock.. so 80 pounds it was. :bsmilie: the salesman told me "what a steal!" when i bought it.

 

[sircam]

Thank to everyone for their opinions, advice and comments (along with the useful links.) Really appreciated! Just love this forum!!

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

yeah, all in, for the price, i won't complain. i only got it once anyways..

and i got mine at a disgustingly low price.. some uk shop was clearing stock.. so 80 pounds it was. :bsmilie: the salesman told me "what a steal!" when i bought it.

i got mine second hand for more than that it's with my brother in SG now so i just picked up a quantaray clone off ebay.

 

[creampuff]

... the only problem with the tamron is horrible purple fringing. and i mean horrible:

just look at the eyes.

Ha, ha, you got an evil looking cat... menacing purple glint in the eyes. :bsmilie:
Background is nice.

 

[night86mare]

Ha, ha, you got an evil looking cat... menacing purple glint in the eyes. :bsmilie:
Background is nice.

thanks. i still remember that cat. actually i remember most of the cats i get to shoot more than 3 minutes..

this is the only occasion i ever used my pop up flash ever in my history of using dslr other than to shoot butterflies, but i was glad i had one. :bsmilie: i remember the photo without flash was just horrible, because the cat was in shadow under a tree.

 

[gtl1987]

went to AP funan yesterday, the guy told me that the white K-x will yellow after sometime?? though i doubt whether he knows his stuff. any white k-x users here can chime in on this?

 

[fengwei]

went to AP funan yesterday, the guy told me that the white K-x will yellow after sometime?? though i doubt whether he knows his stuff. any white k-x users here can chime in on this?

I guess only time can tell

 

[zoom3]

went to AP funan yesterday, the guy told me that the white K-x will yellow after sometime?? though i doubt whether he knows his stuff. any white k-x users here can chime in on this?

How would he know ??? The white K-x hasn't been released long enough to find out. I guess he is just deducting (telling stories i.e.) from other white stuff (like white paper, white phone, white watch, white furniture, white shirts, white cars, white skin) turning yellow after too much sun

 

[chinnian]

How would he know ??? The white K-x hasn't been released long enough to find out. I guess he is just deducting (telling stories i.e.) from other white stuff (like white paper, white phone, white watch, white furniture, white shirts, white cars, white skin) turning yellow after too much sun

actually you can tell from the type of plastic that it would turn yellow,
then again, you are right, we gotta wait for at least 6 mths - 1 year later to find out

 

[night86mare]

actually you can tell from the type of plastic that it would turn yellow,
then again, you are right, we gotta wait for at least 6 mths - 1 year later to find out

how so??

i think yellowing also depends on many factors.

 

[tootboink]

i am afraid too it will yellow..

i have seen friends' white toshiba laptops and calculators turn simply unsightly!

 

[lichtleiter]

went to AP funan yesterday, the guy told me that the white K-x will yellow after sometime?? though i doubt whether he knows his stuff. any white k-x users here can chime in on this?

This could be true. eg. when you burn plastic, chemical reactions occur that break the molecules in the plastic down to carbon dioxide and water.
The heat energy (from a fire) starts these chemical reactions.

The color pigment in plastic comes from special molecules mixed into the plastic. Bright sunlight has enough energy to cause these special color molecules to react chemically and lose their color, resulting in fading.
However plastic manufactures has come out with an additive to retard this process, but in due time the color will still fade.

Camera bodies are made of reinforced plastic, they have extra additives of carbon, glass fiber or graphite to make it tough to withstand rugged condition.
Your white-colored printer, electric fan, notebook may fade sooner as they are not made with the same material as camera bodies.

 

[chinnian]

how so??

i think yellowing also depends on many factors.

actually, generally all types of plastic will discolour (or turn yellow), just that white would be most obvious and noticeable as opposed to black or other colours.

 

[creampuff]

Well I was an avid Minolta user in the past and got the all white limited edition Dynax 8000i. It was polycarbonate white plastic together with the flash unit, similar to the new K-x. Now that Minolta came out in the early 1990s and I had it for about 6 years before selling it to a friend. Throughout that time it never discoloured even after my friend used it for a couple more years.

So unless you expose your camera to direct sun all the time or keep it in contact with sweaty palms all the time (like a cheap laptop), you might have a chance for discolouration. Funny but I know people who use white Macbooks for years with no discolouration, same with all my iMacs... :think:

 

[creampuff]

actually you can tell from the type of plastic that it would turn yellow,
then again, you are right, we gotta wait for at least 6 mths - 1 year later to find out

Really, I'd like to know how you can tell.
Don't speculate if you can't produce any proof. :thumbsd:

 

[airconvent]

Good quality plastics should be able to keep their natural colours as long as you don't leave it in the sun all day long which is the case. You should be more worried about accidently staining it instead when rubbed against a dirty surface.
I do agree white is a sexy and eye catching colour (just think of FW's XMM episode at macs ) and likely it will also win over some of the more fickle buyers with their uniqueness.

 

[liveevil]

It depends on the users i guess. My white laptop is still pearly white after 3.5 years of usage and I use it everyday. But my friend's laptop (we bought the same laptop) is a bit yellowish already. :sweat:

I guess its bcos i clean it often enough to keep it as white.:bsmilie:

 

[dnaxe]

(just think of FW's XMM episode at macs )

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