Considering an entry-level digital SLR camera?
Let me guess. You are wavering between a Pentax K-x vs Nikon D3000 with the teetering point being a good camera with little hype vs a good camera that is wildly popular. Am I right?
Thought so.
Nikon is definitely a highly respected name in digital SLR cameras. They sell tons of them. And the Nikon D3000 is competitively priced as an entry level digital SLR. But let me suggest that there is some value added due to a really great marketing campaign.
Pentax seems to depend on just giving good quality and letting the product market itself. Well, not totally, but their marketing is nothing near what Nikon puts out.
So, how do these two entry-level digital SLRs really compare?
Here are some areas where the pendulum swings in favor of a Pentax K-x:
Image stabilization is in the camera in the Pentax. For Nikon, you have to purchase lenses with the VR (vibration reduction) technology. While there are plenty of those to be purchased now (many newer lenses are being produced with this technology) if you have the Pentax, you can use virtually any lens that has been produced over the past 40 or so years, and it will work... with image stabilization.
Lenses - all Pentax lenses, as well as third-party lenses made for Pentax, work on a Pentax K-x. This is not true for the Nikon D3000. It seems like I just said this above, but there is another issue to consider. This has nothing to do with IS or VR. There is a group of lenses that are made for Nikon cameras like the D3000 that only work on the cameras that have a "crop" sensor. Basically, this means that if you eventually upgrade to a high-end Nikon, you would have to replace some, or all, of your lenses for the higher end digital SLR Nikon camera.
Video - available in HD 720p in the Pentax. No video at all in the D3000.
Live View - Again, part of the Pentax K-x feature set, but not in the Nikon D3000.
Price - very similar. The fact that the price for the two cameras is within dollars of each other should favor the Pentax, given the list of advantages above.
So, is there anywhere that the Nikon D3000 is better than the Pentax K-x?
Yes. The Nikon D3000 has a visible AF (auto-focus) point chart. The Pentax does not. This is the one most mentioned shortcoming of the Pentax K-x.
In truth, the Pentax is more of a higher end entry-level DSLR than the Nikon D3000. It compares better to the Nikon D5000, which does have the missing features mentioned above. But those come with a substantially more robust price tag.
