K-x Does Snow

We had our first major snow storm in Colorado the last two days. Here are two quick shots of my patio chairs taken with the K-x and FA 31mm Limited. As always, I shot in RAW and used ACR to convert the images into jpeg's for uploading to Blogger. Click on the thumbnails for a larger file.

K-x Battery Notes

I've seen a few posts by early K-x customers saying they were having battery problems with the included Energizer Lithium batteries.

As I typically grab a few sample cameras from early production runs, I've checked my three different units (as pictured in a previous post). I wanted to see if by chance I had units with bad batteries to eliminate that as a factor. All performed properly with the provided batteries.

Note, the specs in the K-x operating manual are based on both CIPA standards as well as our own measuring conditions. Having said that, your actual results with AA Lithium battery life will vary based on shooting conditions (cold weather) and shooting modes. The manual states for "normal recording" you should get 1900 images; with flash, "50% use", you should get 1100 images; and in "playback time" the batteries should last 680 minutes.

Since I wanted to confirm my own tests, I also asked one of our product support specialists to test another K-x sample to see how that unit performed with the provided batteries. In his tests, he did not shoot video, but simply took photos with the K-x. Here's his feedback: "So far, I've shot over 3,000 pictures with the same set of included batteries (FA 50mm f1.4, Program and Auto Pict modes, autofocus on each shot, Shake Reduction on, single shot mode, flash on over 1/3 of the images, camera defaults, varied subjects and distances). The low-battery indicator has come on 3 times (after 1200 exposures) but a 1 or 2 minute rest from shooting restored the full battery indicator and I kept on shooting. The battery indicator has just turned red." While your own results will vary, these results are positive and I thought it'd be worthwhile to share with you.

I should add that with regards to the provided batteries (or any batteries you use with the K-x), you should wait a few seconds before you turn "on" the camera after installing new batteries. I'm not an engineer, but in simple terms I think the batteries need to be recognized by the camera as part of "start-up", and if you boot the camera immediately it might not have time to identify the type of battery installed.

From a camera setting standpoint, I've tried switching the camera's "Select Battery" setting from "Auto-detect" to "Ni-MH", and I have not found this effects my performance with batteries whatsoever. I believe these settings are primarily used in case you're inserting non-fresh or somewhat depleted batteries, and by selecting the precise battery it helps the system more quickly identify the battery type.

As I am a long time user of rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries, I've also tested both my Maha Powerex batteries as well as my Eneloops, and they work fine with the K-x. My advise to new users of these type of rechargeable batteries is to make sure you buy a good charger that provides a slow and cool charge to the batteries, as well as the ability to "condition" the batteries. To learn more about batteries and chargers, I'd suggest you check out Thomas Distributors (http://www.thomasdistributing.com). I've bought batteries and chargers from them for many years. Their range of products and service is great. They also have good information about batteries on their website if you'd like to read up on this topic.

So from my limited tests, it appears the units we have access to are working properly. The different type of batteries I have tested are recognized by the K-x, and the battery level indicator seems to be reporting charge level accurately. Of course, we'll continue to monitor the experiences some of you are having.

Hope this information helps and happy shooting with your K-x!

First K-x Prints

For me the print has always been the end-all, be-all to my photography pursuits. I still remember my excitement years ago seeing my first black and white image magically appear from the liquid depths of the print developer tray. Although digital has freed us from having to develop prints in a dark room illuminated only by a small red bulb, I still enjoy seeing the leading edge of a new print as it emerges from my printer.

















As someone suggested on one of the Pentax forums, I've been super busy helping Japan paint some of our more exotic color K-x models. Consequently it was only today that I was able to start making some test prints from my first K-x sample images that I posted previously.

Although I have yet to upgrade my Epson 4000 to their latest 3880 or 4880 (which is a decision I'm still struggling over), the 4000 is still a wonderful printer and I have years of experience printing with it on my two favorite papers, Velvet Fine Art and Premium Luster. As I've used this combination of printer and paper to test all our previous SLR's, I was eager to see how my K-x images looked when pixels were converted to print.

As the above photo shows, I'm printing my K-x images on 17 x 22 cut sheets of Velvet Fine Art paper. I resized the K-x RAW files with no cropping, applied a small amount of USM as I typically would for a print of this size, and saved the images as TIF files.

While it's impossible to show or convey print results with low res images on a display, my initial impression of prints from the K-x are very positive. While I suspect that many users of the K-x will not be making large prints from this camera, it's good to know that this camera will deliver very high-quality, large prints if the need arises.

I realize that the vast majority of review sites only judge a camera's image quality by inspecting images at a pixel level, I think it's time that full reviews include carefully controlled print tests. I can't help but think that many prospective camera buyers would appreciate understanding the print quality they can expect from a given camera. I realize that many folks are buying SLR's today and don't make prints on a regular basis, and therefore I'd be interested in hearing feedback on the importance of print quality when you're making a decision on which camera to purchase.

My First K-x Test Shots

We started shipping the K-x to dealers in the US last week. I am not sure what availability will be like in other markets, but I expect that "black" units are already in the hands of early customers by now. I believe "white" units should start shipping by the third week of this month, with limited quantities of "red" and "blue" probably showing up in early November.

As I have mentioned to a few Pentaxians, I frequently use an old "analog days" adage that it takes at least 36 rolls of film to begin to appreciate the capabilities of a new lens. By the same token, it takes quite a bit of time to fully test a new camera. Not having a lot of free time this past weekend, I was only able to devote a few hours to checking out my first production samples of the K-x.














One thing I should note if you already have the K-x and shoot in RAW: Adobe's Camera Raw 5.5 and Lightroom 2.5 already support K-x PEF files. It is not documented under their current "supported" cameras, but it works as we provided Abobe this info at the same time as the K-7 maker notes. I don't have an update on Apple's support for K-x RAW files, but will do so as soon as I get information.

I limited my first photos to shots I could take around my house and backyard. I also restricted the lenses I used to the FA 100mm Macro and the FA 77 mm Limited. Obviously, the range of subject matter available to me was not great, but I tried to find images that had color, texture, contrast or patterns which would give you an idea of the K-x's potential capabilities with two very reliable and well known lenses from a rendering perspective.

All images were shot in RAW at ISO's of 200 and 400, with the exception being the photo of the wine cabinet rack, which I shot at ISO 800. Images were processed with Camera Raw 5.5 to produce JPEG's for posting here on Blogger. In converting from RAW to JPEG, I left all but two images white balance set "as is", only adjusted one or two images exposure by no more than .25 of a stop, and did not change any brightness, contrast or saturation settings.

While I realize these photos are not going to win any awards, I believe the fact that they were taken under a controlled situation will give you a pretty good indication of the K-x's image quality. I'm spending the upcoming weekend in CO, and hopefully if I have time and weather permits, I'll be able to get out and take some more photos to share with you.

(Note: click on any thumbnail to see a larger image file.)

Update: 10.13.09
Although it seems obvious that the point of my posting these type of "first shots", whether it's a new lens or camera, is to produce representative samples of the type of imagery you can expect straight from camera without any post-processing. This is the approach I have used since starting my blog, and I believe most folks understand and appreciate that any image I post will not be altered. I've always thought I had a responsibility to produce images straight from the camera, which can serve as a "baseline" for you to evaluate. It's obvious to me that doing any type of post-processing could sway or influence your impressions, and in fact subject me to criticism that I'm altering the results to gain a more favorable reaction.

What prompted me to add this update is that I saw a rather ridiculous claim on one of the Pentax forums that my images looked "pale" and immediately condemned all of the K-x images. Obviously, I have no way of knowing how this person is viewing the images posted here, and whether his display is calibrated, etc., etc. However, I can tell you that after reviewing the results from the K-x that the overall color and tone is representative of the lighting that I saw when the shutter was depressed. Many of the outdoor plant photos should look muted, as I was shooting under our typical morning Southern California "marine layer" (cloud cover or fog).

To make my point, below is a heavily processed version of the leaves image I originally posted. While I personally prefer photos that retain a more natural look, I can appreciate that some folks prefer heavily saturated colors. However, if I had posted this processed image it would not have given you an honest look at the K-x's standard rendering characteristics. I'll continue to shoot and post test images as they were captured by the camera, under the conditions that I encountered when taking the photo. The beauty of digital is once you understand the "baseline" image parameters of your camera, in post-processing you can push the saturation and contrast sliders to your heart's content.

Sunday Stroll with my Toy Camera

Comments about these photos still need to be written and posted. Click on thumbnail to view a larger file.

Stand Up Paddling Race, Dana Point, CA

Comments about event need to be written. Photo information: All images shot with K-7 in RAW at ISO 200 and processed with CS4 to produce small jpegs for uploading here on Blogger. Distant ocean photos shot with a DA*200mm lens. All other on-beach event photos shot with DA 16-45mm lens. Click on thumbnail to view a larger image file.