Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Auto Focus Lens for Pentax AF Cameras (*Auto Focus only if body supports HSM) - USA Warranty Review

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(More customer reviews)In a world of zooms, many people would find plopping down $500 for a 50mm prime -- from a third party manufacturer, no less -- to be a bit absurd.
However, if you are a "prime person" -- and you know who you are -- you'll love the performance of this lens: super sharp photos, incredibly creamy background bokeh, nice contrast and flare resistance, and operation in low-light without needing super-high ISO or a blast of flash.
Pros:
+ @1.4 it's quite usably sharp
+ @1.8 and beyond, it's very sharp
+ the bokeh (rendition of out-of-focus areas) is really amazingly smooth. More so behind the DOF than in front, though
+ colors, contrast, etc, all excellent
+ great build quality, solid feel, free case and lens hood
Cons:
- weight
- price
- big filters (77mm)
Canon already has three 50mm lenses: the 1.8, 1.4, and 1.2L, so you might wonder why Sigma felt the need to jump into this market. The Canon's are all pretty good, with the 50/1.8 being an great value at $80, the 50/1.4 being a reliable workhorse (though prone to a dreamy look wide open), and the 1.2L, being, well, $1500. This lens is priced between the 1.4 and 1.2L, and judging from photos I've seen, it probably performs in that range as well. So it is filling an niche in the wide gulf between the 1.4 and 1.2L.
On my camera, a 400D, a 50mm is like a short tele, and I use it mostly for relatively close up photos of people. I like that when if upgrade to FF, I'll be able to continue to use this lens (and I'll sell my Sigma 30/1.4) whose place it would take.
The lens has not been out very long, and, to my knowledge, no formal reviews have been published (8/2008), but the general "buzz" is that people are seeing AF problems at distances beyond a few meters subject distance.
I personally have not done exhaustive analysis, but I feel my copy performs quite well. Then again, I don't use this lens for far-off subjects very much, and almost never wide open in that case. So there may indeed be problems with this regime, but I don't feel it affects my photography much. That said, it could be that I'm just not as exacting as some, or my camera's AF is sloppy enough to hide lens variation to begin with. However, I do pixel peep a lot and I get about the same hit/miss rate as I do with other lenses I own.
So far, I'm a happy customer.


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This is a large aperture prime lens with a standard focal length of 50mm, ideal for all digital SLR cameras. This lens has superior peripheral brightness even at the maximum aperture and corrects a possible sagittal coma flare.This lens is perfectly suited for a wide range of subjects enabling outstanding, sharply defined images against a nicely blurred background. The fast, F1.4 aperture makes this lens desirable for use with Digital SLR cameras.This lens effectively becomes an 80mm medium telephoto lens on digital cameras with APS-C size image sensors. The optimum optical design and molded glass aspherical lens element provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations.The super multi-layer lens coating reduces fare and ghosting. Superior optical performance is also ensured throughout the focusing range. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7") and has maximum magnification of 1:7.4.It creates a very attractive blur, even when a small aperture is used. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF* as well as full-time manual focus override. Please Note: * If the camera body does not support HSM, auto focus will not be available. (will work on manual)

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Pentax K-x Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this camera last Friday. I had 2 full days to take great shots with this camera. I purchased two bundle kit, which comes with 18-55mm lens as well as 50-200mm lens. I have another manual focus lens, which is A50.7.
One of the most asked questions about this camera is AF speed. Yes, AF is pretty quick. To test AF speed, I sometimes turn focus ring to opposite direction and checked the time it takes to set the focus. It was usually less than 0.4s. Even in low light situation, it worked fine. I took many shots with only one small table light in the living room so, ISO was 6400 and shutter speed was 1/4. Camera doesn't seem to have any problem for AF. Nice thing as a entry level camera is that it supports up to 11 AF point and you can choose your AF point. Some may say, it lacks super impose. However, simply touching 'ok' button reveals current AF point in the LCD screen. So, that's not a problem. AF is sharp and accurate. In MF mode, camera indicates the right focus in two ways both sound and indicator. So, there's no problem using manual focus lens. in Liveview mode, Camera magnifies focus point to assist you, which is very useful since viewfinder is very small.
High ISO support. This is the best part I like about this camera. It supports up to 6400, and can be expanded to 12800. I took several shots outside around 6:00 PM. My friends used flash but my K-x didn't require flash. with 3200 or 6400 ISO, it still gave me clean bright pictures. Pentax did a great job reducing noise, especially color noise. It's hard to find the noise from the pictures. Now, 3200 is something you can use everyday. Actually, scene mode for the kids uses very high ISO to get 1/1000s or faster shutter speed. Thanks to that, pictures for my kids are all sharp and crispy.
User interface is very intuitive and simple. Since this camera is small, most of the buttons are within reach of your thumb and index fingers. Though it's small, grip is ergonomically designed so that camera is very stable in your hand. It has one auxiliary button (green button), which you can assign other functions. It has drive mode, ISO, White balance, aperture and flash buttons. It also has dial to navigate menu faster.
It uses 4 AA batteries and this is really nice. You can use your Ni-MH batteries or Lithium-ION batteries. It your camera is run out of juice, you can go nearby stores and buy one quickly. I took about 250 shots and I didn't need to recharge yet. Camera recognizes battery type automatically and optimizes the operation.
with all the bells and whistles, I think Pentax K-x is super buy for the beginners. Not only it has all the features needed, it outperforms higher grade DSLRs in certain area like low noise. Thanks to great compatibility for the mount, even 30 years old lens can be used for this fresh new DSLR. It was quite fun to look at postings to sell old, student film camera kit at bargain price and you can use lens out of it. I also got 50mm fast lens which is excellent to take portrait shot from used market.
A few updates.
1. Some folks reported battery compatibility issue. Below is the blog of Pentax USA President. He recommended user to put batteries and wait for a few seconds so that Camera recognizes the type of batteries.
[...]
2. It also reveals a few problems related to Shake reduction. First, it produces noise from magnet handling CMOS censor. Bad thing is, this noise is recorded in movie mode. K-7 also has same issue but it supports external microphone. K-x doesn't allow that so, this can be one issue.
3. It also shows color overflow problem under low light situation, especially red and blue. When there's bright light, for example traffic signal, red color or blue color spread around as if it overflows.
A few users reported above problems to Pentax R&D and they are supposed to return by 11/9. I hope firmware upgrade will fix those problems.

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Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL and 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lenses (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am an avid reader of reviews and many times use this information to help in my buying decision. Since I suppose I am like most others who shop, compare, read, read some more and still can't decide I hope this might help in your quest for the right camera. Of the cameras I tried, all were very nice and I would be happy with any of them.
I have been looking for a camera that will give me the biggest bang for my buck! I hope to spend more time using my camera as a hobby. Until now have used my point and shoot Canon S3IS digital for kids, family, show choir and sporting events. The Canon S3IS is a great camera; I just want to step up a bit.
I started looking at used Nikon camera bodies as I had an old Nikon 2020 35mm film camera with the 35-70mm & 70-210mm AF lens. I stopped by my local camera shop and found my old lenses would work on the Nikon D50, D70, D80 and D90 bodies. I didn't find anything used locally or on eBay (too expensive) that I wanted so I looked at the new Nikon D90. Since Canon is the other big player in this field I decided to consider their cameras as well.
Both manufacturers offered what I wanted in a camera; the ability to capture video, able to shoot in low light and had quick and accurate autofocus capabilities. I tried both brands back and forth for several weeks and preferred the Canon T1i. I proceeded to sell my older Nikon equipment to help pay for the Canon T1i and move that direction
While saving for my new purchase and reading about digital SLR cameras I became aware of some of other SLR brands. I found several online reviewers that had good comments about these less popular cameras. Sony, Olympus, etc had nice features but for one reason or another I took them out of contention. Sony, I thought the lenses were too expensive. The Olympus just didn't click with me.(pun intended)Pentax had very good remarks and had similar capabilities as the Canon T1i. Best of all, the Pentax is considerably cheaper than the Canon.
What helped me to lean towards the Pentax Kx was that I was able to watch some video shots taken with the Nikon, Canon and Pentax on Google. I preferred the Pentax video, it didn't seem jerky in motion. Still pictures side by side were also very similar in clarity. I also read several reviews comparing the Canon and Pentax side by side with very similar remarks about the performance of both cameras. The biggest positive comment about the Pentax was the exceptional low light pictures it could take. The biggest complaint with the Pentax Kx was a battery issue mentioned by a number of reviewers. I called Pentax and spoke with a technical rep about the battery issue and any other issues Pentax might be having. I was told the battery issue has been taken care of with a firmware update. I must say I was impressed with the tech rep. He was very helpful, took time to discuss his products and said that if I ever had a problem with my Pentax to give them a call as they were here to help me out.
I can use any Pentax lens, new or old on this camera. The lenses I will likely use most is the 55-300mm or the 18-55mm. Both these are included in the kit I purchased. Since vibration reduction is built into the body of the camera instead of the lens, any lens I use will automatically be a vibration reduction lens.
I purchased the Pentax Kx with the 18-55mm and 55-300mm lens package for $653.00 on Amazon. It stated the Pentax camera kit would ship in 1-4 months but I ordered it on Friday and it arrived the following Wednesday, less than a week's time, not bad!
My thoughts about the camera.
Positives:
-It's a fairly compact body but not too small. My wife likes the size and it's not heavy hanging around the neck.
-The menu is fairly straight forward (I haven't had to pull the book out yet and can still get around easy enough!)
-Takes very good pictures in several of the modes I tried. Very pleased.
-The auto focus is relatively fast and hits dead on at what I am pointing at.
-Some nice filter features are included in the menu options, great to play with but doubt I'll use them much.
-The low light pictures I've taken so far are impressive. When I downloaded pictures they were very clean, without any or very little noise even set at the high ISO setting!
-Used the batteries that are included and absolutely no problems.
-Lenses seem a bit light but balance well on the camera and focus smoothly.
Negatives:
-The shutter action could be quieter. This is my biggest complaint. It's not like everyone will turn around everytime you take a picture but I'd rather not hear it!
-The dust reduction feature rattles inside when you turn the camera to its side but I read that was normal as was mentioned by a reviewer. Otherwise I would have thought something was loose inside.
-I liked the view finder of the Canon. I think the information inside is a bit larger.
-The Pentax does not have auto focus points that light up when looking through the view finder but to me that doesn't make any difference. As I said when I pointed at what I intended to point at, it focused right on it, so this to me is a mute point.
- It seems a bit slow when first reviewing my picture after each shot but I think that is due to the cheap memory card I'm using. I'll get another one tonight and expect it to correct the slow process. If it doesn't, I'll update this review and mention it! Otherwise, assume it was taken care of with a faster card.
Overall Impressions:
Would I say it feels quite as solid as the Canon? No, but I really like the Canon! However, I am still very impressed with the Pentax Kx.The Pentax isn't quite as thick or wide and I think the size might be most of the difference. You know you're shooting a SLR and my wife likes it! For the price, I figure I saved close to $400 over the Canon with similar lenses. If you want a Nikon or a Canon I'm sure you will be perfectly happy. If you decide to purchase the Pentax you won't be disappointed in this camera either. It's not the big name of Nikon or Canon but I bet you'll start to see more of Pentax with what all they offer and at the price point it is offered for! My budget was limited to $1600.00 but of course I was hoping to spend less. That's a lot of money to spend on a camera and I could have bought up to a higher level camera which I considered but I am comfortable this camera will give me what I'm looking for and saved me quite a bit in the process. I added a few pictures on flickr that were taken with this camera to give you an idea of the photo quality. Remember, I'm not a pro, I just enjoy taking pictures. Go to flickr and search for scubaguy4409
Tips to consider:
I suggest when buying online you check the retailer thoroughly.I searched several sellers on both Google and Bing and found prices from $400.00 to $900+for a Pentax Kx camera kit. The two low priced sellers I checked on had horrid reviews about shipping and more importantly when I called to ask about their camera packages they were very short with me on the phone. I don't like to spend anymore than the next guy but i figured if I had a problem with my purchase I would be %$#% out of luck with this guy!

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Pentax K-x Digital SLR Camera - Black 15801 31

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Pentax K-x 12.4MP Digital SLR with 2.7 inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens (Red) Review

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(More customer reviews)As soon as I saw this red camera, I absolutely had to have it. I did tremendous amounts of research to figure out if it was actually worth upgrading from my D40, then ordered it the day it became available on Amazon. While a few things might have been nicer on the Nikon, this camera is a wonderful upgrade. If the color isn't enough (this is for the red model if reviews become merged later on), it has some very nice specs to it. Ability to use essentially any Pentax lens ever made (and auto-focus), ISO 6400, 1/6000 shutter, many built-in imaging features(HDR, filters, color tweaks). This thing is truly a beast!
Body; When I first pulled it from the box, I was a little discouraged. While it is a well made camera, it does have a much lighter and cheaper feel than the Nikon had. The over-all fit and finish is fine, but the plastics don't feel as high quality. Perhaps it's because they're smooth, but it's also just my opinion. A slight concern, too, is that the red appears to be "painted", seeing as the inside of the doors are white. Overtime there's a chance the color could rub off, but I'm hoping this does not happen. Materials aside, the camera does have a nice feel. I have large hands with very long, slim fingers and the grip fits my hands great. The primary controls are within easy reach, with only a couple odd deviations(such as the flash and green soft-button).
The LCD on the back is average. It's your typical resolution, but works fine for previewing. Now the viewfinder I find to be more difficult to use than the Nikon. The focal point does not illuminate, making it both difficult to find and difficult to tell what's being focused. Also I can't seem to see all the specs in the viewfinder. I do wear glasses so I can't press my eye right against the eyepiece, but this wasn't a problem with the Nikon. While this certainly isn't a deal killer, it would be something to keep in mind.
Shooting performance is great. This camera is very fast. Start up time is essentially instant, focusing is lightning fast and it can take nearly 6FPS at it's peak. I have found low-light focusing to be a little worse than the Nikon, but that's also because the Pentax lacks an AF assist light. While it can use the flash, it still isn't quite as accurate as the Nikon and it's little light.
Image quality is very nice. Noise is well controlled under most all ISO settings. ISO6400 is very usable in average lighting conditions. But as light decreases, noise becomes more apparent. Many images from this camera do seem a bit more noisy than other cameras at similar ISO settings, but it still can produce comparable prints. Colors tend to be on the flat side using default settings, but with insane amounts of tweaks, this can be changed to whatever you please. White balance is managed very nicely too, with much better auto WB under incandescent lighting than the Nikon (though manual setting is still the best). The stabilizer works well. It's not as apparent when taking casual shots, but when using liveview, it is very easy to watch (and hear!) it working. While still on image quality, the movie mode actually astonished me. The quality is very sharp. While this is not a movie camera, the videos produced are supurb. Just realize AF is disabled and the stabilizer does interfere with the audio.
Honest, I suppose my only real complaint about this camera are the batteries. Why Pentax decided to go with AA's rather than a lithium pack is beyond me... Aside from being a bit clunky (4 batteries over a single pack) the system is rather buggy. I have been told the "batteries are depleted" but then restart the camera and continue to shoot for hours. Even after upgrading to firmware 1.1, the battery meter tends to jump around. If Pentax had gone with a lithium pack, this camera would be perfect 5 stars.
So to sum up, if you want a camera somewhere between the Nikon D90 and D5000 that strays away from the "normal" brands, this is a camera to consider.
--Update--
After having the camera for almost a month, I figured I'd post a little update. I still love the camera. I've had no problems to speak of. Pictures are looking very nice; people are always complimenting me on the camera and the photos it takes :)
I guess my only real complaints would still be the batteries and the white balance. The battery meter, as mentioned above, is very off. But all in all it works well enough to guess how much juice is remaining. As for the white balance, I've noticed it tends to be a bit more off than the Nikon was. I have a couple flashes, and it seems to be more-so with the Pentax 360FGZ so I'm not even sure if I should blame the camera or not...
These things aside, I'm really loving this camera. I'm a very difficult person to please but I'm exceptionally happy with my purchase.

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Pentax K-x Digital SLR Camera - Red 16303 31

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