My husband got this for me as a replacement to my aging Nikon D70. First the color, I love it. It is a true red, and not a pinkish color. The camera has a good weight to it and feels very sturdy without being to heavy. The attached lens works well and produces good images. I am a hobby/enthusiast and am starting to study photography, this camera more then does the job. Best thing is that the anti-shake technology is built into the camera, and that makes the lenses much cheaper. Having come from Nikon, where the anti-shake is in the lens, this is a huge relief. the same lenses are considerably less expensive. It will also take any Pentax lens ever made, and that is huge. You can find good used lenses at photo shops and second hand stores and save a bundle!I am still learning the menu systems but they are pretty smooth so far. If you mess up your settings, there is a reset function that will reset all of your settings back to factory, and the auto setting always works. It seems to write to the disk pretty fast too. It also does HDR shooting. I am still playing with this so I can't speak to the quality of those images yet.
I am very happy with this camera, and I will be sticking with Pentax!!
Pros on the upgrade:
1) K-r has 12.3 megapixels and 2 format options for a RAW image (DNG & PEF).
2) It also has a "green button" which can be assigned various functions, but I assigned RAW to it so I can take most of my shots on jpg, but when I think I want to save it with the original 12-bit data, I just push the green button and it saves it as both jpg and RAW.
3) Stabilization built into sensor. This allows me to use all my old glass lenses with stabilization. I generally can focus faster than any autofocus because I know what I want in focus by looking. Having the anti-shake for these old lenses is nice.
4) It takes great low light photos up to 1600. Some flat areas, such as a dark sky, will show noise at 1600 that can be removed with post processing (select/blur).
5) It has ISO priority choice (Sv) where you can set the ISO speed and the shutter and f-stop will adjust around your choice of speed.
6) SCN functions which I have set to Museum as another "No Flash" mode.
7) It works with old Pentax program flashes but not TTL mode. You have to read the chart on the back of the flash.
8) Frames per second is fast.
9) Still works on 4 AA batteries (with optional expensive adapter should come with it as standard) which is handy for travel. You can always find AA batteries.
10) Menu system is easy and fast no scrolling down necessary.
11) Info button gets you a status screen, and if pushed again, a page of shortcuts, such as white balance, custom exposure, HDR, and meter mode.
12) The big screen is really bright and sharp. I mainly use it to review photos which I couldn't on the *ist DS.
13) Some post-processing functions that are mainly for fun, that are found on Point and Shoot Pentax cameras (colorization, BW, Toy Camera?).
14) It takes movies if you want, but I didn't get it for this so haven't used it much. The one video I took seemed sharp and smooth when playing back on a PC, but the sound was terrible with a mic that picked up everything.
15) It has live view when you can't use the viewfinder. It's easily activated/deactivated by a single button on the back of the camera. It has the same problems on sunny days as all the other cameras with an LCD screen for a viewfinder, but it's really handy at night or when you can't get your eye to the viewfinder.
16) You can put the camera on manual control for complete control of shutter, f-stop, & ISO speed.
17) The K-r is one of 3 Pentax DSLRs that at the moment support the O-GPS1 attachment for the hot shoe (the others are the K-5 and the 645).
Cons:
1) *ist DS has a glass Pentaprism, which is brighter than the K-r penta-mirror system.
2) *ist DS has a CCD sensor, while the K-r is a CMOS (the top digital pro cameras have CCD sensors i.e. Hasselblad CFV-39; Leica S2; ). I guess there are pluses and minuses to both, but there must be some reason the big names go with CCD on their top cameras.
3) Finding the K-r exposure bracketing settings isn't intuitive on the K-r. [I found it it's the wheel when you choose autobracket mode.]
4) both cameras only bracket with 3 exposures. To get more, you need to change the exposure compensation. Only the K-5 (of the new line) comes with a 5 exposure bracket.
5) *ist DS has a top LCD readout. I miss it on the K-r.
6) The dial turns too easily on the K-r. It can turn just by brushing against it. I've caught it so far when it changes.
7) There is no external mike port. If I wanted to take movies, I think I'd want a decent microphone, and not the omni-directional mike that's built in.
8) NiMH batteries last a lot longer, but you have to buy a $40 adapter to use them. You can get Chinese copies of the adapter for $5 on eBay.
9) There is no power port for a power adapter. The AC adapter fits into the battery compartment and the power port is on this adapter. This makes the Pentax K-AC109 AC adapter expensive: $80. I use a pile of NiMH batteries for copy work, instead.
10) TTL flash doesn't work. It did on the *ist DS, which is one reason I got it. My old TTL flashes only work in manual or program mode now (check the voltage before you put an old flash on a DSLR as some are too high to use with the newer cameras). My Pentax AF200T and Vivitar 285 both work in manual mode and their voltage is low enough to be safe. This mainly means you have to manually set the f-stop on the camera to match the power of the flash.
I've tried the built-in HDR and I sometimes get good results, but sometimes just a single exposure comes out better.
Going from the *ist DS to the K-r was an overall improvement, especially for the shake reduction and higher resolution.
Also, the camera comes in standard black, Storm-Trooper white, and candy apple red. I got the red because it was cheaper where I got it. It grows on you and you don't ever have to look for it.
Buy Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Red) Now
For the price, it doesn't get much better than this. I almost bought the k-x, but when I saw the k-r for just over 600 it was too good to be true. Super fast shipping and just a really fantastic camera.This camera is perfect for someone like myself just delving into to DSLR world. I turned it on as soon as the battery charged and after several hours of trial and error, I began to get the hang of things. By the end of the first day I have many great pictures. The quality is very clear and the colors are nice and bright which always makes the picture look more warm. The camera feels sturdy and the Kit lens is actually quite nice.Also the camera body is a nice bright red which I think makes a great statement. After reading a bit of the manual, installing all programs and figuring out how to operate the machinery, you couldn't ask for a better quality camera given the price. Start up is also VERY fast, turn it on and you're ready to shoot then and there. Wonderful camera, perfect for first timers and prosumers.I decided to spoil my little sister on her 14th birthday. She makes lots of youtube videos, takes lots of pictures, and her point and shoot was lacking. She was taking pictures in the auto mode in a few minutes, and absolutely loves the camera. It's very easy to get the hang of with a few minutes of spare time. My sister is very keen of the cross filters built into the camera. Our family has numerous point and shoot cameras from almost every major brand(Nikon, sony, cannon,GE, samsung, etc.) I even have a pentax optio W80, and this simply blows them away in every aspect except portability, obviously. I had hoped the video would be a little better quality in low light, but I can't expect Pentax to work miracles. Although this is damn close to doing just that, especially considering the price.
Thanks Pentax!
From a proud Optio W80 owner.
Edit:
My sister has owned this camera for quite some time now, and has really gotten the hang of it. Almost all the effects in the attached video were done on camera. It really is a very capable camera, I just wish you could remotely control it from a laptop like some cannon DSLRs, that would make it capable of great movies with it on dollies, camera jibs, etc.
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