• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

New "Entry level" Pentax K-x offers a HECK-of-a-lot including video

Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Messages
1,191
Location
Kearney, NE
The just-announced Pentax K-x is apparently the replacement for the K200D with improvements in almost all areas (except weather-sealing, which is unfortunate IMHO). Body & kit lens are priced at $649 and ships in Oct. (This is $150 less than the fairly comparable Canon T1i).

Widescreen HD movie recording at 1280×720 pixels at a cinematic 24 frames per second (720p24)
The PENTAX K-x movie recording function*1 captures true-to-life movie clips in 16:9 high-definition TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels) at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. Compatible with every PENTAX interchangeable lens ever made, the Video Capture mode opens a new world of creativity for PENTAX K-x owners.

I'd have to consider this strongly as a 2nd body some day, as it would give me HD video capabilities (with the biggest range of lenses available in the world) and much better FPS than I have right now (not that I've really missed that yet) for really very low dollar output.

The release mentions "Special Edition" colors of red and navy in the U.S. but that is nothing compared to the color/color combos that will be available in Japan. (you might want to wear welder's goggles before clicking that last link).

Honestly, if you are an old school photographer (not afraid of non-autofocus lenses) and ready to jump into the DSLR world, you really should consider the Pentax line. The ability to use "old" K-mount and even M42 lenses (with adapter) is a really inexpensive way to get a nice array of lenses to use with your DSLR without selling a kidney. I've already gotten a 50mm f/1.7 (reputed to be the sharpest Pentax lens ever), a 50mm S-M-C Takumar Macro 50mm f/4 and a Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8 for a total outlay of $90 (including shipping). I was gifted a nice Tokina 80-200mm f/4.5 and I'm hoping to get a Tamron 60-300mm 3.8-5.4 in the near future that will give me up to a 450mm telephoto equiv. That can probably be had for around $50, if not less. The only auto-focus lens I have is the kit lens, though I'm saving my nickels for an ultra-wide zoom by next spring.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top