Pentax K-m / K2000 Kit with smc DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL Lens

Lovely to use, and designed for the beginner with easy scene modes, with lots of options for the person like me who likes manual settings. Menu system is very intuitive. In my work I see and get to critique menu systems on web pages and software, so I think I can speak confidently on this

The body feels reassuringly solid, steel chassis inside. I dropped mine on a concrete floor several weeks a ago in a camera bag, and the camera auto focus was confused for about half an hour and then came good. This is a rugged unit, or I was just plain lucky. (I think the first is correct because believe it or not, I dropped the camera onto a pine timber deck with a 210mm zoom lens, and I think the lens must have taken the brunt of the fall. No ill effects. Phew X 2!)

Shake reduction works with older lenses (I have one from 1975, and three from the 1980's). Using an older manual lens is easy to set up. After you choose a menu item (set it just once), the camera from then will... Read more

I bought this camera about 5 months ago (Pentax k-m - just the kit lens, no flash). I've been very happy with it. Before it, I had a Canon Rebel XT for a few days and took it back because I couldn't stand the camera shake and the camera was just too big (I'd been shooting with a P&S Canon).

If you're ready to upgrade from your little digicam, consider the Pentax. For me, the selling points were that it is slightly smaller than most entry-level DSLRs (easy handling, and it's not a burden to carry around all day), the price was great, and shake-reduction in the body. You can use many old Pentax lenses with Pentaxes, and I've bought a couple of cheap manual prime lenses to play with.

The camera's menus and buttons are very user-friendly for those who are new to DSLRs. And like the previous poster, I haven't noticed any problems with my kit lens. Some people may not like the fact that this camera runs on (4) AA batteries. I personally don't mind because that's... Read more