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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