Which SLR? 500D vs D5000 vs E620 vs GH1 vs K-x

The arrival of the Pentax K-x is really exciting news and if I'm going to get an SLR, which one will I get?

		Canon EOS 500D	Nikon D5000	Olympus E620	Panasonic GH1	Pentax K-x
Sensor Size		22.3 x 14.9 mm 3.32 cm²	23.6 x 15.8 mm 3.72 cm²	18.0 x 13.5 mm 2.43 cm²	18.0 x 13.5 mm 2.43 cm²	23.6 x 15.8 mm 3.72 cm²
Pixels		15.1 million	12.3 million	12.3 million	12.1 million	12.4 million
Pixel Density		4.5 MP/cm²	3.3 MP/cm²	5.1 MP/cm²	5 MP/cm²	3.3 MP/cm²
		Pentax K-x has the best pixel density which translates to excellent image quality and great low light performance. The Nikon has the same low pixel density, but lose out on low light, based on reviews.
ISO		100-3200, (6400-12800)	200-3200, (6400)	100-3200	100-1600, (3200)	200-6400, (100-12800)
		Pretty even for all cameras. If a camera lets you take ISO12800 photos, it does not mean that it's usable or clean (noiseless).
Image stabilization		No	No	Yes, Sensor shift	Yes, Lens	Yes, Sensor shift
		Canon and Nikon does not have image stabilization (IS) built into the camera, which means that you have to buy lenses that have IS, thus generally more expensive lenses.
Auto Focus		9-point phase detect	11 point phase detect	7-point phase detect	Contrast detect	11 point phase detect
Min shutter		30 sec	30 sec	60 sec	60 sec	30 sec
Max shutter		1/4000 sec	1/4000 sec	1/4000 sec	1/4000 sec	1/6000 sec
		Pentax K-x has an extremely fast shutter at 1/6000s meaning you'd probably be able to shoot fast actions.
Flash range		13 m	17 m	12 m	10.5 m	16 m
Exposure compensation		±2EV 0.3/0.5 steps	±5EV 0.3/0.5 steps	±5EV 0.3 steps	±3EV 0.3 steps	±3 EV 0.3/0.5 steps
		Canon has only ±2EV compensation, not as good as the rest which has wider exposure compensation, especially useful when you want to capture multiple exposures for High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos.
Metering		35 Area Eval, Center-weighted, Partial, spot	3D Matrix meter II, Center-weighted, Spot	ESP multi-pattern, Center-weighted, Spot	Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot	16-segment Multi, Center-weighted, Spot
Continuous Drive		3.4 fps	4 fps	4 fps	3 or 2 fps	4.7 or 2 fps
Movie Clips		1920 x 1080 20fps 1280 x 720 30fps 640 x 480 30fps	1280 x 720 24fps 640 x 424 24fps 320 x 216 24fps	No	1920 x 1080 24fps 1280 x 720 60fps 848 x 480 30fps 640 x 480 30fps 320 x 240 30fps	1280 x 720 24fps 640 x 416 24fps
		The inability of the Olympus E620 capture video is a deal killer. While Canon and Panasonic can produce full 1080 HD videos, the rest can capture 720 HD which is sufficient for me.
Uncompressed format		RAW	RAW	RAW	RAW	RAW (PEF / DNG)
LCD		3 "	2.7 "	2.7 "	3 "	2.7 "
		A larger LCD screen is always preferable, but 2.7" is not a deal breaker either.
LCD Resolution		920,000	230,000	230,000	460,000	230,000
		Canon wins hands down with it's high resolution screen. Will it be enough to convince me to buy a Canon? We'll see.
LCD Type		Fixed	Tilt & Swivel	Tilt & Swivel	Tilt & Swivel	Fixed
		The ability to tilt and swivel your screen is definitely helpful, but bear in mind that these are SLR cameras, and except for the Panasonic GH1, live view is pretty slow, so you'll be looking through the viewfinder most of the time.
Live View		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HDMI		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Battery		Lithium-Ion rechargeable	Lithium-Ion rechargeable	Lithium-Ion rechargeable	Lithium-Ion rechargeable	AA (4) batteries
		There have been reports that the Pentax K-z are eating batteries for breakfast and sooner rather than later you're going to get rechargable batteries for it. Good Rechargable AA batteries don't come cheap, and it requires a good slow charger to maximize power and battery life.
Weight (inc. batteries)		520 g	590 g	500 g	385 g	580 g
Dimensions		129 x 98 x 62 mm	127 x 104 x 80 mm	130 x 94 x 60 mm	124 x 90 x 45 mm	123 x 92 x 68 mm
		The Pentax K-x have the smallest dimension and is my favourite.
Review Links		Full Review	Full Review	Full Review	Full Review	Full Review

All of them are good cameras but how much do they sell for?

		Canon EOS 500D	Nikon D5000	Olympus E620	Panasonic GH1	Pentax K-x
Price	Kit Lens	$759.95 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 (29-88mm)	$649.99 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 (27-83mm)	$549.00 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 (28-84mm)	$1299.95 14-140mm F4-5.8 (28-280mm)	$549.95 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 (27-83mm)
		The Olympus E620 is out of the question as it does not capture movies. The Panasonic is way too expensive for me. This leave me with the Canon, Nikon and Pentax. On paper, the Pentax wins in specifications and has received great reviews. It's the best performer in it's class at low light and still new (as of this writing), so the price is expected to drop further. If I were to consider nothing else, it'll be the camera I'll buy.
	Twin Kit Lens	$899.98 55-250mm F4-5.6 (29-400mm 13.8x)	$846.95 55-200mm F4-5.6 (27-300mm 11.1x)	$649.00 40-150mm F4-5.6 (28-300mm 10.7x)	$1299.95 14-140mm F4-5.8 (28-280mm 10x)	$749.00 55-300mm F4-5.8 (27-450mm 16.7x)
		Because I own a Panasonic FZ28 now with it's 27-486mm (35mm) lens, I would definitely like to have more or less the same zoom when I get a SLR. Nowadays, many SLR kits comes with twin lens, but the Pentax K-x wins hands down with it's zoom (16.7x) and it's unbeatable price. Again, if I would consider nothing else, it'll be the camera I'll buy.
	Prime Lens	$479.95 Canon 28mm F1.8 (44.8mm)	$199.95 Nikon 35mm F1.8 (52.5mm)	$199.95 Zuiko 25mm F2.8 (50mm)	$399.00 Lumix 20mm F1.7 (40mm)	$439.00 Sigma 30mm F1.4 (45mm)
		To get a feel of lenses that I may want to buy later on, I've also listed a fast prime lens that's good for portraits and indoor shooting. Here the Nikon wins hands down with it's low cost yet excellent quality prime lens.

If you're already a SLR owner, it make sense to buy a camera from the same manufacturer, so that you'll still be able to use your older lenses. But I don't, so I'm not tied to any manufacturer. For this reason, it makes sense for me to research a manufacturer more, so that once I'm tied to them, I will not regret getting tied.

The story with Pentax is that they are one of the world's largest optical companies, and made the first Japanese 35mm SLR. I'm guessing that when everyone switched from film to digital, like Konica-Minolta (bought over by Sony) it's facing great difficulties in competing because of it's inability to produce a digital sensor internally. All this is past, as Pentax has been working with Samsung from 2005 to recapture market ground from Nikon and Canon. As of March 2008, it merged into Hoya and is now a division of Hoya. (Full story at wikipedia).

The thing is, I don't want to be tied to a manufacturer and later on, wanting to buy extra lenses, find that they don't exist or are too expensive to afford. Therefore, I dig deep into eBay (where cheap lenses are to be had) to find out more about lens availability and pricing.

eBay Statistics		Canon EOS 500D	Nikon D5000	Olympus E620	Panasonic GH1	Pentax K-x
Lens available		5385	5349	1719	1272	2300
Avg. Price, Units (last 30 days as of 29 Dec 2009)	Fisheye	$74.34, 1208	$90.85, 986	$80.56, 59	$56.51, 56	$173.49, 74
	Macro	$108.49, 1919	$98.41, 1368	$116.00, 157	$176.49, 29	$124.82, 255
	Prime	$172.87, 108	$146.83, 108	$158.40, 23	$849.00, 1	$74.70, 89
	Telephoto	$292.23, 1199	$156.52, 524	$79.28, 99	$56.15, 58	$200.23, 94
	Wide Angle	$152.69, 1357	$84.30, 882	$63.26, 134	$58.31, 131	$102.8, 114
	Zoom	$240.23, 2312	$307.11, 1607	$173.06, 223	$265.10, 45	$93.31, 359

Because Canon and Nikon are the top 2 camera brands worldwide, they have the most lenses on sale at eBay (5385 & 5349 respectively, they fluctuate but is accurate the the time of this writing). Please bear in mind that this is not an objective nor scientific study, I just clicked on the lenses category in eBay and filter for SLR lenses. Using other tools, I was able to obtain average prices and units sold for different lenses using keyword search (e.g. canon fisheye lens). The data is tabulated on the table as shown above.

Based on the specifications, reviews and prices, I was ready to purchase a Pentax K-x, but when I dig into eBay data, it's clear that Canon and Nikon has more lenses available, with Nikon generally more affordable. The thing is, Pentax may be cheaper initially, but if you're going to build up your lens collection, you're gonna have less choice and may end up with less money.

Now I'm just torn between the Pentax and the Nikon. Guessed I've narrowed it down and it'll have to boil down to how I feel when I hold the camera in my hands if I get a chance. Plus, there's the matter of getting a purchasing license from the Mrs., but that'll be another long post.