In need of some advise

surf30 · Apr 14, 2008

Hi everyone. Im new to the forum as well as photography and I'm looking for a little bit of advise. I have tried to do as much research as possible as to not sound like a broken record and ask what kind of camera should I buy. In my looking around on the web I have seen that the majority of people only talk about Canon and Nikon. Right off the bat I was thinking the Nikon D40 would be a good buy for me. It fit within my budget and seemed like a good entry level camera. After visiting my local camera store to pick that poor guys brain and talking extensively about each brand and thier pros and cons I have decided that the Pentax K100D sounded like the best bang for my buck. I was told that Pentax is the only brand that you can use old SLR lenses, as well as Pentax is the only brand out of Canon, Nikon,Pentax that has image stabilization built into the body.

To quickly get to my point, is Pentax a popular brand with experienced photographers? Is this IS feature that's in the body a good or bad thing? Does anyone have any knowledge about this model Pentax camera? Is there anything I need to know about this model that maybe the salesman left out because he wanted to make the sale? This model with an 18-55mm lens is on sale for $479 so I think this will be the camera I'm going to go with unless I get some feedback that might make me think otherwise.

Cheers.

Mystwalker · Apr 14, 2008

Pentax, Sony, and Nikon all seem to have very attractive deals for beginners.

My advice is to look into the lens that you may want in the future.

Based on availibility/price of lens, make your decision.

I did not do this, but got lucky and stumbled into buying Canon because I could not "touch" the Nikon that looked most attractive.

ksm · Apr 14, 2008

Not that I want to make things even more complicated for you but I think you should look into the Olympus E-510. In Body IS also. But I'm sure everybody on this forum will eventually tell you Canon or Nikon.

surf30 · Apr 14, 2008

Yeah Canon and Nikon defintely seem to be the most popular. I just really like the idea of the shake reduction feature being in the body and not having to buy expensive lenses that have the SR built into them. I have been doing some more reading and all the reviews seem to be pretty positive about the K100D. For under 500 bucks I think it will serve me well. When I was a kind my dad was really into photography and he always used Pentax so I'm sure he will be happy I'm using one too..

So unless someone know something negative about this camera that I should know about, I think I'm going to pick this bad boy up.

RKW3 · Apr 14, 2008

Pentax and Olympus are kind of underdogs that offer a lot of extra features, which is cool.

surf30 · Apr 14, 2008

Ok so I found something that's a little bit of a concern. One thing I really want in a D-SLR is continuous shooting. I just read a review saying that this camera buffer fills up much to fast and slows down after just 3 raw format photos or 5 best quality photos. Am I going to have to spend huge cash to get a camera that can continuously snap pictures without slowing down?

1

Socrates · Apr 14, 2008

surf30 said:
Ok so I found something that's a little bit of a concern. One thing I really want in a D-SLR is continuous shooting. I just read a review saying that this camera buffer fills up much to fast and slows down after just 3 raw format photos or 5 best quality photos. Am I going to have to spend huge cash to get a camera that can continuously snap pictures without slowing down?

1

Nikon D80...
6 RAW
23 Fine Large jpg
100 all other jpg variations

Mystwalker · Apr 14, 2008

Since you asked about "in-body IS".

I've read that it is not too useful because IS need to be calibrated based on focus of lens. Or something like that.

I only know that IS is very nice for long lens. I use a flash for indoor/night so IS does not help me there - I do not think.

D80 mentioned by Socrates is the Nikon that I could not "touch" ... it's a VERY nice camera that is dirt cheap (for it's capability). I would not jump to Nikon, but can still admire it.

Village Idiot · Apr 14, 2008

Really, all the brands have pros and cons. The Pentax is weather sealed. The Olympus has the best dust reduction system along with killer f/2.0 70-200 equivalent lenses (with a killer price). And other things that could make or break a deal.

The big thing to do is learn about whatever system interests you and look into how far you may be taking this. I went Canon because I inherited a 300D a long while back. But I didn't have any money invested into them. I eventually stuck with them because I liked their selection of lenses and they were the only camera company that made a full frame sensor at the time and that's the way I'm eventually going to go.

Just make sure you take this bit of advice and I guarantee that you'll turn out happy: Do your research and buy on what you want to buy and not on what some one tries to shove down your throat.

surf30 · Apr 14, 2008

Village Idiot said:
Really, all the brands have pros and cons. The Pentax is weather sealed. The Olympus has the best dust reduction system along with killer f/2.0 70-200 equivalent lenses (with a killer price). And other things that could make or break a deal.

The big thing to do is learn about whatever system interests you and look into how far you may be taking this. I went Canon because I inherited a 300D a long while back. But I didn't have any money invested into them. I eventually stuck with them because I liked their selection of lenses and they were the only camera company that made a full frame sensor at the time and that's the way I'm eventually going to go.

Just make sure you take this bit of advice and I guarantee that you'll turn out happy: Do your research and buy on what you want to buy and not on what some one tries to shove down your throat.

Hey thanks for the good advise. I called the store about that buffer issue and he assured me that if I took pictures in jpeg format that it wouldnt have any issue with the buffer. That said..I think I'm going to go with that camera just for its ability to use old slr lenses and I do think that SR feature is a good one but hey I never said I wasnt a sucker for marketing. All in all..A D-SLR for 449.99 you cant go wrong..Im expecting this camera to give me 450 worth and if I decide to take photography to the next lvl then I'll think more about getting a better camera..Besides..My dad used a Pentax when I was a kid, so he'll be happy..

saranwrap82 · Apr 15, 2008

I just recently bought my first DSLR. I went with the Sony Alpha 200. I am totally in love with it, seems easy for me to learn to use, since I am new to photography! My friend who has been doing it for awhile has stated that she has camera envy. So maybe this is a thought for you! It has a good super steady shot built into the body! The color comes out great without changing anything, my friend is jealous of the color meter in it! Just thought maybe I would pass this info on as I am in love with it, maybe a thought for you and something for you to fall in love with as well. I am sure no matter what you go with you will be in love!

Village Idiot · Apr 15, 2008

Sony DSLR's have a color meter? :|

Dao · Apr 15, 2008

I was in the same boat in the past when I looked for a entry-level DSLR camera. I do not know much about them and there are quite a few of them in the market. And I heard "You won't go wrong with Canon or Nikon DSLR camera" type of statement all the time. But then I saw some pictures posted by others on the web that were taken by other brands and they looks good as well.

So, it seems that they all can take good pictures. And their owner usually like their own cameras. I think they like their camera not just because it has the preferred LOGO printed on their camera, I believe they like the way it feel and it do what they expected and more.

I jump on to the Canon side because a wrongly adv price in a Office Store and the Manager honor the price (I did not even ask him to do so, he just told me he will do that. Very nice of him). So I end up with the Canon Xti with kit lens for $410 ..

So now, I have the camera for couple months. The way I look at entry level DSLR camera is a little bit different. If I am going to just buy a entry level DSLR camera because I want something a little bit more than Point and Shoot type camera, and not going to spend a lot of time on Photography. Then, my old thinking is still fine. Most of the entry-level DSLR cameras are good.

However, if I am going to spend more time on photography and like to do that, change that or add that. It seems to me, as a newb to photography, Canon and Nikon have more options. Besides their great OEM Lens selections, there are MORE 3rd party companies that make lens for them and some of them are quite good for beginner in terms of Image Quality and Price. What about used lens market? Last time I check, I seen more Canon or Nikon lens as well.

As far as using old lens on newer camera, most of them will fit fine in the Canon one as well as the Nikon (except some old Nikon lens may have problem of the autofocus in Nikons entry-level DSLR camera body).

As far as Steady Shot, or IS, VR .... It is helpful but I do not think it should be the major factor on your camera purchase. It's because a lot of people still able to take GREAT pictures without it and it is a function that you may not use all the time. As someone also pointed out, and also according to what I read from the net, the image stabilization function works better when it is build inside the Lens.

In your case, if you like the Pentax camera after you tried others and read a lot of reviews. Then I would say go for it. Every camera has pros and cons. And the bottomline is camera is not the one that take good pictures. You are the one.

P.S. As long as you did not spend HUGH amount of money on lens, you can always switch to a different camera later on when the current camera is not able to do what you want to do. But that usually happens after you know a lot about photography. And I bet at that time, you will not be confused on which one to get.

Chibamonkey · Apr 15, 2008

Dao said:
In your case, if you like the Pentax camera after you tried others and read a lot of reviews. Then I would say go for it. Every camera has pros and cons. And the bottomline is camera is not the one that take good pictures. You are the one.

Ditto. Find what feels comfortable for you, is affordable to you, then go out and shoot. Shoot lots of exposures, experiment with shots, and get comfortable with the camera of your choice.

Cameras are like all other consumer products.....there are many brands, and many loyal followers of those brands. Most are good to great at what they can do....some do things that others may not. It should all come down to what works for you.

No matter what brand you buy.....I hope you enjoy the hobby, and take great pics!!!!!!

surf30 · Apr 15, 2008

well put Dao..I am starting to have second toughts about the Pentax..Im not to keen on the battery system it uses..4x AA batteries..I still like the idea of the SR built inside the body but someone said something that made me think..They said "you're not gonna go buy a brand new DSLR camera just to use 20 year old cheap manual focus lenses on it are you?" I agree with that..Im the type of person that enjoys the latest and greatest so I doubt I'll be buying any cheap slr lenses..All I can say is I obviously have more reasearch to do and I need to go out and hold some of these cameras to get a feel for what works best for me..Ill post up whatever camera I end up buying..Thanks everyone.

Cheers.