Noobie Needing help w/first camera

tomb020871 · Nov 8, 2007

Hello everybody, I am new to the forum and new to photography. I am actually researching cameras for my wife and while doing that, I am getting really interested in the hobby. I can't wait to buy her the camera so I can use it.

I am looking for a higher quality DSLR camera that would be able to produce images that would be resale quality. My wife wants to get back into photography again. She is much more familiar with photography than I am. She studied it a little in college. i have just start within the last month and I love it.
After researching a little bit I have narrowed it down to the Nikon D80 and the Pentax K10D. I am really leaning towards the D80 but the Pentax has the rubber seals and I have a feeling we will be taking this on vacations with us and that is usually by the ocean. I also like the built in stabilizer that the D80 lacks. But for what the D80 lacks in those things I think it makes up for it in quality and options. I can always pick up a VR lense. This is only what I have found in my research. I know you guys and girls are much more familiar with these two camera than I and I would greatly appreciate any help on a decision. Also, if you think another camera would be better I would appreciate those suggestions also. I would like to keep it in this price range though.
Thank you for you help in advance and I can't wait to start to learn more about photography. It looks as if this forum has alot to offer.

the_beginner · Nov 8, 2007

I'm in almost the same boat as you - I've narrowed it down to those two as well. I think you nailed the differences in your post. The Nikon, from what I've seen on other sites/articles had a slight advantage in jpeg quality, but RAW files looked or tested nearly identical. They're both awesome cameras and hard to pick between.

I went and held both and the Pentax felt more tank-like, or sturdy, than the Nikon did. It felt a little heavier too. The Nikon felt sturdy as well, just not as much as the Pentax. The edge there too was only slight.

tomb020871 · Nov 9, 2007

When I was in the camera store the Pentax seemed to lead the two in the comparison that the guy from the store showed me but when I read stuff on the forum and the overall web, I lean towards the Nikon D80. Everybody who has one seems to love it and I haven't heard much from owners of the K10D. I would assume there are many more Nikon D80's out there than Pentax K10D's.
Another thing about the Pentax is that the reviews that I have read all say that the Nikon Pictures are a little more crisp and sharp than the Pentax. In one article they called the pentax soft compared to the Nikon.
I also don't know which lenses are better, the Nikon or the Pentax. It could just boil down to the lenses. I really don't know.
I am not sure if it is worth the extra money to go with the Nikon. The Pentax is about $300 cheaper with the $100 mail in rebate. I could buy some extras with the extra $300

ThePup · Nov 10, 2007

tomb020871 said:
I haven't heard much from owners of the K10D. I would assume there are many more Nikon D80's out there than Pentax K10D's.
Another thing about the Pentax is that the reviews that I have read all say that the Nikon Pictures are a little more crisp and sharp than the Pentax. In one article they called the pentax soft compared to the Nikon.

My research a few months back indicated that Pentax images are softer due to less processing done in camera from the, leading to more detail in images as well. This is easily fixable in post processing from what I've read. Same deal with the higher noise at ISO 1600, it's a deliberate thing from pentax... Nikon chose higher processing, Pentax chose more detail. Higher processing can be done in post processing, but you can't recover detail once it's gone!

This from my research only. I Own a K10D, and love it, but I'm very much an amature, and I doubt I'd be capable of taking photographs of a quality where I could pick the differences between various brands anyway :blushing: