K100D vs. K10D - is the latter worth the extra money?

sigg

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Hi Everyone,

recently i decided to finally purchase a dSLR for myself. Beeing a complete amateur when it comes to shooting pictures, as well as having no professional use in mind i decided to go for the "entry level" DSLR's.

After reading countless reviews, opinions and debates about Canon/Nikon superiority i finally decided to go with the K100D - it has great features, a nice kit lens (i plan on buying extra ones once i actually see what i need), and an unbeatable price.

However due to a series of fortunate events i now have a bit more money to spend so i started looking at the K10D. I very well know that it is better than the 100, however i wonder - will the difference be worth extra 300GBP (twice the price of k100d) for an amateur like me? Will i really benefit from the extra features, or are they only specific "extras" that certain prosumers might find useful?

Thanks in advance for any anwsers (especially the fast ones as i plan to order it today :) ).
 
Personally I think you would be very happy with the K100d. I know I am. The difference between 6 and 10 megapixels is really not an issue for me. Meanwhile from what I've seen, the K100d outperforms the k10d in noise control at higher ISOs. I regularly shoot at ISO 1600, and even 3200 is useable. And £300 could buy you some pretty nice glass to stick on the front.

On the other hand, some reasons you might want the K10d...

1) Weather sealing. A bit more confidence shooting in the rain. BUT if you really want to do that, you'd also want to invest in sealed lenses.

2) Much larger buffer for continuous shooting. The K100d is not too good for that. Doesn't matter for me - I don't shoot sports often and generally dislike that way of shooting. But something to consider.

3) Support for the new internal focusing on the new lenses. Of course those lenses will autofocus and work fine on the K100d, but presumably focus will be faster on the K10d.

4) A bit more substantial in size, and takes a battery grip. Could be more comfortable to use, especially with longer lenses.

But in general the K100d would be fine, and you could definitely get a nice lens or two with the cash left over.
 
I can't speak for Pentax exactly but I do have a question or two for you. How long do you intend to keep this camera?

Folks keep talking about DSLRs being disposable due to the coming advances but really, if the camera takes as good a photo as you need or want, why change?

The reason I bring this up is in fact durability. The sturdier body is a benefit as is the weather sealing. Also consider the shutter. As you go up in quality the shutters tend to last longer and as you don't have to pay to process every shot just to see it you Will be shooting more than a film camera. Which brings us back around to how long do you intend to keep the camera before buying another? Or, will you use the camera enough to ever wear it out?

just another line of thought for you

mike
 
Good points. The K100d is actually fairly solid for its class. Personally I don't like the idea of dSLRs being disposable and I plan to keep mine as a backup if I "upgrade" (another word I don't like :) ).
 
ZaphodB - thank you for your reply. I think i'll go with the k100d then :)

Mike E - to be frank, i'm not sure. I love looking at good photos, i work with them in photoshop (both for pleasure and for money) and i finally decided to start making them. But because it will be my first camera (apart from point&shoot ones) i don't know how much will i enjoy it. If i don't like it and discover that my new dslr spends most of its time on my shelf, i'll just sell it.
However if i'll really get into it (and find my camera limiting me) then i'll just sell the k100d, add the extra 300gbp in saved and buy a better one - i think this won't happen sooner than in 1 year, and then even better cameras will be available.

In conclusion, i think it's best for me to go with the K100D and see how my skills and interests develop. I'll still wait another hour (maybe someone will post something groundbreaking :) ).

Anyway, this is the set i plan on getting:

Pentax K100D +18-55mm lens
1gb sd card
mini tripod (comes free)
Hama DF-50 case
Hama 52mm polarisation filter

and a proper and high tripod. Can any of you recommend any in a 50USD range?

P.S. I don't plan on buying this camera for sport shooting, however if i casualy go to the local sports field will the k100d manage to shoot decent pictures? Or is it worthless in this category?
 
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