Pentax K100D Super vs. Nikon D40/x

[shivaswrath]

Hey guys,
this is my first post and I'm relatively new to the world of dSLR - I used to enjoy photography with my father's old 35mm (Pentax!) and I've been using a Casio P&S which is frankly a POS, so I've decided to upgrade!

I haven't held the K100d since there aren't many mainstream stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc.) that carry them - but I like the shake reduction (I'm tired of blurry pictures) and the fact I can get the pancake 40mm lens for daily use. The K100d seems to retail for about $350 for just the body to $599 with the lens kit. The pancake lens is about $250 at BH. So all in all, I'd spend around $700 here. I like the 11 point auto-focus lay out, versus the Nikon's scant 3 point auto-focus grid.

I HAVE held and messed around with the Nikon D40 and am keenly interested in the D40x, which would come to about $700. I realize that it has more megapixels than the K100d, but I don't care about that, I'm more concerned with picture quality, ease of daily use, portability, etc.

Any opinions from Pentax or Nikon users? I'd probably get a Nikon VR lens if I were to get the D40/x since I'd rather not risk more blurry shots from my apparently shaky hands!

Thanks!

 

[Johnboy2978]

You might also want to consider the K10d at just a few more dollars you get a really nice camera. The Pentax k10d will give you 10 megapixel as opposed to the 6 from the super. It will also give you a lower ISO of 100 instead of 200, an orientation sensor so the camera knows if you are holding it in landscape or portrait view and automatically make that adjustment in your image and will add a crapload of weather/dust seals. From BH you can get the k10d body for 699 + 50 mail in rebate.

Not sure about the Nikon, but it looks like all in all the d40 and the 100 super are pretty much on even playing field. The main decision between the 2 would be which system you'd rather buy into. That will be determined by your feelings of the quality of glass each support compared to their price.

I am really happy with the pentax line right now, but you may find lenses are rather difficult to find in stock b/c they have sold quite a few k10d's lately. I started out w/ film and then got the DS which I still use frequently and often as a backup. The k10d however has pretty much everything I need in a camera right now. You can find nice used manual focus lenses for them on ebay for little of nothing and can use them since they haven't changed their mount since the 70's and I think can even use the older screw mount lenses w/ adapters.

Here's a side by side comparison
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...on_d40,pentax_k100dsuper,pentax_k10d&show=all

 

[shivaswrath]

The k10D seems significantly heavier and larger than the D40 or K100d, is there a significant advantage to the weather seals? The jump in the megapixels is a plus, but then again, there is a significant jump in $$ as well. . .

This might sound like a silly question, but do the Pentax cameras (both K100D and K10) have AF built in?

I've noticed that the Nikon cameras don't (in addition to their lack of image stabilization), which means I'm limited to the AF and VR built in lens that Nikon offers - yikes!

 

[Stratman]

Yes, The Pentax DSLR's all have "built in" AF. Any Pentax mount AF lens will be AF on the Pentax DSLR's And the weather seals are something i wish i had on my K110D, i went out a few weeks ago, and it started raining, so i spent about 2 hours sitting in my car. It wasn't raining hard, but enough that i wasn't willing to chance ruining my camera, if i had a K10D, i would have been able to go out in that light rain, and still shoot !!

 

[shivaswrath]

so this is going to sound silly, but maybe other members can chime - I've shot in rainy situations, with care, using my Casio P&S. . .are dSLR's more sensitive to inclement conditions, or can I treat them the same? I just don't see myself exposing it to the elements more so than I do with my Casio P&S (taking it to the beach, pictures in humid environments, light rain, etc.). . .

 

[sabbath999]

Some DSLR's (the Nikon D200 comes to mind off the top of my head, there are others as well) are weather sealed. Most inexpensive ones (sub $1000) are not.

Additionally, you have to consider whether a lens is appropriate to take out in bad weather. Personally I don't want a $2000 70-200 2.8 VR out in a pouring rain, even though it is built like a tank.

Me, I have a different plan. I take a P&S with a weather housing on it with me on all trips, so that if it is raining cats & dogs I am still going to go home with pictures...