Poll: D80 or K10 D

sdgmusic · Apr 2, 2007

I'd like to know what people think. what do you like the Nikon D80 or Pentax K10D

Sw1tchFX · Apr 2, 2007

I've never used a K10D, so i figure I'm unqualified to even vote.

avcabob · Apr 2, 2007

Even though I haven't used either, I do have a Pentax K100D and as well as a few old Pentax gear which would all work with a K10D. So for my situation the K10D is a much better choice for me.

Don Simon · Apr 2, 2007

I'd buy a K10d. That doesn't really help you though. A lot of people would buy a D80 instead, that doesn't help either. To be honest a poll won't be much use; there will be more votes for the D80 simply because there is more brand awareness of Nikon. The fact is they're both very capable cameras, very close in terms of specifications, each probably slightly better than the other in certain areas. With the Nikon you will have wider availability of lenses and glass, access to Vibration Reduction lenses, the ability to rent if necessary, and a larger community of people with the same gear to talk to. With the Pentax you will have weather sealing, in-body shake reduction with all lenses, more backwards compatibility with older manual lenses. Both systems have the advantage that their lenses designed for dSLRs (even the cheap ones) have a clutch mechanism allowing you to focus manually while in AF mode. Quality of comparable lenses is, well, comparable; neither is inherently better across the range. Both have battery grips available. Image quality from either camera should be excellent, they process in different ways but obviously this is customisable.

So to answer your question...

sdgmusic said:
what do you like the Nikon D80 or Pentax K10D

... I'd like them both... now you have to decide which one you prefer

portersangel · Apr 2, 2007

I personally would choose the Nikon D80. I'm an avid Canon user myself though. I do like the commander mode on the Nikon, and the light metering.

xfloggingkylex · Apr 2, 2007

they are both excellent cameras. The Nikon takes amazing pictures and has superb color rendition. The pentax does a great job of this as well, but according to PopPhoto.com, the K10D produces slightly magenta cast shadows. That and and other flaw is removed when you shoot RAW though, so whether or not that is a Con is up to your shooting style. Nikon has a great backing and is always on the edge of technology, whereas Pentax continuously lags behind being a conservative company, they release products when they know they will work. the trouble with pentax is that almost everything is geared towards Nikon and Canon. Magazines, websites, 3rd party lens companies always make a lens for canon and nikon, and most of the time for pentax, but still not as often. Pentax also has a pretty nice accessory lineup, but not nearly as large as Nikons.

Pentax costs less and is a tough sealed body (the camera is heavy if you havent held one) wheres the nikon is not sealed. Also Shake Reduction on the Pentax means all lenses have image stabilization. While this doesnt work as well as Nikons VR technology as far as stops gained, it does allow you to use it with EVERY lens that fits the camera (26 million of them, according to pentax). The other plus to this is you dont have to spend more money to buy the expensive VR edition lenses.

No matter what you choose you are going to be happy, you just dont spend 1000 dollars on a DSLR in this class and get a crappy item.

Having not used the D80, and owning the K10D, I of course love the K10D but I am sure the D80 is a stellar camera.

Don Simon · Apr 2, 2007

Sorry but I have to take issue with the point about Pentax being conservative and Nikon being at the cutting edge of technology... I suspect a lot of Canon users would consider Nikon to be a conservative company... and I wouldn't say Pentax (and previously Asahi) was historically a conservative company... SLR innovations, making unusually small cameras, early autofocus technology, SLR system in 110 format, the only fisheye zoom (no I don't know why you'd want one

) now developing a digital medium format camera... doesn't sound to me like a conservative company only producing what they know will sell :lol:

xfloggingkylex · Apr 2, 2007

ZaphodB said:
Sorry but I have to take issue with the point about Pentax being conservative and Nikon being at the cutting edge of technology... I suspect a lot of Canon users would consider Nikon to be a conservative company... and I wouldn't say Pentax (and previously Asahi) was historically a conservative company... SLR innovations, making unusually small cameras, early autofocus technology, SLR system in 110 format, the only fisheye zoom (no I don't know why you'd want one ) now developing a digital medium format camera... doesn't sound to me like a conservative company only producing what they know will sell

Personally I'd like a fisheye zoom from pentax because the 10mm end is very fishy, whereas the 17mm side loses much of its distortion for a toned down effect.

Maybe conservative wasnt the right word, but pentax makes things that sell, and they seem to believe in quality over quantity when it comes to production. But pentax is rarely the first into a territory, even digital medium format has been touched already, and I'd say it is a sure fire selling point, since the other medium format runs the cost of a new BMW (here in the states).

Don Simon · Apr 3, 2007

Ah good points, however I forgot to mention Pentax's obsession with pancake lenses in seemingly odd focal lengths. That definitely seems like an area where they stand out and to me seems a fairly risky strategy.
But I guess my main point was that although Pentax may not always be at the cutting edge (though there are a few cases where they were), Nikon doesn't usually tend to be the leader either, not compared to Canon. Of course innovation isn't necessarily that great... APS film anyone? :lol: