Read more..
Visit Camera Enthusiast!
In our latest comparative review, we take a look at the Canon Rebel T4i (EOS 650D), Nikon D5100, and Pentax K-30 side-by-side from a user's standpoint. If you're looking to get started with a DSLR or want to upgrade your old camera, check out this comparison for a closer look at three of the most attractive options out there at the moment!
Read the T4i vs D5100 vs K30 Comparison
Having handled the Canon before, I for one would never buy it. The specs may be comparable with the Pentax and Nikon, but it feels like a plastic toy to me. It's just not up to the same build quality as the others.
Weather sealing, focus peaking, pentaprism, and IQ that is at least as good as (and arguably better than) the competition would seal the deal for a K-30 for me.
(I didnt specify I was referring to Image Quality comparisons between Nikon and Canon [where Nikon seems to win out])
A common theme I am seeing from Nikon vs. Canon comparisons is that Nikon always seems to beat the Canon. If this is truly the case, what good is faster focus if you get a crappy looking photo? Just interesting to me. My dad wants to get a FF and is leaning towards Canon because of autofocus, but I feel like this may be the wrong choice. I am perfectly happy with my k-7 though (but cant wait for the FF Pentax).
The review judged the three kit lenses as equal. But the Pentax 18-55 kit lens has one advantage over the others: it has a non-rotating front element. That means you can fit a petal-shaped lens hood (that actually makes a difference) and it works with polarizers. That's significant.
I compared the K-30 with the D7000 and 60D, before ending up with the K-5. I'm not going to comment to much on the IQ, but from a practical point of view, i found the Nikon and Pentax quite similar. Not to say they are the same, but both is equally easy to use. The Canon had me infuriated in a matter of minutes, because of the rotating dial around the cursor buttons. The shake and sound from the shutter was also much worse. When it comes to IQ i personally prefered the D7000, but this was just after a few hours testing an afternoon. The IQ from the D7000 and K-5 seems quite similar to me.
@GlennG: Well said!
Sometimes when I read reviews of all kinds it is hard for me to determine the absolute "value" of any camera's attribute. What is the "value" of weather sealing? - K-30 is the only one with it. K-30 also has lens fine adjustment, two control dials, and a penta-prism. These are things that, I'm told, real entusiast photographers want. So in a number of ways, it seems to me that the K-30 is already in a different class altogether than the other two. The K-30 compares more closely to the 60D than the T4i, and even that fine camera (60D) does not have the lens fine adjustment, unbelievably, so the K-30 tops even that camera in that regard. So the K-30 has a harder-to-access on switch for video - is that actually a detriment, or a benefit? I have used cameras that the video was so easy to hit that I accidentally made a video when I didn't intend to, so I wanted harder-to-access video controls. And maybe I am biased, but when I think of the things that I believe are important to me, and I'm told are important to many other photographers, it appears the feature set of the K-30 creams the other two by no small margin. IMHO!
Pentaxforums recommending Nikon based on skewed prices. I don't get it.
id have to disagree, pentax has the worst interface of them all
i still do like the the front and rear dials
Nice little review. However, I'm surprised at the comments about pricing at the end. The K-30 kit is readily available on Amazon (direct from Amazon) for the same price as the Canon - in fact, $10 cheaper. I believe the situation was similar at the time of the price comparison - certainly I remember the K-30 body only was already in the $650 range from an Amazon reseller.
It's also unreasonable to suggest a Nikon 50/1.8 that can't even AF on the D5100 - especially to a new DSLR user. Nikon's nice G version costs about the same as the Pentax.
So while the overall recommendations may still be valid, I had a hard time accepting the "most expensive" label. It only works if you include the 50mm lenses - but Canon's is uncharacteristically cheap, and Nikon's D5100 leaves you with no AF on many great 'legacy' lenses (which are actually still a part of Nikon's current lineup)!
Very useful comparison and I think the conclusion is spot on. I do wonder though, what happens to this equation when the D5200 is announced next week ?