This is my first forum post as well.....been lurking for quite a while, and I'm glad to finally have a reason to post. I've learned so much here and really enjoy the personalities of all the members.
I just wanted to piggy back on @!ex's thread that I too got in to digital photography for doing HDR. I decided to get my first DSLR for the sake of shooting RAW and for AEB capabilities. When researching cameras (which grew into a whole new hobby on its own
) I kept going back and fourth between Canon and Pentax. I never considered Nikon because their entry-level DSLRs do not have an Auto-Bracket feature. In fact i read recently that the new D7000 didnt originally have AEB in the specs but was added last minute because HDR enthusiasts complained (that may be a ruomor). So I was left with Canon and Pentax (i never considered any other brands). Canon had AEB, but what sold me was the Pentax had built in shake-reduction and the weather sealed body of the K200d was much more appealing than the hollow plasticky body of the entry level Canons and Nikons. I got my camera when the Canon XSi and Nikon D60 were in the same category. Everything i read on Pentax was great. I didn't know enough back then to realize that Pentax was a smaller, less popular company. I just saw it listed in Consumer Reports and it had an excellent rating....and I knew my uncle had a Pentax. Anyway.....I'm getting way off subject......Pentax is a great camera for HDR photography. The AEB, low-ISO image quality, colors, and DR have been completely satisfactory for me. I'm often amazed how much detail i can pull out in RAW conversion. I've actuallykinda moved away from HDR lately as I've become more and more addicted to this hobby. I'm constantly trying new techniques and practicing my PP skills. But HDR is something I will continue to work on in the future.
All this to say....I'll admit, I was considering jumping ship this year. I've really enjoyed my K200d and have no regrets in buying it. But in the time I've had it, I've learned that many of my friends shoot with Canons and Nikons. I've always taken some pride in being the odd man out but with Pentax its not quite as enjoyable. Reason being that all of my friends can share lenses and accessories and rent lenses at local camera shops while I'm stuck having to buy all my own, usually un-tested. I was very close to selling everything (which at this point is the K200D, Kit Lens, Tamron 18-250, and corded shutter release) and moving to the Nikon D7000. But now that the K-5 and K-r are out and I've seen so many stunning sample shots, I've made up my mind for sure that I will be sticking with Pentax in definitely. I can still maintain the small bit of pride I get from being unique, but even better I can no longer have any excuses for not getting excellent image quality in my photos. My only excuse will be user error, which will only inspire me to practice more.
So to seal the deal and confirm that I will continue on as a proud Pentaxian, I finally bought my first prime lens! I'm extremely excited. I've been wanting the FA 50mm 1.4 for a long time but have been putting it off because i was thinking of moving to another brand. It feels so great to make this decision and be able to enjoy my camera even more. I'm so pumped about being able to use my camera at lower ISOs in darker conditions as well as getting some nice silky bokeh. And I'm planning to upgrade to K-5 in early 2011 after bonus/Christmas money rolls in.
Also, @!ex, your photos are beautiful. I like your style of HDR.....very subtle and doesnt have that overly haloed tonemapping look to it. Very good skills. I added you as a contact on flickr (mccamp82)......my HDRs look novice compared to yours so please feel free leave a tip/comment/critique if you care to......I know I have a lot of learning to do so it would be much apprecaited.