[Albert Siegel]

I'm just impressed with what $1200USD can buy these days as far as cameras go. I remember when the K10D first came out. I was blown away that such a great camera was under $1000. The K20D was priced a bit more than I cared for, but it was and still is one of the best cameras out there.

I am honestly of the opinion that the K20D offers that finest image quality of all APS cameras made before the new models about to be released. I am not talking about high ISO either, but pure IQ.

[alexeyga]

These are the best lenses????But not all.
The absolut best is the DA*300,one of or the best 4,0 300 in current market.
One of the best zooms is the 2,8 50-135.
these stil of compares are to global and not so simple like in forums wanted.
In real Saleslife it´s a lot more different.

It depends a lot on a user.... While all DA* lenses are great, for my part I was trying to stay away as both their AF-speed and lifespan are limited by SDM...

On the other side of the road I've got an old AF ED300/4 for half the price of DA*300... it's about 10-12 years old.... still clean despite stupidly open design and total luck of any seals... and it still performs on pairs with the newer AF-S 300/4 and DA*300 for that matter... Wish AF was faster, but it's fast enough for what I do and it has the af-range limiter which, I wish, some modern lenses had as well....

[AngryCorgi]

Interesting. So I assume the Nikkor DX 17-55 f/2.8 is probably sealed then, too.

Actually, yes it is sealed quite well...problem is it is one extremely heavy lens -- total PITA to carry on a D90...

[oliver939]

this D7000 is announced 1199usd vs 1699usd for the K5 for very similar specs

either one or boths rumors are wrong
either more people will switch to nikon
or pentax will reduce significantly the K5 price

[alexeyga]

Actually, yes it is sealed quite well...problem is it is one extremely heavy lens -- total PITA to carry on a D90...

+1.... had one for a while as I was selling it for an elder friend of mine, it's sealed, but even with D300s it's a damn brick... Performed great though.... AF speed, IQ... Was really tempted to keep it... and I would've if it was 17-85.... but it's only 55 on the long end and i couldn't live with it's size and bulk... Gave up the D300s for the same reason and just sold the D90 in hopes for the D7000....

[ivoire]

or pentax will reduce significantly the K5 price

thats my hope

[zackspeed]

I hope that the new AF inthe K-5 is no rumor and will have better af performance in the lenslineup in behind.
I will never buy again lenses and bodys under k-7/5 durability and proofness against cold and dirt.
sometimes my stuff looks like a day in the Sewage plant

[AngryCorgi]

thats my hope

I think that's what will happen...but you may have to wait 2-3 months to start seeing any drop in price...early adopters may want to wait a bit on the K-5 to get a good value...

[AngryCorgi]

this D7000 is announced 1199usd vs 1699usd for the K5 for very similar specs

either one or boths rumors are wrong
either more people will switch to nikon
or pentax will reduce significantly the K5 price

$1199 makes sense...D90 launched at $1099, IIRC...yen is screwing us some too...I'm interested to see the kit price too to see if $1199 is already cut down some...may not be as good a deal as the old D90+18-105 kit was...may not save nearly as much on the lens now...

[zackspeed]

what was the $ startprice for the pentax k-7 at introducing???

[ivoire]

what was the $ startprice for the pentax k-7 at introducing???

it was $1299 at amazon

[zackspeed]

I mean the price in the real shops,not inet.
than i can tell you what the price will be

[Copyright]

I was going to make a thread on this, but it looks like this may be the most appropriate place.

I currently own an *ist DL with an 18-55 kit lens, a cheap FA 80-200 lens, and an FA50/1.4. A month ago, I went to the local store to pick up a K-x kit, but at the time they were out of stock. So before I ordered one online, I read up on the rumors section of this site and decided to wait until the new bodies were released.

The K-r looked really good, but considering this appears to be just a refined version of the K-x, the price seems much higher than it should be (especially considering the comparable offerings form Canikon are $150 LESS).

So I figured I'd wait to see the specs on the K-5. As it turns out, the specs are really, really good, and are exactly what I was looking for. The problem is the fact that the price is in the $1700 range.

Then I read up on the D7000. It has almost identical specs (rumored) to the K-5, but it costs significantly less.

So my only issue is that I have a few dollars tied up in Pentax lenses. Not a big deal though, since I had planned on selling the *ist DL, kit lens and 80-200 lens to finance the new body. So really, the only lens that I have tied up is the FA50/1.4.

Since I bought the lens new a month ago (unfortunately the return period is only 14 days), and the price of this lens appears to be maintaining its ridiculous $450 price, I have no doubt that I'll be able to sell it for $350 (look at the eBay listings). That will enable me to purchase the Nikon 50mm equivalent (which happens to be less than the Pentax) without losing any money.

The only possible issue I see with the D7000 is that there is no built-in shake reduction. However, I only plan on using a few lenses, so I don't mind paying a little extra for a VR series lens. And from what I understand, the VR offers an extra stop or two as opposed to the in-camera SR on the Pentax.

If you have a fortune invested in Pentax lenses, I can see someone going with the K-5. But for those in my situation, it looks like Nikon is the way to go.

[ivoire]

I mean the price in the real shops,not inet.
than i can tell you what the price will be

At Calumet here in Chicago, $1399

[opiedog]

if the nikon is WR(whatever level) and has AF adjust, i think it will go neck-and-neck with the K5.
and at more like $200 below the k5 (k5 is rumored to be $1400 at start US dollars) that will be tough to compete with.