Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Atlanta, Ga Original Poster |
Where to start? First, let me state that as much as photography has become my primary hobby these days, I am a bit of a gear head. So my moves to Canon and Nikon were probably not as motivated by my dissatisfaction with my K100 or my K20, as they were with just wanting to try something different. That being said, I can certainly relate my experiences with the different systems I have tried.
Canon: I had a 40D for about a year. The camera felt solid in my hand and the ergonomics were decent. The sensor was fine, if a bit noisy, compared to the K100. At the time I owned the 40D, stabilized lenses were still quite expensive and the third part offerings were much sparser than they are now. I hate tripods. I use them more these days, but loath them. So, I missed the in-body IS of pentax. While I noted a difference in the way images looked from the K100 to the 40D, I can't honestly say that one was superior, just different.
Nikon: I really like the Nikon system and products. For me, the mid level Nikons (I owned the D90) are second to none. The D90 felt good in the hand, produced very nice images, had a reasonable assortment of lenses that the lay person could afford and the community seems to be a little friendlier than the Canon folks. The speedlight was a joy to use and second hand SB600s are plentiful and inexpensive. I think Nikon nailed it (at the time) with their emphasis on reducing noise too. Can't say anything bad about Nikon, unless you want weather sealing.
Pentax: So if I liked Nikon so much, why not just go with the D7000? After all, same sensor as the K5, dual SD slots, better video handling (reportedly) etc. etc. It's the weather sealing. My other hobbies are outdoors, hiking, fishing, etc. I sold the K20 just before they announced the WR kit lenses, I was sick to my stomach about that. I am really excited to get my hands on the K5 when it comes down in price just a tad. With the sensor reportedly dealing with noise very well, the weather sealing being class leading and the compact, tough body, its pretty much everything I need/want out of a camera. The video will be nice from time to time I suppose, but I very rarely used the D90 for video and can't imagine using the video on the K5 that often either.
Ultimately, they are all nice systems, I can say that for the general shooter, these days there is not a considerable cost savings to be had when buying mid range glass. You end up spending about the same amount of money. I think Pentax has a massive edge in the budget segment of he market due to the in body IS and backwards compatibility. Nikon will probably come out with some cheaper WR glass now with the D7000 being slightly weather sealed, but once I pick up a K5, I am hoping to settle in. I haven't lost large amounts of money switching systems, but I would obviously have a nicer selection of lenses if I would have just stayed with Pentax from the get go. My one regret is selling the 50 1.4 for $75...ugh...I only paid $100 for it a Frys at the time, who knew Pentax would just abandon the fast 50 end of the market? While I much preferred the Pentax 50 1.4 to either the Canon or Nikon 1.8's at least they offer them and they are CHEAP. Still not sure why Pentax doesn't put out an inexpensive 50. With the in body IS, it would be a killer lens!
Probably the greatest thing I learned going through all three systems is that the advantages and disadvantages of any of the systems are more perception than reality. Yes, if you have a very particular style of shooting, are a pro, or need a certain specific capability (WR, IS, ETC), one might be "better", but its not clear cut. With as fast as technology is moving right now, the shortfall of one system one day, might be its strength the next, and vice versa. I like Pentax, I like the people who use the camera's and I like the built in IS and WR. For me, those make the Pentax system attractive, but I don't think Pentax or Canikon or Oly or Sony, offer products truly different enough to make themselves stand out for the generalist, hobby shooter. That's probably a good thing as that is pushing the technology forward at an incredible pace! For now, I just want to settle in with the K5 when it gets here and concentrate on taking pics and forget about the gear for awhile...Just my .02....
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