Hello Pentaxians:
I've been lurking on this site since June 2008. I am a "reformed" Nikon film shooter. When I decided to get into digital photography, I thought I needed to get a Nikon in order to use my Nikon lenses. I was agonizing over the choices--the D40X was in my price range, but the D60 had more of the features I (thought) I wanted. One day my wife asked, "Does it have to be a Nikon?" That was a good question; it didn't have to be. So, I opened my research to include all entry-level DSLRs. I went to all the review sites, including this forum. In all of my side-by-side comparisons, the K200D consistently came out the winner. When I went to a camera store and physically held all of the contenders, I was 90% sold on Pentax because of its build quality. When I saw the spectacular images in the Pentax Photo Gallery, and the super shots many of you include with your posts, I was sold! Caught a GREAT deal on a K200D with an 18-55mm kit lens on Amazon.com in September and I couldn't be happier with my choice! In two weeks I'll be heading for a month in Peru, and I've been promised a side trip to Cuzco/Machu Picchu (I know there are already about a gazillion pictures of Machu Picchu; nevertheless, there will soon be at least a gazillion and one!) Looking forward to posting when I get back. And, if I can raise my level of shooting to what I've seen on this forum and in the galleries, I'll feel justified in beginning augmentation of my Pentax "glass collection." (Sorry for the long post; after 8 months of lurking I got carried away.)