Originally posted by n0sn3b17 Hey guys, brand new to this forum, and photography in general. I'm looking for a good entry level DSLR, and I've been recommended a Pentax k50 by multiple people. I'll be shooting pictures of my college campus, cars, sports, just dabbling in a little bit of everything.
If going with a Pentax, the K-50 or K-S2 would be my pick for a beginner or intermediate level photographer.
The K-50 is cheaper, the K-S2 has a slightly larger pixel count (20 vs the K-50's 16), a flippy screen, and WIFI built in.
The larger 'flagship' bodies (K-5, K-5 II, K-3, K-3 II, or the new full frame K-1) are generally a better all around camera, but they come with added weight and size. But they are also a bit more rugged too so it is a tradeoff.
On a tight budget I'd go with a K-50, 18-135mm WR, and an HD 55-300 WR
On a slightly larger budget, I'd upgrade to the K-S2 and same lenses
On a larger budget from that, I'd keep the K-S2 and start looking at even better lenses.
After you've exhausted the features of your camera body, and only then, I'd upgrade to a higher end model.
Really, the limiting factor at this point is going to be lens and light quality. You can buy the former, you must learn to make use of and potentially shape the other.
Prime (a lens with a single focal length) lenses are generally sharper and lighter than Zooms but you are 'stuck' with a single focal length. On the forum, you'll find those who appreciate Primes more than Zooms and some (like me) who are the opposite. It is a personal choice.
For the time being, I'd just take a camera and a kit lens and go learn photography fundamentals by both trial and error and asking questions (both us and google). -- I bring this up since we live in a society that researches technical specs of our gadgetry to no end but often fails to research technique on using said gadgets. And photography is one where you have the capability to be in control of what the final outcome is.. your photograph. So, please, don't just stop at buying a fancy camera and lens and then expecting the camera to do the work (not that I think YOU personally are going to do this; just beginners in general) -- take a little time to understand proper exposure, composition, and the general fundamentals of photography.
---------- Post added 05-30-16 at 12:34 PM ----------
oh and don't buy that Canon Rebel XTi that dude is trying to sell you regardless of what you do -- its an ancient relic. If you decide upon a Canon, go with a newer body -- a T3i or a T4i would be a decent entry level. Skip the T3, T4, or T5 without the 'i' at the end.
One other aspect that hasn't been mentioned -- once decided upon a brand, you are somewhat fixing yourself to that particular brand's products. More specifically, Canon has a proprietary lens mount (camera body only accepts lenses made for it specifically -- EF mount), Nikon has their own (F mount), and Pentax has their own too (K mount).
So you will need to buy Canon EF or EF-S lenses for your Canon body, or Nikon F mount lenses for your Nikon body, or Pentax K mount lenses for your Pentax body. There are 3rd parties that make lenses too so you would buy (as example) a Sigma 18-35mm in EF mount for Canon or a Sigma 18-35mm in K mount for Pentax. You can't use the EF mount lenses on the Pentax and vice versa.
So maybe consider that too.. before you get too deep down the rabbit hole.
Pentax is going to give you the best bang for your buck and have the superior weather sealing. Canon and Nikon have deeper modern lens support currently if you have deeper pockets for the thousand dollar glass.