[Billy]

m8o - just looked at some of your photos in your gallery - very impressive!

[Confused]

Hi Billy

Re your query:

"Were you a *newcomer to SLR cameras when you bought your K10D or did you have a background in film SLRs" ?

Nope* ! I still have a pair of old Olympus OM1 35mm film bodies & a selection of lenses, including a wonderful 35mm f2.8 p/c lens. Later on I added a Mamiya medium format body & 50mm f4.0 p/c lens (both perspective-correction lenses primarily used for taking architectural photography). However in their unfathomable wisdom, Olympus decided to abandon the reliable OM-bayonet mount when they eventually went into making DSLR's and I simply had no option but to ditch Olympus in return ! I'd also love to be continue using my Mamiya 50mm f4.0 on a digital SLR, but don't fancy shelling out somewhere in the region of £8,000.00 for the privilege of purchasing their latest ZD body, whose CCD sensor isn't even full-frame 60mm x 45mm, but only 48mm x 36mm ! Go figure.........

Best regards
Richard

P.S. The only Pentax lenses that are supposedly weatherproof are the specific range of expensive DA ones !

[m8o]

I was thinking a similar thing in the shop today, I played with the Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus models and thought none of them felt as "right" in my hands as the Pentax.

Here Here ... or is it Hear Hear?! I big factor for me too... I will probably never buy another D-SLR again w/o both front and rear selector dials.

My primary reasons for going with the K10D: Why did you choose Pentax ?
If you haven't read the thread yet, give it a look-see. Who knows, might be the final encouragement you need!

Glad you enjoyed the pix I've posted. If you take a look at my gallery et al on Fotki.com, just realize a good bunch of those were taken w/a point & shoot before the K10D (most in myKar Krazy gallery, and the older dog albums) Tanzania was all Pentax however. And as you can see with the various "testing..." albums, LBA [lens buying addiction] has taken a firm hold on me in the few months I owned the camera body!

[sluggo913]

All of us that have come upon buying our gear have gone about it in differant ways, but the results are still the same you won't be dissapointed with your choice of a k10d. This was my first new camera in about thirty years going from slr and it was the one that felt right the d80 was close but my gut told me otherwise. Good luck with your gift from santa hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine.

[Canada_Rockies]

My K10D will be here in one week. I do have a pile of legacy lenses, bodies and flashes (see my sig) but as you can see, I have also shelled out for three of the Pentax DA lenses, so I could have gone to any system with not much penalty.

You might notice that two of the three new lenses are the weather proof DA* lenses, and the other one goes really, really, wide.

I am won over by the reviews of the K10D by people who have tested them outside the laboratory. Example, a review in the October/November issue of "PRO Digital Imaging" resulted in the reviewer standing in a nor'-easter on the back end of a tug boat for 90 minutes to take photos of another tug boat (on assignment). The K10D just ignored the weather and kept on shooting. Sold me!

On the web somewhere there is an image of one covered in s**t coloured mud - they poured a bucket of water over it and kept on shooting.

One other factor to keep in mind is the ease of use. Even pop photo had to admit that the K10D and its baby sister the K100D are intuitive to use. Just as an experiment I handed my MZ-S and 24-90 mounted to a friend, with no instructions at all. "Here, take a picture". After a short search he found the on switch, turned it on and took a shot.

In my book, the best system in the world is of no use when every time you need to change a setting, you have to take the camera from your eye. Pentax has got this need taped.

[raider]

I am a budget conscious person and I currently owned a k100D.

I have also handled the canon 400D, nikon D40x, D80 and olympus E-510 at the shops and I must say I agree with you that the Canon 400D seem a little plasticky. The Nikon D40x does not have the body AF motor and I think that is a critical feature. The Nikon D80 feels good and is quite solid but its budget is beyond my capabilities. I also find VR lenses are also generally more expensive, but some people may say that that's the price you pay for good lenses. Anyway...

Olympus E-510 is very small but quite well built (even though it says assembled in China). I like its menu system..very intuitive. I am not sure of its shake reduction thingy as I tried to set the shake reduction setting to IS2 in the menu system and the pic I get is not that sharp. Perhaps I am missing some settings. My wife like the E-510 as it fits in her hand perfectly.

So, I am down to the k100D. The only problems I face is that locally, not many shops carry pentax lenses and accessories and trying to find stuff like flashes is a nightmare. There are much more choices for lenses/flashes for canon/nikon cameras and I feel that is a good thing. I wish this apply to the pentax system.

To be honest, the idea of switching system did cross my mind, after several months of getting my k100D. But after weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to hang on to the pentax system.

Hope this help you in deciding your new DSLR

[TaoMaas]

Were you a newcomer to SLR cameras when you bought your K10D or did you have a background in film SLRs?
If you were a total beginner like me how do you find your new toy, is it easy enough to get to grips with?

Don't worry about the K10D being too hard to learn. It's possible to use it just like your Elph, where all you have to do is turn it on and press the shutter button to take a pic. Granted, it makes a pretty expensive "point-and-shoot", but it CAN be used that way quite successfully.

[RiceHigh]

My answer would not be a favourable one. But my true advice is to forget both.

As for the K10D, it has been heavily rumoured that new Pentax DSLR(s?) are due to come in January. So, why not wait for just two more months if you're really interested in Pentax? Although the K10D has good feature set and maybe ergonomics as well, the image quality is indeed not up to standard in the competition, truly speaking. Just see the latest example below, for head-to-head comparison shots side-by-side between the K10 and the 40D:-

40D vs. K10D at ISO800/1600

I'm sure that the next Pentax DSLR should be (much?) improved. So, don't get a soon to be replaced model of which some of the image quality problems might to be able to get resolved/addressed.

For the Olympus, why bother to get a 2X focal DSLR system with a much dimmer and smaller viewfinder and a noiser sensor as well. What's the point of using a DSLR? - It's for the larger sensor which gives better image quality! Yes, it's about the IMAGE QUALITY afterall!

[PaulAndAPentax]

My answer would not be a favourable one. But my true advice is to forget both.

As for the K10D, it has been heavily rumoured that new Pentax DSLR(s?) are due to come in January. So, why not wait for just two more months if you're really interested in Pentax? Although the K10D has good feature set and maybe ergonomics as well, the image quality is indeed not up to standard in the competition, truly speaking. Just see the latest example below, for head-to-head comparison shots side-by-side between the K10 and the 40D:-

40D vs. K10D at ISO800/1600

I'm sure that the next Pentax DSLR should be (much?) improved. So, don't get a soon to be replaced model of which some of the image quality problems might to be able to get resolved/addressed.

For the Olympus, why bother to get a 2X focal DSLR system with a much dimmer and smaller viewfinder and a noiser sensor as well. What's the point of using a DSLR? - It's for the larger sensor which gives better image quality! Yes, it's about the IMAGE QUALITY afterall!

I agree with the advice about the Oly.....cameras are going with larger sensors and getting better results. I also am waiting for the new Pentax (as well) to add a second body to my K10D. I have been pleased with my K10D. Please see my links for images that I think are of pretty good image quality. I do some post processing, but overall, not a ton.

Concerning the noise tests above, and not to high-jack the thread...I think the color from the Pentax looks more natural and I also think the tests would have been fairer using primes for both cameras. Of course a prime lens is going to outperform a zoom. Match up Canon and Pentax's 50mm primes and then conduct the test. I don't mind noise btw, I prefer to use Neat Image which works quite nicely.

Here is an example of what I think is excellent image quality....not sure why this is such an issue....

[Crescent City]

As far as waiting until January, remeber that all you will see in January is an announcement, the actual camera will probably appear on shelves some three or four months later. Also, expect the new camera to cost considerably more than a k10D, and it will likely be an even more advanced camera. And of course, it is all speculation that Pentax even has a new camera in the works.

One thing no one has mentioned is that the 4/3rds sensor on the Olympus produces an image with a different aspect ratio, one that is more square than rectangular. Its really more of a question of preference, but something you should consider. Look at some images created on an Olympus and you will immediatley see the difference. Personally, I like the 4/3rds aspect. I wouldn't let all the talk about high ISO noise sway your opinion. Both cameras have excellent image quality, and unless you plan on becoming a fine art photographer, you should be quite pleased with both. My only observation about the Olympus is that the lenses seem quite expensive, not that Pentax lenses are especially cheap. Finally, there its certainly a question as to Pentax's viability going forward. The DSLR market is awfully crowded and Pentax faces some very stiff competition. For me personally, if that hapens, I will deal with it, the camera should work for many years to come. ch

[JamesD]

Finally, there its certainly a question as to Pentax's viability going forward. The DSLR market is awfully crowded and Pentax faces some very stiff competition. For me personally, if that hapens, I will deal with it, the camera should work for many years to come. ch

In my opinion, you made several good points (all of which have been discussed in this thread). And as several have already pointed out, either camera will give you great images provided you learn their foibles and how to work with them. It's really more a matter of what you are willing to live with. As I mentioned a few days ago, my own decision made two months ago, was between the Olympus and the Pentax and having made it in favor of the Pentax for the reasons given above, I couldn't be more content. As to the quote above... again, I completely agree with its sentiment. Our k10d's will last us for many years so I'm not really overly concerned about the future. None of us can predict the future anyway and all the wild speculation is pretty much pointless although I understand that some folks love to predict doom and gloom. I tend to take a more positive approach to life and to the issue at hand: Pentax.

All the best to you in your decision-making. Either way, you'll be happy I'm sure.

[Billy]

Its probably true to say that the absolutely worst time to ever buy anything is today - if only you'd bought last month we had offers x and y, if only you'd waited until next month we had Gadget 2.1, way better than Gadget 1.0

I've had my little Canon for around 4 years and even though it was probably obsolete the afternoon after the morning I bought it, I haven't regretted a penny of it. I Just think I'm ready to try some real photography and the Pentax just seems to offer by far the best VFM to my newbie wallet.
Everything I've had before is a Canon, including my trusty MVX4i video camera, but I thought this Pentax was by far the best one in my price range.
Will Pentax be around in 5 years time? Probably.
Will my (future) K10d? Undoubtedly!

I need to price up a basic lens outfit too, well at least one anyway!
What is a 'prime' lens ? Is that not a zoom lens?
What lens - or lenses - do you guys think I should look into investing in?
Are lenses weatherproof?
Do they vary in quality? Would I even notice the difference between fancy lens x and budget lens y ?
I'm happy to invest money if there's a benefit.

Once again a big thank you for everyone who has offered help.
You really are a friendly bunch on this forum

[Billy]

Just found this page from Beach Cameras listing everythign for the K10D on
Pentax K10D 10MP Digital SLR Body (lens not included) with Free 2GB memory Card
Converting the $ price into £ makes it practically free.

What lenses and accessories would you recommend, other than the clone battery as I only like using original maker's batteries since a mate had an accident with his camcorder and a cheap battery!

[SHIFT]

I've owned 2 point and shoot Olympus's and the E-500 so I give my opinion of the brand. The major downsides are:
1) Noise - Shoot anything above 400ISO and it was like shooting pretty closer to 1,600 than 800 on the K10D. Hopefully they improved but hard to say.
2) Focusing - Really slow. Some things were impossible to focus if not at all. Never experienced a problem with the K10D.
3) Colors were pretty dull. Was not satisfied with a single picture no many how many different exposures I took. Something about the algorithms Olympus uses.

However, I bought it for cheap and it felt good in my hands. Had more features than the D50 and Rebel XT at the time but obviously at a cost.

My recommendation is to buy the K10D. By far the best bang for dollar DSLR on the market right now.

[Lloydy]

My other hobby is competing in off road 4x4 trials, which is one sport where mud and rain are welcome

Between driving the sections I take a lot of pictures, and my K10 has been out in the rain and plastered in Welsh mud propelled by some lead footed drivers spinning wheels, which is no way to treat a camera of any description I know.



It's good for action shots as well, that's one of three as the guy rolled over backwards.



I was stood in the river taking these shots, getting the spray as they accelerated to get up the river bank.

But so far, so good. I wipe it down carefully and it looks as good as new.
Dave