[mrrookie]

Hello everyone!

Well... im new here so this will also be some sort of introduction.

Im a mexican student, 22 years old who has always shown interest in photography but could never afford getting into it, until now (film cameras are cheap but film and their processing cost might be a bit prohibitive if you do it often around here).

The thing is that i've been reading a lot about photography (at least the theorethical part of it), and i do feel very inclined torwards a dSLR, the only little problem is that i dont know which one.

For what i've read, the k10d seems like a pretty sweet camera for those who like to stay out of the dumb modes, has a lot of features and you don't have to sell a kidney to afford one, but im still very unsure because i still ignore many things about photography in general.

I still haven't got married with any brand so i guess i will have to choose a way. Therefore i would like to ask you this:

Is Pentax the right way for me?.

If this helps, i'd like to use the camera for many, many things, but mainly landscapes, urban photography and portraits. Wild life is out of the question because i have yet to figure out a way to steal a bank without getting caught in order to afford one of those sweet sweet wide teles

BTW i have a sentimental relationship with a pentax camera who belonged to my father, who died when i was 4, it was an M series.

Thanks everyone for reading this, sorry for the drama!

[chrisca70]

Hi:

I'm also a newbie, and was able to buy my first dSLR a month ago. I did lots of research and I believe all these good brands (Nikon, Canon, Pentax) offer great quality in their machines. I've been reading photography books non-stop since then! Lots of things to learn.

I chose a Pentax K100D Super mainly for three reasons:

1. Great price
2. Compatible with Lots of available affordable lenses
3. I really liked the looks and feel when I went to the store to try it. You should really do this, this was the last and decisive step that inclined the balance towards a Pentax.

Hope this helps you!

[SpecialK]

Therefore i would like to ask you this:

You are asking a group that owns or shoots Pentax for the most part....:-)
I would recommend the older K100D without lens (still available at Beach camera),
Pentax K100D Digital SLR Body (lens not included) |BeachCamera.com

and the slightly older version of the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 lens, for a start.
Amazon.com: Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 EX DC Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

The Pentax 50-200 is a decent zoom, and you get $25 off if you get it with the body.
Pentax smc DA 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED with USA Warranty |BeachCamera.com

Any of the current DSLR's on the market are good. It is the specific features and fit in your hand that make the difference. And the availability of lenses.

Try KEH Camera: Used Cameras, Digital Cameras, Film Cameras, Laptop Computers and More. for used lenses.

[paolojackson]

Just got a K10D and I think it's fantastic.

This is my first DSLR camera, but I did get to play with a Nikon D40 prior to my purchase. The D40 isn't bad, but the K10D felt so much better...you just gotta try it.

Good luck!

[sluggo913]

The obvious is to say by the K10D, But you have to decide for yourself feel the camera's. What feels right to you? The pricing, what are you getting for what you can afford? Do you want to be a leader or a follower? In my research before buying a K10D I looked at a lot of reviews and what I found was it (the K10D) was always compaired to canon and nikon at another level (not the same price range). I then went and held the cameras and played with them and found that the Pentax was the the one that felt like it was worth my hard earned money, I have not been disappointed as of yet and two people I work with have purchased the K10D since seeing the pictures from mine and today I was asked by a coworker if I could take a yearbook photo of his son for him and the boss asked to borrow my camera for something he had a chance to shoot, but I didn't have it with me. Yes it has it drawbacks but it has it's advantages as well I LOVE mine and after 1000+ shots since October I would not trade it for anything. Hope this helps.

[Snowcat]

Well actually on THIS forum the answers you'll get are obvious. You can read my blog, the bottom article, there I wrote why I chose Pentax over all others.

And now as K10D prices are extremely nice... Well... for about 600$ (as it seems) you can get a camera, that can be compared and that by many means better then $1700 rivals! In combination with comfortable usage of cheap (but still GREAT) legacy lenses - what choise is better for a person with limited budget?

Get K10D, and believe me, you won't be disappointed!

[Mike Cash]

For people on a budget, the advantage of being able to use practically any lens Pentax has ever made can't be stressed enough. The majority of my lenses are screwmount lenses from the 1960s and early 1970s. They were wonderful lenses back then and they are still wonderful lenses today. And you can fill up a bag full of them for the cost of one modern mid-quality lens.

After having built a pretty complete range of screwmount lenses that let me cover everything from macro to portrait to telephoto (and relatively cheaply), I can now start slowly adding more modern lenses for specialty use, which I have recently started doing.

And let us not forget that the in-body Shake Reduction feature from Pentax means that each and every one of those lenses....even the 40 year old lenses....are image stabilized.

[Lowell Goudge]

You are asking a group that owns or shoots Pentax for the most part....:-)

Maybe he should ask RiceHigh just to get a ballanced view, or perhaps that will push him too far towards pentax

[Finn]

For people on a budget, the advantage of being able to use practically any lens Pentax has ever made can't be stressed enough. The majority of my lenses are screwmount lenses from the 1960s and early 1970s. They were wonderful lenses back then and they are still wonderful lenses today. And you can fill up a bag full of them for the cost of one modern mid-quality lens.

After having built a pretty complete range of screwmount lenses that let me cover everything from macro to portrait to telephoto (and relatively cheaply), I can now start slowly adding more modern lenses for specialty use, which I have recently started doing.

And let us not forget that the in-body Shake Reduction feature from Pentax means that each and every one of those lenses....even the 40 year old lenses....are image stabilized.

Exactly what I was going to say. I started into digital in the same situation (a student with no money), but I was still able to buy some of the best lenses ever made, for next to nothing. The same cannot be said of Nikon or Canon.

[Finn]

Oh, same goes for Olympus and Sony, too. I don't want to buy into the same 2-company myth!

A little OT: why on EARTH didn't Olympus include backwards compatibility with their awesome old Zuiko lenses?!

[Falcons]

Go the Pentax - Girls love it. Or is it just Pentax owners are better looking than average.

A little OT: why on EARTH didn't Olympus include backwards compatibility with their awesome old Zuiko lenses?!

It is the only way to sell the new expensive lenses

[Tom M]

You've come to a Pentax forum asking what brand to buy.. lol

Anyway - The Pentax system will allow you to experiment with different types of photography for considerably less money than the other systems while still providing professional results. Not to mention, for much less money you get a far more competent camera with features not found in the competition until you spend thousands of dollars for the body alone.

Pentax all the way. No doubts about it.

[Confused]

Hi Finn

Why on EARTH didn't Olympus include backwards compatibility with their awesome old Zuiko lenses?!

As a long-time advocate of the Olympus OM system, their insane abandonment of the OM bayonet-mount and wonderful range of lenses is something I've never been able to forgive them for !!

As Gruoso so adroitly pointed out:

It is the only way to sell the new expensive lenses

Eventual solution: after much heart-searching, I was reluctantly left with little alternative but to abandon the sinking ship
'SS Olympus' and swim towards Pentax Atol !!! Which in an interesting and kind of roundabout way is why I am actually rather grateful that it enabled me to discover and fall in love with my present K10D, which comprehensively whips the ass with
ANYTHING that Olympus currently have to offer with their stupid 4/3rds standard.
Whoever dreamed-up that misconceived notion deserves to be ritually disembowelled in front of a very large audience.
Rant over !!!!!

Best regards
Richard

[travis_cooper]

My choice came down to price. I didn't know anything about photography before buying my camera, but I knew that I needed to get an slr. So I went down to the local Ritz and tried out some cameras, I think I played with the rebel xti, and a nikon, all with similar specs to the K110D. I liked the feel of the pentax for sure, and from my very limited knowledge it looked like the cameras all did about the same thing, so I got the pentax because it was a lot cheaper.

Now that I know something about photography I don't regret my pentax decision at all, I just wish I would have got the K10D instead, there are a lot of cool features that I would find useful on that one that I didn't know about before, meaning I didn't know what the features even did when I bought my camera. Also the Ritz store didn't carry the K10D so I didn't even get to play with it.

It all comes down to what feels best in your hands and any specific features you need. I think the pentax picture quality competes with, and is better in a lot of cases, all the brands out there. What is right for you really comes down to what you need. Although I would suggest learning some things before spending the money. If you know what features you need in a camera then you won't have the experience I did, although I'm happy with my camera, I would be a lot more happy with the K10D.