[jbmiller]

[QUOTE=Steven Yampolsky;155621] Unless you plan to make a living by selling great photos, either camera will be just fine. QUOTE]
The camera doesn't make the photo worth selling or not. I know of plenty of photographers that start with what they can afford and then buy what they need to do the type of photography that they want to do. "Professional" gear is supposed to be more rugged and withstand constant use. That's why they have more durable shutters, made of metal, weather sealing, etc. Wedding photographers seem to gravitate toward the Fuji S5 because they like the skin tones and the dynamic range. Does it operate fast? Not really. Definitely not like the D200 it is based on. Higher fps? I shot with the D200 and 40D. They just made me lazy on the field but I had to do more work to sort out the good ones when I got home. Then there's an interesting point my wife made. She took the 40D to her preschool and was taking candids of kids being kids. Well, she pointed out how noisy it was (shutter/mirror). Her previous Nikon D80 was a lot quieter and allowed her to get the kids without drawing attention to herself so much.

The bottom line is this: get what you think will do the job for the price you can pay and take it from there. I've recently sold the Canon gear that I bought to replace the Nikon gear. I now have a K10D and just ordered a D80 for my wife. I really like the K10D and I'm contemplating getting a K100D Super while they're still available. For $350 or so after rebate I can't see where I could go wrong. I want to try it out in gym and stage lighting with some f/2.8 lenses.

Miller

[rfortson]

The K100D rocks! I really like the in-body shake reduction, so Canon and Nikon are out for me. I'd also consider the E-510, but would be a little concerned about the smaller sensor and more noise in low light. The K100D handles low light shots about as well as any consumer camera out there.

My vote would be the K100D, followed by the E-510. I don't care for Canon, though they also take great pictures.

[Steven Yampolsky]

Unless you plan to make a living by selling great photos, either camera will be just fine.

The bottom line is this: get what you think will do the job for the price you can pay and take it from there.

Excellent point!

[shaolin95]

Well if anyone can tell me where to find it for $499 plus $100 rebate then I will jump on it for sure. It seems all links for that deal or gone but maybe someone knows of one.

[mike.hiran]

buydig.com has the old k100d body only for 360, and you can get the kit lens for around 60 bux off ebay (the non-super version does not have sensor cleaner or sdm lens support). or most craigslists will have some older (manual focus) lenses for under 50 if you want something that is better in lower light than the kit lens.

[SpecialK]

When I was developing an interest in DSLRs, I went to Circuit City that basically had Canon or Nikon. The Canon XTi was petite but fine size-wise. Nikon was a bit largish. I liked the Canon viewfinder a bit more but no major difference. At the time the XTi with 18-55 was about $800 and the Nikon with 18-135 was $1299. I was not that certain about my photo future but I did not want to spend that much, plus more for probably 3 lenses (from film days experience.)

After reading up and pricing lenses - which you should do first - the high prices for Canikon ruled them out even more.

I saw an Olympus elsewhere but it looked odd style-wise and just gave me no good vibrations like the Caniokons did.

During my browsing, I saw the KHundredD review on DCRP, and it sounded very good. I located one (next to that Oly) and it felt great in my hands. Looking through the viewfinder was a bit of a let down as there was no lens, nor, as far as I could tell, no power :-)

So, in my final decision process I saw that Pentax had a 10-17 fisheye zoom (for $320 at the time). Clinched. I bought the body-only and the fisheye from Beach, and the 18-50 and 70-300 from 2 other places the same weekend. The others came a few months later :-)

So, I went over budget a bit early, as we all do sooner or later. But I have no regrets and the K100D suits my style fine.

[shaolin95]

This decision has been killing me....I was decided for the K100D and then ShopNBC did their usual crap. Now I have the QVC option for the XTi but no matter how much I like the Canon I still like the K100D more and the IS is a BIG thing at least IMHO. Perhaps I am giving it more importance than it really has.
Since most comparisons are between Nikons and the XTi, its hard to have a feeling on how the XTi compares to the K100D performance wise and IQ wise.
Not it seems IQ is mostly on the lens and if I shoot RAW as I am planning then the lens becomes even more of a crucial factor...am I right?
Well...one more night of reading and waiting for either of 3 things to happen:

QVC processes my order for the XTi
ShopNBC finally processes my K100D
or better yet, find a used K100D Super to save a few bucks.

[SpecialK]

I unfortunately must get it from QVC, HSN or ShopNBC as they dont require credit....

What is your method of payment?

Note that there is no practical difference in the original K100D and the Super version. The Super has the ability to use the new more expensive lenses, it may be (not sure) weather-resistant (not weatherproof) and has "dust reduction" that does not eliminate the need for a decent rocket blower that all DSLR's require.

Still, the lenses are the more important end of things, so figure out a little of what you want there. You can always upgrade bodies, but once you have a collection of lenses you usually will keep them.

[and]

I have tried the 350D, so I can speak for that one, which I believe should be pretty similar.

The IQ is good (as is any of the 3), the AF is very fast.

The problem is the ergonomics and more importantly the...usability. its horrendous! so illogical!

some examples.
slow sync flash. this is automatic flash combines with a long shutter speed. normally I would expect that you enter a flash menu to set this, as it is with all other brands I have tried.

with the 350d, there is no flash menu. but if you are shooting Av mode, well then of course that means you want slow sync flash! so in Av you get slow sync (you dont know that unless u realize it from the shutter speed or read the manual) and in all the other modes you dont! youc an go into the custom menu of the camera and disable slow sync for Av mode. But you still cannot get it in any other mode! how stupid is that???

while I liked having buttons that let you directly enter the ISO and WB setttings in the menu, if you enter the menu via the menu key first, then you wont be able to press the iso button to get the iso menu, u have to exit the menu then press it. They are also "helpfull" in hiding most all of the menu options if you are in green mode. prolly good for beginners but I get that feeling I got when I used windows and entered explorer to find that it hid folders and files from me and I had to go through a dialog to be able to see the contents of a folder, in case I was going to mess it up. nice if you are a beginner but annoying if you arent. Also, I dont know about the k100d here, there is no preview of the WB, with the k10d its very nice that you can take a shot and then cycle the wb settings and see how it would look.

again I dont know how much they changed with the xti and i have never tried the olympus. actually i havent tried the k100d either, just ds and k10d. But i would not get the canon, because of the usability and menus, they are canons week point. the fast af is a strength. I normally do not recommend canon to anyone unless they want to go for the 5d or above. I generally wouldnt recommend oly due to the small sensors but I havent tried them and they do have their fanbase. I think nikons offerings are not bad but you have not included them here.

[jbmiller]

Well if anyone can tell me where to find it for $499 plus $100 rebate then I will jump on it for sure. It seems all links for that deal or gone but maybe someone knows of one.

Pentax K100D Super Digital Camera Body- Purchase along with DA 50-200mm Lens and get an additional $25 mail-in rebate!
$428.95 Body Only - $100 Rebate = $328.95. Kit lens can be had for $85 anywhere.

Some people have mixed feelings about Abes but I've ordered several items through the years and never had a problem.

Miller

[Mikhail]

Ive used both the XTi and K100D and my advise would be to get some hands on experience at your local camera store! Find one that has atleast 2 of your choices available to try with kit lenses and play with each back to back to get a feel for the camera. Nothing can beat that hands on experience.
Personally I prefer the K100D over the XTi not because I use pentax but it gives you far more bang for the buck, the grip is much nicer, you can use lovely old pentax glass... I do love the XTi over the K100D when you add the grip and maybe some L glass to the front [ which isnt in your price range anyway ]. Also the extra megapixels may come in handy as well for cropping or blow ups.
Still if it was between a K100d with kit lens and a XTi with kit lens Id take the K100D. Also its cheaper! But if you add the grip to the XTi and money wasnt a huge concern I'd go with the XTi because the extra grip length is very handy and I shoot a lot of verticals.
Eithery way you wont be disappointed with either camera!

Thanks

[axl]

I had chance to handle EOS 350D for a day. After that I decided I'd go Pentax or Nikon.
Oly is not such a contender for these reason:
1. Lens compatibility - only new 4/3 lenses fit
2. Lens prices - try to get ultra wide anlge and you'll see the difference
3. Noise performance at higher ISO due to small sensor
4. 3 AF points
So I was choosing between D50 and *ist DL2, and was leaning towards Nikon. But then D50 was discontinued (though I still could get it) and Pentax released K100D. According to reviews IQ of K100D is slightly better, and build quality & handling similar, with D50 being bigger. Plus don't forget you are getting SR for all your lenses with K100D! So I was waiting for Nikon's anwer. The day D40 was announced I knew which way to go.
I ended up with 2 K100D bodies and only reason to look back was, that I could get K10D instead of second K100D. But I'm happy anyway.
To put it shor: go for Pentax!

[heatherslightbox]

If you don't want to spend too much money, eBay would be a good option for used bodies. Like you, I really wanted a DSLR, but I couldn't afford to spend too much on it, so I managed to pick up an *istDS with 18-55 kit lens, and 50/2 manual lens, plus some other stuff like SD cards for $336, including shipping. I'm eventually going to upgrade my body and I'm not above getting yet another used body if the price is right.

As for financing your purchase, once you figure out what you want, then start saving up for it. Once you save up enough to buy a body and a kit lens, for example, then you can get the best deal from anywhere you want. If you have a Visa or Mastercard check card connected to your checking account, you can shop anywhere that takes Visa or Mastercard and nobody will know the difference. One thing I've discovered is that there isn't a whole lot in life worth going into debt for, even your hobbies.

In my search for a DSLR, I looked at everybody and Pentax came out as being the best value for my money. I'm planning on eventually upgrading to either the K10 or the rumored K200 and with the K10, if you compare it's features and price to it's Canon and Nikon equivalents, you can't beat the price. A major drawback of the C&N models is that you have to buy special, expensive lenses in order to get stabilzation. With the the D40/x, you just can't slap any Nikon lens and expect it to work properly because those models don't have the autofocusing motor in the body, so you have to buy lenses that have the AF motor in the lens, in which there aren't that many to choose from. With the D80 and above, that's not an issue, but the D80 costs more than I want to pay for a body. The major drawback with Olympus for me was the lack of lens choices and the prices of the lenses they do offer.

Have we sold you yet?

HTH,
Heather

[shaolin95]

:-)
NO worries...I dropped the Canon idea...I will be a Pentax owner no matter if it takes a bit longer than expected...I just couldnt find any reason to buy the Canon even though I tried. lol