[Cvrn]

I currently have a K10d and am debating on the new K20 or switching over to the D200. I am still a MAJOR ROOKIE at photo but love shooting.

What are going to be the pros and cons of each camera, is one more user freindly, will one shoot better in low light conditions, etc.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[tux08902]

Why not just stick with the K10D and get better glass? Neither camera would present a significant camera over what you currently have.

[ricardobeat]

I currently have a K10d and am debating on the new K20 or switching over to the D200. I am still a MAJOR ROOKIE at photo but love shooting.

What are going to be the pros and cons of each camera, is one more user freindly, will one shoot better in low light conditions, etc.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

If you're looking for a user-friendly camera that shoots better than the K10D in low light, you shouild downgrade to the K100. It's a great camera

I think the K20D is enough of an improvement, and am preparing to sell my GX-10 soon... it's just annoying not being able to use high ISO after you get used to the K100D. In that light, the K20D will be a much better performer than the D200 - the real competitor would be the D300.

You do know that switching to Nikon will cost you 2 to 3 times more than Pentax, if you want the same lenses, right? If the camera system is not limiting your ability, there is no reason to switch.

[Buddha Jones]

Mega pixels smexapixels, keep the K10D and get a K100D/Super on the cheap to shoot the lowlight conditions. Since you are a MAJOR ROOKIE as you put it, all the new bells and whistles will do nothing for you. Put the money you save on getting new lenses.

[Gooshin]

at this point i think the K200D is a waste, its just a K10D with updated SR and dust removal.

id go for the K100D super, cost less, and you get ISO3200 capability and very usable iso1600.

[Ash]

Keep your K10D and get to know what it can do better.
You've already got a great camera, but we don't know what lenses you have.
Low lighting needs faster lenses, not really a different body.
So get an FA 50/1.4 if you don't already have it, or if you've got the money and need zoom, go DA* 16-50 and/or DA 50-135. Can't beat the combo on the K10D!

[Cvrn]

Thanks all!

So you all see no reason to go to the K20 that has 14 meg and CMOS?

I was leaning towards the K20 simply because the lenses I have, and the upgrades to the K20.

I now have a Sigma 70-300 and the 18-55 that came with the body as well as i bought a Sigma 50-500mm that I am wishing when I bought it i would have done a different lens though.

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Last edited by Cvrn; 02-24-2008 at 02:48 PM. Reason: wrong spelling

[Gooshin]

Thanks all!

So you all see no reason to go to the K20 that has 14 meg and CMOS?

I was leaning towards the K20 simply because the lenses I have, and the upgrades to the K20.

I know have a Sigma 70-300 and the 18-55 that came with the body as well as i bought a Sigma 50-500mm that I am wishing when I bought it i would have done a different lens though.

the K20D is going to be a serious peice of hardware, i would only suggest buying it if you need the slight increase in IQ and the ability to shoot ISO6400.

otherwise the current stock will more than satisfy your SLR needs.

[heatherslightbox]

I now have a Sigma 70-300 and the 18-55 that came with the body as well as i bought a Sigma 50-500mm that I am wishing when I bought it i would have done a different lens though.

If you're having buyer's remorse over the Bigma, why don't you just sell it and pick up a higher quality wider-angle lens or 2 (upgrade your kit lens)? You've got some great choices out there like the DA 16-45/4, Sigma 17-70/2.8-4 macro, Sigma 18-50/2.8 macro, Tamron 28-75/2.8, Pentax *16-50/2.8 (if you can get a hold of a copy that doesn't have QC issues) in the way of zooms. There are also Pentax's excellent limited primes--the "pancakes": 21, 40, and 70mm, as well as the FA Ltd. primes: the 31, 43, and 77mm; in addition to the 50/1.4, they would make excellent low-light choices, as well.

If you've got the APO version of the Sigma 70-300, you should stick with that because for the price, the IQ is great and it has a macro feature, just in case you're interested in that. If you need longer than 300 on occasion, then you might want to consider getting a teleconverter.

Something else that you might consider getting is a book titled "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. It's a great book that will help you develop your skills as a photographer and comes highly recommended by me and a lot of other people around here. Next month, he's coming out with another book titled "Understanding Shutter Speed", which I'm looking forward to getting my hands, on as well. He writes in an easy-to-understand style and uses a lot of great color pics as examples of what he's trying to explain.

HTH,
Heather

[rvannatta]

Thanks all!

So you all see no reason to go to the K20 that has 14 meg and CMOS?

I was leaning towards the K20 simply because the lenses I have, and the upgrades to the K20.

I now have a Sigma 70-300 and the 18-55 that came with the body as well as i bought a Sigma 50-500mm that I am wishing when I bought it i would have done a different lens though.

the fun of photography is a major collection of a wide variety of lenses. If you are going to jump brands every 15 minutes, you can never accumulate the width and depth of a lense assortment that makes photography fun.

I started with Pentax nearly 40 years ago, because they even they had a reputation for backwards compatibililtly within their lens family. Camera bodies will come and go. Some will be better than others---some great some forgettable. At least historically the Pentax lenses have been of good quality but less epensive that those of the better known competitiors.

The camera boody folks will produce a new model body every 12 to 18 months from now to eternity. If you are gonna buy all of them you better have a lot of $$$$. I'm only leaning toward an upgrade to the k20 because
there are some characteristics of the K10 that annoy me, but I'm not so annoyed that i have pre-ordered.

I may end up buying another lens first.

[AgentFixer]

I'd stick with the K10D and beef up my Lens Collection....get some Fast glass and use that for shooting in low light. I personally don't find myself shooting at the higher ISO's. I will rarely shoot at 1600. In terms of the D200...yes, it's a great camera, my friend has it and he loves it, and well, I dig it as well, but save your money and invest in something else. Also, as a major rookie, just keep shooting. I'm very much a rookie myself, but i'm going through reading as many books, tutorials and what not as possible. I'm also going out at different times testing myself.

Anways, just my 2 cents.

-Mark

[pentkon52]

Maybe this will help.

I have both cameras, a D200 and a K10D. Since buying my K10D a little over a year ago, i have put the sum total of 100 frames on the D200.

I find the K10D has nicer colour to the photos, and the D200 is a bit crippled with the SB80DX flash. The K10D with Pentax 360 does a better flash job.

Dave

[aegisphan]

Pentax system does give you a very high price/performance ratio. Like other said, you don't need the new K20D at all since you are not going to make any big print size. Use your current system to learn more about photography instead before any major investment: learn to do both auto-focus and manual-focus, for instance. Familiarize your self with the iso quality of the K10D to appreciate the improvement of the future camera.

As for lens, I wouldn't go buy another lens. I would suggest you to find out about your shooting style since your current lenses cover a large range of photography. Shoot and study the Exif would reveal much about your personal reference.

After all of these, I guess you will have a much better idea as to which option would fit you best (buy more lens or switch to another brand). If you really love shooting, this process wouldn't take you that long. In addition, read more photography books to gain a faster understanding.

As with any new hobby, don't go too fast, take time to learn.

[Buddha Jones]

You own a total of 3 lenses and are already looking to upgrade the body. No offense, but that is just too damn funny.

[christinelandon]

Why not just stick with the K10D and get better glass? Neither camera would present a significant camera over what you currently have.

That's about it. The K10D will take you quite a long way into developing your skills for at least a couple of years. Investing in more, quality lenses will broaden your toolset and will do more for your learning curve than a new body right now. If you should later decide to switch brands, I think you'd find that the used market value of higher-quality Pentax lenses holds up very well. No significant downside, lots to gain. I don't see a need to develop BBA (body buying addiction) just yet.