[brindlefly99]

Hi folks.

I tried to search for this topic, but couldn't find it, so please forgive me if this is the 6000th time this has been asked...

As a first time DSLR user and soon to be owner, I'm a little overwhelmed at the choices. I have read the rave reviews from many on this forum about the
K100D. I've seen it locally advertised as body only, kit w/ 18-55mm lens and the 2 lens kit w/ 18-55mm and 50-200mm. At approx. 150.00 or so dollars more than the 1 lens kit, is the 2 lens kit the way to go? I thought about body only and just using the lenses I have now, a 24, 50 and a 135.

I also wonder about maybe getting a used DS model, as they are quite reasonably priced. I just worry about warranty issues.
Is the SR feature worth the extra $ (am I correct that that is the only difference btween the K110D and the K100D?) I don't want to spend the money on more camera than I need.

Yikes, I'll stop rattling on now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[-=JoN=-]

yeah, the SR is worth the extra dough.
helps out in a lot of ways.

[Alvin]

Hi Brindlefly,

First off, welcome to the forums! I haven't wandered through the welcome threads for some time.

There is one difference between the DS and the K100/110 you didn't note. It is the viewfinder. I handled both of them and the K100 is a bit heavier than the DS because of the SR, but oh how I like the viewfinder on the DS!

You have a good set of lenses too. Are they K, M, A?

Looking forward to your response.

Hi folks.

I tried to search for this topic, but couldn't find it, so please forgive me if this is the 6000th time this has been asked...

As a first time DSLR user and soon to be owner, I'm a little overwhelmed at the choices. I have read the rave reviews from many on this forum about the
K100D. I've seen it locally advertised as body only, kit w/ 18-55mm lens and the 2 lens kit w/ 18-55mm and 50-200mm. At approx. 150.00 or so dollars more than the 1 lens kit, is the 2 lens kit the way to go? I thought about body only and just using the lenses I have now, a 24, 50 and a 135.

I also wonder about maybe getting a used DS model, as they are quite reasonably priced. I just worry about warranty issues.
Is the SR feature worth the extra $ (am I correct that that is the only difference btween the K110D and the K100D?) I don't want to spend the money on more camera than I need.

Yikes, I'll stop rattling on now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[ecce38]

Brindlefly,

I'm a first time DSLR owner myself as of saturday. I went with the K10D b/c I wanted a camera I could grow with. I seriously looked at the K100 too, but felt that it would not give me the flexibility I would want in the future. It all depends on what you want to do. But go with your gut feelings. I did, and I think I'm going to be very happy, and the SR is a must have feature.

[Tom Brown]

For my taste, the K100D/K110D kick out smoother images than previous generations. I've always been a big Canon fan (and still have two Canon P&S digitals) because of the smooth output if you set them to low sharpening. It would seem Pentax can create comperable silky smooth images as Canon and Nikon these days.

I've seen some pretty impressive pictures from DS and earlier cameras, though. In fact, the more I see of people's shots, the more I can see there was little justification for my previous Canon/Nikon snobbery.

By the way, I went for the 2 lens kit and have really enjoyed having the range while I ponder the idea of buying a bunch of lenses I don't really need but really want. What lenses are right for you is a whole different story, though.

[xecutech]

Well, since you didn't mention a budget, i would highly recommend the k10d if you can afford it. I was in your shoes over a week ago and finally decided to spend the extra money and get what I really wanted.
If price is a factor, then the k100d might be the way to go. I had it narrowed down to the k10d and the nikon d80 and I am very happy going with pentax!

[slip]

Hi folks.

I tried to search for this topic, but couldn't find it, so please forgive me if this is the 6000th time this has been asked...

As a first time DSLR user and soon to be owner, I'm a little overwhelmed at the choices. I have read the rave reviews from many on this forum about the
K100D. I've seen it locally advertised as body only, kit w/ 18-55mm lens and the 2 lens kit w/ 18-55mm and 50-200mm. At approx. 150.00 or so dollars more than the 1 lens kit, is the 2 lens kit the way to go? I thought about body only and just using the lenses I have now, a 24, 50 and a 135.

I also wonder about maybe getting a used DS model, as they are quite reasonably priced. I just worry about warranty issues.
Is the SR feature worth the extra $ (am I correct that that is the only difference btween the K110D and the K100D?) I don't want to spend the money on more camera than I need.

Yikes, I'll stop rattling on now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

hi and welcome!

I think that if your photos are important to you, then the SR is worth the money. it has save quite a few pics in low light for me.

My wife owns the K100 (I have the K10) and the K100 is a really great camera for both the money and the quality. the k10 also rocks, but it might be a little out of budget for you.
digital noise is very low, the colors are very accuarate.

6 MP is all you might ever need, as long as most of your photos are under 11"x14" (sorry I don't know the metric equivelent) ever over that size they are still very good.

as far as lens choices goes... it depends on your budget.
my wife has the kit 18-55mm lens and it is very good quality for the money.
as far as the second kit lens goes, if I were you I would wait and see. you have some other good lenses, and if you eventually want a really great lens you can save up. besides, the second lens you meantioned is only $50 canadian dollars more when bought separately.
once you get to know your K100 you will eventually find out what type of photography you like best... it might turn out to be macro for instance... then your saved money can go towards a good macro lens

of course this is my opinon, and others on this forums have great opinions as well.
read them all, and that way you can make an informed decision

cheers and good luck!!

randy

[nosnoop]

As a first time DSLR user and soon to be owner, I'm a little overwhelmed at the choices.

My advice is to wait for 3 more weeks. There will be a flood of new camera announcement within this time frame before PMA on March 8.

Pentax is expected to have new DSLRs - could be an updated K100D or a new model, we don't know. But even if it turns out that the new models do not interest you, you can bet that there will be price reduction in outgoing models.

On the other hand, it unfortunately means there will be even more choices than now

[-spam-]

My advice is to wait for 3 more weeks. There will be a flood of new camera announcement within this time frame before PMA on March 8.

There may be a flood of announcements regarding new cameras, but it may be quite a while before they are on the market. You could end up waiting a year just to get the newest thing out there.

if you feel the wait is worth it then fine, wait for the new models. But in the meantime, if you dont already own a camera, you are just doing yourself out of many opportunities to take photos.

Its your call.

[brindlefly99]

You have a good set of lenses too. Are they K, M, A?

Thanks! Both, the 24mm f/2:8 and the 50mm f/1:7 are A's. My ancient 135 f/3:5 is a k mount.

I figure it's an nice broad spectrum...that's why I wouldn't count out just going for the K100D body, if it made sense cost-wise. I've seen some vendors on E-bay selling new kits including the Pentax Canada 2 year warranty, but I'm a little hesitant spending that kind of money on E-bay, even with a well established seller.

So the research continues...thanks everyone for all your help!

[slip]

Thanks! Both, the 24mm f/2:8 and the 50mm f/1:7 are A's. My ancient 135 f/3:5 is a k mount.

I figure it's an nice broad spectrum...that's why I wouldn't count out just going for the K100D body, if it made sense cost-wise. I've seen some vendors on E-bay selling new kits including the Pentax Canada 2 year warranty, but I'm a little hesitant spending that kind of money on E-bay, even with a well established seller.

So the research continues...thanks everyone for all your help!

instead of E-bay you can look at these 2 options

Digital Camera's Photo Video Camera Digital SLR - Vistek Camera Store - Toronto, Calgary Canada

Henry's Photo - Video - Digital

I had a digital tablet delivered to me a couple of years ago from vistek. the service was excellent. the nearest physical store to you would be Calgary AB

Henry's is in ontario but delivers through out canada and USA.
they have a physical store near me, and the service is second to none. I am sure the online business would not be any different.

hope this helps

randy

[WMBP]

As a first time DSLR user and soon to be owner, I'm a little overwhelmed at the choices.

That's understandable. The choices are indeed overwhelming. What's worse, nearly all of the choices are pretty good. Almost nobody is making BAD cameras.

I have read the rave reviews from many on this forum about the
K100D. I've seen it locally advertised as body only, kit w/ 18-55mm lens and the 2 lens kit w/ 18-55mm and 50-200mm. At approx. 150.00 or so dollars more than the 1 lens kit, is the 2 lens kit the way to go? I thought about body only and just using the lenses I have now, a 24, 50 and a 135.

I also wonder about maybe getting a used DS model, as they are quite reasonably priced. I just worry about warranty issues. Is the SR feature worth the extra $ (am I correct that that is the only difference btween the K110D and the K100D?) I don't want to spend the money on more camera than I need.

Few comments.

First, while the question you ask is genuine, the fact is, nobody else can really answer it for you. Folks here are Pentax users, so we are likely to suggest getting a Pentax rather than the Nikon D40, Olympus E-volt, etc. - although those non-Pentax cameras also have their advantages and you will find their advocates elsewhere. But even among us Pentax enthusiasts, you will find differences of opinion. After all, we ourselves have different models. I will tell you that when I was doing my shopping at the end of last year, I was coming from a couple years of using Canon products. I looked carefully at everything before settling on the Pentax K100D. The Nikon D40 had not been released yet, but even now, I'm sure I would pick the Pentax over the Nikon.

That said, I will give you my take.

If you aren't sure whether you need a DSLR, first try to figure that out. The high-end fixed-lens/compact cameras can be very good cameras, and they are WAY cheaper than a digital SLR. I respect anybody's right to buy anything they want, of course, but my recommendation is NOT to buy a digital SLR unless you're already fairly interested in the mechanics of photography and you want to learn more. If you're mainly interested in taking good photos and don't care that much how you do it, then you may find that a digital SLR is more trouble than it's worth.

If you do decide to get a digital SLR, then keep in mind that, for many folks at least, the cost of the body is just the beginning. The real expense is buying lenses. If you have only $1000 to spend - and that's a hard maximum - then in my opinion, you'd probably be much happier buying a K100D than a K10D, because with the money you save buying the K100, you'd be able to buy one or perhaps even two additional, decent quality lenses.

The only difference between it and the K100D is that the K110D lacks shake reduction. Shake reduction, however, is a VERY GOOD THING. So the only reason to get a K110D without it, is to save a few dollars. I can respect the need to save a few dollars. If you don't plan to shoot any pictures in low light or using zoom lenses or without a tripod, then you might live without shake reduction. And if you feel you can do without it, then buying a used *ist would make good sense. But if I were going to abandon in-camera shake reduction, I'd probably buy a Nikon or Canon camera. The huge market those cameras have gives them certain advantages (more new lens choices, wider software support, etc.).

I bought the K100D in good part because of the in-camera shake reduction, which I think is a GREAT feature.

Good luck with your shopping.

Will

[barondla]

I would buy the K100D with the two kit lenses. Even though I like my DS viewfinder a little better it can't make up for SR. The jpegs are really better out of the K100D too. This would give you a new warranty on the camera and lenses, plus two lenses that will work with every mode on the camera. The DS is not cheap to get repaired if needed. It is placed under the professional category in the US and runs about $175. I think there are only two specialized reasons to take the DS over the K100D. One is size of viewfinder (easier for older manual focus lenses and telescopes etc). Two is the inclusion of ttl flash (hard to beat in macro photography). Otherwise buy the K100D.
thanks
barondla

[Alvin]

One is size of viewfinder (easier for older manual focus lenses and telescopes etc). Two is the inclusion of ttl flash (hard to beat in macro photography). Otherwise buy the K100D.
thanks
barondla

I forgot to mention that point about the TTL. Good feature when you want to use with your K-135mm lens. I remember Mo mentioning that my K100D's flash pops at full power whenever I shoot using a K series or M series lens.

[WMBP]

I would buy the K100D with the two kit lenses.

In my earlier post, I emphasized the difficulties involved in figuring out what to buy. But if you want simplicity instead, then I have to agree with barondla's recommendation: get the K100D with the two kit lenses. Can't really go wrong with that decision.

Will