[jk333]

You didn't look very hard. Any sub $1000 Canon such as the XT, XTi, XS or XSi with Canon L or EF glass will get you sharp pics. You also have third party lenses such as the Sigma 17-70 and Tamron's 24-70mm 2.8's.

I get sharper jpeg pics with my XTI and Sigma 18-125mm OS/HSM than I ever did with my K10d and Pentax glass. Maybe I'll take a few raw shots tomorrow and post some really sharp pics with the ole 50mm. You can't beat Canon when it comes to sharp images!!! But then again Pentax's FA 50mm 1.4 isn't to shabby either.

The 50 1.4 isn't a sharp lens.

Nice try though. Its a fast lens. Not a sharp lens. Like all lenses it CAN become sharp as you close it off. For a sharp lens, look at the limited lenses. Or even the 1.7. The 50mm 1.7 is sharper than the 1.4

Oh, and your SIGMA lens is your sharp lens (18-125 no less)? Good luck with that.

[Canada_Rockies]

I have yet to be any where near satisfied with Sigma glass. The IQ of the famous Bigma cannot even approach the clarity of my ancient M 400/5.6. I have, over the years taught many courses and taken a cubic metre of slides and negatives. Cheap Pentax glass is no better than anyone else's cheap glass, but their good glass is as good as anyone's.

[Blue]

You didn't look very hard. Any sub $1000 Canon such as the XT, XTi, XS or XSi with Canon L or EF glass will get you sharp pics. You also have third party lenses such as the Sigma 17-70 and Tamron's 24-70mm 2.8's.

I get sharper jpeg pics with my XTI and Sigma 18-125mm OS/HSM than I ever did with my K10d and Pentax glass. Maybe I'll take a few raw shots tomorrow and post some really sharp pics with the ole 50mm. You can't beat Canon when it comes to sharp images!!! But then again Pentax's FA 50mm 1.4 isn't to shabby either.

The best way to get a sharp pic with a Canon is to take a photo of it with a Pentax. The best way to get rid of a Troll is to shoot it out of a Cannon.

[Canada_Rockies]

The best way to get a sharp pic with a Canon is to take a photo of it with a Pentax. The best way to get rid of a Troll is to shoot it out of a Cannon.

Love the spelling! What a difference a single n makes.

[Marc Sabatella]

A quick clarification please. In a real life situation, what does the photographer do after exhausting the buffer of the k200d with a four frame burst of an African Fish Eagle? How long is the wait before the camera recyles, and another similar burst is possible? Haven't seen anything explaining this.

What happens is once the buffer fills, it starts shoting at about one per second - it doesn't completely stop for several seconds then take another burst. If for some reason you *wanted* to wait until you could take another burst, you could take your finger off the shutter and try again in about five seconds. But there's really no advantage in doing that versus just letting the camera shoot one per second.

I'm also someone who, in four of DSLR photography, can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've actually used continuous shooting. If it's something you do often enough to ask the question, you're probably better off with a camera with a bigger buffer.

[SteveM]

I went to Canon for digital, then went back to Pentax when the k10d came out. I was a little disappointed with the k10d as I wasn't getting the quality I thought I should. I loved the k10d but thought it should be a little better. After about 6 months I realized that my pictures had always been a little better with the Pentax than with the Canon. I'm not sure why I was critical of the k10d at first....thinking it was the other way around....perhaps the reviews.....perhaps having a camera that most didn't have.....
My point is that bias seems to play a part in perception. I would recommend the k20d, k10d or the k200d over a Canon in the same class.....but, as you've been doing, take some time with both to see what feels right.... It is a creative tool. The best pictures ever taken were not because of the camera used.....but the vision of the person using the camera.
Of course, it helps being part of the Pentax elite

[RiceHigh]

I think you have done your research quite well and have known about most of the facts.

So, I would recommend that you choose the XSi. Since exposure and image quality is the most important things amongst the others. Well, just think what a *camera* is for?

As for your old Pentax lenses, they will be needed to use as stopped down anyway. If you get a Pentax DSLR, you need to press a button in M mode to do the stop-down metering whereas for the Canon, you just stop down the lens and in Av and P mode it will work (with an K to EOS adaptor, which just costs you $36 for the focus assist version with PCB/chipset). Both the K200 and the XSi overexposes as you stop down more, though. That means that you have to manual compensate for the errors.

However, I think if you old lens collection is not huge and also considering that normally you will have a new standard kit zoom too. I think your old lens collection is not a consideration here (and with XSi, you can have even more convenience!)

I'm glad I found this site. I've browsed the forums these last few days and have found some very good information and opinions on Pentax cameras. In fact, I registered just so I could make this post asking for opinions on my first digital SLR purchase.

(snipped)

Any comments or advice would be much appreciated!

[Edward B.]

I went to Canon for digital, then went back to Pentax when the k10d came out. I was a little disappointed with the k10d as I wasn't getting the quality I thought I should. I loved the k10d but thought it should be a little better. After about 6 months I realized that my pictures had always been a little better with the Pentax than with the Canon. I'm not sure why I was critical of the k10d at first....thinking it was the other way around....perhaps the reviews.....perhaps having a camera that most didn't have.....
My point is that bias seems to play a part in perception. I would recommend the k20d, k10d or the k200d over a Canon in the same class.....but, as you've been doing, take some time with both to see what feels right.... It is a creative tool. The best pictures ever taken were not because of the camera used.....but the vision of the person using the camera.
Of course, it helps being part of the Pentax elite

I'm confused. You said you were disappointed with the image quality on the K10D, but then realized your pictures with Pentax always looked better than Canon? If that's the case, why the initial disappointment?

Personally, I've never had any issues with soft pictures coming from Canon, and I think the post on the last page of the pen and Pooh attest to the fact that the cameras produce sharp pictures.

So, I would recommend that you choose the XSi. Since exposure and image quality is the most important things amongst the others. Well, just think what a *camera* is for?

Well, handling was a fairly large factor for me as well.

What do you shoot with?

[AGW]

There were 6 things that made me choose the K200d as my camera.

In reading the reviews, three little bits of information popped up

1) the Canon 40d (which I was also considering) gave "soft" photos.

2) the XSI's resolution put the Canon 40d's to shame

3) the Raw test showed that while the XSI displayed slightly better detail in RAW due to it's two extra megapixels than the K200d, they were essentially the same

Those are the words of the reviewers. They aren't mine. But they were there, and I read them, and putting two and two together, I came up with the K200d as having the ability to take great pics on par with the 12 MP Canon XSI and better than the 40D. That may or may not be fact, but it is how I saw it after spending countless hours trying to come to a decision. And again, it was just the conclusion I came to, and I have nothing other than the reviews to back that up.

4) One forum had a number of very heated debates about in lens or in body stabilization. And while the consensus on that forum was that in lens was better, the majority of them were shooting with non stabilized lenses because they could not afford the IS lenses. Even if SR only gave one or two stops vs the 3 or 4 of a stabilized lens, the IS in the lens was pointless if you can't afford the lens to begin with. I'm not a pro. I've got a wife, kids, mortgage and car payments like a lot of folks. Something is always better than nothing. Well, usually anyway

5) focus issues with the XSI. They are out there, and if you read, there are post all over the web about it. Some of it is attributed to being new to DSLRs but one review site even noted it in their review.

6) Build Quality. Even compared to the 40d, the Pentax camera line seems very solid. The lenses all have metal where they seat, not plastic. I dont know if that makes a huge difference, but it is just a small detail that points to the care with which these cameras are made. Holding an XSI and a K200d in your hand is night and day. It is pretty obvious that one is made for the consumer market with mass sales in mind.

Just so you don't think I am anti Canon, I was looking very hard at the K20d also. In my mind, there were just too many post about things with that camera that made me shy away from it. Being a brand new sensor, it might be that some of these issues are real and need to be worked out. I also own a Canon S5IS and it is a wonderful and fun camera that takes great pictures and I am glad I bought it and will continue to use it.

If live view is important to you, and you see yourself shooting a lot of pictures very fast, then maybe the K200d is not for you. Those things were not that important to me, so I choose the K200d. If the XSI would have had the same build quality as the K200d, it might have been a different story, or at least I would still be thinking on it instead of learning my new camera.

Al

[lostkj233]

Oh, and your SIGMA lens is your sharp lens (18-125 no less)? Good luck with that.

You don't read very well, I said that the Sigma on my XTi is sharper than the K10d and Pentax DA lenses that I ditched several months ago.

[lostkj233]

The XSi, and most under $1,000 Canon cameras I have found, shoot very soft photos. I find them so soft that my stomach turns. ...

I shot my first raw images this morning with my sub 1K Canon. No PP to them, just converted with Canon DPP and cropped.

Jpeg pen tip from yesterday



Jpeg from raw, same pen tip



Pin raw to jpeg



CM7 raw to jpeg

[lostkj233]

The 50 1.4 isn't a sharp lens. Nice try though

I think that several people on here would say that it is. In any event, it is no match for the Canon nifty fifty or the mk1 1.8. If you want to throw the Pentax 1.7 in there than Canon has the 1.4 that will kill that, then there is the 1.2, both have USM. If you want that with a Pentax mount you can't get it.

[Marc Sabatella]

I think that several people on here would say that it is. In any event, it is no match for the Canon nifty fifty or the mk1 1.8.

Correct - most people's experience, and every objective test I have seen, shows the Pentax lens far sharper.

If you're seeing sharper pictures from your Canon with the Sigma zoom than you were with the FA50 or Pentax DA lenses, then you probably just hadn't figured out how to set the image tone and/or sharpening settings to your liking. Canon sets their sharpening higher by default. You can certainly get results as good as what you've posted here with Pentax with a few minutes of fiddling with options. But if switching systems gave you the desired results also, that's fine too.

[ftpaddict]

Well, handling was a fairly large factor for me as well.

What do you shoot with?

RH doesn't take pictures.

He goes into camera stores the minute a new model comes out, takes a couple of snapshots, then hurries back home to write a rant about it on his blog.

[ftpaddict]

You don't read very well, I said that the Sigma on my XTi is sharper than the K10d and Pentax DA lenses that I ditched several months ago.

Another troll? Keep up the great work.