You compare the K200 with the XS not XSi.
Pentax (and Olympus) are noted for excellent yet modestly expensive lenses. Moreover, owing to in-body IS, you don't have to select between a "normal" and "IS-containing" lens at greater cost (and weight).
I mentioned Olympus because they are in some ways on the same track and I counsel you to look them over as well. But I have no intention of "pushing" you in either direction. What I did was to list the good points and bad. That includes things as far afield as availabilities and track record of brand-repair facilities. VERY important is to see how they all fit your hands, and maybe rule out one or more right then and there. Things like size, weight, placement of buttons, intuitiveness of the menuing system... these are some of the things you will want to take a close look at. In the end of course you will "bite the bullet" on some things because they constitute the lesser of two evils. Decide what features really matter to you, and which ones "aren't all that bad". Use this "fudge factor" on your list of features and characteristics of each camera. Unlike Olympus (and Canon and Nikon), Pentax simply and easily accepts and utilizes legacy K-mount lenses. (Most or maybe all can handle M42 lenses via an adapter)
As to Canon and Nikon, I have owned SLRs of both makes over the years, and I find them excellent, though that was in the days of film and no luxury of IS.
Originally posted by gwach Hi,
I just bought my first dSLR a couple months ago, and I ended up going with a Canon Rebel XS. I considered the Pentax K200D, and I liked almost everything about it except how the image quality compared to Canon. That said, I'm not completely satisfied for a couple reasons, and I suspect these will be no surprise to Pentax users: 1) the build quality and hand grip don't really inspire much confidence... at first I thought I could get past this, but it has become more of an annoyance with time. 2) More importantly, though, I'm just not that happy with the Canon lens selection. Not wanting to spend $1000+ on pro lenses, I'm finding few options that appeal to me. This is kind of ironic given how many lenses Canon makes. Looking at other companies' lenses, I found the Pentax primes particularly attractive, so I'm back to thinking about switching to Pentax sometime in the next year. I'm still hesitant about the K200D, but I'm quite impressed by the K20D output, and I'm confident I would not see a loss in image quality with that camera (or a future K*00D with the same sensor).
I must say that there are lots of things I genuinely like about my Canon, and were it not for the lens issue (and the lack of internal stabilization) I would probably feel comfortable sticking with it. The image quality and high ISO performance are excellent, and I like the hard button access to things like ISO. The control layout in general is very satisfactory for me. Obviously, though, my reservations are strong enough to make me contemplate jumping ship. Furthermore, my current investment in Canon lenses is negligible.
That said, I'm curious to hear the experiences of others who have switched from Canon (or Nikon, for that matter) to Pentax or have plenty of experience with both systems. I'm not interested in Canon/Nikon bashing; I think there is plenty to like about those systems, though probably moreso for professionals who can afford the expensive pro lenses. I'm more interested in the particulars of your transition... things you find especially enjoyable about Pentax, or things you miss about Canon.
Your thoughts are very much appreciated.