[and]

I dont see whats so nice about the 40D... I would not switch.

But the 5D... I tried one in a store with the 24-70L with USM... oh my.. and that huge viewfinder... very tempting. And also the 1D mkIII... very juicy...

But for anything less than 5D I wouldnt consider Canon, unless the 50D is FF.

[HawaiianOnline]

I might, but I wouldn't call it a switch. It's more like covering a range that Pentax doesn't cover. I am getting more into birding, and I need a higher frame rate coupled with a long prime. I was actually looking at a used 1D MKII with its 8.5 fps and a 400 f2.8 IS. Add in a 2X TC, and it becomes an 800 f5.6. Sigma doesn't make the Sigmonster (300-800 f5.6) for the K-mount, and I don't think they ever will. My K10D works fine for pretty much everything else, but I am stuck without a decent long prime, like the discontinued 600 f4.

[PDL]

I am not switching - I have too much invested in my current set of equipment. It is because I had a SF-1 that I picked the *ist Ds in 2005, the K10D came along just because I wanted more control. The K10D has features I have not explored and I am not about to have to go out and purchast a whole bunch of new glass ending up with a bigger, heavier more power hungary machine.

There is one real cool add on for the 40D though - the WiFi grip, Ethernet, WiFi and USB built in. I would imagine that it would drain a battery really fast - add into that "live view" - that means you have to carry a 4-5 lb camera/lens combination and an extra 3 lbs of batteries. Just to keep the thing alive.

I have one friend that was speculating how much he could trade his 20D in for - I told him "about what it is worth - 150-200 USD if the guy behind the counter was suseptable to bribes". You should have seen the look on his face (yeah we say bad things about each others equipment all the time - he asks me how I like my pinto er pentax for shooting <fill in the blank>).

PDL

[roentarre]

I will be anticipating the new models from pentax very soon.

There are sample photographs from 40D on canon official sites and these images were either back focus (same problem as 30d or 20d) or washed out colour as usual.

The model is a mere catch up of competition brands and I felt 40D is really not worth the money of 1600 US dollars roughly.

I owned 5D for a very short time and was sold to a friend because I was not ready to throw away 3000 US dollars at the time (impulsive buying). I felt landscape shots are not that much different to the quality of images produced by k10d. Protraits using 5D could be just so stunning. However, 3 frames per second and not weathersealed for that price is a hard fact to accept.

I adopt two systems and still only interested to use pentax gear for photography at the present. At least, pentax has new ideas and produce some unique lenses like Da pancake etc. All the old * lenses are just impressive in producing great images.

James

[blwnhr]

The 40D is a very big competitor to the K10D as you have mentioned and it's become extremely enticing for me as well seeing as I've been looking to ditch my Pentax gear in favor of a current Canon 30D. For me the change comes from the brutal lack of telelphoto lenses that Pentax has to offer and the ridiculous lack of third party support from the likes of Sigma and Tamron (sorry but waiting until 2008 for a lens just doesn't cut it for people who want to take this seriously). I shoot motorsports and fast telezooms are as important as getting my passes to the events so when I look over at the Canon camp and see the likes of the 100-400 f4 or 70-200 2.8 I begin to wonder if there is light at the end of the tunnel for Pentax. Even with the "legacy" glass it's next to impossible to find the good FA glass nowadays because Pentax has discontinued production on so much of it.

If Pentax is going to release another body, I surely hope that they intend on stepping up and making some more glass for the userbase as I think the K10D will hold it's own for a bit before Pentax needs to revamp and focus its efforts on a new DSLR.

I fear that unless I see Sigma return the 100-300 f4 to production or the 70-200 f2.8 in a Pentax mount, Tamron push the 70-200 f2.8 or Pentax come out with some more serious glass (sorry but 300mm f4 and 60-250 f4 just don't cut it in my books) then I'm going to have to switch to remain competitive in an already extremely competitive field.

My $0.02

+1

I agree with everything said.

I read a post by Roland Mabo at Photo.net that k5d is to be announced at september 2008 and k1d around spring 2008.

And it's useless without glass. James, you've been fortunate enough to pick up some stunning Pentax lenses before the drought really hit, which leaves the rest of us fumbling for the scraps, which are few and far between.

Fast long glass. Listen to the cries Pentax, they are getting louder. But soon that will be replaced by silence by a RELEASE (!!! not another announcement), or the sound of splashing as people jump ship.


On a side note, I used a D200 the other day. This was the first Nikon I had ever even touched, let alone used, and within 3 minutes had it sorted and was extremely pleased with the results.

[little laker]

If I was to switch brands today I'd take a good hard look at the Sigma SD14 first.

It's the only DSLR which really appears to have any real technological advancement with their 3 layered full color sensor.

With a little luck I'll demo one soon, if it happens I'll post a few pic's.
The 1 thing that might turn me off of buying it (if I like it enough) is that I'd have to start my lens collection from scratch. However it wouldn't be all that bad if they could convert my Sigma lens collection over to their own mount.

[Avantphoto]

If the noise of the 40D is improved of the 20/30D a noticeable amount I might consider it. I only wish Canon would have went with an body IS system, then there would be no question. I love the K10D, the feel, the lower ISO IQ, the ergonomics, the SR, pretty much everything about the body, but Canon has a huge advantage on lenses, and when it comes down to it, the greatest body in the world can still look like crap behind a bad lens. If the 40D had been a 1.0 or 1.3 crop factor, then no question I would switch, I only have 2 lenses for my Pentax so it wouldn't be much of a problem.

Pentax has to step up the lens production and give more pressure to 3rd party makers to make K mount lenses, especially now with the ability for a SSW motor. Being a landscape photographer ISO can come into major effect with low light shots and also FF sensor for wide angles! I'd love a 5D but can't afford it this is just a hobby at the moment.

I'm not bashing Pentax at all, I love my K10D, I sold a 400D for it and do not have one single complaint, it's just that I'm not a fanboy, I'm loyal to whatever will suit me best, brand doesn't mean much to me, heck I would have got the Samsung version if I could have found it when I was looking. I've owned a (in this order) 300D, 20D, K10D (Returned bad focus), Nikon D80, 400D, and now another K10D which I've had for 8-9 months.

To tell the truth the Olympus E-510 looks great but a 2.0 crop factor leave that out of my area, plus lenses are pretty damn pricey for it! Oh how I dream for a $1500 or less FF camera, who ever does that first gets my money! That new Sony sensor looks interesting but again it's APS-C, I'll keep holding out for now and see what arises.

[smcclelland]

+1

I agree with everything said.

And with that, I went to the dark side...

[vinzer]

Live view doesn't really appeal to me, but Canon's noise-reduction capability does. I'd have to see how the 40D does at high ISO before I even consider switching.

Then again, in-body SR might keep me in the Pentax fold for a long time. I checked prices for IS lenses over at B&H earlier, just to see if I could afford a switch. I just can't, and SR really does a lot for me.

I would understand professionals or people with specific needs wanting to switch, though. Fast long lenses really are Pentax's weakness, as well as lens availability and choices in general. One look at all the lenses available to Canon or Nikon systems can really give some second thoughts about switching.

Agreed with previous posts about the body not mattering much if you don't have the glass to go with it. I think the K10D can hold it's own at least for the next few months, especially with price reductions and rebates. What Pentax really needs to announce are new lenses. Heck, even an announcement of the re-issuing of FA* lenses would be much welcomed by Pentax users.

[FotoPete]

Live view doesn't really appeal to me, but Canon's noise-reduction capability does. I'd have to see how the 40D does at high ISO before I even consider switching.

I agree the whole Live View appeal is rather limited in the SLR field. Sony just released a new APS sized CMOS sensor so hopefully it will function as claimed (low noise) and perhaps will find its way into the Pentax K20D.

[pentaxshooter]

I flip flopped a lot over the past several weeks....in fact even putting a lot of Pentax Gear up for sale....

but after a repair bill and some heavy thought, I am keeping my 2 K10Ds, 77mm, 21mm and have a 16-50, 50-135 on order since they are perfect for weddings.

In another post, I lament over all this switching and buying new gear and all of that....

lets face it...the K10D IS a good camera. It has flaws....there are many who say their Nikon D200's have flaws....ditto some with Canon 30Ds.

To be sure the new offerings from Canon and Nikon are fantastic.....

Let us hope that PENTAX comes through for the faithful.

And where is Ben anyway? IS THERE REALLY an 8/23 ANNOUNCEMENT? It's midday in Japan.

[roentarre]

And it's useless without glass. James, you've been fortunate enough to pick up some stunning Pentax lenses before the drought really hit, which leaves the rest of us fumbling for the scraps, which are few and far between.

I have been always on the dark side, only to switch over to pentax because of the moderator Joel's suggestion of getting the best pentax lenses like Fa 77 or 31 ltd. This happened December 2006. At the time, the lenses were already scarce and rare. I bought all my lenses with ridiculously high prices but I continued to buy more pentax lenses because I witnessed the beauty of the images produced by these lenses.

Regardless, these pentax lenses are far cheaper than the canon L glasses.

I am constantly comparing Canon gear vs Pentax gear. Right now, trying to get an old 1Ds mark II body just to see what I have missed using pentax gear at all (I am sure the difference is little). By the way, I have a total of 12L canon lenses at the moment. I doubt there are that huge differences anyway.

Fast long glass. Listen to the cries Pentax, they are getting louder. But soon that will be replaced by silence by a RELEASE (!!! not another announcement), or the sound of splashing as people jump ship.

On a side note, I used a D200 the other day. This was the first Nikon I had ever even touched, let alone used, and within 3 minutes had it sorted and was extremely pleased with the results.

To me, it is the image quality that matters. AF speed or multi-spot metering are necessary but not that extremely important. Otherwise I would not let all my L glasses sitting on the shelf for the last 12 months at all... It is all because pentax gear are really top notch

[roentarre]

And I bought A* 200mm f4 macro from a Canon Pro in New York for US 2855 dollars. Tell me if I was so lucky ...

[Chako]

Ha. There was a time not that long ago, when people bought film cameras and had them for tens of years.

With digital, people are never happy, rushing to buy the next greatest newest thing. Just a general observation. Good for the camera companies..that is for sure.

[roentarre]

Well, time has changed. How sad.