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Author Topic: Amateur looking for his first digital camera  (Read 2610 times)

Saulius

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Amateur looking for his first digital camera
« on: November 24, 2006, 04:36:06 am »

Hi
I am shooting with Nikon F75 and sigma 24-135 F2.8-4.5 lens.
I have limited budget. I`ll have to take a loan from bank, so price/quality question is very important.
I am chosing from cameras Pentax K100, Pentax K10, Sony Alfa 100.
I am not a pro and it would be wise to by camera which is good enough for amateur. I like one of Pentax, but I was confused about choosing lenses for Pentax. Is it true, that there  is not a big choice for those cameras on a market. Or is it a problem of our local market?
If to buy Sony Alfa, why I should chose it? Would it be the reason a bigger choice of lenses (ex Minolta)?
I experiment a little with art fotography, but my favorite is landscape photography. Could anyone, please, answer and/or comment?
Thanks
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GregW

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« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2006, 06:52:17 am »

Wondering why you excluded Canon or Nikon options?

Both have good options, for example Canon 350D/400D and Nikon D80 under USD 1000.   Depending on your specific requirements the new Nikon D40 may also fit the bill.

One considerable advantage of the big 2 is the large user base of digital shooters. This will give you access access to a broader range/quantity of second hand glass e.g  like a wideangle zoom for a x1.6 Canon or x1.5 Nikon sensor.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2006, 06:58:13 am by GregW »
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Saulius

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« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2006, 07:52:37 am »

Quote from: GregW,Nov 24 2006, 02:52 PM
Wondering why you excluded Canon or Nikon options?

Both have good options, for example Canon 350D/400D and Nikon D80 under USD 1000.   Depending on your specific requirements the new Nikon D40 may also fit the bill.

For some reason Nikon D80 is very expensive camera in our market. Really above 1000 USD. I am amateur, but handling with borrowed Nikon D50 I felt its limits and that embarrased me. Thats why, I think Nikon D40 is not for me. Other option that atracted my attention in Sony and Pentax was "antishake". Even Nikon D80 has no that kind of option. Generaly I like Nikon.
 Canon... Never handled any Canon D camera. I have heard, that their lenses are quite expensive. But thats in a level of gossips. Never did researched real prices of Canon. Have no concreate oppinion about Canon. Besides, I have heared:Pthat ergonomics of 350D is terrible and I have big hand  .

Anyway, I need advice and will check every option.

Please write me.

P.S.
Greg, thatnks.
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Henrik Paul

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« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2006, 08:35:38 am »

Perhaps it would be easier to give suggestions if you would given even a ballpark sum of what the gear can cost. If you move away from the Nikon mount you have to buy a new lens - the 24-135 you have doesn't seem to be worth much as second hand, and this increases the initial cost of the item. Apart from the price, I think the right way in choosing a new camera is asking two questions: "what do I want to do with the camera?" - meaning the feature set. Once that's settled, the question is "how much money do I have left to give room for growth?" - so that you don't feel constrained with the equipment once you learn to use all the features.

A wise man once said "the poor man can't afford cheap stuff", and I do agree. If something gets broken because of poor build quality, I probably can't afford to replace it any time soon. If it's lacking in performance, I certainly don't have the money to upgrade any more. I live by this wisdom, and even with a limited budget, I seem to do okay.

On the topic of Canon lenses being expensive, Nikkor lenses seem to be more expensive than the Canon counterparts, and Canon seems to equip everything with USM and IS capabilities, which are more scarce in the Nikkor league, although increasing. There aren't that many Pentax lenses, and availability is even poorer, so Sigma and Tamron with Pentax mounts might be the best sources for lenses for Pentax cameras.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2006, 08:37:24 am by Henrik Paul »
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Dale_Cotton

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« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2006, 10:08:46 am »

Saulius: I strongly urge you to post a message on the dpreview Pentax SLR forum for more information on Pentax lenses. Or just search and browse there because this topic is constantly being discussed - Pentax owners are passionate about their glass. I'm no expert but there seems to be a lot of misinformation and out-dated information on this subject from people who don't know Pentax that well.

To me, the real question, especially since you are on a strict budget, is not how many lenses a given company has in production but how many of those will be useful to you. All dSLR companies are issuing new "D" lenses that are optimized for their APS-imager digital cameras and Pentax is no exception.

Yet another consideration: the K10D with its 10 mp imager really needs the very highest resolution lenses to take advantage of the extra resolution the imager offers. For example, it is being sold as a package here in Canada together with the same 18-55 kit lens that was first offered with the 6 mp *Ist models. I have this lens and it is very nice, but to take advantage of the K10D's extra megapixels I would have to upgrade to the 16-45 or any of Pentax's superb primes.

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I experiment a little with art fotography, but my favorite is landscape photography
Landscape photography can normally be done with a tripod, so image stabilzation isn't absolutely necessary; but IS is a wonderful feature that does free you to use the camera in many more situations. The built-in IS of the Pentax K line together with the backward compatibility of the lens mount means you can buy nearly any Pentax lens ever made, including wonderful old second hand primes, and still have IS enabled.

It would be very hard to help you choose between the K100D and the K10D, let alone the Alpha, which I know nothing about. I have the 6 mp Pentax DS plus the 18-55 lens and I can tell you first hand that with careful technique you can do excellent landscape prints up to 20x30cm and often up to 30x40cm. If you have a strong interest in making larger prints of highly detailed subject matter, then you would have to spend the extra money on the K10D and on more expensive lenses. On the other hand, you may feel like I do that a good view finder is very important. If I'm not mistaken the K100D does not have the excellent 0.94x pentaprism that is in the Ist D, the Ist DS, and the K10D, so buying a second-hand Pentax D or DS might be worth considering.

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For some reason Nikon D80 is very expensive camera in our market.
My understanding is that in each market there is a child company for a given manufacturer or an authorized distributor that sets the prices in that region. For example, in the US Mamiyas were significantly more expensive than they were in England, probably because the Mamiya distributor in the US wanted to make a large profit on a few sales rather than a smaller profit on more sales. Another example: I've read that in Australia Pentax has a large share of the dSLR market because the Pentax distributor there is smart enough to price competitively.
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Saulius

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« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2006, 02:23:52 pm »

Dale,
thank you for paying attention and consulting me. Thanks to all others too.
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