How is your k10d doin.

[mr.ush]

Hi I thought it would be wise that fellow experienced Pentaxians would be able to help me with severals question before I commit in this expensive hobby(yes, new to DLSRs). I’m a digital media student majoring in interactive media and had a flair in photography since young. I do a lot of enlarge(love macro) and prints with my point and shoot camera and always thought a decent DSLR would serve me better in upcoming backpacking and travels. I did a lot of research in the net and had narrowed my choices to Pentax K10D. Now the question is;

1) is K10d a DSLR I can gradually grow with? Say last for 4-5 years.
2) a fear that lenses are least available in the market and priced higher than competitor. Is that true?
3) is the kit lens something good to start with? If it isn’t, what is another alternative to look out for? name me if possible.

Thanks for your precious suggestion and until I get my k10d, I’ll shut up for this moment. See you soon.

[longko]

[quote=mr.ush;2951611]
1) is K10d a DSLR I can gradually grow with? Say last for 4-5 years.
2) a fear that lenses are least available in the market and priced higher than competitor. Is that true?
3) is the kit lens something good to start with? If it isn’t, what is another alternative to look out for? name me if possible.
[quote]

1) If someone can use pentax K systems from the 1970s till now, I don't see why it won't last you for 5years The only issue is will 10MP be enough a couple years down.
2) You can look for K mount lenses from the 1970s. Many choose Pentax due to it's value for money lenses. Since K10D has in-build SR, even those 1970s lenses will benefit from it. You can even choose M42 mount lenses using an adapter, and still have SR. You'll soon be able to select from those upcoming DA* lenses that'll come with weatherseal. With Pentax, it's more of quality than quantity.
3) Some kit lens shots
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=268107
If you feel the kit lens aren't good enough for you, there's the DA 16-45mm, Sigma 17-70mm or even the upcoming DA* 16-50mm

The only issue I have with K10D is the limited range of flash to choose from. For a good tilt & swivel flash, there's only AF-540FGZ
I believe Pentax will have a brighter future with merger with glass maker gaint, Hoya.

[rudigunawan]

In regard to #2, I feel that Pentax lenses are actually cheaper compared to similar quality lenses by competitors (nikon & canon).

[snapallaround]

by the way , may i know is there any Pentax customer service in singapore? thank you guys very much

[longko]

Originally Posted by snapallaround by the way , may i know is there any Pentax customer service in singapore? thank you guys very much

Shriro is the authorised distributor here. They also provide all the tech support.
http://www.shriro.com.sg/contactus(ELEC).htm
11 CHANG CHARN ROAD
#02-01 SHRIRO HOUSE
SINGAPORE 159640
Tel: 6378-8142/193

[snapallaround]

thank you longko

[dnaxe]

Originally Posted by mr.ush 1) is K10d a DSLR I can gradually grow with? Say last for 4-5 years. 2) a fear that lenses are least available in the market and priced higher than competitor. Is that true? 3) is the kit lens something good to start with? If it isn’t, what is another alternative to look out for? name me if possible.

1) generally yes. You want to consider if all the lenses you are likely to need/want are available. This should be true, for most people, but other systems do have specific advantages (generally pentax lacks fast telephoto lenses, and for example canon has a lens which can do macro of 5:1 - 5 times larger than the 1:1 "macro" which is the standard).

2) least available is true, priced higher is not really true. It depends on what you're looking for. Generally the popular lenses are available for less than competing systems or there is a third party solution which is fully compatible and priced equivalently.

3) Yes. However, alternatives which are often recommended include the sigma 17-70 and the sigma and tamron 17/18-50 2.8, as well as the pentax 16-45 4. I personally would start with the kit lens, and if an upgrade is then considered to be necessary, consider the pentax 16-50 2.8 which is coming soon.

[Elvin Wong]

Hi, may i know more about the Banding and Soft edge of k10D?
Thinking k10D and canon 400D now..

[longko]

Originally Posted by Elvin Wong Hi, may i know more about the Banding and Soft edge of k10D? Thinking k10D and canon 400D now..

From some personal testing banding issue can be avoided. It tends to happen when you do long exposure shots. At certain aperture or lighting condition, the banding will appear. Unless you are shoting in JPG, else soft edge should not be an issue. Soft edge can be min by setting mode to bright with +2 sharpness

[dnaxe]

Originally Posted by Elvin Wong Hi, may i know more about the Banding and Soft edge of k10D? Thinking k10D and canon 400D now..

banding - seems to happen rarely, and generally with underexposed high iso shots. If you tend to use high iso, the 400D might be a better choice, although quite frankly the option you want in that case is really a K100D or a D40 (if you can live with it's other limitations) as those will give you a roughly usable ISO 3200 and a better 1600 than both the K10D and the 400D (at the cost of resolution).

Soft edges - not an issue if you process raw with photoshop, or generally if you adjust the in-camera options as suggested in this review:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/pe...ew/index.shtml

[mr.ush]

thanks for the replies dude.

after considering again, my choices are open up to either k10d or 400d. i tried both on hands. k10d got a nice solid feel and 400d have a great lighter weight. i just need your oppinions, which is better, 400d or k10d?(though i know both got pros and cons..)

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by mr.ush thanks for the replies dude. after considering again, my choices are open up to either k10d or 400d. i tried both on hands. k10d got a nice solid feel and 400d have a great lighter weight. i just need your oppinions, which is better, 400d or k10d?(though i know both got pros and cons..)

If you already know the pros and cons of both camera, you have to weight them yourself and see which pros you'd prefer and what cons you can live with. Both are great cameras, and both can make excellent photos in right hands. Only you can make the decision.

You'll get biased suggestion/opinion if you ask here (or at the Canon forum). If I were you, I'd suggest to get the K10D (and my opinion is not biased, if you think so )

Good luck.

[seafone]

Agree. Every camera is good if put into the right hand. =) k10d or 400d? For me, I think it pretty much boil down to the AF-speed. If you think that you will like to do wedding freelance, event shooting and sport photography. Going canon will be a much better way. ELSE, if you aren't doing these for day to day. pentax k10d is a ideal tool to do macro, still life, travelling and shot that you don't need to rush over like a combat shooting in event where speed is everything. And pentax is alway more value for money. =)

[istDeS]

Originally Posted by mr.ush thanks for the replies dude. after considering again, my choices are open up to either k10d or 400d. i tried both on hands. k10d got a nice solid feel and 400d have a great lighter weight. i just need your oppinions, which is better, 400d or k10d?(though i know both got pros and cons..)

follow your heart.. You have narrowed down to the 2 cameras. Ultimately, you are the one who is gonna use the camera, so pick the one you are most comfortable and happy with.

[airconvent]

For a beginner, "follow your heart" may not be so easy as you are totally blank as to what you need and can have. I've been there, so i know.
I think what mr ush is asking is why all of you individually pick the pentax over the other camera. From your opinions, he can choose to agree and disagree and form an idea what he needs...

I chose the Pentax over the competition at the time (istDL) because it was the lightest and most value-for-money camera with good performance. I continue with the K100D because I have become familiar with it, has some lenses and like the stabilised CCD which is not available for most of the other cameras at the time. That it ran on AA batteries is also a plus point because when I ran out of juice, I can buy some at most places unlike a powerpoint and your ac adapter!

cheers

[istDeS]

Originally Posted by airconvent For a beginner, "follow your heart" may not be so easy as you are totally blank as to what you need and can have. I've been there, so i know. I think what mr ush is asking is why all of you individually pick the pentax over the other camera. From your opinions, he can choose to agree and disagree and form an idea what he needs...

You got a point there..

Well, when i first go into digital, i actually got the Olympus E10, a digital look alike SLR with a fixed lens and not a DSLR due to a lot of talks of dust getting into sensor at that time. When i planned to upgrade, i checked and bought the Pentax istDS which is backward compatibility with their lens (i was using pentax film SLR before digital) and the price is within my budget. The pentax istDS is adequate for me but I got the K10D as it has a vertical grip which i missed a lot ( i have it on E10).

[simdavid]

Originally Posted by seafone Agree. Every camera is good if put into the right hand. =) k10d or 400d? For me, I think it pretty much boil down to the AF-speed. If you think that you will like to do wedding freelance, event shooting and sport photography. Going canon will be a much better way. ELSE, if you aren't doing these for day to day. pentax k10d is a ideal tool to do macro, still life, travelling and shot that you don't need to rush over like a combat shooting in event where speed is everything. And pentax is alway more value for money. =)

Canon AF has been said to be fast but INACCURATE unless you going for the 5D and above model. Pentax AF has been described to be abit slower then the competition but accurate and things are improving with the K10D. If you understand the mechanism of AF in cameras, it is never perfect. It is partly electronics and programming.

I think the most compeling reason to choose Pentax is having top quality glass comparable to 'L' series lenses in Canon is price. It is cheaper to own high end glasses in Pentax. Plus, the recent addition of SR in the body, and if you compare Canon where you need to buy IS lenses, Pentax offer the man on the street reasonable prices but high end quality glass with SR. Unless you are looking at the telephoto end where Pentax is not there yet and Canon or Nikon will be your choices. But if you taking photos generally, look hard at Pentax!

My opinion of Canon is that we are paying too much for too little. Got the feeling that it is treating us like carrot head, though I don't own Canon but that's what I derived when I was looking to buy my first DSLR coming from the Panasonic FZ20/30 background.

Beside, the K10D is comparable to Canon 30D and 400D to K100D, all feature wise except the megapixel. So for the price you are paying for 400D, K10D is a better option.

Have fun in whatever you choose.

[sooming]

Originally Posted by simdavid Canon AF has been said to be fast but INACCURATE unless you going for the 5D and above model. Pentax AF has been described to be abit slower then the competition but accurate and things are improving with the K10D. If you understand the mechanism of AF in cameras, it is never perfect. It is partly electronics and programming. I think the most compeling reason to choose Pentax is having top quality glass comparable to 'L' series lenses in Canon is price. It is cheaper to own high end glasses in Pentax. Plus, the recent addition of SR in the body, and if you compare Canon where you need to buy IS lenses, Pentax offer the man on the street reasonable prices but high end quality glass with SR. Unless you are looking at the telephoto end where Pentax is not there yet and Canon or Nikon will be your choices. But if you taking photos generally, look hard at Pentax! My opinion of Canon is that we are paying too much for too little. Got the feeling that it is treating us like carrot head, though I don't own Canon but that's what I derived when I was looking to buy my first DSLR coming from the Panasonic FZ20/30 background. Beside, the K10D is comparable to Canon 30D and 400D to K100D, all feature wise except the megapixel. So for the price you are paying for 400D, K10D is a better option. Have fun in whatever you choose.

You're absolutely right! Canon AF is fast but not accurate...I had a Canon 30D before I bought the K10D. Checking through my countless photos taken with 24-105L and 70-300 IS, I can say about 40% of those are slightly off in focusing. So disappointing...

I don't have such problem with my K10D using kit lens, 50-200 and 10-17 fisheye. It's definitely the most underrated camera, comparable to 5D quality. I just did some studio shoot, and did some 16x24" prints on my Epson 4000, it's very very impressive!!!

[mr.ush]

wowowee. thanks for your oppinions. after much ado, i guess k10d, here i come!

now i just need to worry bout the lenses, is the dual kit lens worthy for the bucks? or shall i get the body itself and get some other lens(which i don't know which)? or would the single kits lens enough for some fidling and serious experiment? sorry i totally know nuts about the these lenses. therefore, i really appreciate your comments and oppinions.

brudders, cheers.

[dnaxe]

Originally Posted by mr.ush wowowee. thanks for your oppinions. after much ado, i guess k10d, here i come! now i just need to worry bout the lenses, is the dual kit lens worthy for the bucks?

I would get tamron/sigma's newest 70-300 (for added range) instead of the 50-200. You'll find that not everyone will agree, however.

As to the kit replacement, the obvious thing to get is the pentax DA* 16-50 2.8, but that's not currently available, and because of it's imminent arrival i would hesitate to get the sigma/tamron 18-50 2.8, pentax 16-45 4 or sigma 17-70... So perhaps just get the kit? The only thing is that it isn't particularly cheap (I think it adds 120+ to the price..). I suppose for that price it's worthwhile, and it's probably good enough...