opinions needed! stucked between K10D and olympus E510

[meldie]

hello! I'm a progressor from p&s to DSLR. currently have pentax K10D and Olympus E510 on my mind. both have dual lens kit and K10D is weather-proof. i'm a nature/abstract/underwater/IR/landscape/fireworks kind of photographer. foreseen to be getting wide angle/macro/fish eye lenses. need some opinions!

btw can i know which country is the K10D and its lenses made in?? (: thanks in advance!

[slacker]

Moving from Olympus E510 over to K10D and starting to invest in an array of lens for the first time, i just comment on one aspect that you are concern about.

Underwater - you have instant access to underwater housing for Olympus but not K10D. Not if you keep your finger crossed and can afford to wait.

Other than that, i would say it's all up to you. The nice collection of lens offered by Pentax draws me from Olympus along with the price tag for the newer lens. Try checking out just the prime lens 50mm for both and you will notice the price difference first. That explain why i never get any lens other than the E510 dual-lens kit and a FL-36 flash. Of cos it is to own preference which IQ is more "acceptable" to eyes. Not bashing a brand that i once loved and still loving it as their E3 almost lurk me back again. All thanks to my friend...

[spidey89]

personally,i use the E-510,been serving me well during the time i've used it,but both cameras are good,maybe you can try out the cameras at shops before deciding

[spidey89]

maybe you can try the feel of the camera before deciding on one

[fengwei]

The K10D isn't easy for IR photos (from others' experience), and there is no underwarter housing available here in Singapore. Other than these, the K10D is a very capable camera for the other stuff you like to do.

I agree w/ slacker on the prices. Many good Oly lenses are way too expensive imo. They are great lenses, but probably overkill for most ameatures.

Good luck w/ your decision.

[gigahz]

Fengwei is right this is my first DSLR, and it was an Overkill to me.. but somehow it broaden up my skills in this field..

One thing
PENTAXIAN'S are very Helpful

[Gengh]

Originally Posted by gigahz One thing PENTAXIAN'S are very Helpful

Have to agree with gigahz.

Anyway, if you're keen on wide angle and fisheye, Pentax has an edge due to sensor size difference. And I believe there's one or two 10-17 fisheye lenses for sale on the B&S, as well as a 12-24 wide angle, so you can check out CSers' prices for these lenses.

Incidentally, if I didn't buy Pentax, I would have gotten the E510...

[NoMoney]

K10D should be able to satisfy you for at least 2 to 3 yrs from your move from PnS to DSLR.

Lenses are made from Vietnam and Japan, depending on which lens you are looking at.

[creampuff]

Since this is posted in the Pentax forum let me be blunt. After trying out a relative's E510, I'm glad I don't have to make a choice to buy it. Simply put the K10D is so much more camera, that the Olympus doesn't even come close in my book.

Having used SLRs since the early 70s, I have always preferred a camera that has a decent viewfinder in helping to compose one's images. The E510's small and tunnel like viewfinder is poor in comparison to the Pentax in my opinion.

Yes it has Live View as an alternative but I find it clumsy to operate and to me it is more hype than help. I dare say even the Pentax K100D's LCD is more accurate in terms of colour.

Yes it is smaller in size but it is easier to hold the Pentax (subjective). We have "pancake" prime lenses.

Even if I could overlook the so-so viewfinder and LCD, and even the 2x crop factor or pricier Oly lenses, the big issue that sets me back is that I find the sensor tends to clip highlights or lose detail in the shadows on scenes that exhibit a wide dynamic range. This is a big negative in my book. Dynamic range is paramount and I personally feel the Pentax has a clear edge here. Ultimately the choice is yours.

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by creampuff Since this is posted in the Pentax forum let me be blunt. After trying out a relative's E510, I'm glad I don't have to make a choice to buy it. Simply put the K10D is so much more camera, that the Olympus doesn't even come close in my book. Having used SLRs since the early 70s, I have always preferred a camera that has a decent viewfinder in helping to compose one's images. The E510's small and tunnel like viewfinder is poor in comparison to the Pentax in my opinion. Yes it has Live View as an alternative but I find it clumsy to operate and to me it is more hype than help. I dare say even the Pentax K100D's LCD is more accurate in terms of colour. Yes it is smaller in size but it is easier to hold the Pentax (subjective). We have "pancake" prime lenses. Even if I could overlook the so-so viewfinder and LCD, and even the 2x crop factor or pricier Oly lenses, the big issue that sets me back is that I find the sensor tends to clip highlights or lose detail in the shadows on scenes that exhibit a wide dynamic range. This is a big negative in my book. Dynamic range is paramount and I personally feel the Pentax has a clear edge here. Ultimately the choice is yours.

Hey Denis, I hope Oly users didn't see this, otherwise you just started a flame war

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by fengwei Hey Denis, I hope Oly users didn't see this, otherwise you just started a flame war

Pentax got limitations too, as do many other cameras. It all depends whether you can live with the limitations.

[Gengh]

Originally Posted by fengwei Hey Denis, I hope Oly users didn't see this, otherwise you just started a flame war

Well, he did say "Since this is posted in the Pentax forum..." Posting such a question (asking for opinion between K10D and E510) here is bound to draw biased responses!

[meldie]

Originally Posted by gigahz Fengwei is right this is my first DSLR, and it was an Overkill to me.. but somehow it broaden up my skills in this field.. One thing PENTAXIAN'S are very Helpful

i agree, you guys are lovely! nownow... im trying hard to find the K10D kit with dual lens. hard to find. i only know AP, OP, CP and MS stock pentax. any more?? called up MS and CP, who dont stock dual lens kit anymore.

and one more qn... is there such thing as downpayment first when getting the cam from the electronic stores? or is it full payment/instalments only? am a darn poor student fighting to keep myself alive anyway.

so yeap, i'll ditch the U/W photography dreams or so i had predicted. diving itself is sucha expensive hobby, and talk bout the U/W housing system + strobes, etc etc...

[ilario]

hey man, i'm in the EXACT same shoes as u a while back. Im a student, i was choosing between E510 and K10D, and both are very wonderful cameras. What made me bought the K10D is the heft and build, and no-frills feature set. Exactly a camera made for its purpose: to take photos.

Don't ditch ur dream just because we say its a good camera... I would say if its ur passion, big bucks is nothing, you live for passion anyway. I'd say dont get the dual kit unless you really need it. Analyse your needs before continuing. Good luck!

[Kirika]

I'm not exactly a veteran, but I do use an E510. I'd agree that the live view is hype to the extent that you really don't want to use it the way a PnS's live view would be used. It's slow and flip flops the mirror a couple times before it's through. You will most likely miss shots if you rely entirely on it.

That said, I'm not really sure about the tunnel viewfinder since this is my first dSLR. All I can say is that I've been determining macro focus through the viewfinder, so it isn't small or dim to me. But then I do also have perfect eyesight, so ymmv if you're wearing glasses. Image quality wise I have no complaints.

I've handled the K10D at the PC Show and it's a wonderful piece of hardware. Can't go far wrong with either Pentax or Olympus. I figure it'd boil down to which lenses you'd want to get in future.

[night86mare]

Originally Posted by meldie i agree, you guys are lovely! nownow... im trying hard to find the K10D kit with dual lens. hard to find. i only know AP, OP, CP and MS stock pentax. any more?? called up MS and CP, who dont stock dual lens kit anymore. and one more qn... is there such thing as downpayment first when getting the cam from the electronic stores? or is it full payment/instalments only? am a darn poor student fighting to keep myself alive anyway. so yeap, i'll ditch the U/W photography dreams or so i had predicted. diving itself is sucha expensive hobby, and talk bout the U/W housing system + strobes, etc etc...

both cameras are good cameras - i suggest you handle and hold the camera. ergonomics wise, MOST (not all) people like pentax.. prime complaints for the e510 include.. too small or something like that, and then the neckstrap attachment hook also very funny location, iirc.

that said, i think it's only fair to present pentax's problems as of present;
1) af is slow, albeit accurate
2) flash system is not very good?
3) lenses in singapore quite hard to find, other than common offerings
4) too much value for money, if you want expensive camera gear so that when you mention price people's eyes will go waaaa

just kidding about 4, btw. anyways, for installment plans, i don't think all of the common shops offer it - for a good price usually you would have to pay full, up front in cash unless you have good relationship with the shop, perhaps. such installment plans usually available in harvey norman and all those shops la.. price higher most of the time, unless got super special offer.. even then it's usually "cheaper" because of freebies you might not need.

[headfonz]

consider the system pros and cons to see which would suit your needs. i'm a 4/3s system user, so i'll share more from what my perspective.

nature: if you foresee using teles, the 4/3s 2x focal length multipler gives an advantage. esp when you consider the lightweight ZD40-150 f4.5-5.6 or 70-300 lenses. the K10D has weather-proofing, so its really good for nature treks.

macro: added DOF from smaller 4/3s sensor is an advantage, also, the sigma macro lenses perform really well. the ZD35mm macro is a bargain performer.

abstract: you'll probably be needing some good primes here and pentax has really nice primes and pancake lenses to choose from. so far the primes in the 4/3s side are quite pricey (except the ZD35mm macro). there are only 2 primes to cover the 'standard' 50mm (135 format) range, of which, the Leica D 25mm f1.4 is about $1.3k. if you'll be doing macro abstracts, then maybe 4/3s may give a better offering.

underwater: consider the E410 + underwater casing instead. or why not use a pns with underwater casing? may be a cheaper solution than a dslr underwater casing.

fireworks: not sure about the FE and UWAs in pentax, but there is only 1 FE availble for 4/3s. not counting the Peleng 8mm FE.

IR: an alternative would be the Sigma SD14 dslr...it has a hotswappable hot pass filter so you may want to check it out if you are really into IR.

good luck deciding on your system, but in any case, have fun shooting!

[fengwei]

Sulhan has a pretty nice writeup for newbie dSLR users, you might wanna check it out:

http://clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

[NoMoney]

Originally Posted by meldie i agree, you guys are lovely! nownow... im trying hard to find the K10D kit with dual lens. hard to find. i only know AP, OP, CP and MS stock pentax. any more?? called up MS and CP, who dont stock dual lens kit anymore. and one more qn... is there such thing as downpayment first when getting the cam from the electronic stores? or is it full payment/instalments only? am a darn poor student fighting to keep myself alive anyway. so yeap, i'll ditch the U/W photography dreams or so i had predicted. diving itself is sucha expensive hobby, and talk bout the U/W housing system + strobes, etc etc...

Well... If K10D is expensive, why not get K100D? I am also a poor student. If you do not need the feature of K10D, then a K100D should be enough. The remanding fund can at least get you some bread and butter for the next few weeks

[meldie]

(: ok kinda decided on the K10D to set my self for the next 2-3 years, will be looking out here when someone decides to upgrade their lenses :P

i got abt 1k in the piggy already. so can only whack the stores after my hong bao collection.

anyways when's the best time to get the K10D? during IT show (6-9 march)? will the prices be foreseen to dip at IT show with the grand entrace of the K200 n K20D? *prays so*