Hi guys I'm about to travel overseas in October therefore would like to seek advice from some pros to get a DSLR. I've had limited exposures to DSLR before, I snapped some shots for my company's magazine using Sony A200 DSLR (company camera). I used to work as a Sony cyber-shot promoter, get to play with a few Sony DSLR too. I like the user-friendliness of the Sony but picture quality not the best I have seen. I also gained abit of knowledge here and there from my friends' Canon 550D and Nikon D5000. I consider myself a beginner at best. Most of my shots would be 70% portrait, 20% landscape and 10%. Recently tried out the Pentax K-r and Nikon D5100. I like the canon 550d's user interface but really dislike the plastic body. I can't quite touch on it but the canon 550d feel clearer when viewing from the view finder than the Nikon (pls pardon me maybe I did not adjust the settings). The Nikon d5100 has a solid body, it gave me a firm feel, like something I can put my trust on but the learning curve for user interface may take a little longer. Pentax K-r has a good feel and easy to learn user interface. There are also colors to choose from. Red, blue, yellow, purple, white and etc. The color alone got my gf very excited. She wanted for me to get the red body. I am thinking to also get a pentax DA 18mm - 135mm WR len for zooming and portrait shots. I understand that pentax has it's limitation too. There are not as many range of lens as compared to canon and Nikon. My budget is $1400 at max. I also hope to get a CPL filter, extra batt and screen protecter. I will purchase this or another brand/model by July. Thus I need to be able to learn as much as possible. Oh and the price vs performance ratio for pentax is difficult to beat. Pls enlighten me is this a right choice? Need some advice, please. Thank you.
Pentax K-r (red body) + da 18-135mm wr len
- Thread starter Silverback84
- Start date
Hi guys
I'm about to travel overseas in October therefore would like to seek advice from some pros to get a DSLR. I've had limited exposures to DSLR before, I snapped some shots for my company's magazine using Sony A200 DSLR (company camera).
I used to work as a Sony cyber-shot promoter, get to play with a few Sony DSLR too. I like the user-friendliness of the Sony but picture quality not the best I have seen. I also gained abit of knowledge here and there from my friends' Canon 550D and Nikon D5000.
I consider myself a beginner at best. Most of my shots would be 70% portrait, 20% landscape and 10%. Recently tried out the Pentax K-r and Nikon D5100. I like the canon 550d's user interface but really dislike the plastic body.
I can't quite touch on it but the canon 550d feel clearer when viewing from the view finder than the Nikon (pls pardon me maybe I did not adjust the settings). The Nikon d5100 has a solid body, it gave me a firm feel, like something I can put my trust on but the learning curve for user interface may take a little longer.
Pentax K-r has a good feel and easy to learn user interface. There are also colors to choose from. Red, blue, yellow, purple, white and etc. The color alone got my gf very excited. She wanted for me to get the red body. I am thinking to also get a pentax DA 18mm - 135mm WR len for zooming and portrait shots. I understand that pentax has it's limitation too. There are not as many range of lens as compared to canon and Nikon.
My budget is $1400 at max. I also hope to get a CPL filter, extra batt and screen protecter. I will purchase this or another brand/model by July. Thus I need to be able to learn as much as possible. Oh and the price vs performance ratio for pentax is difficult to beat.
Pls enlighten me is this a right choice? Need some advice, please. Thank you.
I'm about to travel overseas in October therefore would like to seek advice from some pros to get a DSLR. I've had limited exposures to DSLR before, I snapped some shots for my company's magazine using Sony A200 DSLR (company camera).
I used to work as a Sony cyber-shot promoter, get to play with a few Sony DSLR too. I like the user-friendliness of the Sony but picture quality not the best I have seen. I also gained abit of knowledge here and there from my friends' Canon 550D and Nikon D5000.
I consider myself a beginner at best. Most of my shots would be 70% portrait, 20% landscape and 10%. Recently tried out the Pentax K-r and Nikon D5100. I like the canon 550d's user interface but really dislike the plastic body.
I can't quite touch on it but the canon 550d feel clearer when viewing from the view finder than the Nikon (pls pardon me maybe I did not adjust the settings). The Nikon d5100 has a solid body, it gave me a firm feel, like something I can put my trust on but the learning curve for user interface may take a little longer.
Pentax K-r has a good feel and easy to learn user interface. There are also colors to choose from. Red, blue, yellow, purple, white and etc. The color alone got my gf very excited. She wanted for me to get the red body. I am thinking to also get a pentax DA 18mm - 135mm WR len for zooming and portrait shots. I understand that pentax has it's limitation too. There are not as many range of lens as compared to canon and Nikon.
My budget is $1400 at max. I also hope to get a CPL filter, extra batt and screen protecter. I will purchase this or another brand/model by July. Thus I need to be able to learn as much as possible. Oh and the price vs performance ratio for pentax is difficult to beat.
Pls enlighten me is this a right choice? Need some advice, please. Thank you.
I was having the same issue when selecting my first dslr too. But seems that you have already "molested" these models. My recommendation is go with your heart. Which one feels the most comfortable to you. Picture quality wise, most of the time, IQ depends on the lens and I can only say all camera makers make good lens (just that require the $$$ for it).
Regarding the variety of lens, I've asked the same question too..here.
An extract of one of the post:
Hope this helps
Regarding the variety of lens, I've asked the same question too..here.
An extract of one of the post:
unless you're intending to be a superstar pro photographer that goes to the Olympics and stuff, or you have lots of $$ to spend on a large lens collection...
honestly, all the major brands would have lenses that cover all your needs as a hobbyist. Don't need to fret too much about it
Hope this helps
All the brands you mentioned make very very good cameras. Like what Rashkae had said, go and try out other models of Sony before giving up on the camera brand totally. As to Pentax... well, you can't go wrong with it... although it had limited lens as compared to Canon and Nikon, but seriously, you do not need a few hundreds types of lens, just one or two and thats it.
From some of what you have written... yep, Pentax is among the few brands that offer multiple colours for their DSLR range. Another option is Canon's 1100D which also had multiple colours, but if you don't like the plastisky feel of the 550D, you wouldn't like the 1100D feel too.
Another option you could look into was the mirrorless format like panasonic GF series and GH series, also the G series. These are good cameras too, and if I am not wrong, they have multiple colour for you to choose from too... but these are not exactly fast cameras to start with and don't exactly perform top notch in low light condition.
From some of what you have written... yep, Pentax is among the few brands that offer multiple colours for their DSLR range. Another option is Canon's 1100D which also had multiple colours, but if you don't like the plastisky feel of the 550D, you wouldn't like the 1100D feel too.
Another option you could look into was the mirrorless format like panasonic GF series and GH series, also the G series. These are good cameras too, and if I am not wrong, they have multiple colour for you to choose from too... but these are not exactly fast cameras to start with and don't exactly perform top notch in low light condition.
Get the red pantax for your GF, higher-end Sony for yourself? Everybody wins! Especially the shopowner! :bsmilie:
IQ-wise all modern bodies perform similarly, so you usually can't go wrong with any camera if you are just looking at IQ. That said, IQ is pretty much subjective. What's pleasing to me may not be pleasing to you, so the only way to find out is to go out there and test it yourself (which you already did. Good call. You probably didn't know what you were looking for, though). What will determine the best camera for you are the features/options offered, to which, as the people have said here, read the FAQs, reviews, etc both here and around the web. And give the shops another visit and try them out again, hopefully this time you're better equipped to make a more informed decision.
With a budget of $1400, the Kr is a good choice with is good range features and price.
The range of lenses for Pentax is certainly enough for the general photographer.
All focal lengths are covered from wide perspective lenses (eg. Sigma 8-16mm,10-20mm; Pentax DA12-24; DA14/2.8; DA15/4 ltd, etc),to long lenses like 55-300; 200/2.8; 300/4; 60-250/4, Sigma 500/4.5, 50-500; using OEM and 3rd party options.
Together with Pentax backward compatibility to its legacy lenses which you can find in the 2nd hand market, it provides for comprehensive coverage at very cheap prices for some lenses.
Pentax primes offer a unique balance between size and performance to match with the smaller designed bodies. The Limited series of lenses best describes Pentax approach to its prime lenses.
The 18-135mm lens is a rather nice lens to use.
I did a review of it some time back :
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/thre...35mm-F3.5-5.6-ED-AL-IF-DC-WR?highlight=18-135
Guys thank you for the response I read the DSLR buying guide and it was informative. Pinhole thank u for the review on da 18-135mm WR u just made me wan it more!
