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Hi
I currently have a Pentax K200d witha couple of decent lenses. However, I find it a bit heavy and cumbersome to take out when I am hillwalking (my other hobby). I am looking for something a little lighter but of good quality, I would be entering prints into comps and probably printing up to A3. I have always had Pentax but would happily change to Nikon or Canon. Are Nikon and Canon superior to Pentax, as I am led to believe, or is this just snobbishness?
I guess if I change I would not be able to use my Pentax lenses? Could I get a quality lens nowdayds that would cover me wide angle to telephoto, without breaking the bank. It would be so good to not have to keep changing the lens while hillwalking. I would be looking to spend around £750 on a camera body, I would consider second hand from a reputable dealer. I would also try and sell my Pentax. Sorry for all the questions but I have not been keeping up with trends in digital imaging for a number of years and it is always good to get advice form knowlegable folk like yourselves.
Many thanks
You dont have to spend £750 to get a camera body suitable for your needs but go ahead if you must.
Take a look at the Nikon D3100 body only about £350 plus a nikon 18-200 new circa £550-600 second hand £300-400.
good combo for what it seems you want.
If you spend £750 on a body you could have the D7000 and easily add the same again and more for one or two lenses.
Do you really need to spend that much?????
Nikon/Canon better than Pentax?allways open to discussion so i will leave the "experts" to answer that one personally i love my D3100 still learning what it can do coupled to an 18-200.
Recently returned from the caribean my lowepro sligshot packed solid with lenses spare body etc the only thing i used was the d3100 plus 18-200.Next trip lowepro stays at home
Pentax is a much under-rated marque. What they do, they do extremely well and I have read many comments that the output from the their cameras matches or (in some circumstances) exceeds CaNikon. So I would not change systems unless you need the larger lens range in the two big players.
As your main concern is bulk and not picture quality, I don't think you will save a whole lot by changing brands to another APS-C system. Have you thought about the micro 4/3 systems? The bodies may not be significantly smaller than the smallestPS-C but it is the lenses where you save bulk and weight. And the body plus 2 lenses will fit into a small belt pouch.
In discussion with a professional he prefers the out-of-camera JPEG from the Olympus PEN but prefers the RAW from the Panasonics so depending on your workflow the choice is yours.
Have you looked at the Pentax Q?
Thanks again.
Sorry I have not worded this right. Picture quality is important it's just that I hoped I could retain quality images but reduce the weight of my SLR. I go to camera club and most folk use Canon or Nikon and wonder why I have a Pentax??? I do get good results with my Pentax, especially since I purchased better glass than the std that came with the camera. I would have no qualms abotu buying another Pentax but just wondered what I am missing not having a Nikon or a Canon? Perhaps they are better at marketing?
Quote: I go to camera club and most folk use Canon or Nikon and wonder why I have a Pentax???
I think that says more about them than it does about your choice of camera.
Pentax lenses have always been exceptional but the range is not as wide as CaNikon. However the Pentax (if I recall correctly) has image stabilisation in the body which means you can use older manual focus lenses which are much smaller than the stabilised lenses from the bigger brands.
I suggest you take your Pentax (plus a second card) down to Jessops or wherever and use your second card in a micro 4/3 camera to take comparison images to look at at home. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Hello bigjohna,
If I understand you correct, you are concerned about the weight and bulk of the K200D and perhaps a few lenses when you go hill walking?
I can sympathise with you as I lug a Nikon D300, two lenses, full set of filters, accessories and a tripod when I go hill walking. I have often wondered if a lighter and smaller camera and system would be more convenient to take in the hills but after trying a bridge camera I soon came to the conclusion that I couldn't achieve the standard of photos I was after mainly due to the limited lens coverage and poor ergonomics and menu operations - I just found it very hard to use and not intuitive compared to my Nikon. Consequently I know only ever take my Nikon system.
I don't think you would make considerable weight and bulk improvements in another dSLR set up whether it any of the manufacturers compared to your Pentax but considerable gains could be made using a mirrorless system such as the Micro 4/3 systems that are out these days, you get the flexibility of dSLRs as well largely.
Another option could be a compact such as a Lumix LX5 which are highly rated I believe or a Ricoh GR for example, might need to check if you can attach a filter system to them though such as a Lee RF 75 if you want to use filters.
Just some thoughts.
John
My solution to the problem you mention was to get a decent compact, a Canon S95 is the one I have but the mentioned LX5 or the top Olympus are good too. They tend to pack in a 28mm to 100mm or so lens and at very good quality because the sensors are that bit bigger, plus with optical fast f2 lenses you can keep the ISO down and get good images. I found it to be a good step on from a bridge type camera and I am happy using it up to ISO800.
The next step on the light/compact road is a m4/3 system, Panasonic or Olympus smaller and lighter than an SLR but good image quality these days, probably ahead of your K200. But if you have good pentax lenses are you not better off looking at an entry pentax SLR. The K-r is @ 540g so not heavy as SLRs go. Is that worth a look??? I always think if you have decent lenses why change systems? And I would pick that camera over the D3100 or example.
Compacts any of these Fuji X10, Pany LX5 or the Olympus XZ1.
As for M4/3, some of the older models including kit lenses can be picked up for less than £300, cheaper than any of the compacts listed above.
Hi Bigjohna,
I owned the k100 k10 k200 and k20 for years used pentax and only changed to canon when i went pro for the lenses mainly as pentax didnt have what i needed.
I am surprised by your comment and would suggest you try the canon and nikon entry level dslrs out for size as the k200d is one of the smallest and lightest DSLRs i have ever come across, and to be serious if i didnt need the pro lenses i do for my job i would still be using pentax , so if someone asks in your club why you use pentax, tell them it provides the best value for money of any camera , and ask why they use nikon / canon , if they were to reply truthfully they would probably say ' baaaahhhhh '
Thanks Pulsar.
I think I have been convinced to stick withthe K200D aand I do like having the AA battery option also. I may look at adding a 18 to 135 lens, but the reviews I have breifly looked at dont really rate this lens considering the price? Can anyonye suggest a lens covering the same focal length that would be compatible with the K200D. Thanks again everyone for all you advice.
If you're talking about Pro level DSLR, you're probably 'stuck' with Canon or Nikon. Sony's had a punt at that market, but IMO they're too focused on the consumer level mindset to take advantage of the heritage they took on when they bought out Minolta - which is a shame because more effective competition would be good for us all.
But at the other end, right up to and including 'serious enthusiast' level, the competition seems to have heated up considerably fairly recently. The K5 for instance is a cracking camera and actually far more compact than any of its direct competition which it can match on both build and image quality.
I think it would be poorly served by attaching a superzoom lens [because there are compromise issues on IQ in terms of distortion, CA, diffraction - not to mention they're fairly slow], but if you really wanted that convenience and flexibility you could always go for the Sigma 18-200 in Pentax fit. You wouldn't even need to splash out on the OS [optically stabilised] version because you have that in the camera body.
The body's just about within your budget if you shop around and it sounds like it's designed for your needs [decent weather sealing/compact/good performance].
I've never owned anything but Canon or Nikon in digital SLR, but if I didn't have money in L lenses and was pitching at that level of the market, I'd be seriously tempted by the K5. I did have a Pentax in the days of film and it's nice to see them establishing themselves as a viable choice. They've even started a tilt at the Pro arena with their medium format 645 - you could mention that to your camera club friends - there's no Canon or Nikon in that space...
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