Camera buying advice please

[R4NDY]

Hi all.

I currently have a Fuji Finepix S9600 bridge camera and have loved it for the last couple of years.

looking at upgrading to a DSLR, mainly shoot mountain biking and cars at race tracks, also stationary show cars and general use.

Been looking at this:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/pentax-k-r-digital-s...

Any advice and users comments of this camera greatfull

[Gemm]

I'm sure Pentax make fine cameras, but if you are planning to upgrade in the future (lenses, accessories, etc), I would recommend the big 2, Canon or Nikon. I have absolutely nothing against other makes. In fact, I was a Minolta user in the past, but when I passed certain levels of photography, I felt restricted then Canon or Nikon definitely offered more. Hope this helps.

[GetCarter]

Gemm said:

I'm sure Pentax make fine cameras, but if you are planning to upgrade in the future (lenses, accessories, etc), I would recommend the big 2, Canon or Nikon. I have absolutely nothing against other makes. In fact, I was a Minolta user in the past, but when I passed certain levels of photography, I felt restricted then Canon or Nikon definitely offered more. Hope this helps.

This.

[LongQ]

GetCarter said:

Gemm said:

I'm sure Pentax make fine cameras, but if you are planning to upgrade in the future (lenses, accessories, etc), I would recommend the big 2, Canon or Nikon. I have absolutely nothing against other makes. In fact, I was a Minolta user in the past, but when I passed certain levels of photography, I felt restricted then Canon or Nikon definitely offered more. Hope this helps.

This.

Same again.

There is a possibility that Sony might be a useful third option to study. They have some interesting developments but the range of 'other bits' and third party support is still developing wherase Canon/Nikon are mature offerings.

Pentax and Olympus are also fine makes but without the sheer breadth of offerings of the big 2 .

There are a number of web sites offering reviews usually with comparisons and attempt to balance the review to inform people following different photogrpaphic interests.

dpreview.com is one of the more active places.

stevesdigicams another.

Both have been around for a while.

Both are worth looking at and may remind you of some questions that you know you need to ask but don't always have in mind.

[R4NDY]

Thanks for your replies, found this on my travels.
This is upto my budget for getting started.
Any thoughts?

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/81730...

[smn159]

have you considered buying secondhand? I bought a Canon 400D for around £200 recently and you could invest the rest of your budget in some decent lenses

[smn159]

have you considered buying secondhand? I bought a Canon 400D for around £200 recently and you could invest the rest of your budget in some decent lenses

[R4NDY]

Hmm

Wanted to buy new so i knew where it had been not dropped etc and also felt i'd look after it better if new!
Might sound daft.

[RobDickinson]

SLR's are tough little things. Most people who buy them dont use them anywhere near as much as they can cope with.

Canikon is the obvious choice, 550d, D3100 etc.

Sony A33/A55 and Pentax K-r or K-5 are decent options too.

They are all plenty good enough.

[adamfogerty]

Okay I'll bite

Disclaimer: I'm a Pentax owner.

Just to offer a balanced perspective and to counter the notion that the 'smaller' brands somehow stifle or restrict your ability to grow as a photographer:

This page http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/index.html lists 211 Pentax own brand lens (from 8.4mm to 2000mm) that are compatible with any of their current cameras. There are also plenty of 3rd party lenses from the likes of Sigma and Tamron. A search for Pentax in the Lenses section of eBay UK returns 1,509 results - admittedly this looks small compared to the 4,793 results for Canon & 3,093 for Nikon, but it hardly suggests a lack of lens choice/availability.

Pentax currently sell 4 different flashguns of their own and last time I checked Sigma were also selling flashguns compatible with Pentax's P-TTL system. There are also plenty of knock-offs available on eBay so again, plenty of choice there.

Someone above also mentioned that Canon & Nikon are more 'mature' - I'm not sure what that's meant to mean but Pentax released their first 35mm SLR in 1952 (before either Canon or Nikon).

I've talked about Pentax as it's their brand I know, but I'm sure the same can be said for the likes of Olympus and Sony.

As I stated at the outset I just wanted to offer an alternative point of view.

Thanks,

Adam

[K12beano]

adamfogerty said:

Someone above also mentioned that Canon & Nikon are more 'mature' - I'm not sure what that's meant to mean but Pentax released their first 35mm SLR in 1952 (before either Canon or Nikon).

Pentax got "mature" by the 60s. I remember being a proud owner of a secondhand S1a. My! that was a beauty.

('course, it doesn't do all those whizzy things that today's mad kit will do.)

Anyway - to OP - ever bought/contracted to a 'phone, or a computer type, on the basis of being comfortable with what it does - like replacing a Nokia with another Nokia because you know how the menu system will work? Modern dSLRs are a bit like that. Your best bet is to go to a shop, or find a mate with one, and handle the little box of tricks and see what the menu does and whether it seems to have useful words on the screen when you press ...HELP!!!! into it. No harm in going for "heart over head" decisions since living with a camera is all about liking using it - not about the latest techy speccy stuff.

[RobDickinson]

Unless there is something quite specific in the lens lineup (say canons mpe65 etc) then the one that works for you is the best...

[Nero601]

R4NDY said:

Hmm

Wanted to buy new so i knew where it had been not dropped etc and also felt i'd look after it better if new!
Might sound daft.

If you buy from a reputible source , it will have been checked over and will come with a G'tee.

Camera gear is generally looked after and you can tell if it has been abused ,Buy new and treat it well by all means but it is a tool and not a piece of jewellery

[K12beano]

RobDickinson said:

.... something quite specific in the lens lineup ...

^^^ What 'im up thar says.

Good Advice.

Really, the entire answer is: Sod what the camera body (brand and model ) is. What d'ya wanna take pictures of? Let's work out the best lenses for the job, then choose a camera that fits those lenses. Glass trumps electrowizzardy every time in the photo-game.

[51mes]

I'll add my disclaimer as well - another Pentax owner - just upgraded from a K100 to a K-5.

The K-r is a damn good entry level DLSR and the set of Pentax lenses that are available for ameteurs is perfectly sufficient - and pretty cost effective.

The review sites mentioned above are worth a read, and second hand is worth considering.

Best bit of advice is to get your hands on the cameras- for me at the price nothing feels as good as holding a pentax body the canon's especailly just feel plasticy.

I just love the "accepted view" that canon/nikon are automatically better as there are more lenses - I mean who as a home user is going to spend a couple of K on a professional piece of glass ..

a short telephoto and a decent zoom are sufficient for most people, oh and maybe a fast 50 for portraits. The K-r kit will do the first two 18-55 and 50-200 with the body for 450 at a high street retailers today, sufficient for basic needs and the fast 50 is about 140. All with image stablisation - as it's in the body.

I'm loving my nice new Tamron 50-200 f2.8 - just wish work would give me time off to play ;-)

Simes.

[RobDickinson]

51mes said:

I just love the "accepted view" that canon/nikon are automatically better as there are more lenses - I mean who as a home user is going to spend a couple of K on a professional piece of glass ..

Its not just a couple of K on a big lens though.

Try find a 1.4 teleconvertor, or flash triggers, or macro extension tubes, or a lens mount adapter, or a cheap used macro lens etc.

Admittedly if your looking at a smaller pool of buyers some stuff will be cheaper if you find it, flipside is stuff is harder to sell used and you get less for it.

[LongQ]

adamfogerty said:

Someone above also mentioned that Canon & Nikon are more 'mature' - I'm not sure what that's meant to mean but Pentax released their first 35mm SLR in 1952 (before either Canon or Nikon).

The 'mature' comment you highlight was in relation to Sony in the DSLR market compared to Canon and Nikon.

The comment in the following paragraph re Pentax and Olympus was also intended to refer to the digital age and the current market.

In both cases the point was being made about the digital 'system' rather then the manufacturer history - the range of available lenses, flash units and other items both own brand and, perhaps more significantly in terms of overall costs for some people, third parties.

There certainly were times during the 35mm film period when Pentax and Olympus offered as much as Nikon and Canon and market share was quite balanced between them but the market in the digital age is not so equally shared for whatever reasons.

None of this may matter at all as far as the OP is concerned and I suppose everything is subject to change over time. The only obvious difference ini the basic offerings is that Olympus use a slightly different sensor format (4:3) than the others so the core images have a different basic rectangular shape. This may matter to some people.

I have nothing against Pentax. My 'always carry' camera is a Pentax Optio S5i which has withstood several years of abuse including a few inadvertent drops and last year a skid across a car park in France. It still works and I very much like the images its 5 Mpix produces. It is also very small and relatively light. I have no idea if more recent Pentax cameras in the equivalent section of the market as it exist today are similarly tough.

Choosing a dslr is really a matter of asking yourself what you might want to do with it and what you need to add to the body to make that possible. Lenses, flash units, wireless file transfer devices, what have you. Then identify who currently offers the facilities and has bodies that are reckoned suitable for the tasks. Remember that lens systems cost more than bodies (usually) but tend to hold their values over longer periods too.

Once those criteria have been used to create a shortlist of possibles, go and handle the cameras to see which feel 'right'. If one stands out from the others, fits the budget and offer scope for your future objectives the chances are that it is the one you should go for. If none of them stand out you may need to refine the selection criteria somewhat and reconsider.

The manufacturers know and indeed rely on the fact that most buyers stick with whatever they first choose for very long periods. A lot of effort is put into ensuring some levle of continuity from the use of already owned lenses and so on even though bodies change and, indeed, system change (from film to digital for example) Using old, favourite lenses may or may not be a good idea but people will do it anyway and hence end up with brand loyalty. Such are the considerations of the photographic market in historical terms. This aspect may be changing but so far the evidence seems to be that if it is it is not changing very quickly.

As I said earlier, read the reviews and the comparisons between models aimed at the same market and price groups. Use those to make a short list based on things that are likely to be important for what you want to shoot. Then go and handle the cameras somewhere so that you are happy they are not too big or too small, too light or too heavy and so on. Work on your final choice after that.

[51mes]

RobDickinson said:

Its not just a couple of K on a big lens though.

Try find a 1.4 teleconvertor, or flash triggers, or macro extension tubes, or a lens mount adapter, or a cheap used macro lens etc.

Admittedly if your looking at a smaller pool of buyers some stuff will be cheaper if you find it, flipside is stuff is harder to sell used and you get less for it

Easy, picked up a 2x tele from ebay for 15, autofocus works with my k100, havent tried with the k-5 yet. Macro tubes for a tenner ...... not had a problem yet but take your point. But for a low cost of entry it's hard to beat.

Remember the ka mount has been going for years ( pre digital) and they still work on the new kit.

[R4NDY]

Thanks foy your detailed points.
I think i have now decided on a either a Nikon 5100 or Canon 550D.
Is their any advantages over the other for motorsport/fast moving shots?
Not video.
Fancying the Canon really.
Thanks again

[Gad-Westy]

R4NDY said:

Thanks foy your detailed points.
I think i have now decided on a either a Nikon 5100 or Canon 550D.
Is their any advantages over the other for motorsport/fast moving shots?
Not video.
Fancying the Canon really.
Thanks again

I'm a Nikon man so I am perhaps not best placed to comment on the 550d. I think I am right in saying though that was Canon's rival to the Nikon D90 which has since been replaced by the excellent D7000. These cameras are aimed somewhere above the beginner level. They won't necessarily have the capability to produce better images than the cheaper camera but they will offer more external controls which makes changing some of the more advanced setting, much simpler. A camera like this should keep you happy for a long time.

The D5100 is more of a beginner's camera (I say this as the owner of it's predecessor, the D5000). The sensor on it is the same as the D7000 and it's an amazing thing. The high ISO noise control is superb for a crop camera. Where you lose out again is the external controls. I've been using my D5000 for less than a year but find it quite frustrating already. I suppose it depends how absorbed you get. The rotating screen is interesting but I have only used it once or twice.

I wouldn't dismiss the D5100 entirely as for photographing fast moving objects, the high ISO capability will be a handy thing to have. As a Nikon fan, I guess I'd be leaning towards the D7000 but I see that is a lot more money than the two you have mentioned. Maybe also consider the D90. It's discontinued now but many places still have stock. It's still a great camera.