[ajex]

Hi,

I am considering Pentax k100d besides D40/A200 .

I have checked up on DP review which highly recommends it..

Has anyone used this ??

How does stack up against the D40/Sony A200??

I like the Pentax shake reduction which works on any pentax lens as it is inside the body.

I will be mainly shooting nature,architecure.

I am not much of a brand crazy guy so what matters is the results and availibility of accessories.

All seem to be availble for more or less same price with 18/55 for Nikon and pentax and 18-70 for Sony

Any pointers most welcome...

Cheers

Ajex

[Pirate!!]

One of my colleagues has the K100D Super . . and now a K20D to boot. He reckons the K100D Super is very good . . BUT he doesn't like carting around 4 AA's.

If you're needing wide-angle for buldings, then maybe body only and consider Sigma 10-20mm or other brand 11-18mm range. Better invest in a quality lens than to faff around after the fact.

I would say the K100D Super is better compared with the Sony Alpha A100 and Nikon D40.

I would compare the K200D with a Sony A200. Don't forget Olympus E510, E410 either.

Some AVF threads for you to follow:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/digit...lr-advice.html

http://www.avforums.com/forums/digit...s-options.html

Also consider older models. If someone has K100D, A100 etc and is prepared to part, you might get a copy for £150.00.

[Mike.P®]

Or you may get a used K10D for a decent price from someone that is about to upgrade to a K20D

The kit lens for the Pentax is actually very good but if you want something a bit better (I did with my K10D) then look at the DA 16-45mm which is an excellent lens.

Having AA batteries can be a bit of a bind (K10D uses a lithium) but on the other hand if your battery runs out then you are totally stuck whereas with the AAs you can just walk into a shop and buy some more.

[ajex]

Many thanks for you replies...

Pirate,

I believe one can use R-V3 Lithium batteries as well..

So do you mean sony A200 K is better????

It does have antishake like Pentax and bundlkes lens is better range..

Also A200 is more recent model obviously covering the technology progress but does not have live view...

Any commennts most welcome...

cheers

Aj

[Gow87]

A200 is fantastic for the price... I got mine for about £250 with the kit lens. The antishake is built into the camera as opposed to the lens, and the lack of live view isn't really an issue for me as I prefer a nice big viewfinder. If you want live view though, the A300 isn't too much more and comes with a nice tilty screen.

I read a review recently about the sony range and live view... It mentioned that many entrylevel cameras suffer from lag with the live view, but the low end sony's have the best implementation of it and very little lag.

I believe it was in here somewhere AnandTech: Sony A200: Entry DSLR Roundup

I have found the kit lens to be a bit annoying, but I may just have a bad one, I find an old minolta one from my last (film) camera to be a little sharper... But this may just be me.

I can't recommend the camera enough. In every review it seems to be tipped as the bargain of the centuary, and this is how it seems to me!

[ChaosUK]

Theres a good roundup of the budget dslrs on this site -

Camera Labs Buyer's Guide: the best budget digital SLRs

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by ajex

Many thanks for you replies...

Originally Posted by ajex

Pirate,

I believe one can use R-V3 Lithium batteries as well..

So do you mean Sony A200 K is better????

It does have antishake like Pentax and bundled lens is better range..

Also A200 is more recent model obviously covering the technology progress but does not have live view...

Any commennts most welcome...

cheers

Aj

I have no idea regarding Pentax battery compatibles, nor would I make a jugement without having first tried the product.

Kit lenses are mediocre at best. Allow a good £500 for a couple of quality lenses. No point in 'making do'. Get the good stuff from the 'get-go' . . it'll be in your interest in the long run. Everything is going up in price, so make your choice, decide what glass you need and go get it.

It'll be up to you to decide what serves your needs. As for better or best . . . no such thing. I won't get dragged into THAT argument again! Bottom line is that it's YOU the shooter that will make the equipment work best, not the other way round.

[ajex]

Thanks to everyone for the replies...

I have more or less decided on A 200

Ok so one more and hopefully the last question before I take the plunge for A200 ...

Not having live view on A 200 is it a big deal for an hobbyst like me???

what will be the exact impact while shooting nature, Architecture and landscapes??/

cheers

ajex

[johnaalex]

Originally Posted by ajex

Not having live view on A 200 is it a big deal for an hobbyst like me???

Although I do not have an A200, I do have a Nikon D300 which has live view and to be honest I could easily live without it. I think it would have been better if the screen had a swivel and tilt option, but it doesn't so it is just as easy to look through the view finder.

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by ajex

Thanks to everyone for the replies...

I have more or less decided on A 200

Ok so one more and hopefully the last question before I take the plunge for A200 ...

Not having live view on A 200 is it a big deal for an hobbyst like me???

what will be the exact impact while shooting nature, Architecture and landscapes??/

cheers

ajex

Liveview is a largely useless gimmick. I have on ocassions, when on all fours shooting a flower on the ground, (getting damp knees) considered that liveview has it's merits after all, but that's pretty much it.

Can be useful for very high/low shots, or sneaky candids, but I can't think of many other applications.

[senu]

Im yet to use it...

[ajex]

Many thannks...

And I see that Sony A200 lacks Depth of field pre view also ..

Hmm...

To buy or not to buy???

cheers

Ajex

[Ian_S]

The thing to remember with depth of field preview is that when you look through the lens normally in the view finder, it's always fully open. So DOF preview will always make the image through the viewfinder darker as it closes the aperture down to your selected value. If the light is not great, then it's usefulness diminishes quite rapidly. On APS-C sensor cameras where the viewfinders are nowhere near as bright as their full frame cousins, you often IMO find it's too dark to make any sensible judgement anyway I find.

If checking DOF is important, then I'd concentrate on getting a DSLR with the highest possible resolution LCD screen so you can check there whether things are in acceptable focus instead by zooming around the image. It's much easier IMO to check the LCD than squint through the viewfinder.

[ajex]

Thanks Ian for explaining everything so nicely...

cheers

Ajex

[RandomLee]

I have an A200 and whilst I'm not saying I wouldn't use LiveView of DoF Preview if they were featured, I've certainly never wished they were there. My only real gripe is that the AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) only does +/-0.3 or 0.7 EV, although that can be overcome by manually bracketing. Mirror Lock Up would be nice too but considering the price of the camera and all it's other features I not too bothered. I'm still more than happy with my purchase and would have no hesitation in recommending it to others looking for a decent entry level DSLR.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Ian_S

The thing to remember with depth of field preview is that when you look through the lens normally in the view finder, it's always fully open. So DOF preview will always make the image through the viewfinder darker as it closes the aperture down to your selected value. If the light is not great, then it's usefulness diminishes quite rapidly. On APS-C sensor cameras where the viewfinders are nowhere near as bright as their full frame cousins, you often IMO find it's too dark to make any sensible judgement anyway I find.

If checking DOF is important, then I'd concentrate on getting a DSLR with the highest possible resolution LCD screen so you can check there whether things are in acceptable focus instead by zooming around the image. It's much easier IMO to check the LCD than squint through the viewfinder.

Totally agree, the dof button on my a100 is pretty much pointless in low light and there's no discernible difference.

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by Dave W

Totally agree, the dof button on my a100 is pretty much pointless in low light and there's no discernible difference.

I use the DoF feature on both my A100 and A700. I've found with the Min 50mm f/1.7 (for example) that the difference between f/1.7 and f/2.0 is so slight that the DoF button actually made the difference to what was in/out of focus (night shot in NYC of neon signs). Amazing I thought.

It does work! It may not be perfect, but good enough. Also consider that if you had a manual focus lens fitted, adjusting the aperture would have a direct result in the viewfinder in terms of light, so you can in real-time see what your adjustments are doing (unlike digital AF - no difference at all at any f stop).

Just my take. I like the feature a lot.

[ajex]

hi,

I went to PC world and handled a200 and liked it much and the view finder is Great so may not need Live view however upon digging more found the following.

These are the bad points of a200 bsides not having DOF as per

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/So.../verdict.shtml


Relatively noisy at 800 ISO and above.

No Live View (but it's on the A300 version).

Anti-dust system not effective in our tests.

Flash doesn't popup as high as rivals.

Can current users comment on anti dust sytem plz,,,,

Ajex

[Pirate!!]

Originally Posted by ajex

Can current users comment on anti dust sytem plz,,,,

Ajex

Yes. It works, but Olympus (IMO) has the best anti-dust system . . and remember . . . you're looking at an ENTRY LEVEL camera, so it will be a cut-down version of it's bigger brother . . so don't expect all the bells and whistles!

If LV is your theng, then the A300 or Olympus E510. On-board flash on any system is there as a last resort (buy external flash). All you'll generally get from the pop-up is red-eye, harsh shadows (unless you dial-down the flash compensation) and lens shadow (subject to size of lens) unless you know what you're doing.

If you want a DoF button, buy an A100. Like LV, it's nice to have, but not a deal-breaker or pre-requisite (nobody knows why they didn't continue with it on A200/A300).

A200 is actually an extremely decent bit of kit (posted user samples I've seen are quite stunning). Unless you're going to shoot in dim-lit situations with a kit lens, then maybe you'll need to look at something else. Otherwise you'll find the Minolta 50mm f/1.7 AF will be one of your first lenses on your hit list for low-light on the Sony system if you go with the A200 . . and all those high ISO nay-sayer reports will be a distant memory!

[leaky5]

I have only used anything above ISO 400 on a handful of the 3500 pictures I have taken. On my Flickr there is a folder called 'metal bodied test' I left the ISO at 800 by mistake. The noise in these is certainly not bad, I am not saying it is the best noise handling camera in the world, but as Pirate said, it is an entry level one.

I have not cleaned my sensor since I bought it back in May and there are only a few spots of dust on it and I do change lenses quite a bit.

There is also a £30 CB running at the moment.

[blackmore7]

Just my point of view is try / buy a D40 , Ive got two now because they are superb and cheap now, I bought a second one, Ive moved after a years use to using the 18-200VR and a Sigma 10-20 both bought mint seconhand, 0n the second body I use the Sigma lovely lens.

I could not get to like changing lenses, I had the kit lens very sharp for a kit lens and a 55-200 VR never liked that one so much, It was allways one was often too short the other usually too long for general photo days out , I got the cute SB 400 flash it is great value like the camera legend ( google Ken Rockwell D40 ) says, might be all you ever need and I could not be more happy the SB 600 is a bit large and might not be needed unless you use a flash a great deal of the time anyway the SB400 is not far behind imo.

I tried some cheaper DSLR cameras as you should before purchase, and returned the Canon 400 Sony alpha 100 but not 200 and Olympus 400 and 510 I soon found out ( it does not take long to know ) that I just could not bring myself to buy any one of these mentioned DSLRs after trying the Nikon D40, So well made so cute such amazing jpeg PQ . It is super value and I want to keep this set up for some years to come.
Cameraworld are selling Pentax K100D Super + kit lens for £200 now inc 12 months warranty and I recieved one monday, I wanted to try it out and keep it for future use maybe, at just £200 it seemed a bargain, it was allways the one I never tried and I do like AA power it has with the Nikon D40 the nicest build for the price of those Ive tried, and I had a K100 film DSLR years ago ,

I returned it today it had the most noisy mirror slap, was slow to focus many out of focus shots, not so wonderfull kit lens, trouble with underexposure and white balance indoors was dreadfull , For me at least it was sadly a nightmare to use not even for £200 would I want one, and no way did it compare with the smooth very fast to focus and terrific photo results of the D40, I think I can promise this try both and you will want to keep the D40 . Just my point of view and conclusion though my opinion is worth just what you paid me for it, others will differ of course, Some cameras you will like some others will not is very true . blackmore7.

[ajex]

Thanks Blackmore 7..

I have decided against pentax and nikon ( due to the lense aspect)

Will probably go in for Sony A 200 ....though the lack of depth of field in it is the main stumbling block and also the dust control of the lens

Then seems like I need to jack up my budget..or wait a little more for better x mas deals for A300..


heers

Ajex

[springtide]

Originally Posted by ajex

Thanks Blackmore 7..

I have decided against pentax and nikon ( due to the lense aspect)

Will probably go in for Sony A 200 ....though the lack of depth of field in it is the main stumbling block and also the dust control of the lens

Then seems like I need to jack up my budget..or wait a little more for better x mas deals for A300..

heers

Ajex

I must say that I do occationally use the DOF button on my A700, but it's only really useful in very bright light (and most of the time I just guess!)
Not sure how useful DOF would be on the A300/A350 due to the smaller viewfinder, but I've never used these cameras so it's hard to comment.

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by ajex

Thanks Blackmore 7..

I have decided against pentax and nikon ( due to the lense aspect)

Will probably go in for Sony A 200 ....though the lack of depth of field in it is the main stumbling block and also the dust control of the lens

Then seems like I need to jack up my budget..or wait a little more for better x mas deals for A300..


heers

Ajex

Pentax/Nikon lens aspect?

I must admit to not using DOF preview much at all. For things like macro work, DOF preview is only a rough guide anyway (and is often woefully overoptimistic on the actual DOF), so reviewing on the LCD is far more useful.

Liveview is not worth paying for unless you have very specific needs. Frankly Sony probably has a very small profit margin, but rakes it in on people who've been upsold to an A300. Using liveview often to take photo's is a great way to end up with out of focus shakey pics I'd guess (hey let's hold the camera at arms length and use a substandard focussing system, and a screen with a fraction of a second delay AND poor resolution for judging focus!!!). Sorry...rant over

[springtide]

Originally Posted by Yandros

Pentax/Nikon lens aspect?

Liveview is not worth paying for unless you have very specific needs. Frankly Sony probably has a very small profit margin, but rakes it in on people who've been upsold to an A300. Using liveview often to take photo's is a great way to end up with out of focus shakey pics I'd guess (hey let's hold the camera at arms length and use a substandard focussing system, and a screen with a fraction of a second delay AND poor resolution for judging focus!!!). Sorry...rant over

@Yandros - I think that is one advantage the Sony has on the LV front, is that the AF when in LV is the same as when looking through the viewfinder (LV is displayed via a second sensor) and also there is no delay with the LV screen. The disadvatage of the Sony LV implementation is that the viewfinder needs to be smaller (so that the extra sensor can be used) and also there is no full resolution image in LV (as the second sensor is not full resolution)

But yes, I don't missing LV at all and find that my Angle Finder works fine for those tricky low to the ground shots (not that I use my Angle Finder much either!).
Maybe if I had LV and it was taken away I might miss it? But I have two friends that have D300's (for about 6 months), and so far neither have bothered using it.

[Yandros]

Originally Posted by springtide

@Yandros - I think that is one advantage the Sony has on the LV front, is that the AF when in LV is the same as when looking through the viewfinder (LV is displayed via a second sensor) and also there is no delay with the LV screen. The disadvatage of the Sony LV implementation is that the viewfinder needs to be smaller (so that the extra sensor can be used) and also there is no full resolution image in LV (as the second sensor is not full resolution)

But yes, I don't missing LV at all and find that my Angle Finder works fine for those tricky low to the ground shots (not that I use my Angle Finder much either!).
Maybe if I had LV and it was taken away I might miss it? But I have two friends that have D300's (for about 6 months), and so far neither have bothered using it.

hmm, ok fair enough on the AF mechanism. I previously used a Nikon 5700 with a swivel screen like that new Olympus E30, and THAT is useful for ground level macro shooting in place of an angle finder...but I'd say the low resolution negates the advantage, as you can't judge focus well.