# 1st DSLR - Nikon or Pentax



## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

Looking at upgrading from my Fuji s5600 to a DSLR. 

Have been doing some reading and, as I don't want to spend too much at this stage, have narrowed it down to the Nikon D40 or Pentax K100d. 

Both are similar prices. D40 appeals to me as everyone says it's a good starters camera. The K100d appeals to me as it's got some useful features the D40 doesn't have and a large collection of (relatively cheap) lenses.

What would be peoples opinions and should I be considering any other cameras?


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Grab yourself some popcorn and have a quick look though this section of the site. 

My personal choice would be the Canon EOS400D which has come down in price now the 450D has been released.


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## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

EOS 400d is probably a little over my budget. Looking at trying not spend more than £300.00 initially.


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## Justin182 (Jul 18, 2006)

I went for the D40x. Have a hold of both and see which you prefer, one will probably fit your hands better than the other


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Go for nikon, the body is much of a muchness, they will both be capable of creating nice images, the difference is with nikon you will be buying in to a system and have much more choice than a pentax system in terms of lenses, accesories etc.


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## karburn (Feb 1, 2008)

I read a review by Ken Rockwell (camera guy in the US) and he actually prefers his D40 over the D60 or D40x. The D40 is a great camera for the price - it will be a long time before you feel compelled to upgrade. I'm still shooting away with my D70s, and I've put off upgrading to the D300 for another year. I opted for a new lens (18-200mm Nikkor) instead.


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## nogrille (Oct 27, 2005)

Buy a D70 - still rocking my world with the stock lens.


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## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

rmorgan84 said:


> Go for nikon, the body is much of a muchness, they will both be capable of creating nice images, the difference is with nikon you will be buying in to a system and have much more choice than a pentax system in terms of lenses, accesories etc.


Is it much of an issue only being able to manual focus with AF-s & AF-I lenses? It's what was putting me off although I would most likely only ever have 2 or 3 lenses.

Was a little tempted by the Pentax as it'll take all K Mount lenses. Lense mounts are a little new to me with me having always used fixed lense cameras.

Found the D40 for £219.99 refurbed and it's very tempting.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

It's not a major deal, when shooting static objects or people posing for you etc, but it does become a bit of a pain when trying to photograph moving objects.

Most manufacturers make their lenses in both versions anyway so if you ahve a D40 just be sure you buy the HSM/USM etc


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## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

The majority of my shooting would be either portrait shots and buildings etc from day tripping, very much doubt i'd be using it for sports/fast moving objects. 

Will have another poke around some of the threads in this section.

Thanks the advice.


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## RaH (Aug 19, 2007)

I would personally decide on your budget, then go to one of the High st shops and have a feel of the ones you short list.

I initially started out to buy a canon or Nikon, after holding the camera's, there was no hesitation in purchasing the Nikon, the canon, was to small and felt like a toy, which i think once you hold the d40 you may have the same opinion.

A really good purchase is a used d200, a lot more advanced then the d40, but you'll soon get to grips with it.

There are also plenty of Photo forums to browse through, talk photography, photographers.co.uk, practical photographer and amateur photographer also have very good sites to learn from.

Rob.


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

Instead of asking for advice on camera in car detailing site (as you would not, I assume, ask car detailing question on camera site) you should ask it here:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/


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## Bulla2000 (Jun 5, 2007)

Pentax for sure.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> Instead of asking for advice on camera in car detailing site (as you would not, I assume, ask car detailing question on camera site) you should ask it here:
> 
> http://www.dpreview.com/forums/


That's a bit harsh really, forums are all about community spirit. In real life you don't sign up for an evening class every time you need a bit advice on how to do something, you ask one of your mates that often knows a bit about it.

There are some very keen amateur photographers and professionals on DW and, as far as i'm concerned, their input and advice is always welcomed and respected.


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## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

Shiny said:


> That's a bit harsh really, forums are all about community spirit. In real life you don't sign up for an evening class every time you need a bit advice on how to do something, you ask one of your mates that often knows a bit about it.
> 
> There are some very keen amateur photographers and professionals on DW and, as far as i'm concerned, their input and advice is always welcomed and respected.


Just what I was thinking. Didn't see much point to signing up to a forum just to ask that question, as they probably get it a thousand times a day and there are some very knowledgable people on here.

Think I'm going to get the D40, as will have a better route for when I eventually come to uprade it.


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

Shiny said:


> That's a bit harsh really, forums are all about community spirit. In real life you don't sign up for an evening class every time you need a bit advice on how to do something, you ask one of your mates that often knows a bit about it.


Harsh? No, just logical. BY asking in forum that is 'on subject' you are more likely to get even handed advice as distribution of experiences on both side is more even. By asking your mates you are more likely to repeat their mistake, and in turn their mistake could have been a repeat of somebody else's mistake if they asked for advice in similar manner.

If one is not interested in doing his research (your analogy of taking an evening class that I assume has homework) then what is even the point of asking, one could have just flipped the coin, statistical probability of getting it right would be just the same.


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

Solaar said:


> Just what I was thinking. Didn't see much point to signing up to a forum just to ask that question, as they probably get it a thousand times a day and there are some very knowledgable people on here.


Yup, no point in signing up for a camera forum and posting question there on subject of cameras just like there is no point in you signing up for detailing forum and asking question on subject of detailing as that is probably asked thousand times a day.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Perhaps we should all subscribe to Which magazine, then there would be no need for internet forums...


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## JasonRS (Aug 8, 2006)

I have a pentax K10D, and I'm very pleased with it.
Any K mount lens fits, AF or non AF, which is a major plus as there's a load of cheap secondhand lenses out there. Canon & Nikon push to the new lens mounts.
The Pentax also has on body stabilisation, so again, works with any K mount lens. Nikon & Canon have this "in lens" so you need to buy VR lenses.

If you go Pentax, always shoot RAW, the in camera processing isn't a strong as it could be, but personally, I'd always shoot RAW anyway.

Samsung use the K Mount too, and that gives a lot of weight to future development on that mount.

If I were to go Pro, I'd consider switching to a Nikon D3 or a Canon 1D, but I'm not, so the K10D gave me a lot of camera for the money.

Granted that both Canon & Nikon have a wider range of lenses available, but you can find good fast glass for the Pentax, it's just not as widely available.

Pentax / Samsung - Huge range of older lenses to choose from, excellent VFM
Nikon / Canon - Huge range of new lenses to choose from plus addons.

Go handle the camera's see how they feel, try out the controls and make your own decision.

This is my flickr site, anything after March 1st is from the K10D, and before that, I'd not handled an SLR since 1990.


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## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

ZoranC said:


> Yup, no point in signing up for a camera forum and posting question there on subject of cameras just like there is no point in you signing up for detailing forum and asking question on subject of detailing as that is probably asked thousand times a day.




Hardly the same is it? All I'm interested in is peoples thoughts on this particular subsection of the forum, as I'm less likely to get a running Nikon v Canon battle that always crops up on forums.

Do you post anything constructive in the digital photo techniques/Tech help?

Thanks to everyone who has offered some useful advice. :thumb:


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## Mark J (May 10, 2007)

Solaar said:


> Hardly the same is it? All I'm interested in is peoples thoughts on this particular subsection of the forum, as I'm less likely to get a running Nikon v Canon battle that always crops up on forums.
> 
> Do you post anything constructive in the digital photo techniques/Tech help?
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has offered some useful advice. :thumb:


I'd just ignore him mate, he's a bit of a 'attention whore' - likes to be a bit confrontational, then probably sits at his computer doing a sex wee when people rise to it. T'interwebs full of 'em.


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## lois97 (Jul 1, 2006)

Mark J said:


> I'd just ignore him mate, he's a bit of a 'attention whore' - likes to be a bit confrontational, then probably sits at his computer doing a sex wee when people rise to it. T'interwebs full of 'em.


:lol::lol::lol:Spot on


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Mark J said:


> I'd just ignore him mate, he's a bit of a 'attention whore' - likes to be a bit confrontational, then probably sits at his computer doing a sex wee when people rise to it. T'interwebs full of 'em.





lois97 said:


> :lol::lol::lol:Spot on


Agreed!

He was banned a while back, shame it wasn't permanent!


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

Solaar said:


> Do you post anything constructive in the digital photo techniques/Tech help?


I keep photo techniques for a crocheting forum and car detailing tips for a cooking forum. Ladies there are most appreciative.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> I keep photo techniques for a crocheting forum and car detailing tips for a cooking forum. *Ladies there are most appreciative*.


Spend more time there then instead of here:wave:


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> He was banned a while back, shame it wasn't permanent!


Shame we are still waiting on you to provide factual proof of your statement that cheapest DSLR lens are still better than best bridge lens. It seems you are unable or unwilling to do so. How come?


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## Mark J (May 10, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> I keep photo techniques for a crocheting forum and car detailing tips for a cooking forum. Ladies there are most appreciative.


Do they call you Canesten, what with you being an irritating c*** ! ?


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

Mark J said:


> Do they call you Canesten, what with you being an irritating c*** ! ?


If they do they must be doing it behind my back because it takes guts to say it to face. I am sure you are gutsy kind of a man, aren't you?

P.S. It seems you need to be banned for breaking forum rules by calling people names.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> Shame we are still waiting on you to provide factual proof of your statement that cheapest DSLR lens are still better than best bridge lens. It seems you are unable or unwilling to do so. How come?


As i said in the other thread you may well be correct, the sony you mention might have better sharpness in lab testing but a DSLR will have faster focus and metering which means they will ultimately capture better quality images. there's no point having a sharp image if it is under exposed or out of focus!

I have explained this as has ADZphtg who is a professional photographer. but you aren't able to take what other people say on board.

Mark's canasten comment is correct, you really are! Now does DW employ a "miserable user" hack?

_*The ever popular "miserable users" hack for vb 3.6. Basically a way to really annoy anyone you don't want visiting your forum. This version is based on the vb 3.5 version. Credit to Zzed, and KuraFire for the pre 3.5 versions.

When classed as miserable, a member suffers ;

1. Slow response (time delay) on every page (20 to 60 seconds default).
2. A chance they will get the "server busy" message (50% by default).
3. A chance that no search facilities will be available (75% by default).
4. A chance they will get redirected to another preset page (25% & homepage by default).
5. A chance they will simply get a blank page (25% by default).
6. Post flood limit increased by a defined factor (10 times by default).
7. If they get past all this okay, then they will be served up their proper page*._


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> If they do they must be doing it behind my back because it takes guts to say it to face. I am sure you are gutsy kind of a man, aren't you?
> 
> P.S. It seems you need to be banned for breaking forum rules by calling people names.


Yeah but people like mark and they don't you so can't see that happening


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> Yeah but people like mark and they don't you so can't see that happening


So you say I could call you an a*** or b*** just like Mark called me a c*** all I want whole day long without banning?


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Nah the point i was making is the people of this fourm like mark and don't like you so they will let mark's comment slide. You've already had a ban once for your attitude so any lip from you will just give the moderators the excuse to do it again:wave:


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> As i said in the other thread you may well be correct, the sony you mention might have better sharpness in lab testing but a DSLR will have faster focus and metering which means they will ultimately capture better quality images. there's no point having a sharp image if it is under exposed or out of focus!


Have you checked speed and accuracy of focusing and exposure of cameras I mentioned before speaking and you know that for a fact or you are grasping for a straw assuming and speaking without checking, just like you did about quality of lens? It would not be the first time you had to retract when pushed for facts so how much your word should be trusted then?


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> Have you checked speed and accuracy of focusing and exposure of cameras I mentioned before speaking and you know that for a fact or you are grasping for a straw assuming and speaking without checking, just like you did about quality of lens? It would not be the first time you had to retract when pushed for facts so how much your word should be trusted then?


No i haven't used or checked but i speak from experience in the same way i know a 18 wheeler truck will be slower than a porsche, i've never driven an 18 wheeler but i still know my statement to be fact!


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> Nah the point i was making is the people of this fourm like mark and don't like you so they will let mark's comment slide. You've already had a ban once for your attitude so any lip from you will just give the moderators the excuse to do it again:wave:


At least truth came out of your own mouth this time, that it has nothing to do whether rules have been broken, you yourself just now said point blank it is personal animosity that drives mods, it is you that just said they are discriminating and not applying terms evenly due to it, and you yourself said that they are looking for excuses, not having just reasons.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

No it's not personal at all, the mods are just interested in the smooth running of the forum, and when you rub everyone up the wrong way they will look for the smallest opportunity to apply the rules in the strictest manner!

Where as with others who bring something positive to the forum they will be a little more tolerant!

It's called discretion.


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> No i haven't used or checked but i speak from experience in the same way i know a 18 wheeler truck will be slower than a porsche, i've never driven an 18 wheeler but i still know my statement to be fact!


In other words lots of talk without checking a single fact.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ZoranC said:


> In other words lots of talk without checking a single fact.


No i speak from experience... as said above!


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> No it's not personal at all, the mods are just interested in the smooth running of the forum, and when you rub everyone up the wrong way they will look for the smallest opportunity to apply the rules in the strictest manner!
> 
> where as with others they will be a little more tolerant!
> 
> It's called discretion.


So you keep provoking hoping that they will be blind to fact that you are one actually stirring it up. Is there a single post that I made that you did not find a need to talk down even when you had no facts to stand on and later had to retract? That is called "stirring pot" so IMHO it is you that should be given what you are trying to create.


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## ZoranC (Jun 9, 2007)

rmorgan84 said:


> No i speak from experience... as said above!


You did not measure performance in question, you did not checked facts by those that did measure it, yet you are speaking from experience? What kind of "experience" is that? What is your definition of word "experience" then, as it does not seem it fits one in English dictionary? Speaking from experience to everyone but you means that you had _an actual experience_ with actual cameras you are commenting on.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

There are plenty of posts of yours i haven't commented on. As for retracting comments it's more a case of clarifying due to the fact that you pull what people say apart to the Nth degree! Therefore what was originally a simple comment becomes a full blown discussion because of your inferiority complex.


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