New camera - Pentax?

[EEcuber17]

Have you guys heard any good or bad things about the Pentax istDL 6.1MP?

I'm looking to upgrade to a more substantial camera for college. I've been into photography for a couple months and I've been using my family's pointandshoot Kodak EasyShare. It took alright photos, but the batteries drained so fast.

The only thing that worries me about this Pentax is the 4 AA Batteries? It says you can use lithium-ion ones?

Or d'you think I'm looking into the wrong brand.

Any help would be great!

 

[ChrisA]

Pentax has a long history of making great cameras. They aren't a big as Nikon or Canon but I'd say just as respected. This camera looks like it might be made to compete with the Nikon D50 or Canon 350D. What's the price?

As for the 4AA batts. That's a "Good Thing". You could use recharables that cost only $10 per set and keep two sets. And you could use standard AA as a backup. Canon and Nikon both use a non-standard battery and charger. But how long do the Batts last? Even using recharables it's PIA replacing them frequently. Ny D50 can do 1000+ shots on one charge.

What you need to do however is look at the total SYSTEM that you might own five years form now. If you buy a Pentax you will buy Pentax lenses for it and then because you own Pentax lenses when it comes time to upgrace the body you will buy another Pentax body. So don't look so much at this one model Pentax DSLR body. Look at the whole lineup from each of the major brands Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus and figure out where you want to be in five, or ten years. If, for example you decide to get into sports photography or wildlife photos you can _easly_ spend a four digit price on a lens, so in the bigger picture who cares if you save $200 on a body in 2006 if you later can't get the sports or wildlife lens you want. If you like the Nikon "70-200 F/2.8 VR" you need a nikon body and likewise for a good Canon L series lens.

It's funny but the type of battery in an entry level DSLR can influence the chios of whih $2,000 lens you buy years from now.

Have you guys heard any good or bad things about the Pentax istDL 6.1MP?

I'm looking to upgrade to a more substantial camera for college. I've been into photography for a couple months and I've been using my family's pointandshoot Kodak EasyShare. It took alright photos, but the batteries drained so fast.

The only thing that worries me about this Pentax is the 4 AA Batteries? It says you can use lithium-ion ones?

Or d'you think I'm looking into the wrong brand.

Any help would be great!

 

[Pistol Pete]

maybe if it is within your price range go to a site like epinions.com and read some reviews on the camera. that is what i always reccomend when making a big purchase...

 

[kwajo.com]

If, for example you decide to get into sports photography or wildlife photos you can _easly_ spend a four digit price on a lens, so in the bigger picture who cares if you save $200 on a body in 2006 if you later can't get the sports or wildlife lens you want. If you like the Nikon "70-200 F/2.8 VR" you need a nikon body and likewise for a good Canon L series lens.

by the same token though, there are plenty of excellent Pentax lenses that are as good as those. Plus there is the new K100D that offers in-body shake reduction.

Hi, I'm the token Pentax user here, and I own the *ist DS which is very similar to the DL but with a few more features, and I can tell you it is a fantastic camera. It feels great, has long battery life, takes pictures in every way as good as the Nikon and Canon bodies in the price range. The lens choice is fantastic too, since Pentax has the best backward compatibility on the market, I use a number of lenses from the 60s and 70s and they are marvelous.

pentax is one of the best lens manufacturers in the world, don't worry about it being the "wrong brand"

as for batteries, I use rechargeable As that I got for 10 bucks and they last for several hundred shots, and you can use lithium CR-V3 batteries as well. I use a pair of those for backup and they are over a year old and still show full on the battery meter

you should be able to find a DL body for a very good price these days, enough so that you can easily invest in lenses sooner rather than later. Just this week I picked up a flawless 50mm/f1.7 for $40 and an immaculate 200mm/f4 for $70. These are top-notch lenses that are very sharp, are speedy, have good contrast, resistance to lens flare, and they work perfectly (unless you need auto-focus) with the digital SLR.


if you have any more specific questions please ask, I'm always eager to extoll the virtues of Pentax versus the massive C&N crowd

 

[kwajo.com]

it might not be in stores quite yet, but if you can afford it, grab the K100D, it''s very much the same as the DS/DL, but like I mentiond it has CCD-shift Shake Reduction and frankly I wish I had it

here's the release page from dpreview: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0605/06052205pentaxk100d.asp

 

[EEcuber17]

Alrighty! Thanks guys.

Ok I went to the pentax website and noticed there's a K100D, K110D, and a *ist DL.

It seems the K110D and the *ist DL are around the same price, but is there any noticeable differences between the two?

**My local Circuit City has a *ist DL for $569.99 ?

Ok, did a little more looking and I can get the body for $416.00 at buydig.com or 439.00 at Amazon. Then get a lens.

Dunno which combination would be better or less money.

 

[kwajo.com]

the difference between the K110D and the DL isn't worth the difference in price, if it's between the two, get the DL.

the 18-55 kit lens is pretty good, better than most kit lenses, especially for a beginner, but if you want to buy just the body and get a better lens, a good choice would be the DA 16-45mm, it's very sharp and versatile, but costs almost as much as the body itself. I'd say just get a kit and start with the included lens and build from there (i still use the kit lens sometimes, it's very usable)

 

[EEcuber17]

So I might be leaning towards the Pentax ist DL.

But my friend says he can sell me his Canon Rebel XT for $500.

What d'you guys think?