Nikon's lack of CMOS sensors was once considered to be a disadvantage, at least compared to Canon's use of them.
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Pentax K20D vs. Sony Alpha A330
- Thread starter Shake 'n' Bake
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Just a quick update: We'll be going to Ritz Camera tomorrow. The results there (if they carry the cameras I'm looking at) will seal the deal unless someone here has a better idea.
if you have lenses for a canon then buy a canon body.
seriously, if you're beginning with DSLR's then all bodies are good enough. it's the lenses where the expense and the creativity comes in. the canon cmos are good chips. sony also has mostly cmos now.
i have a sony because i had lenses for that.
again, go for a canon and use your mom's lens collection if they fit.
btw: all top cameras and all mid level cameras use cmos. seems to have less noise. colors depend on the electronics and software. my next camera will have cmos for sure. cmos today seems to be superior.
seriously, if you're beginning with DSLR's then all bodies are good enough. it's the lenses where the expense and the creativity comes in. the canon cmos are good chips. sony also has mostly cmos now.
i have a sony because i had lenses for that.
again, go for a canon and use your mom's lens collection if they fit.
btw: all top cameras and all mid level cameras use cmos. seems to have less noise. colors depend on the electronics and software. my next camera will have cmos for sure. cmos today seems to be superior.
I'd get a Canon, it makes sense, but they don't have a high enough MP rating for the price. I like to take some far away shots and crop them, for which more pixels is better.
Plus the Pentax also has the weather sealing, larger screen (don't care too much in this department), full backwards compatibility with lenses, etc going for it.
So I went to Ritz Camera, Best Buy, and Sears.
Best Buy had the A330, but the battery was dead. So I picked it up and played with the switches and dials. It felt pretty solid and comfortable to hold. No K20D here. Tried some comparable Canon and Nikon models.
Then to Ritz. Neither camera was there. There were two Sonys, the A380 and a 500 series. No Pentax at all. Same story at Sears.
Best Buy had the A330, but the battery was dead. So I picked it up and played with the switches and dials. It felt pretty solid and comfortable to hold. No K20D here. Tried some comparable Canon and Nikon models.
Then to Ritz. Neither camera was there. There were two Sonys, the A380 and a 500 series. No Pentax at all. Same story at Sears.
Much cheaper to get them online anyway. Just get one from Amazon or Adorama or B&H--any one of the reputable resellers. It's silly to make your purchasing decision based on what happens to be in stock at some brick-and-mortar store.
[Edit: just realizing that perhaps all you wanted to do was hold one, in which case you may be out of luck.]
[Edit: just realizing that perhaps all you wanted to do was hold one, in which case you may be out of luck.]
Remember that too many megapixels may not be a good thing. At MP ratings more than 12.1, there is more high ISO noise due to pixel density of the sensors. I have a 10 MP Canon 40D, and there is definitely more than enough room for cropping (unless you're making poster size prints or something
)Also, that's one thing that the Sony crop sensor series has not gotten down yet. They show comparatively more noise compared to the other players.
It's a Sony problem in particular, because while the Nikon D3x uses a Sony-made sensor, the specifications are a bit different, and it shows in the final images. The D3x basically has D300 or better high ISO ability, while the a900 falls apart after 1600.
It'd be purchased online. It's much cheaper, like you mentioned. I was just trying to get a feel for what it's like to use one of the cameras.
Remember that too many megapixels may not be a good thing. At MP ratings more than 12.1, there is more high ISO noise due to pixel density of the sensors. I have a 10 MP Canon 40D, and there is definitely more than enough room for cropping (unless you're making poster size prints or something
Also, that's one thing that the Sony crop sensor series has not gotten down yet. They show comparatively more noise compared to the other players.
Good to know.
I wouldn't dismiss the Samsung just like that. You might not be aware of the fact that Pentax and Samsung have been collaborating on their DSLR lines for the last two or three years. The Samsung GX-20 and Pentax K20D are literally identical in almost every way, except that the menus on the Samsung are actually considered better by some. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLSJhUwiMDQ
Certainly here in England, the Samsung comes in at 10-20% cheaper and has a longer warranty than the Pentax.
I am in a similar boat to you and would like to upgrade my Pentax K100D to a K20, but realistically with prices as they are, I can see myself getting a GX-20. As much as I prefer the Pentax brand, when they're the same camera I see no logic paying more.
The VW Toureg (I think that's how to spell it) is essentially the same as the Porsche Cayenne. The only real difference is the badge. I'd rather have the Cayenne and pay the higher price for a more respectable brand.
+1
And Samsung actually fabricated the sensor in the K20D and GX-20 (it was a Pentax design), I'd wager that they did a lot of the electronic fabrication in both these cameras.
If I were starting over with K-mount, I'd probably get a Samsung. Mainly because they are cheaper, identical to the Pentax's and almost noone has them, you get to be the only one out there that's a Samsung shooter, all-the-while benefitting form the same backwards compatibility in Pentax glass as the Pentax cameras. Everything that fits a Pentax will fit the Samsung; lenses, flashes, battery grip, you name it. The only difference is the name on the camera, and the OS (menu).
SLC
Precisely what most people don't want. For a long time, that mentality was working against Apple: few people are willing to be "different."
Wait, could you elaborate?
It is literally the exact same hardware with a different sticker on the front. There is no risk of reliability issues or anything of the sort. Most likely they are manufactured at the same facility.
The Porsche VW analogy would make sense if the Pentax were faster, better equipped, etc. But it is not.
EDIT:
I think the GX-20 has an extra few stops of ISO but its missing something called "expanded dynamic range function". In my experience though, that stuff isnt a big deal. You could probably do a better job with your own PP.
get this line of thinking out of your head. megapixels have effectively no relation to image quality.
do you print? if so, do you print large (larger than 8x10, let's say)?
sure, as a general rule, "more pixels is better" for heavy cropping. then again, all SLRs have far larger sensors than point-&-shoots, so the final image will still be far superior than what you're used to, even after heavy cropping.
No I don't print. Not large, at least.
I know MP have little to do with image quality, but when you're taking a picture of something that's in an area that you can't get a camera, you can take the picture and crop it later.
I've got a great example: At Myrtle Beach last year, I took a great picture of a bird over the ocean. I had to use the maximum optical zoom (because I hate digital zoom with a passion). You can barley see the bird. When you crop it, however, the bird comes into view, but it's on the verge of pixelation.
Issues of sensor density and IQ aside, more is merrier when it comes to MP. But if you're thinking about spending more money on a camera to get a few more MP for the purpose of cropping (as opposed to printing needs), then you're probably not making the best investment of that extra cash--it would be better placed in a good telephoto lens.
+1 telephoto.
I know that Pentax as a great 50-135mm f/2.8 telephoto for around 500 (really cheap for a good telephoto). Canon has the excellent 70-200 f/4 L for around 600.
A telephoto simplifies the process a lot. It also makes for more accurate focusing of far away objects vs cropping. Honestly the only thing that cropping should be used for is for slight composition fixes. Anything else should be taken care of using your lenses.
true. however, two things: 1. you don't print, and 2. because of that, 8MP is probably all you need. viewing images on your computer doesn't take a lot of resolution - a 1680x1050 monitor consists of less than 2MP. That's not even the (typical) resolution of a 4x6 print.
well, just so you know, "digital zoom" is the same thing as using maximum optical zoom and cropping.
anyways, it's on the verge of pixelation partly because the sensor on your point-&-shoot, frankly, sucks. the much larger sensors in SLRs will take it a lot better. again, sensor size makes a much larger difference than megapixels, and an SLR sensor covers almost 10 times the area (or more, depending on format).
you can always go to a store, bring your own memory card, take some test shots, and crop them a lot, if you want some "real" results to compare. however, note that you will also need a good lens - the extra MP in one camera doesn't necessarily translate into more resolution if the lens isn't up to it. so, as previous posters have said, get the cheapest camera that suits you, and spend the extra on decent lenses, one of them a telephoto for the above situations. of course, this means you won't be buying Canon anyway, but at least you're better informed to choose among the other systems...
All good points that I will take into consideration.
I usually, for whatever reason, get better results when cropping afterwards.
I'm leaning towards the K20D mainly because of the lens backwards compatibility.
FYI Nikon has the same capabilities. Just curious though. Why did you not consider the Nikon family?
+1
Definitely go with better glass and crop as little as possible.
Going from mainly Landscape/Cityscape/Architecture photography to now shooting Aviation, Rocketry, and people on stage, I'm learning about telephoto. Invest in a great telephoto lens - you can't go wrong.
I rented the Nikon 80-400 ED VR and it was awesome. I ended getting a cheap used Sigma 75-300 and have gotten some nice shots with that as well...
I guess that would be where backwards compatibility would come in.
But the one thing is that if you're not sure what you're going to specialize in it might be better to try out the bigger companies. Remember when you're buying a body you're not buying only the body but into the entire lens system of the company. You want the room to get better lenses as your skills improve.
Also, remember that you can always buy lenses from the third party makers who often make great stuff that undercuts the manufacturer's lenses in price and don't skimp in quality. Both my lenses are third party and work great.