Korean Job Discussion Forums

[climber159]

[Golem]

My first camera was a Pentax and while they aren't bad you are going to find that trying to sell a Pentax camera used with Tokina lenses won't easy. Most photo enthusiasts prefer Nikon and Canon and there just isn't a huge market for the other brands used. Take a look at the shops in Namdaemun and you will see that what I say is true. I'd say, see what they offer you for it in Namdaemun and then add about 5-10% to that price as that seems to be just slightly less than the typical margin they will sell used cameras for.

[climber159]

Read carefully...the 100-300mm lens is a Tokina. The 18-55mm lens is a Samsung. For an entry-level DSLR this camera has performed better than the Canons and Nikons in all the reviews I've read. Where Nikon and Canon skimp (lens motor, focus points and so forth), the Samsung does well. I love the camera, and I'll probably keep it unless I'm offered near to what I'm asking.

[Golem]

Read carefully because I am not saying your camera or your lenses aren't good, I am just saying that there isn't as large a market for used cameras made by other companies than there are for Nikon's or Canon's and that this effects re-sell value.
Its unfortunate but true. You may just have to keep it after all.

[swigs]

Pentax is a great camera company that makes quality goods.

Their kit lenses are much better than Cannon or Nikon's kit lenses. Any enthusiast would know this though.

Canon and Nikon's entry level material is not always the best; their lenses are not that great for entry level at all. They actually make the worst entry level lenses.

I would say after Olympus, Pentax makes the best kit lenses. Anyone who says differently is just being a fan-boy, and not a photo enthusiast. (I'm not sure about this kit lens specifically though. But usually Pentax offers quality lenses for a fair price.)

This would be a good starter kit for someone who does not see them selves being part of the image quality race. There is more image quality here than what most people would need. Although most people expect more than 6 mega pixels from their dslrs; it will do the average consumer just fine. The image quality here would still be better than any point and shoot camera.

Another note; the review says that there is no Mac software included. Although you don't need camera software to download pictures to your computer.

If the price is right; its a potential good buy, because this is an out dated camera. But still more than capable to take good pictures. Check the shutter count before buying though.

With Canon and Nikon; its possible to get the best, but you have to pay more than an entry level person would even consider.

[Golem]

Any enthusiast would know? I will invite you to a meeting of photographic enthusiasts and we will see if more than one person brings a DSLR camera made by Pentax, Olympus, or Samsung. There kit lens have low apertures. Where is the quality in that? Look at that review and it tells you the kit lens has vignetting and it performs poorly over 400 ISO. This thing also uses batteries and has 6 megapixels. That makes it competitive with camera's Nikon and Canon brought to marker 3-4 years ago. It would be cheaper to buy a used Canon 350D and a decent used zoom lens in Namdaemun, or online, than it would be to buy this camera.

[swigs]

Well if I came you would have at least one Olympus DSLR there.

But this camera is outdated; its a 2006 model. But that does not mean it would be a bad camera for a beginner. The OP might have to lower the price a bit, but everyone might be happy.

But Pentax makes stronger bodies at the price range than the competition. Pentax's latest model is K200D is a, 10mp ,weather sealed body, with built in vibration reduction. These are features that someone would have to spend hundreds or thousands more to get with Nikon and Canon; but with Pentax you can get it for under 500 big ones. That's a great deal. [Edit: So yeah, for about the same price you can get a brand new Pentax K200D, which is a lot better than the current Samsung GX. But it all depends on the customer wants, the Samsung is not a bad camera]

Having a weather sealed body in Seoul would be awesome; and Pentax makes it affordable.

If you limit yourself to one brand because its what the pro's uses; well that's just lame. Pentax and Olympus offer comparable image quality with other features that are well worth the investment. And to me being a pixel peeper is fun sometimes; but its not what photography is really about. It helps to have the best gear. But once your at 10mp; your already past more than what you might need.

I think the lamest brand in the DSLR market is Sony. There is a company that has no soul and just buys up other companies and throws out amazing specs from fridges to pointless blue ray.

Olympus has and will be innovating in the camera market for years. Check out the micro four thirds coming out soon.

Basically my point is; if you call your self an enthusiast; look at the history of the market. And look at what you need from your pictures and be realistic. Being able to shoot in the rain with out a plastic bag or having built in stabilization is pretty cool.

I got nothing against Canon or Nikon, they just are not the only brands out their. In fact I would say only an enthusiast would buy Pentax or Olympus for the most part because they are people who can look past the current hype. Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would buy all the "L" series lenses with a 5d Mark II and be really happy. But for now I get better glass for my money with Olympus.

IMO, what keeps Canon and Nikon back for me is that they intentionally hold back features on their lower to mid level cameras so that they do not mess up their delicate pricing system of their higher end gear. For example, the Canon 1000 (which is still a great deal) has some specs that are actually less than its predecessor.

But with Olympus, they really dont have anything to hold back on thier entry level DSLR's. For example, their entry level dslr's have built in wireless flash. That's just cool.

[climber159]

Obviously I'm biased, but Swigs is right. In the entry-level DSLR market it is the lesser known companies (by that I mean companies other than Canon and Nikon) who are offering better features and more innovation. For example, the Samsung/Pentax uses a pentaprism rather than the much more common (and cheaper) pentamirror in the same price range.

All I can say at this point is that if you're looking for an entry-level DSLR, then you should seriously check out the reviews (and the actual cameras themselves) for others besides Canon and Nikon. You'll likely find better cameras for your money in Pentax and Olympus.

Swigs, thanks for the extra info and support for the underdog DSLRs. Happy shooting.

[swigs]

[swigs]

[SeoulnPepe]

Nikon and Canon ain't half bad. Some people can get the best of both world:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/nikkor-on-canon/

Most people don't know that you can mount just about any lens on a Canon. Heck, there have been movies filmed using this method.

Oly & Pentax ain't half bad either. I was considering Pentax when I was shopping for a DSLR. It's more feature rich than Nikon and Canon at even the "sweet spot" range. Some people even claim that the k20d is even better than Nikon's D300. Imagine that!

Here's a raging debate on both sides:
http://photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00PhaW

Cameras are just tools. They can never teach a photographer to better "see" the image before he takes it. That simply comes with practice and skill; for some it's a natural inclination to see things before they happen. That's what photographers of yesteryear were doing long before the pimped out camera wars came on the scene.

What bugs me is when people start fighting over which is better. The truth is which is better for you. What works for one may not work for another.

As it stands right now, I think Nikon has done some very silly things, but that's my two cents worth, and my goal isn't to convince anyone otherwise. Just to state my perspective.