Pentax K100, Canon Rebel XT 350D, Nikon D70

[krzkrzkrz]

Based on budget, I'v narrowed my search for a DSLR to 3 choices. I would like to get your input on them.

Lets assume the features of the Pentax K100 are all true as stated when they released an announced report on the camera.

Keep in mind that the K100 is not out yet, but will be in the month of July.

I'd also like to note that, for now I'm planning on getting a basic lense. Hopefully, in the near future (in a year or two) if all goes well, I will plan on getting a better lense.

I plan on using the camera more as a tourist than a professional (for none business purposes). This means I will be using it during my travels, events, etc.

When I say travels I mean casual things such as outdoor trekking, beach holidays, travelling abroad, etc.

Events are for social parties, gatherings, etc.

Based on reviews, personal opinions, recommendations, which camera of the three would you consider getting?

Regards,
Chris

[beseku]

I just made the exact decision and bought a D70s - why? Because I, personally, preferred the feel of it to the Canon 350/Rebel, which IMO is the only other DSLR worth considering at that price range. I also thought it had a better lens which will save money in the long run.

To be honest, its not a decision others can help too much with - the features on all these cameras are about level and will come down to personal preference. The Canon was too small for my paws but that might not be the case for you - get down a camera shop, (although necassarily buy it from one) and feel them all in your hands, play with them, get as much use as you can in the store with them all to compare.

[jeisner]

I'm not going to vote...

Its YOUR camera not mine, I offered my opinions in the other thread, but your the one who is going to use it not me, so the ultimate decision is yours..

P.S. the result of this poll, based solely on the number of Canon users here, will be in favour of the XT.. That will save you some time.. more people here have it so you should buy it too...

[ReF]

P.S. the result of this poll, based solely on the number of Canon users here, will be in favour of the XT.. That will save you some time.. more people here have it so you should buy it too...

LOL that's true. people will recommend stuff just because they have it, without taking into consideration the individual of factors of each person's situation.

to the OP: this is just like the other thread, but with less input asked for. since you said you will just be using the kit lens then it really does not matter which camera you choose. seriously, i'm not trying to sound mean here, but the difference is in the system that you are buying into. with just a basic kit lens and no plans of any particular lens purchases in the future then all the entry level dslrs are pretty much the same, with the exception of stabilized sensors.

so based on the assumption that all the kit lenses are pretty equal and that you will only be using the kit lens, my vote goes to the pentax with anti-shake.

[krzkrzkrz]

LOL that's true. people will recommend stuff just because they have it, without taking into consideration the individual of factors of each person's situation.

to the OP: this is just like the other thread, but with less input asked for. since you said you will just be using the kit lens then it really does not matter which camera you choose. seriously, i'm not trying to sound mean here, but the difference is in the system that you are buying into. with just a basic kit lens and no plans of any particular lens purchases in the future then all the entry level dslrs are pretty much the same, with the exception of stabilized sensors.

so based on the assumption that all the kit lenses are pretty equal and that you will only be using the kit lens, my vote goes to the pentax with anti-shake.

What do you mean by "buying into the system"?

But doesn't Pentax have pretty good lenses as well? Maybe not as good as Canon or Nikon, but they are still pretty descent enough.

Additionally, can't Pentax use third-party lenses too? i.e. lenses manufactured by other companies?

[some guy]

Any reason not including the D50, E500, E330, D70s?

D70 is old technology which has been replaced by the D70s and D50.

[krzkrzkrz]

Any reason not including the D50, E500, E330, D70s?

D70 is old technology which has been replaced by the D70s and D50.

I considered the E500 from Olympus. I narrowed my choice down to the 3 cameras (Rebel XT, K100, D70).

Im not considering too much on the D70 as it is more expensive than the other 2. If my budget range is spending for the D70, then I would prefer getting a Sony A100 instead.

So it really narrows down to a Rebel XT or a K100

[ReF]

What do you mean by "buying into the system"?

But doesn't Pentax have pretty good lenses as well? Maybe not as good as Canon or Nikon, but they are still pretty descent enough.

Additionally, can't Pentax use third-party lenses too? i.e. lenses manufactured by other companies?

when you buy a camera, a very important consideration is the lenses and accessories that you can you use with it. some people say that it's like buying a lens mount. for example canon and nikon have probably the biggest variety of lenses from regular stuff to pro grade. third party lenses and accessories also are more likely to be available in nikon or canon mount, and many sigma lenses only include HSM motors on those two mounts. nikon's flash and metering system is supposed to be extremely good, and may be reason enough for someone to buy into the nikon brand. you can also be sure the big brands won't go out of business or merge (for better or worse) with other companies (like minolta). another example would be how there seem to be more reviews and info on the bigger brands (see fredmiranda.com, POTN) and how there is a bigger buy and sell market for used equipment.

but since you do not have any future products in mind, then just go for the only purchase that IS certain to you, which is the body. so from this point on it's better for you to decide which body gives you more of what you want and need. to me, my xt + kit lens is no better than another dslr with stabilized sensor + kit lens.

yes pentax has excellent choices in lenses. whether or not they are suitable for fast action photography you'll have to find out from an actual user.

third party lenses, well i've been there and i don't think the savings are worth the trade offs (at least on a canon body - there are some known problems). of course my budget and shooting requirements are also different than yours.

[some guy]

Get Pentax. Be different. Besides the Pentax section is quite dead. :D

[jeisner]

Get Pentax. Be different. Besides the Pentax section is quite dead. :D

Yeah we don't get many Pentax users staying around here, if you head over to the Pentax forum at dpreview it is extremely busy lately..

[some guy]

Yeah we don't get many Pentax users staying around here, if you head over to the Pentax forum at dpreview it is extremely busy lately..

Actually Pentax DSLR forum is not as dead as I thought. Check out Fujifilm dSLR. Even a graveyard seen more action than that! LOL!!! :D

[jamiehs]

So what made you drop the E-500 from the poll choices? I am torn between the E-500 2 lens kit and the Rebel XT 18-55 kit. The E-500 is in your price range if the Rebel XT is, they are only $35 dollars apart right now. And you get an additional lens with the Olympus.

I'm not trying to advocate the E-500 or anything, but I know why I would or would not choose it, and I am curious as to why you would or would not choose it. From what I have read the Zuiko digital lenses that are inculded with the 2 lens kit are pretty good. (while not as good as the brighter Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 )

So why not the E-500?

[some guy]

yeah i'm puzzled too. I like the E-500 (which was one of my choices too). But the noisy images at high ISO and slow startup due to the antishake sensors kinda disuaded me. Not to mention I already have Canon lenses.
Yeah why not E-500?

[krzkrzkrz]

You are probably right between the E500 and the Rebel XT 350D

The review at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse500/page20.asp
shows a small difference. However the Rebel XT's outcome slightly looks better than the E500.

The review also statest the following:

the E-500 still has (essentially) the same sensor as the E-300 and despite improved noise reduction it's still no match for Canon's excellent CMOS sensor at higher sensitivities (above ISO 400). Hence if you find yourself shooting a lot of ISO 800 and 1600 images you may wish to think harder about the Canon offerings.

If price range is the same and the Rebel XT 350D is a tid-bit better, then I'd rather go for the XT. Just my opinion

[some guy]

When it comes to Image Noice, CCDs are no match for CMOS technology.

[BonjiB]

The canon rebel and the canon 20d have almost identical sensors which makes the rebel a real steal at around 600-700 bucks these days. As far as my experience canon is industry leading so that's just my 2 cents. I'm buying a 20d this month to go with my EOS lenses from my Elan 7e and i'm very excited :-)