Pentax K100d vs. Nikon D40

[kripter]

I'm stuck between both. The galleries show the K100d takes better pictures, however the reviews say the D40 is better.

I can't spend over 600 dollars
I decent zoom is nice
good all-around camera

any other reccomendations?

[cdifoto]

D40 is highly crippled and "decent zoom" is a function of the lens, not the camera body.

[kripter]

what do you mean by "crippled"?

[legolas]

Hi
I am in the same situation that you are.
both k100D and D40 look good.
I want to make sure that i can select between wide range of lenses.

Which of these vendor provide a better support and waranty?
which of these cameras has a wider range of accessories?

thanks

[pas49ras]

what do you mean by "crippled"?



The D40 can use almost any Nikon F-mount lens, it will only support autofocus on AF-S and AF-I lenses, there are about sixteen at this point

[kripter]

I think I'am leaning towards the K100 because I take mostly landscape pictures, and on occasion some sports, but not many.

[kripter]

The D40 can use almost any Nikon F-mount lens, it will only support autofocus on AF-S and AF-I lenses, there are about sixteen at this point
I see. Thanks!

[kripter]

What would be a good lens for all-around use?

[coldrain]

The Nikon D40 misses the internal AF motor that till now was always standard on Nikon DSLRs.

Almost all of Nikon's prime lenses make use of that motor. Almost all 3rd party lenses make use of that motor.
Choosing a D40 will limit your lens choice in certain areas in future severely.

This is not all that has been cut down, it also has a pretty weak AF system, it misses for instance mirror lock up, misses exposure bracketing, and more.

Better camera choices include your mentioned K100D, which is VERY complete in comparison and very comparable in image quality.
And the Nikon D50, if you can still find it... it does have the missing D40 features (except mirror lock up).
And the Canon XT and XTi.

Decent "zoom" for under $600 including the camera will be VERY hard to do.
Get the camera with its kit lens (for instance the Pentax K100D), and then save up for a Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 APO DG Macro.
Or spend a bit more and get that same Pentax with a Pentax 16-45mm f4 or Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro.

Or, if you want an all in one lens (but this will also overshoot your stated budget), get a Sigma 18-200.
Or, to stay just within your budget, the 18-125mm from Sigma.

[swgod98]

The Nikon D40

This is not all that has been cut down, it also has a pretty weak AF system

How is the AF weak? Or, are you just talking about the 3 point system not having as many points as other camera's? Is it not as fast/accurate as the K100D? I'd be really surprised to hear you say no.

[coldrain]

yes, weak. Only 3 AF sensors, try tracking something successfully and then try it with other AF systems like the 5 point D50 or 9 point XTi or 9/11 point D80 or D200. You will recognize the limitations.

Or are you really of the opinion that 3 AF points is a great gesture of Nikon:rolleyes:

And focus SPEED has little to do with the number of AF sensors. If you want the ultimate focus speed, go Canon.

[legolas]

Decent "zoom" for under $600 including the camera will be VERY hard to do.
Get the camera with its kit lens (for instance the Pentax K100D), and then save up for a Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 APO DG Macro.
Or spend a bit more and get that same Pentax with a Pentax 16-45mm f4 or Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro.

Or, if you want an all in one lens (but this will also overshoot your stated budget), get a Sigma 18-200.
Or, to stay just within your budget, the 18-125mm from Sigma.

Does K100D accept a wide range of lens?
where i can find detail information about lens kits that you mentioned?
Thanks

[swgod98]

Or are you really of the opinion that 3 AF points is a great gesture of Nikon:rolleyes:

And focus SPEED has little to do with the number of AF sensors. If you want the ultimate focus speed, go Canon.

All I know is that the K100D cannot track worth a crap either. Have you had any experience with it? It is one of the TWO camera's the OP was looking at. I don't know how the XTi and Canon in general got into this subject.

3 AF points is hardly a bad gesture, considering many peope who consider themselves semi professional (or advanced amatures) don't even use more than 1. Do you really expect the beginner to use them as if they are neccessary to create good images?

Focus speed is important, since it is one of the many defining features of a dSLR. Focus points are hardly as important as focus speed IMO. But, that's just me.

So, to me...saying an AF system is "weak" means more than just a lack of 2309482340 focus points.

[coldrain]

Does K100D accept a wide range of lens?
where i can find detail information about lens kits that you mentioned?
Thanks
Hard to find detailed info on these lenses that is actually really informative.
The Pentax 16-45 f4 is a very good lens, tests and users alike think that.
The Sigma 18-50 EX DC Macro is a new and improved version of the 18-50 EX DC. Of the latter you can find reviews, the newer one has less CA (weak point of the older one).

You can find a review of the older on (tested on Canon XT/EOS 350D), and of the Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro, Sigma 18-200 and Sigma 18-125mm (also tested on the XT) on www.photozone.de at the reviews section.

Yes, the K100D accepts a wide raneg of lenses, including AF lenses from Pentax, old manual focus lenses from Pentax, and AF lenses from Tamron and Sigma.

[kripter]

how about the evolt 500, I didn't realize it was in my price range.

[coldrain]

how about the evolt 500, I didn't realize it was in my price range.
It is an ok camera. Quite feature filled, the follow up E-510 will have IS in body like the Pentax and Sony, and it will have live preview on the display.

The Olympus and Panasonic DSLRs have a few weak points though.
The E-500 performs great at ISO 100 and 200, better than Nikon and Pentax for sure (in JPEG). But above that it gets to be noisier than the competition.

Also, it has the inspired on old TV size 4:3 image ratio. You know probably that the winning film formats were more "widescreen" (35mm and APS film), and that the 4:3 format from compact digital cameras is only based on the computer monitor format which was traditionally based on the old TV tubes.

Nowadays though the nicer wide screen formats are pushing through (wide screen TV's, wide screen computer and laptop screens, widecreen movies) so it is a bit of a letdown that Olympus chose for the oldfashioned "compact digital" 4:3.

Also, the sensor is smaller, which means besides a smaller view finder also more noise and a less shallow depth of field possible.

All in all, it is a good camera, but it has its downsides too.

[SpecialK]

Does K100D accept a wide range of lens?
where i can find detail information about lens kits that you mentioned?
Thanks

Sigma, Tamron, and I suspect other less well known third-party manufacturers make lenses to fit the Pentax K mount. Also, www.keh.com sells old equipment, and you never know what you might find there.

http://www.pentaximaging.com is the best place to investigate Pentax offerings. Don't expect a whole lot of info on "kit" lenses, as they are not a big feature thing...

[legolas]

Hello every one.
I have decided to go with a Pentax K100D and happily i can spent about $600 for this.
Now i have some questions:
- I should buy it from online stores and there are some stores with bad record, where should i buy the camera?


- with this money, what accessories i should (could) buy?



Thanks

[pas49ras]

I have decided to go with a Pentax K100D and happily i can spent about $600 for this.
Now i have some questions:
- I should buy it from online stores and there are some stores with bad record, where should i buy the camera?



Try Buydig.com...



http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?omid=122&utm_id=17&ref=pricegrabber&utm_source=PriceGrabber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PKK100D1855&sku=PKK100D1855

[Ray Schnoor]

I don't know what type/length of lenses you would be interested in buying, so I will give links for body only. 1 or 2 SD cards are a must, since they are not included with the camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=438217&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PKK100D

Ray.

[SpecialK]

I don't know what type/length of lenses you would be interested in buying, so I will give links for body only. 1 or 2 SD cards are a must, since they are not included with the camera.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=438217&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PKK100D

Ray.


I got my body-only plus 10-17mm from Beach. I've also gotten things from B&H, Adorama and 17th St Photo. No problems from any of them.

[kripter]

If I were to compare the K100d and the evolt, the pentax would be the winner? Is there a way to prevent dust reduction considering the pentax doesn't have any mechanism to protect against it?

[SpecialK]

If I were to compare the K100d and the evolt, the pentax would be the winner? Is there a way to prevent dust reduction considering the pentax doesn't have any mechanism to protect against it?

For the first month or so, I had not much dust at all. Then I got a bunch of dust to the point of really being a nuisance for spotting. I finally got a complete Rocket blower and all the wipes and Eclipse fluids, etc. My new routine is that Friday night after charging the batteries, I will blow off the sensor really good, and take a test picture. If needed, I will then clean it with the wipe on paddle with the fluid. I also read it helps to turn off the camera during lens changes (to reduce static).

Amazingly, on two different day-long shoots with at least 3 or more lens changes, I had zero dust. Not a spot. Only this past weekend did I start getting it again (only 2 spots in the same location throughout).

[kripter]

would it be worth buying the evolt for dust reduction? The review semmed to give the evolt more credit than others do.

[coldrain]

The evolt is a nice camera at lower ISO, sure. At ISO 400 and above it surely is not the best choice.

Like mentioned before, the 4:3 photo size, smaller sensor, make it a bit less attractive in DSLR land. But if you do not mind to spend quite a bit on lenses, Olympus has some really good ones too.

But the dust reduction system is not something I would base the choice on... it is not hard to clean the sensor when it will have dust specs on it.

[fionndruinne]

You know that a new zoom lens with image stabilization is coming out for the D40 in June? A 55-200mm, with a suggested retail price of only $250. Those who said the D40 is geared for those who will never buy another lens are wrong, and more lenses will probably be made with the focus motor of the D40's kit lens. This is a marketing strategy of Nikon's: third party lenses will be less compatible, but look to see more affordable Nikkor brand lenses in order to compensate.

I really have to wonder about those who quote "a weak AF system" meaning only that it has 3 AF points. Personally I find more than a few AF points overrated. It's certainly not enough to doom a camera.

The D50 has older technology than the D40, as well. I find it funny that people will immediately recommend the Canon XTi to those who say explicitly that they can't spend over $600. In oter words "no, you have to". It's funny.

[Evil_Sheep]

I am basically in the same boat as the original poster. I'm looking for an entry-level dSLR. I've read through all the reviews, through forum discussions, and felt them up in stores. I know that the only real choices are Canon XT/XTi, Nikon D40, Pentax K100D, Olympus e-500 (or soon e-410/510), and Sony Alpha.

Of those, I crossed off the Sony b/c of average reviews, high price and I dislike Sony in general. I crossed off the Olympus b/c of lower image quality, high-ISO performance, and slow start-up in comparison. Plus I dislike 4/3. I crossed off the Canon because it was not only more expensive, but felt like cheap plastic crap in my hands.

So that of course leaves me with the D40 or K100D and I'm torn b/w the two. Basically the impression I've gotten from reviews is that both are top-notch SLR's that are only separated by a hair in most respects, the lens choice will make more difference than the body, and I probably would be very satisfied with either.

This would be my first dSLR, I'm upgrading from a P&S. I'm still learning a lot about photography but I've basically got a hang of the technical stuff. My reasons to upgrade are full camera controls, superior photo quality, DOF, useable high-ISO, virtually instantaneous speed.

I'm planning to go on a trip to China soon, to the desert, so I want a durable camera (again, not Canon) as well as compact and light. I also plan to do a fair amount of low-light and night photography and am definitely not going to lug around a tripod. I plan to use the kit lens. Inage quality is important but fractions don't matter for 4x6's and web photos I plan to use it for. And I want to do a lot of street photography, so looking for something fast, reliable, and discrete.

To sum up everything I've read about the D40 and K100D

D40
PROS:
-smaller and lighter
-very fast startup/shooting performance
-best high-ISO/sharpness (by a hair)
-programmable buttons
-very sharp kit lens
CONS:
-only newest lens have AF, virtually no AF primes exist (not really an issue for me, I would plan to use the kit lens for awhile at least)
-no DOF preview
-purple fringing on kit lens

K100D
PROS:
-image stabilization (!)
-great sharpness/high-ISO/image quality
-most lenses from last 30 yrs fully work
-generally fast
CONS:
-slower startup/low-light focusing
-decent kit lens but w/ minor vignetting/wide distortion
-big lack of lens availability currently (not an issue)
-$50-80 more expensive
-bulkier

So given all of this, the two cameras seem to be virtually tied in almost every respect, but the K100D's big advantage looks to be IS. (I realize IS is available on lenses AND lens-based IS is better but I don't have $700 to blow on one yet and a $80 premium seems much more cost-effective.) Also although the Nikon kit lens has been getting great reviews everywhere, I would personally take the vignetting on the K100D lens to purple-fringing, which seems much more annoying to me (purple fringing on my Fuji F10 is one of my biggest gripes with the camera.)

So I'm leaning towards the K100D, but what are your thoughts? Also the wild card here could be the new Sigma DP1 which looks like it may have the makings of the ultimate travel/street photography camera. Unfortunately I don't think a release date's been announced and the price could easily be way out of my budget. Also Sigma isn't such a well-known brand. I'm intrigued but something so groundbreaking could also be a total flake and almost certainly will suffer from defects in its first iteration.

[fionndruinne]

Sure sounds like a toss-up. For my personal needs, I prefer the D40's good high-ISO range and low-light performance (I like indoor/macro pictures, and will sometimes enter into rapt concentration on something or -things on my desk, snapping away until I get something just right. Yes, I am partially insane, I know). IS is truly nice, but remember the new 55-200 DX lens is VR (IS) for $250.

I assume you've handled these cameras - I haven't handled the Pentax, but love the D40's feel, very solid.

Also consider the huge buffer limit for the D40 in continuous shoot mode, and (possibly) the help system.

I hear the Pentax is a nice one, though. Have fun choosing.

[Ray Schnoor]

D40
PROS:
-smaller and lighter
-very fast startup/shooting performance
-best high-ISO/sharpness (by a hair)
-programmable buttons
-very sharp kit lens
CONS:
-only newest lens have AF, virtually no AF primes exist (not really an issue for me, I would plan to use the kit lens for awhile at least)
-no DOF preview
-purple fringing on kit lens

Actually there are several AF primes. For a lens to auto focus on the D40, it must be an AF-S. In this case, you are correct that there are currently very few AF-S primes.

Ray.

[coldrain]

Actually there are several AF primes. For a lens to auto focus on the D40, it must be an AF-S. In this case, you are correct that there are currently very few AF-S primes.

Ray.
Also, only one "programmable button".
further on the D40 cons list:

-No exposure bracketing
-No mirror lock up
-No white balance bracketing (should not be a problem for most)
-Only 3 AF sensors
-No hard ISO and WB button (1 programmable button will not cover this)

[Ray Schnoor]

Also, only one "programmable button".
further on the D40 cons list:

-No exposure bracketing
-No mirror lock up
-No white balance bracketing (should not be a problem for most)
-Only 3 AF sensors
-No hard ISO and WB button (1 programmable button will not cover this)
I was only correcting a misstatement I saw.

While you also corrected the "programable buttons" statement, what are cons for some may not necessarily be cons for others. Since these were not mentioned as cons by Evil_Sheep, I assumed that Evil_Sheep does not consider them cons.

-No exposure bracketing (should also not be a problem for most)
-No mirror lock up (should also not be a problem for most)
-Only 3 AF sensors (although I would consider this a con, I assume that Evil_Sheep doesn't)
-No hard ISO and WB button (1 programmable button will not cover this) (since I would guess that the majority of users use Auto WB, should not be a problem for most)

Ray.

[SpecialK]

...So that of course leaves me with the D40 or K100D


The size issue is a personal thing, but the Pentax feels just right in my small/medium hands, but so did the XTi :-)

Start up time I would say is a non-issue. By the time you open the bag, turn on the camera, put the strap around your neck, and raise the camera to your eye, it's already on...

Can't really comment on specific kit lenses (never had one) but I think "excellent FOR a kit lens" is probably closer than "an excellent lens". I would not base my purchase on the kit lens quality unless you plan on using it for a long time beyond.

Older Pentax lenses will likely lose some functionality (such as focal length determination by the camera, automatic aperture) etc, the further back you go. I recently used an old 300mm f4 that required being in aperture priority or manual mode. It worked and exposed OK, but in Av the shutter speed flashed "4000" no matter what.

You'll probably lose functionality with any brand, however.

The only real limitation of the K100D is the tiny buffer, but I don't shoot bursts very often and it has not affected my shooting at all. The AWB only works down to about 4000k, where you will want to go to the tungsten setting - if you shoot jpg. I shoot RAW so even that has no effect on my shooting.

I liked the K100D affordability, built in IS, and reasonably-priced lenses. Image quality is great, but I'm not a big pixel peeper.

You can argue MP size and lens IQ, but I have never seen any photos that said I HAD to have any specific camera.

[fionndruinne]

The D40 has one programmable button plus a customizable menu. Given that a small DSLR is easily prone to having too many buttons for comfort (in my opinion), this is a good setup.

[kripter]

If I can get a Sigma Zoom Telephoto 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF for 145and the camera for 415, that is a good deal, right?

[coldrain]

If I can get a Sigma Zoom Telephoto 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Autofocus Lens for Pentax AF for 145and the camera for 415, that is a good deal, right?
Get the Sigma 70-300 DG APO version. It is more expensive but also better. It should be around $220.

The price of the camera is a good deal, but are you sure you don't want a lens with some wider focal range too, besides the 70-300?

[kripter]

Is there an all-around lens that'll give me a good zoom and focal range?

[mcenut]

Is there an all-around lens that'll give me a good zoom and focal range?

The Tamron and Sigma 18-200mm lens fit that bill. They can only be used on the APS-C size image sensor DSLR cameras like the PENTAX K100D but do give good range and results.

Sigma (http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/lenses_all_details.asp?id=3302&navigator=6)

Tamron (http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/18200_diII.asp)

I owned the Tamron 18-200mm for about two years and liked it very much. It was a great all around lens that never gave me one second of problems. Then I got the Canon "L" bug and sold it to pay for my habit.

Also Tamron just released the 18-250mm upgrade. Should be interesting to see what that lens can do.

[kripter]

aren't those both 300? I can't spend over 200 for lenses unless I can get the body for 300, but I can only find it for 400.

[mcenut]

aren't those both 300? I can't spend over 200 for lenses unless I can get the body for 300, but I can only find it for 400.

Yo asked for a lens that gave a good zoom and range. You didn't say it also had to be inexpensive.

I can't think of a lens that will give you what you want for under $200. You can get a 70-300mm zoom for under $200 but that won't give you the wide angle range.

[kripter]

Ok. Thanks for your help.

[kripter]

Putting a lens with a decent range aside, are there any wide angle lenses that are good for around 200?

[kripter]

How about this one:

Sigma Zoom Wide Angle-Normal 18-50mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Autofocus Lens for Pentax Digital SLR

or this one:

Sigma Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC Autofocus Lens for Pentax Digital SLR