I want a DSLR

[janetgin]

Now wait a minute you never told me there was an orange one. Orange or purple and I would have to think about a color....lol

[steve.ledger]

Hundred colours - hundred styles for the K-x




Though colour choices are only available from PENTAX Japan

[janetgin]

Very good.....

[georgetroy]

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ50 which is a good around camera for me. Leica lens, 12X optical Zoom range 35-420. Great videos, automatic hand shake, Shoot thru eye lens or viewfinder at many angles. 10 pixels. I have had it for over 2 years now, best camera purchase is my life.

[covoxer]

DMC-FZ50 is not a DSLR. OP was asking advice for DSLR purchase (explicitly stated in the topic title).
Please don't go OT.
Thank you.

[tony1941]

Hi Janet

As a new member of this forum, but an 'old' photographer I have been very interested in the posts on this thread, particularly the emphasis on Pentax.

In the UK, the primary makes for keen amateur photographers are Nikon and Canon, with Pentax, Sony, Olympus and Sigma trailing behind to varying degrees. Professionals use either Nikon or Canon. All these manufacturers produce very competent cameras and they vary depending on the market sector/price range.

Technically, different manufacturers claim advantages over the others to score marketing points. To my mind, the only issue of importance is the amount of 'noise' present in the image. There are recognised 'best' cameras on this criterion, but it should only influence your choice if you intend to enlarge prints above A4 size. For A4 and under, any prosumer DSLR will give you good results.

Most DSLRs use a sensor much smaller than the traditional 35mm; only top-of-the-range DSLRs use the traditional 35mm size. The smaller sensor is known as a DX (Nikon terminology) size and this is taken into account in the lens designs. In common with Pentax, virtually ALL Nikon lenses made since the first SLR will fit the modern DSLR, but some functions may not be present; you may be forced into manual settings.

When you choose a DSLR manufacturer you are locked into that name as the connecting lugs and pins etc on the lens/body are unique to that manufacturer, so choose with care. Also keep in mind that independent lens manufacturers produce extremely good lenses, so please don't think you have to overpay for a 'name' on the barrel to get very good results.

You mentioned batteries in one of your posts. All DSLRs use rechargeable batteries of their own proprietory designs.

As to image quality, you should have no problems getting excellent results from any prosumer camera. If you have consistent less-than-ideal results, a minor tweak in the menu should fix the problem. (When all else fails, read the instructions!)

I agree with an earlier post; take advice from a camera dealer after explaining your exact requirements, and make sure the camera fits neatly in your hands and its controls are easily reached.

This post is not intended to recommend a particular make or model; I don't know enough about your needs and aspirations. Also, any recommendations would be out-of-date next month! I just wanted to give you an overview of the market. If you want to dig deeper into the technicalities (beware!), there is one independent test organisation that compares cameras:

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng...amera-rankings

I would be happy to answer any queries, either on forum or privately.

Good luck with your choice.

Tony

[steve.ledger]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for joining in and your insight, however In the interest of accuracy I must correct you on the comment below:

All DSLRs use rechargeable batteries of their own proprietory designs.

This is not true at all.

Here's the run down on the PENTAX dSLR line up.

Pentax K-x / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax K2000 / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax K200D / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax K110D / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax K100D Super / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax K100D / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax *ist DS2 / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax *ist Ds / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax *ist D / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax *ist DL2 / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
Pentax *ist DL / AA (4) batteries (lithium, alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH)
===============================
Pentax K-7 / Lithium Ion (D-LI90)
Pentax K20D / Lithium Ion (D-LI50)
Pentax K10D / Lithium Ion (D-LI50)


So you see, only the current and past flagship models use propriety batteries, all the rest use AA's

Although I have upgraded to the K-7, I still have and use the *istDS which aside from the AA's can also use the CRV3 type lithiums for even more versatility and longevity per charge.

Canikon owners may shed some light on the respective models in the brand ranges.

[covoxer]

As to image quality, you should have no problems getting excellent results from any prosumer camera.

Janet had previously mentioned problems getting good DOF with compact camera. Prosumer cameras have 3 times wider DOF than DX cropped DSLRs and about 4.5 times than a full sized DSLR or film camera. DX DSLR has about 1.5 times wider DOF than a film camera.
While most entry level and mid range DSLRs have DX sized sensors (CF~1.5), there is one significant exception. All Olympus DSLRs have CF=2 which means twice wider DOF than a film camera.

Also, the noise level is very important factor not only for high resolution output, but for low light / fast shutter scenes.

[steve.ledger]

Depth of Field is a good subject and one which is often confused with something else.
Sometime it's good to read what the experts have to say.

[covoxer]

I don't think Janet had confused it with anything else comparing her film camera pictures with compact camera images.
BTW Canon A590 has about 6 times wider DOF than a film camera.