Is it wrong to..

[ukcatfan]

I have looked into pentax but it is difficult to find the k100 i can find the k110 but if i go pentax i take it you want the shake reduction and the dust removal of the k100 or k10 but have looked into them and still trying to find somewhere that has either locally, but yes I am looking at pentax as well

Buydig has the K100D for $445 with a $50 rebate. That is less than $400 for a DSLR with IS in the body! Throw in the 50mm F/1.4 for $184 with a $25 rebate and you have a total of $629 and $75 in rebates.

If you are having a hard time handling one, but can find the K110D, keep in mind that they are the exact same frame, so the feel is the same. If you have not handled either, look for a camera shop like Ritz/Wolf or a local independent shop. They are more likely to have a Pentax in stock.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

There's no dust removal in the K100D, though many seem to feel that no dust removal system is really worth it. I fall somewhere in the middle - I suspect they help more than nothing, but they certainly don't work as well as some blasts with a Rocket Blower.

If you're after low-light ability, the D40 is not great just because of no AF with the 50mm F1.8. The K100D is going to be very hard to beat, with the same sensor as the D40, and nothing against the Nikon 50mm F1.8, but the Pentax 50mm F1.4 is absolutely a superior lens (generally considered the best 50mm there is.) Around $550 for both after rebate is a pretty amazing price - plus the 50mm will be image-stabilized, unlike on the Nikon (or Canon).

Now, if the D40 had an in-body focus motor, I think you could make a stronger case for it... but ultimately, what you'd end up with the D40 and 50mm F1.8 is a package that costs about the same, but with softer kit lens with rotating front, softer and slower 50mm with worse bokeh, and no IS. No DoF preview either, if you're concerned about that, and no top LCD. Not that the D40 is a bad camera, not at all, but I think the K100D is just going to offer you more. The big weakness compared to the D40 is the buffer size, it can't take as many continuous-shooting shots in a row, but I think it wins

I would avoid the K110D just because there's no rebate, so you'll probably spend just as much (or more) than you would for the K100D.

 

[gokenin]

well I have entered the world of SLR and went out and purchased the K100 this evening got it for $499 from Ritz now i cant wait to get out there and begin to play with it and learn. I only have the kit 18-55 and it may be the only one i have when i go to disney next month so we will see what happens

 

[Groucho]

Congrats, looks like it's probably ~$50 + tax more than online (after rebate) but you have that instant gratification which you can't put a price on.

If you need to do low light, especially with the kit lens, don't be afraid to manually set the ISO up to 1600, you should still be able to get very nice results. You can even go to 3200 if you really need to... my "Live from Disneyland" thread has a number of ISO 1600 and 3200 shots from the K100D (though none with the kit lens.)

If you have time, I'd recommend ordering the 50mm F1.4 online (unless you can find it for cheap locally), it really makes a world of difference for low-light photos, and it's just so sharp and colorful!

 

[gokenin]

Hello as you know I am now the proud owner of a Pentax K100 I was using it this morning for a few shots and have am bitten by the desire to get a lense with longer reach to it (i knew this would happen ), I was looking on beach camera for lenses and came across this Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 AF DI-II LD IF first question will it work with the k100? and is this a good walking around lense and will it give me some of the long shots that I could get with the S3?

 

[Groucho]

I'm not really familiar with that lens so I can't say for sure, but usually, image quality goes down the longer the range of a single lens is. 18-200mm is a lot of range. For comparing it to the S3, I think that the S3 goes out to 432mm in 35mm equivalence, and with the K100D's 1.5 crop, you're getting about 300mm in 35mm terms. However, you should be getting sharper photos that can be cropped without losing as much quality. A lens that goes to 300mm will give you 450mm equivalence, but those can get a little larger and heavier.

Any Pentax-mount lens will work on the K100D, new or old.