Pentax 100D ONE MORE TIME

[Dcanoli]

Okay, here we go...one final time....

I read all the threads from a month or two ago about the Pentax 100D, and then, I read the reviews you guys posted, THEN I sold my two film SLRs on Ebay a few weeks ago.....

..and now, the time has come....AND I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS!

For $700 (and a $150 rebate on top of that--bringing me down to $550), I can get the 100D kit (18-55mm) plus a 50-200mm from BD.

Any last minutes pros or cons? Any new owners of this little camera?

During my last trip to THE WORLD, I was on the monorail platform at the GF w/my 10YO son, and there was a man there with a Pentax SLR. I immediately struck up a conversation w/him, and he showed me his firework pics (among others) on the screen. (They all looked great, BUT don't pictures normally look "great" on the screen only to look not-so-great when you get them on your PC?)

This man said he LOVED the Pentax (I think he had the 10D--is that right?), but wish he had waited--one month later, they came out with the 100D!

Any opinions--last minute views would be appreciated! I don't want to make a mistake spending this much money!

Debbie

 

[Dcanoli]

Actually....after Googling...it looks as if there has been a price drop in this camera...Now, I can get both for $500.

Anybody know why? Is a new model on the horizon?

 

[ukcatfan]

The K10D is actually the better model, but it is still around $800-900. I have the K100D and I have not been happier. With the package rebate going on, it is the best deal in a DSLR around. It is cheaper b/c Pentax is still trying to make a name in the DSLR field. Basiacally, you cannot go wrong with ANY DSLR, and the Pentax K100D is simply a great deal right now. They just announced the K100D Super last week, but it really does not make much of an upgrade and I would only go for it if I was planning on getting the DA* lenses ($$$$ BTW). If it was a year ago, he had to have the K100D or possibly even an older model. I am not even sure the K100D was available a year ago, so it might have been the *ist DL or an even older model.

I entered the selection process wanting the Rebel XT until I actually handled one. Then I wanted the D50 b/c it felt good in my hands and had nice features. Then I found out about the Pentax models and they have a very similar feel to the Nikons. I was going to go with the *ist DL, but the DW gave me the go ahead to get the upgraded K100D. It is really not much different than the older models, but does add IS in the body and better JPG performance (not important to me b/c I shoot RAW).

BTW... Pentax is known to have some of the best quality glass by many people. The Pentax SMC coating is well known as being of very high quality. They are behind C&N at this point mainly b/c they hesitated getting into the digital field where C&N jumped in. It was a bad business decision, but has no effect on the Pentax quality. Their range of zooms is still a little limited, but they are known to have a very extensive prime selection and some are at better prices compared to other brands for equiv. models. Also, the third party lens makers are typically making the same models available to Pentax as they do the other camera makers.

You cannot go wrong with the Pentax models just as you cannot go wrong with any DSLR. If you plan on becomming a pro in the next year or two, then C&N might be a better choice(as some Cannonites are sure to point out), but not many entry level buyers are looking towards that anyway.

Kevin

 

[Dcanoli]

I was just heading downstairs and came to check my mail one more time....

Glad to hear the kudos for Pentax...I've run across a few other reviews (DP & CNet), and both were SINGING the praises of this little SLR.

Now, the interesting part is that I had it bookmarked at BD for $479. They've since dropped it to $469, but Best Priced Cameras has it at $399, and Shop Digital has the lens for $210. That's a total of $610 (w/o the $100 rebate).

I wish I could find a seller offering good prices and both pieces, then the rebate jumps to $150!

So, basically $500 for an SLR body and two lenses is a fair shake I believe! I am not planning on going pro, and in fact, we take so many trips to Disney that I want a camera that is going to give me good fireworks and low-light pictures...I am so tired of pictures looking good on my Kodak's screen only to have them look bad once I get them back on the PC, plus-as you know-PNS' are terrible at fireworks and low-light situations (despite what the scene modes say)!

My primary purpose for this camera is Disney, and then, all of life after that! LOL.....

Thanks for all the info...I did notice that Pentax was coming out with the Super version, but I couldn't remember what they said the difference was....

UK....I didn't realize you had a Pentax. Most of the people on here have Nikons (Yek. & GD)....

 

[ukcatfan]

I was just heading downstairs and came to check my mail one more time....

Glad to hear the kudos for Pentax...I've run across a few other reviews (DP & CNet), and both were SINGING the praises of this little SLR.

Now, the interesting part is that I had it bookmarked at BD for $479. They've since dropped it to $469, but Best Priced Cameras has it at $399, and Shop Digital has the lens for $210. That's a total of $610 (w/o the $100 rebate).

I wish I could find a seller offering good prices and both pieces, then the rebate jumps to $150!

So, basically $500 for an SLR body and two lenses is a fair shake I believe! I am not planning on going pro, and in fact, we take so many trips to Disney that I want a camera that is going to give me good fireworks and low-light pictures...I am so tired of pictures looking good on my Kodak's screen only to have them look bad once I get them back on the PC, plus-as you know-PNS' are terrible at fireworks and low-light situations (despite what the scene modes say)!

My primary purpose for this camera is Disney, and then, all of life after that! LOL.....

Thanks for all the info...I did notice that Pentax was coming out with the Super version, but I couldn't remember what they said the difference was....

UK....I didn't realize you had a Pentax. Most of the people on here have Nikons (Yek. & GD)....

As for Best Price Cameras, RUN AWAY, RUN VERY VERY FAR AWAY!!! http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Best_Price_Cameras_6 These guys look like scam artists. Stick with Buydig/Beach Camera, B&H, or Adorama.

If low light interests you, look into getting the FA 50mm f/1.4 in the future. It is a great low light lens and is not very expensive. It currently has a rebate if you can swallow the extra cost right now. There are also many used 50mm models floating around, but many are manual focus

Kevin

 

[ukcatfan]

UK....I didn't realize you had a Pentax. Most of the people on here have Nikons (Yek. & GD)....

There are a few of us around, but Groucho and I are the typical regulars to this board. I pretty much gave up posting on the theme parks and resorts boards due to the constant negativity, so I am usually on here.

Kevin

 

[Dcanoli]

Glad you caught me before I made any purchases! I was hoping by mentioning a few names, you (or anyone else) would let me know if they weren't very good.

I did look around, and they did have a few "certified" things on their website saying they were safe, etc. I'll check out the link you sent too.

If I buy from BD, I can get the $150 rebate (versus the $100 from buying the two pieces seperately).

I wish I could buy the Pentax kit AND the 50mm and get the $150, but they aren't offering that combo deal. Several people have recommeneded the 50mm over the 50-200mm.

It may even have been Groucho that said I would rarely use the 50-200mm...

What is your opinion on the two lenses? I know they are for two different scenarios, but do you have the tele lens and how often do you use it at the Parks versus the stand-alone/prime 50mm?

 

[Dcanoli]

Just read the reviews! S-C-A-R-Y!

Thanks for saving me! Maybe I'll just pay the extra $50 and be done w/it from BD!

 

[Cricket2]

I'll have the 100d soon enough. Waiting on a rebate from another product to come in before I order this one though.

I'm debating the rebate 2 lens package as my second lens (kit lens and the 50-200mm as you have stated) or a wide prime off of eBay along with the kit lens. I'm sure I'll use all three eventually but with a WDW trip coming up I might use the faster wa more. I'm very torn between the discount and the drooling over the angle/speed combo of the short prime. The longer zoom is useful but I don't think I want to drag it around on this trip. I also hate making a short term decision for a long term purchase

 

[Dcanoli]

See...that is EXACTLY the dilemma (sp?) I'm talking about!

Nobody wants to lug the 200mm around, but you feel it's a necessary evil. AND...everybody wants the 50mm, but it's over $300.

I haven't checked Ebay...maybe later on when I sell some more stuff on there to pay for it!

I think I'm going to make the jump later tonight. I'm on my way out today to run errands, and I want to see if I get any more responses to this thread before I buy the camera.

However, it has gotten AWESOME reviews from the review websites and people that have bought it, and it's got the best price going right now. It ALMOST seems too good to be true, doesn't it?

 

[ukcatfan]

See...that is EXACTLY the dilemma (sp?) I'm talking about!

Nobody wants to lug the 200mm around, but you feel it's a necessary evil. AND...everybody wants the 50mm, but it's over $300.

I haven't checked Ebay...maybe later on when I sell some more stuff on there to pay for it!

I think I'm going to make the jump later tonight. I'm on my way out today to run errands, and I want to see if I get any more responses to this thread before I buy the camera.

However, it has gotten AWESOME reviews from the review websites and people that have bought it, and it's got the best price going right now. It ALMOST seems too good to be true, doesn't it?

I believe that you are looking at the macro f/2.8 if the price is over $300. The f/1.4 version is around $200 and currently has a $25 rebate. As for lugging the 50-200mm, do not worry too much b/c it is just a tiny bit larger than the 18-55mm and is not heavy due to it being a digital only lens. As to if you use it much or not is more up to your shooting style. At WDW, I only use tele at AK.I personally shoot more wide, so I saved my money and went with a used 80-210mm Tamron. The quality of the shots from it are not what I could get from the Pentax lens, but I almost never need that focal length anyway. I am thinking about upgrading to the expected DA 17-70mm and DA 55-300mm in a couple of years. They might not be out for a year or so anyway.

If only one of the FA 50mm f/1.4 or the DA 50-200mm is an option at this point, I would go with the FA 50mm because I shoot mainly wider shots and low light is important to me. It is also good for creating a shallow DOF. Only you can decide if low light use/DOF control is more important than tele range.

Kevin

 

[Cricket2]

I think that is what I am leaning toward Kevin.

 

[Dcanoli]

Well maybe I should look into that then.

I didn't even look to see if there were DIFFERENT 50mms! DUH!

I know when I had my film SLRs, I didn't really use the zoom all that much, but let me pose this question....what is the benefit to having a dedicated 50mm versus a 18-55mm?

 

[Groucho]

I'm shying away from "what DSLR should I buy" threads for a while but I'm happy to chime in when you're already pretty much decided. Kevin's made a lot of the points already. The camera feels and works very similarly to the comparable Nikons, only with image stabilization. I don't have IS as I bought mine before the K100D came along, but am still very happy. Pentax does have some terrific lenses, especially when it comes to primes. Their kit lens is as good or better than any other equivalent kit lenses out there, and you are unlikely to have any need to upgrade it unless you want a faster lens. (I just recently picked up a Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 lens, but I got it for the low-light performance, not because I was unhappy with the optical quality of the kit lens.)

For low prices, you're unlikely to beat Beach Camera no matter where you look. If you do see it cheaper, it's probably not reputable. However, Beach's site is not exactly the best, and they do have a lot of lenses that may not come up when browsing. Toss "Pentax" into the search box and you'll find them. However, their lens prices aren't always as good as their camera prices, unfortunately! Fortunately, they do have the 50mm for pretty cheap.

They have the 50mm F1.4 for $189, minus $25 rebate, so $164 - an incredible lens for that, easily able to match or beat any comparable lens that costs twice as much.

The 50mm Macro F2.8 is $369 from them, minus $50 rebate. This costs more because it's a macro lens, so it can focus closer than the F1.4.

It looks like they're out of stock on the 50-200mm at the moment, but they had it for a little more than B&H or Adorama... it's a great one to get in a kit, but you can always get it later - chances are that it'll still have a $50 rebate when the next round of rebates comes along, but you don't get the extra $50 of buying both at once.

Chances are that they're selling quickly as the current rebate is ending before long. It's up at the end of the month. I was about to order the fisheye 10-17mm a few days ago and it suddenly went out of stock... argh...

Oh, and the 50-200mm is really quite light and small - at its shortest, it's not much longer than the 18-55mm.

The advantage of the 50mm F1.4 over the 18-55mm is two-fold - first, being a prime (non-zoom) lens, it's sharper (it's one of the all-time great lenses), and second, the big advantage is that it lets in so much light that you can take quality photos in much darker environments. You can also control depth of field more, once you're ready to start doing that. I used mine for about 49% of the ~2,500 photos I took at WDW in January, even though I was carrying six lenses. So much at WDW is in low-light that it's really a terrific lens to have. If you like, you can look at my signature and follow the links to my gallery or trip report to see my photos from the trip. I'm currently working my way through them again with a different RAW processor and getting some nice improvements on many of them, too, so I hope to have them all replaced with better ones before long.

Also, Kevin's right about the price-cutting to get attention. When I bought my Pentax around this time last year, the camera alone had a $100 rebate. I think the 50-200mm when I bought it a little later also had a $100 rebate, and my 50mm F1.4 had a $50 rebate. Now each of those is half what it was then, as Pentax has had a lot of success in the past year.

 

[Dcanoli]

I'll try and quote only parts of your post Groucho.....FIRST.....

.....their kit lens is as good or better than any other equivalent kit lenses out there, and you are unlikely to have any need to upgrade it unless you want a faster lens.....

I was wondering about this very point....my main purpose in buying the camera is for Disney's low-light scenarios.....and won't I need the faster lens for that?

....They have the 50mm F1.4 for $189, minus $25 rebate, so $164 - an incredible lens for that, easily able to match or beat any comparable lens that costs twice as much.....It looks like they're out of stock on the 50-200mm at the moment, but they had it for a little more than B&H or Adorama... it's a great one to get in a kit, but you can always get it later - chances are that it'll still have a $50 rebate when the next round of rebates comes along, but you don't get the extra $50 of buying both at once.

I cannot even believe this! I had put both the kit and the 50-200mm in my cart this morning, went out to run errands, and came back to place my order! The darn thing was GONE! I've e-mailed them and called, but no answer from them yet.

I have to say that I am in total agreement with you Groucho about the prices and the kit...HOWEVER, I was debating getting the prime 50mm instead of the 18-55 for Disney, and that was probably going to be my next question to both of you: (a) For Disney, most people seem to recommend using just the prime, but I'm wondering if the 18-55mm wouldn't be used more and (b) the cost of the 100D body plus the prime EQUALS (basically) what the kit plus the tele would cost. I'm not sure my brain can fathom paying the SAME thing for a camera body and ONE lens when I could have gotten a camera body and TWO lenses for the same price.

How do you guys rate the different "sets," if you will? It also doesn't seem as if a lot of people use the tele at WDW (though it might come in handy elsewhere in life).

Does one wait to see if the 200mm comes back in stock (#1) or (#2) go for the body and prime alone or (#3) go for the body, prime, and the 18-55 (if financially able)?

I really hate to miss out on this double rebate on the 200mm, but I also hate to buy it if I'll hardly use it.

Make sense?

 

[ukcatfan]

I have to say that I am in total agreement with you Groucho about the prices and the kit...HOWEVER, I was debating getting the prime 50mm instead of the 18-55 for Disney, and that was probably going to be my next question to both of you: (a) For Disney, most people seem to recommend using just the prime, but I'm wondering if the 18-55mm wouldn't be used more and (b) the cost of the 100D body plus the prime EQUALS (basically) what the kit plus the tele would cost. I'm not sure my brain can fathom paying the SAME thing for a camera body and ONE lens when I could have gotten a camera body and TWO lenses for the same price.

Getting the 18-55mm kit is a no brainer decision. You must have something in that range. You will never be happy with outdoor shots at WDW if your widest lens is a 50mm. There are other options for that range, but all are much more expensive. Besides, the difference in price between the body only and the one with the kit is like $40 at Buydig.

Kevin

 

[Dcanoli]

Yes, Kevin--that is what I am looking at right now...I've got all three websites up and comparing prices....

I just don't see how one couldn't have a wide-angle.....You really need that lens....

So, you get the kit...and then one has to make the final decision--tele or prime?

Eventually, you are going to need them all....and both (w/rebates) are pricing out the same--$175 vs. $180--however, you don't get the bonus $50 camera rebate if you buy the prime right now....

...and that is a DARN SHAME because WDW is FULL of low-light picture-taking opps, and Mommy needs that PRIME!

Why can't they just make it easy on a person and offer the bonus $50 on ANY LENS? Good grief...decisions, decisions, decisions....

 

[Groucho]

I was wondering about this very point....my main purpose in buying the camera is for Disney's low-light scenarios.....and won't I need the faster lens for that?

Well, you can do pretty well by bumping the ISO levels, but ISO levels plus a fast lens really take it to a whole different level, in terms of capturing low-light stuff without a flash.

I cannot even believe this! I had put both the kit and the 50-200mm in my cart this morning, went out to run errands, and came back to place my order! The darn thing was GONE! I've e-mailed them and called, but no answer from them yet.

Yup... hopefully they'll get more before the month is out. When I got my 50mm F1.4, they were extremely difficult to find. I ended up just putting in a backorder for it at Adorama, and what do you know, they got more just a couple days later. Now, it's easier to find than the 50-200mm! I'm sure the end of the rebate coming up is driving some sales, but some of them tend to go in and out of stock regularly. I'm just hoping that they get the fisheye back before the end of the month... that's got a $100 rebate and the prices seem to have dropped lately, so they may end up only giving it a $50 rebate next time...

How do you guys rate the different "sets," if you will? It also doesn't seem as if a lot of people use the tele at WDW (though it might come in handy elsewhere in life).

For WDW, I'd definitely choose 18-55mm+50mm over 18-55mm+50-200mm. For average shooting, that's a bit tougher. My 50-200mm gets a lot of use other times.

Now, if I could only have one lens of the group, it'd have to be either the 18-55mm or the 50mm, but picking just one is like Sophie's choice! Don't make me do it!

Does one wait to see if the 200mm comes back in stock (#1) or (#2) go for the body and prime alone or (#3) go for the body, prime, and the 18-55 (if financially able)?

I really hate to miss out on this double rebate on the 200mm, but I also hate to buy it if I'll hardly use it.

I think you'd get a fair amount of use out of it, just not as much as WDW as other places.

However, which way to go? That's a good question. I would lean towards #1, but there's always the chance that the camera itself will go out of stock. Also price out Adorama and B&H, last time I checked, I think they had the 50-200mm for cheaper than Beach, so the grand total may have been not that dissimilar. They will charge you shipping (and tax if in NYS), so that cuts into the extra $50, but better than not getting it at all!

 

[Dcanoli]

I know, I know...you have hit the proverbial nail on the head....

All three sites tie on camera price, but BD was the cheapest on the 200mm and is the chepeast on the 50mm...it's all a wash now anyway with the 200 being sold out....

My total was going to be $550, but now, for the body and kit and one lens, I'm at about $600-$650, depending on the site....

So, like I said--you hit the nail on the head.....PERFECT WORLD? ALL THREE LENSES NEEDED....Disney World? Prime + WA

I jotted down BD's number a few minutes ago....gonna call them on the way to work tomorrow. If they think they can get it back in stock, I'll go ahead and order the tele because it's too sweet a deal to resist.

Otherwise, I'm going to just order the camera w/kit and wait for the Prime to get a rebate and free shipping.

Thanks, Groucho.....I got it, you got it, NOW if PENTAX would get it!

 

[Dcanoli]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I wanted to say thank you to all your photo guys for helping me through the buying process....

I sold both my film SLRs and did a few Get Paid To sites (from the Disboards too) to earn about $300 toward my new Pentax.

After much internet review reading and talking to you guys on these boards, I bit the bullet this morning and ordered the Pentax 100D. (Let's hope all MY hype lives up to my pictures!)

It was $469 minus a $50 rebate, bringing it down to about $419. Not too bad for an SLR digital w/an 18-55mm lens.

I wanted to get the $150 rebate, but I waited too long, and the 50-200mm lens sold out at BuyDig. They had it at a few other websites, but their 100D price was much higher than BD's.

Also, thank you for the awesome fireworks help! I am so excited about WDW in September! This will be my first trip trying pictures, so I'm sure we'll have to go back in 2008 for another one!

Now, I do have one more final question--what kind of filters do you suggest right off the bat? A "daylight one" (the name escapes me at the moment)? A polarizing one? Any others?