Steve'sDigicams

lpatterton · Jun 30, 2006, 9:20 AM

dSLR's aremarked up here in South Africa......:Pwhen I convert the price you guys mention i often have to add another 40% to get to the price asked here....

meaning.....I would love a nikon d70 or canon but cannot afford it. Have noticed that the Pentax slr's are way cheaper than those two brands. Pentax is about 75% of the price of the d50 even.

So, my question is, are the cheapest dSLR's still a good buy?I don't want to win competitions, or develop poster size prints.....just beautiful photos.Lots of beautiful photo's. Using the old Nikon FE and buying film and developing prints has just become a bit too expensive right now!

Would also welcome suggestions for other dslr's not breaking the bank.

peripatetic · Jun 30, 2006, 9:31 AM

I know what you mean.

Sometimes (think Canon) you probably have to double it.

In general the perceived differences vanish if the price of any of the cameras varies significantly from the others.

It the pentax are noticably cheaper then go that way. Same is true of lenses. Sigma in SA is perhaps "only" 25% more in SA than elsewhere for Canon it's often closer to 100%.

Pentax + Sigma is a fine combination for the needs you describe.

I'd be tempted to try for the soon-to-be-released K100D with built-in image stabiliser, but to be honest the light over there is so good it's not a big deal.

lpatterton · Jun 30, 2006, 9:39 AM

I go on a trip once a yr....South America, India, Nepal....for trekking and cultural interest. Still good?

peripatetic · Jun 30, 2006, 9:46 AM

Still good.

Wait till you see the prices for the K100D, get that one if you can, if you can't - don't worry it's basically impossible to make a poor choice of DSLR. All are very capable machines and the photographer is the limitation 99% of the time.

lpatterton · Jun 30, 2006, 9:56 AM

thanks for the reassurance.....I often only see Nikon and Canon in many camera shops and my best friend is a Nikon die-hard and laughs at all other makes of camera....so I was wondering if the others were actaully as bad or unpopular as it seems.

mtngal · Jun 30, 2006, 2:54 PM

I own a Pentax *ist DS and absolutely love it! I'm using lenses I bought 25 years ago and it's wonderful to be able to use them again. The pictures are every bit as good as any other dSLR in the same class. I'm happy enough with my camera that I probably won't upgrade to the new K100D when it comes out - the IS isn't that important to me and the DS does everything I want (take pretty pictures that people say "wow!" when they see some of them).

zygh · Jul 2, 2006, 10:13 AM

lpatterton, the thing is you can't really go wrong with any dSLR. It all comes down to the price you pay for the body and for future lenses. If the Pentax mount lenses are cheaper there then go for Pentax. I use the Nikon D50 and the main selling point for the D50 to me was that I got a great deal. I'd advise you to go for the K100D as it has the in-built stabilizer that will come in handy when light conditions are anything but good. It may also save you from carrying that tripod every time you need to take a more difficult photo.
Good luck!

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Jun 30, 2006, 9:20 AM	#1
lpatterton Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17	dSLR's aremarked up here in South Africa......:Pwhen I convert the price you guys mention i often have to add another 40% to get to the price asked here.... meaning.....I would love a nikon d70 or canon but cannot afford it. Have noticed that the Pentax slr's are way cheaper than those two brands. Pentax is about 75% of the price of the d50 even. So, my question is, are the cheapest dSLR's still a good buy?I don't want to win competitions, or develop poster size prints.....just beautiful photos.Lots of beautiful photo's. Using the old Nikon FE and buying film and developing prints has just become a bit too expensive right now! Would also welcome suggestions for other dslr's not breaking the bank.

Jun 30, 2006, 9:31 AM	#2
peripatetic Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,599	I know what you mean. Sometimes (think Canon) you probably have to double it. In general the perceived differences vanish if the price of any of the cameras varies significantly from the others. It the pentax are noticably cheaper then go that way. Same is true of lenses. Sigma in SA is perhaps "only" 25% more in SA than elsewhere for Canon it's often closer to 100%. Pentax + Sigma is a fine combination for the needs you describe. I'd be tempted to try for the soon-to-be-released K100D with built-in image stabiliser, but to be honest the light over there is so good it's not a big deal.

Jun 30, 2006, 9:39 AM	#3
lpatterton Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17	I go on a trip once a yr....South America, India, Nepal....for trekking and cultural interest. Still good?

Jun 30, 2006, 9:46 AM	#4
peripatetic Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,599	Still good. Wait till you see the prices for the K100D, get that one if you can, if you can't - don't worry it's basically impossible to make a poor choice of DSLR. All are very capable machines and the photographer is the limitation 99% of the time.

Jun 30, 2006, 9:56 AM	#5
lpatterton Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 17	thanks for the reassurance.....I often only see Nikon and Canon in many camera shops and my best friend is a Nikon die-hard and laughs at all other makes of camera....so I was wondering if the others were actaully as bad or unpopular as it seems.

Jun 30, 2006, 2:54 PM	#6
mtngal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Frazier Park, CA Posts: 16,122	I own a Pentax *ist DS and absolutely love it! I'm using lenses I bought 25 years ago and it's wonderful to be able to use them again. The pictures are every bit as good as any other dSLR in the same class. I'm happy enough with my camera that I probably won't upgrade to the new K100D when it comes out - the IS isn't that important to me and the DS does everything I want (take pretty pictures that people say "wow!" when they see some of them).

Jul 2, 2006, 10:13 AM	#7
zygh Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 531	lpatterton, the thing is you can't really go wrong with any dSLR. It all comes down to the price you pay for the body and for future lenses. If the Pentax mount lenses are cheaper there then go for Pentax. I use the Nikon D50 and the main selling point for the D50 to me was that I got a great deal. I'd advise you to go for the K100D as it has the in-built stabilizer that will come in handy when light conditions are anything but good. It may also save you from carrying that tripod every time you need to take a more difficult photo. Good luck!