I was all settled on the pentax untill i was handed the sony A100.

the sony A100 fits my hand like a glove, I like the deeper hold on the sony & the way your hand just takes right to it.

I still like the pentax but now i'm wanting that feel (not the sony just that feel), so i ask you does any other body have that same feel to it as the A100.

joee wrote: Wrong.... you did the right thing. Never buy a camera without holding it first, especially a DSLR.

The only body that has that exact feel is the Sony's predessor, the KM 5D. Though discontinued, you can still find some around or the slightly larger 7D. BTW, if you have large hands the 7D feels even better. The 7D also feels more well balanced with larger lenses because of its weight. I have small hands, but still prefer the feel of 7D over the 5D. There is a little more built in room for your pinky and the camera has more external controls. Walmart had closed out the 7D for 599 which was about a third of what this camera used to sell for. Both the 5D and 7D are 6MP, which is really more than adequate for most people and they take great high ISO shots.

There are some higher end Canon models and some claim that some of the Nikonsthat have good ergos, but I have yet to hold anything that feels as good as a 5D or 7D.

I agree that the camera shop visit was probably the most important thing youshould do. I had a Sony F717 for 3 years and loved it (would never have bought a dSLR if it were still working, but that's another story!), so can't think of any reason why you shouldn't buy it, other than perhaps price vs. the Pentax.

If you prefer the Sony, then buy it and have a great time taking pictures with a camera that you enjoy using.

Well, feel can be an important factor when buying a camera.. although you can very easily get used to the feel of whatever you choose pretty quickly. I dont think feel would be THE deciding factor, unless the cameras were pretty much equal in all other ways to you.

I agree. :idea: