calling all enablers: need camera suggestions

[Mad Aussie]

Somewhere further back in the thread there were some very good arguments for going for the Pentax brand I think.

Frankly, I think that in the pro-sumer market that we are talking about here, its hard to buy something that won't perform really well if you know what you are doing.

[Fortytwo]

I've owned a Pentax as long as I know. I've never regretted not owning an Nikon or Canon. Not for a single moment. A Pentax does the job just as wel...

[F8&Bthere]

I somehow found myself immersed in two systems, Pentax and Nikon, and in some ways that sucks. I want to focus my attention and finances on one system, yet I can't seem to find the way to back out of either brand. My point is that I have both and use both, and I've never really felt that anything was lacking with my Pentax kit in comparison to Nikon. As MA says the current crop of DSLRs, regardless of brand name, are all very capable.

Now, if you are wanting to do a lot of travelling light, street photography, or anything where a very compact kit would benefit you, the combination of the Pentax Kx and one of their DA Ltd "pancake" lenses would be an awesome combo.

Good luck in your decision!

[Bambi]

IMO, cameras are like dogs, cars or men: there's not one that's right, there's just the one (or two) that are right for you

[Mad Aussie]

IMO, cameras are like dogs, cars or men: there's not one that's right, there's just the one (or two) that are right for you

So ... two men huh Bambi?

[Bambi]

So ... two men huh Bambi?

[Wicked Dark]

Well, if you haven't made a decision yet, Bambi, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in.

Handling the camera is very important. Ergonomics, access to controls, weight, balance...all are important. If you can't physically manage the thing with ease, it really won't matter what it is on the inside. B&H is an IDEAL place to do so because they carry everything.

Second...a word on ISO and noise. A lot of it has to do with sensor size because large sensor are typically more forgiving of underexposure. Underexposure is a killer when it comes to noise. We all know about blown highlights and a digital camera's tendancy to overexpose, but most people who complain about noise (in the 4/3rds world anyway) are victims of underexposure. That's not to say it doesn't exist, but sensors have come a long way and unfortunately the Canikon crowd still persists in the idea that there is a VAST difference in modern cameras when proper exposures are made. Just not true. Yeah, I'm an Olympus user and so have to bang the drum a bit, but I really get cheesed off when people say you can't do "professional" work with anything but a Canikon. I'm not saying larger sensors aren't better at high ISO, but when viewing images at less than 100% it is far less promient or problematic than made out to be.

Olympus makes some of the finest glass in the world period. They also put superior components and features into cameras and lenses right down to the entry level models. They are innovators and engineers first, not marketers unfortunately, and so get lost in the hype.

Olympus has the only proven effective dust removal system for digital sensors.
They were the first to employ Live View in an SLR and new SLR innovations keep coming.
They have weathersealed components for way less money than others.
In body image stabilization works with system and manual legacy glass from several manufacturers depending on the adapter you get.
Bang for the buck you can't beat their system kits. The new E-600 and E-620 kits are amazing values and you'll LOVE that flip and swivel screen.

ok ok ok...I'll quit it. Sorry if I got a bit emotional.