Dollieh Sanctuary

I'm thinking about investing in a nice DSLR camera. Current my phone camera is better than my real camera and I'd really just like to upgrade. So, people here who know about such things: What are you using? What do you recommend?

My own research has brought me to the Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR. I'd prefer it if it didn't cost so much, but I know you get what you pay for, and I'd really like this to be a one time purchase to last a very very very long time. Does anyone know about this camera?

I'd really appreciate any help or advice that could be provided.

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I'm a Pentax shooter and that's talking as someone who now shoots for a living. Best bang for my buck IMHO. Three reasons. Great iso capacity which is important in low light shooting. Backwards lens capacity is AWESOME. I can put almost any Pentax mount lens from the past 60 years on my cameras with or without an adapter. M42's with, K mount as is. That makes it very cheap to acquire a nice kit of lenses. (Nikon and Canon people often buy M42 Pentax lenses. They're considered to be good. Old Takumars in particular very well thought of. You'll see them on a lot of DSLR's.) Third? They're solid, well built, smaller DSLR's. For a big guy that's not much of an advantage but for me, I'm very little, that's a huge thing ergonomically speaking. I've used Canon and Nikon too. Don't mind Nikon, except that their gear costs a lot, but Canon stuff tends to be a bit too big for me.

Nothing against either but unless you're shooting Full Frame which most people don't need to do, you don't need to spend a whole lot for a DSLR. It's a fact that Canon and Nikon are more popular but Pentax makes equally great cameras and stellar lenses and usually they cost less and give you a bit more capacity at the same price point. I have a K-x now, love it, but I'm actually saving up for the new K-30. I need a little more weather proofing at this point. I shoot on beaches and in high humidity. The K-5 is the one most pros use but that's actually a bigger camera and the K-30 does what I want, has an awesome design, and still has the weather proofing thing so I am getting me one.

You can get a K-r with kit lenses for $500-600 and it's worth every penny. K-x for less than that. K-30 is coming out at like $800-1200 for a kit but that's always the way it works. In 6-8 months it will be sub $600 most likely. You can get a Rebel, but for the same $$$ you could get something more useful if you're willing to think outside the box a bit. Pentax is actually an old and well respected brand. They just don't make crappy cameras. I've owned several and I can't say there was ever a dud in the bunch. I may sometimes not like the design on one particular camera that they make but the innards are always top notch.

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Just about any Pentax camera shoots video actually now and fairly well. Check You Tube and you'll see tons of people using K-x, K-r and the K-5 to do that. That being said most DSLR's do have a buffer limit and they will get fried if you try to shoot video for more than 20-30 minutes. They're just not made for that. 10 minute clips, no problem. 2 hour movies of a wedding? You really need a proper hand cam. But no, whoever told you that was wrong. Pentax cameras do a pretty nice job for video. I personally don't do much of it. I prefer my hand cam for that. I'm primarily a still photographer not a video producer, but even I do shoot the odd clip now and again. Nikon is good for that too though and they do have Full Frame cameras which Pentax does not, if you want to spend 10K that is. I like Nikon actually. Next to Pentax DSLR's those are the ones I'd go for. But I just think that money-wise Pentax can be a better deal. The K-5 rocks actually for what it costs and the new K-30 looks like it will be even better in some ways. I know guys who have showered off their Pentax DSLR's, dropped it in a river, taken them to the desert in Iraq. They survived it all with grace.

Also, with Nikon and Canon the shake reduction is in the lens. With Pentax it's in the camera and I like that far better. SR is an essential for me. I have really bad hands and a medical thing that makes me shake when I am tired. I like being able to use sharp older lenses and letting the body do that vs spending a thousand bucks on a digital lens with shake reduction. Most DSLR bodies are comparable in price at the same levels. It's the lenses that they get you on and Nikon and Canon lenses can be really, really expensive if you really want to outfit a good kit. If the shake reduction in a Nikon or Canon lens goes, it goes. With a Pentax I always have it even if the lens doesn't. I can turn it off if I want or use it at my discretion but it works with almost any Pentax lens out there.

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The K-5 is willing stellar reviews even from die hard Canon and Nikon people. You can't go wrong with one for the money. There were a few tech problems at the very beginning of the run. If you buy used look for a later # and ask about that. If it's an early # make sure it's been back to Pentax for an overhaul. But Pentax has fixed most of them and now it's really nice. Most of them used out there are fine. If the K-30 hadn't come out I'd have bought a K-5 eventually. But I fell for the K-30 pretty hard. It's got the great innards and it's built SEXY as all heck. Looks like a darn sports car. Take a look. It's got it all. But you could buy a Pentax K-5 for the same and it does have a bit more video and ISO capacity than the K-30. It's a bit faster shooter than the K-30 too. It is the top of their line. Got to save something for the top model, I guess, lol.

They're both WR and have the same sensor though. Very comparative cameras. The K-5 is more geared towards pros though and has less by way of preset modes. K-5 you really need to learn the camera. K-x, K-r, K-30 they're a bit more friendly for hobbyists. Here's both to compare them. One more thing I forgot. You can use AA's with most Pentax DSLR's though you might need an adapter. That's a huge thing for me. I have 4 sets of rechargeable ones but if I run out? I can use AA's from the drug store so there is never an excuse not to shoot. I hate propietary batteries actually. They're expensive and inconvenient. I much prefer AA's and that's always been a major Pentax selling point for me that I have both options.

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/pentax-k-30

I agree with Magkelly on the Pentax. I have a K-r and I love it.

Linteia wrote:I agree with Magkelly on the Pentax. I have a K-r and I love it.

Aw HELLO! A fellow Pentaxian and on my favorite doll board no less!!! Well, YAY! That just made my day!