Having worked with both companies I'd say both are as good as one another.Even the cameras termed 'entry level' these days are well in advance of kit I paid obscene amounts for juts two years ago.
Pentax has some amzing lenses and you will be able to use ANY Pk mount lens, meaning you can pick up some really good fast prime lenses for dirt cheap second hand, the prices of their current kit took a massive jump in recent times though so swings and roundabouts.
Canon kit is fine but I've always found it a bit overpriced when compared to other peoples kit.
just out of interest why have you not gone for the Olympus stuff? The 520 and 450 are some of the best 'entry' cameras I've ever used, if you don;t need monster size image files then they will get stunning results.
(Pentax has some amzing lenses and you will be able to use ANY Pk mount lens, meaning you can pick up some really good fast prime lenses for dirt cheap second hand, the prices of their current kit took a massive jump in recent times though so swings and roundabouts.
Canon kit is fine but I've always found it a bit overpriced when compared to other peoples kit.
just out of interest why have you not gone for the Olympus stuff? The 520 and 450 are some of the best 'entry' cameras I've ever used, if you don;t need monster size image files then they will get stunning results.
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Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:43,
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tbh from my limited research to date, Olympus hasn't even been a blip on the radar.I will have a look at those models forthwith.
(
barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:47,
archived)
I would, the guys down at Olympus have excellent customer service aswell.Whereabouts are you based? The single best piece of advice I can give is to go to an INDIE shop (never touch Jessops) and have a chat with them in there.
Most cameras these days will give you excellent results for personal usage and its only when you start getting into using the kit for jobbing work that you need to specialise.
As a result, most of the decision comes down to which one feels right in the hands, If a camera doesn't feel right it becomes a chore to use and you will find yourself not using it as much, if it feels right then you will take it everywhere with you and end up on a very slippery slope which can lead to getting up far far too early on a Sunday to drive 100 miles to take photos of something bizzare!
Hope that helps!
:-)
(Most cameras these days will give you excellent results for personal usage and its only when you start getting into using the kit for jobbing work that you need to specialise.
As a result, most of the decision comes down to which one feels right in the hands, If a camera doesn't feel right it becomes a chore to use and you will find yourself not using it as much, if it feels right then you will take it everywhere with you and end up on a very slippery slope which can lead to getting up far far too early on a Sunday to drive 100 miles to take photos of something bizzare!
Hope that helps!
:-)
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Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:52,
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I'm in Manchester, and there's the fantastic London Camera Exchange right in Piccadilly Gardens.I must have walked past it every day for the best part of a decade without knowing it was there, but I got some pretty decent advice from the guy there - the Pentax wasn't actually in stock so he is going to call me when it's in and I'll go down and have a play with a bunch of stuff.
Whatever the outcome I really hope he can do me something competitive on price - I'd hate to have to screw him and buy it online - decent customer service is such a rare commodity these days.
(Whatever the outcome I really hope he can do me something competitive on price - I'd hate to have to screw him and buy it online - decent customer service is such a rare commodity these days.
barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:55,
archived)
Like you say there is a lot of brand loyaltyat the end of the day we are splitting hairs here - whichever you buy it will be fantastic. At first I thought Digital was a fad that could never beat film photography but I was proven wrong. Don't forget also to check out the latest Sony DSLRs price wise they are amazing value for money.
(
maiden is filmed before a live studio audience,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:59,
archived)
Exaclty this ^^^^^^As i said somewhere else in this mess of relpies and me going on more than people probably asked for, even a basic camera these days will have higher spec than things we paid crazy money for even two years ago.
Also as much as I hate recomending Sony, the cameras aren't bad............
(Also as much as I hate recomending Sony, the cameras aren't bad............
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Thu 3 Dec 2009, 15:24,
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Just be honest with them, we always helped people who were honest.At the end of the day buying a camera is not like buying any other piece of electronics, You don;t just set it up and let it run, The knowledge you get from camera shop staff is often underated (again, avoid Jessops)
If someone bought from us we always helped them out afterwards, Aftercare is life to an indie shop and we sure as hell didnlt work there for the money (though the second hand kit was nice!) you sound like the kind of guy who would anyway but if the price difference is only 20 odd quid then buy from a store!!!!! We used to have people on college courses who came back to us and would spend half hour just asking how to do their current assingment without buying at the time, we were happy to do that as regulars are the lifeblood of photography and something that is somewhat lacking from a lot of shops today.
LCE are good lads overall and I would trust them.
(If someone bought from us we always helped them out afterwards, Aftercare is life to an indie shop and we sure as hell didnlt work there for the money (though the second hand kit was nice!) you sound like the kind of guy who would anyway but if the price difference is only 20 odd quid then buy from a store!!!!! We used to have people on college courses who came back to us and would spend half hour just asking how to do their current assingment without buying at the time, we were happy to do that as regulars are the lifeblood of photography and something that is somewhat lacking from a lot of shops today.
LCE are good lads overall and I would trust them.
Si o doom Fund me! No catering cost involved! bit.ly/1bFtzN2,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 15:22,
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Yeah if they can even come close I'd rather give the money to them.I appreciate that they probably won't be able to compete on price against the camera itself (it's £50 cheaper on Pixmania!), but if they can do a deal with a carry bag and a memory card or something, maybe some cheap extended warranty, then I'd as soon deal with them. Customer service is so outmoded these days that I feel a duty to reward it where I find it.
And I was straight with him about the likelihood of going back and buying it online...
(And I was straight with him about the likelihood of going back and buying it online...
barryheadwound Mul-ti-pass? Multipass!,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 15:30,
archived)
Pixmania is an import site IIRC, worth watching that.
(
Si o doom Fund me! No catering cost involved! bit.ly/1bFtzN2,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 15:41,
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Olympus use the 4/5th systemand they are far more costly to produce simply because they require far more precision in the lens elements than the other systems.
( maiden is filmed before a live studio audience,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 14:51,
archived)
so is that why they are the some of the cheapest bodies on the market?:-)
( Si o doom Fund me! No catering cost involved! bit.ly/1bFtzN2,
Thu 3 Dec 2009, 15:15,
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