Canon 30D vs Pentax K10D

[C_Chopper]

Hi everyone hows it going, this is my first post after researching tons and tons of information on the Canon xti and canon 30d within the past few months. After reading so much about the Canon 30D and how so many people switch over from the rebel series eventually, i had my heart set out on it. Although i came across a review today about the Pentax K10D and so far it seems pretty good. The styling and shape seems very much similar to the 30D. Just curious from some of you more experienced photographers which one you would recommened best bang for buck, quality of images, and also lens availibility.

Thanks Carm

[Woolburr]

Welcome to the forum. When you buy a DSLR, you buy not only the camera but an entire system...lenses, flash, et cetera. I went with Canon because of the strength of the system from top to bottom. I don't think that the Pentax can offer the same level of quality. It isn't a bad camera, but the Canons have a better supporting cast.

[condyk]

I'm a Pentax fan and still use a couple of Pentax K Mount lenses: bang per buck is very good. However, I would agree with the gentleman above in that one buys into a system. At this point Canon are top dog system wise. The Nikon D80 is very hot competition for the 30D (which I have) in my opinion. Truth is all three will give great results if you know how to use them.

[Tee Why]

I have a 30D and got a chance to try out the new Pentax K10D with a Tamron 28-75 and a grip that my buddy had.

First when you pick it up, it feels nice. The plastic body feels a bit cheaper though and the verticle grip is way too thin, but otherwise, I think it feels a bit better in my hand than then 30D. The AF with the Tamron is slower than a Canon with the same lens (as I've had a Tamron 28-75 for a Canon). The IS is definately nice to have, maybe worth 2 stops and good for lenses upto 800mm per my friend. Image quality wise, my buddie who used both as well states that it's a bit noisier at ISO 1600 than the 30D. In terms of shooting performance, the 3fps bothers me as well as the small buffer. The RAW files are about 15MB, so it eatsa almost twice as memory as a 30D. Lastly, the LCD has a horrible magenta tone to it. It's to a point where it is bothersome.

As for lenses, there are way way way more options for Canon lenses by Canon, Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. Pentax currently do not have a good line of lenses in the telephoto range compared to Canon.

If I had to do it again, I'd get the 30D again for it's better grip, better lens selection, higher fps, bigger buffer, better noise control, smaller RAW file sizes, and better AF.

[Saudidave]

I couldn't agree more with the comments regarding the Canon system. It's the best, a full supporting cast, top to bottom. But what is being overlooked is cost. The Canon systems come at a very expensive price if you want the whole package. My 350D and 17-85IS set up cost me £900 last year and if I want to add an image stabilised 75-300 it will be another £350. Total package £1250, yet the 17-85 isn't that good- very pronounced barrel distortion at the wide end and pretty horrendous colour fringing. A K10D body plus Sigma 17-70 and 75-300 will cost £925 and the lenses, which are probably the most important bit , will be sharper than the Canon gear. As for the quality of the camera, it's only been out a few weeks and hasn't been thoroughly reviewed yet. I suggest we all wait to see what it can do before we judge it.

[ptammiah]

I bought the 30D yesterday after spending quite some time trying to decide between it, Nikon D200 and Pentax K10D. In the end I pretty much made the choice based on the lenses and my good experiences with the 350D(My father's camera that I have used) on low light. I also considered the XTi originally, but the 350D is a bit too small for my taste even with the batterygrip and the XTi is exactly same size. I actually got the grip for the 30D too and it doesn't feel too big for me. Didn't have a chance to try the K10D as it was not available at local stores. It was on paper the strongest option for Canon, but I really wanted to have the camera before Christmas and got a decent deal for 30D, grip and the 17-55 f2.8 IS.

Haven't really had time to use the 30D yet, but I'm allready impressed by the feel of the build quality. Have to try to find some ducks from the nearby bay to take some first real shots.

[Brianbar]

If I were a first time buyer, I think I would choose the Pentax K10D. I tried this camera a few days ago, shooting indoors and outside at 200, 800 and 1600 ISO.
I took my own SD card so as I could compare on my computer at home, and overall I was very impressed.
But if you already have Canon equipments, then it's a tough call.
I'm still using the Canon 10D, and will upgrade soon, so I'm going to wait until the PMA next year and see what Canon has to offer.

Brian

[basroil]

Originally Posted by Tee Why

he IS is definately nice to have, maybe worth 2 stops and good for lenses upto 800mm

As for lenses, there are way way way more options for Canon lenses by Canon, Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. Pentax currently do not have a good line of lenses in the telephoto range compared to Canon.

he meant 80mm. by 800mm, the sensor shift required would be close to the size of the camera....


yes, pentax doesn't have telephoto lenses past about 150 that would be considered good and cheap. however, it has many low profile lenses in the 30-70mm range, which can be useful if you like indoor shots with larger crowds.. all depends on what you shoot. if you do mainly landscapes, get a large format camera

canon currently has about 50 different lenses that are in regular circulation, with sigma, tamron, and tokina supplying many more lenses for the system. pentax mainly relies on their own lenses and will have less to choose from (no 70-200 f4L, f4LIS, f2.8, f2.8L, f2.8LIS for just 70-200)

[KevC]

I was flipping through the BH catalog and was very impressed with the Pentax lenses. A K10D with those little pancake lenses sounds sweet.

[Tee Why]

Originally Posted by basroil

he meant 80mm. by 800mm, the sensor shift required would be close to the size of the camera....


yes, pentax doesn't have telephoto lenses past about 150 that would be considered good and cheap. however, it has many low profile lenses in the 30-70mm range, which can be useful if you like indoor shots with larger crowds.. all depends on what you shoot. if you do mainly landscapes, get a large format camera

canon currently has about 50 different lenses that are in regular circulation, with sigma, tamron, and tokina supplying many more lenses for the system. pentax mainly relies on their own lenses and will have less to choose from (no 70-200 f4L, f4LIS, f2.8, f2.8L, f2.8LIS for just 70-200)

No, according to my buddy with the K10D, it's good for upto 800mm.
When Canon released the 30D, they made a big deal about in body IS not working for long lenses, but if 800mm is right, then I think it's marketing talk from Canon to justify IS in lenses.

[C_Chopper]

Thank you everyone for the replies, more opinions are greatly apprechiated. I guess i will wait till a full review is out to make my decision. I will continue to research a bit more.

Thanks again
Carm