Don't buy either until you've tried out the Pentax K10D !With kind regards.

Derek...

I prefer the feel of the Nikon.... but maybe the Canon's better value?Any thoughts?.

If you prefer the feel of the Nikon, get the Nikon..

Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..

Nothing against the Pentax quality wise but you'll find that if you stay with photography you'll switch to one of the two giants at some point. Lenses, bodies, flash accessories, and availability are the factors...

Depends on what you want. Nikon has better flash systems but for all else less than huge lenses, I would go with Pentax. The limited lenses are among the absolute best. The DA* zooms will have the in lens motors and prime quality optics. You also get in body stabilization..

Tazz93 wrote:.

Nothing against the Pentax quality wise but you'll find that if youstay with photography you'll switch to one of the two giants atsome point. Lenses, bodies, flash accessories, and availabilityare the factors..

Have you read the reviews on dpreview yet? I suggest you do so before you buy..

Jerry..

Lukedollman wrote:.

Hi guys.

I'm in Hong Kong at the moment looking at cameras..

I can get the Nikon D80 with the standard 18 - 135 kit lense forabout HK$8,500 or the Canon 400D with an upgraded 17-85 lense withanti-vibration for the same price..

WHich is a better buy?.

Even..

I prefer the feel of the Nikon.... but maybe the Canon's better value?.

You already know the answer. Follow your heart, not your mind on this one..

Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..

Many thanks for the advice..

After a mad day of shopping and looking at everything I possibly could in Hong Kong I decided to buy the Canon. The Pentax does look like a good camera and is well priced, but I do like the idea of being on a system with plenty of options for lenses etc. Every shop you go into here has a vast selection of Canon/Nikon lenses and not much else. I previously owned an Olympus E500 and found this aspect frustrating..

In the end the new kit package with the Canon 17-85 IS USM was just too tempting at that price...

Yes I did and I really do not treat Phil or Simon as the gospel like some do. I treat his "soft JPEG" spiel with a grain of salt, since I get RAW resolution JPEGS from my Pentax..

In reality, where I take my photos, Pentax DSLR's produce sharp JPEG's and have better resolution of fine shading...

Tazz93 wrote:.

Nothing against the Pentax quality wise but you'll find that if youstay with photography you'll switch to one of the two giants atsome point. Lenses, bodies, flash accessories, and availabilityare the factors..

How long do you need to 'stay with photography' to come to this conclusion ? .

I've been using Pentax for over 30 years ( 20+ years professionally) and have yet to find their equipment wantingI have a good selection of lenses ; their glass is still amongst the finest on the planet , witness the current range of highly acclaimed Limited lensesBodies ? - The LX system was one of the most comprehensive system cameras ever made - if not THE most comprehensive ; I still use mine as well as my MZ-S and *istD bodiesAs for flashes , I mostly use my various Metz flashes but also have a Pentax ringflash for macro work ..

Just what would the 'two giants' offer me that Pentax does not ?With kind regards.

Derek...

I see you bought in hk, a waste of time these days, same price in oz with less chance of a dud. I travelled to china a lot on biz importing a few years back, learnt a few things. hk retailers get a lot of stock that is , shall we say slightly flawed, rejects from quality control, minor errors etc, thats why they are so wealthy. if you look at hk to aus dollar exchange rate it's no longer worth the risk. you can get better deals in china, but thats getting harder too, and same pitfalls re quality. you cant beat good secondhand gear from your fellow photographers on sites like these and at photo fairs clubs etc.



John...