Hi, I thought I would try and answer your question, you have narrowed it down to 2 why ? firstly both cameras are OK in there own right I have had both and to cut a long story short they have certain failings that I was not going to put up with. The biggest issue for me was Dust Dust, and more Dust from day one what a pain you get your camera home charge the battery stick a card in take some shots and you see the Dust bunnies. These two cameras do not have a good dust reduction facility, they just shake the sensor which don't get rid of the Dust. I'm not going into the negatives more, but if I was you consider the Olympus E-510 I have just bought it and it's a fantastic camera. It has IS in camera 10 meg pix, and a Dust reduction SSWF that vibrates I think up tp 30,000 times a second. I had the E-1 and E-300 before the E-510 and in 3 years not ounce did I need to clean my sensor on the Olympus cameras.

Good luck in your decision regards Alan...

In which way was that post supposed to be helpfull? funny how you say you have had both cameras and they both let in 2 much dust when plenty of other people have'nt said anything..

I asked for someone to help me choose out of those 2 cameras not suggest a third...

I was in much the same boat. I've been reading reviews and researching for a month and finally picked the K10D (however, the A100 wasn't one I considered)..

The biggest difference that I can see (and I could be wrong as I simply glanced at the specs of the A100) is that the Pentax has weather seals throughout the body. Unfortunately, todays lenses do not complete the seal, but there are lenses on the way this year that will. If you're shooting wildllife, that may be a point in the K10D's favor eventually. I've read about softness issues with the K10D's on-board image processing (mainly in our host's review), so that may be an point in the A100's favor; however, many reviewers have said this is a minor issue..

Being myself a complete newbie to DSLRs, I looked at the Rebel XTi, EOS 30D, Nikon D40x, Nikon D80, Nikon D200, and K10D. When I visited a local store and was able to handle different models, the K10D felt best in my hands and the controls were the most intuitive for me..

While I can't list all the pros and cons of the two cameras you're considering, actually handling them played a big part in my ultimate decision. If you've not already, download the user's guides, familiarize yourself with the basic controls, then find a store that has both an A100 and K10D and hold and use them both..

Given your desire to shot wildlife, be sure to spend time studying the available lenses. Don't make a decision on the body alone..

One of the things I've learned in my weeks of research is that all of these cameras are great tools. The best photographs, however, come from experience and comfort..

David..

GateCrasher wrote:.

Will mainly be using it for wildlife photography,.

Wildlife photography - so one would outdoors in the "wild" and possible (depending on how dedicated one is) in less than ideal weather conditions: fog, cold, light rain, dust/pollen, etc..

...alot of telephoto and macro shots.

Buying a DSLR could be looked upon as being less about the camera, and more about the system that one is buying into..

So with that in mind, which system has the type of lenses you "know" you'll want and at a price you'd be willing/able to pay..

...so I guess the in built stabalisation is pretty important.

Helps for hand-holding. So my guess is it would come in handy for capturing a non-moving subject like a deer eating and using a long lens on the camera..

But not helpful for capturing say an eagle in flight since you'd have to be shooting at a fast shutter speed anyway..

...do either have a better one than the other?..

I have no idea..

Just generally what would you choose out of them am not interestedin any other cameras trust me I have looked at the all..

Having not had either one, I'd go with the Pentax K10D..

Is the Pentax worth the extra 100?.

Better high ISO performance???Weather & Dust sealsBetter, more robust buildBigger, brighter viewfinder???.

There's a saying "Pay me now, or pay me later". Under controlled conditions like in a studio, don't think it would make much difference which camera went with (assuming one doesn't have a propensity for dropping their cameras),.

But for doing work out in the wild so to speak where a camera "might" get knocked around a little and/or exposed to some degree to the elements I'd probably rather spend a little more up-front on the better built, better protected camera if image quality is equal.

And if all else such as:.

Ease of use (how fast can make changes, navigate the menus, change various parameters, etc.),.

Comfort to hand-hold (and/or carry for long periods of time),.

Frames-per-second, etc., etc,.

Is equal or approximately so between the two cameras..

Good Day,Roonal.

'Money doesn't buy happiness, but it makes for an extravagant depression' by golf tournament sportscaster..

I was just pointing out, that both cameras have a duff, dust reduction system if that does not bother you great because sure as eggs are eggs you will get dust you posted on the Beginners forum so I took it you did not have much experience in DSLrs. That being said without being condescending, I know you don't want to here the negatives but they are the facts like it or not and at the end of the day it's your decision...

If you think I'm talking a load of bull, read this it shows you exactly what I'm on about. http://pixinfo.com/en/articles/ccd-dust-removal/..

Dust removal conclusionHere is our ranking according to effectiveness:.

Olympus: goodCanon: poor (we are disappointed)Pentax and Sony: useless (we are very disappointed)..

Dust is more of a problem for some people than others it comes down to how often you change lenses and where you change them. And it's not hard to clean the camera manually when required..

Therefore I am not gonna jump to a camera with a better anti-dust system just because of what 1 web site says...

Interesting. I've just read the article you refered to and whist I would not argue against the Olymps having the most effective system I would argue that there are glaring and rather unscientific irregularities in the actual testing procedure and perhaps in the way t is written up..

Many years ago I studies science and the accuracy of both controlled conditions and reporting were paramount. The problems in this case include:.

A) Laying the cameras on their backs allowing dust to settle for a few minutes is neither a controlled situation nor a reflection of real use..

B) Allowing the system in some cameras to run once before the others (even laid on their backs is very misleading. If the systems can be assumed to have some beneficial effects then that initial use would potentially loosen or dislodge dust particles making them easier for the system to remove in the vertical condition. So all cameras should have been treated equally and all systems operated once whilst on their backs..

C) Reference is made in the conclusions to experiences outside the actual tests which in the context of this report amount to little more than hearsay..

Finally a quick look at the reasons for running the test will indicate that it was never going to be the impartial or scientific test it is presented as..

The Olympus is probably the best system but the OP asked about a choice between a Sony and a Pentax. It would be polite to answer the question asked..

My answers by the way are to try both for how they feel and look at which lenses from available ranges will be best for you. Both will produce excellent images and the quality of images you produce with them will be determined largely by how comfortable you are with them and how well you get to know your chosen camera..

Shaysart - Capturing your Dreams..

I have a KM 5D, the camera that the A100 was developed from. It has been superb, it beats all the existing 10MP DSLR's on noise and I haven't had to clean the sensor with anything more than a rocket blower. It also produces jpegs so good that raw is only rarely needed..

So, I wouldn't worry about dust on the sensor as a buy/don't buy point. Expect noise at high iso with either the A100 or the K10D. The K10D is quite a lot heavier than the A100. The jpeg output from the A100 follows on from the KM5D in being of good quality while several reviews have questioned the quality of K10D jpegs..

Lastly, while Pentax makes great products, how sure can you be about their future with all the Pentax/Hoya shenanigans. I fell foul of a similar situation shortly after buying the KM5D and am glad that there has been continuance with Sony. What is the long term future at Pentax?.

Malcy.

Image control:Zoom outZoom 100%Zoom inExpand AllOpen in new window.

Http://www.flickr.com/photos/malcy/setshttp://picasaweb.google.com/lumachrome..

Wildlife requires long tele, super tele. At the moment, not considering used lenses, neither Sony nor Pentax are strong in this area except with some consumer teles and super expensive pro lenses. Canon & Nikon are really strong in this area, but again none of their good long teles are exactly cheap. That leaves Olympus which I think their 50-200/2.8-3.5 sits at an unique position which is both affordable and good quality. Mated with the E-510, it should be a great combo and still relative affordable.Alan Chanhttp://www.pbase.com/wlachan..

The Sony cd rootkit fiasco really makes it difficult for me to even consider buying anything from Sony...

GateCrasher wrote:.

Ok after a few weeks of doing nothing but look at DSLR reviews I havefinnaly narrowed it down to 2 cameras the Pentax K10D or the SonyA100 however I am now unsure which one to go for..

As far as I can see theres not much seperating them except for theprice I can get the sony for about 100 cheaper..

Will mainly be using it for wildlife photography, alot of telephotoand macro shots so I guess the in built stabalisation is prettyimportant do either have a better one than the other?..

I believe you're looking at the wrong criteria. If you were going to shoot landscapes and street photography, then the Pentax K10D and Sony A100 are fine. However, you're going wildlife photography, and neither Sony nor Pentax have a good availability of fast telephoto lenses, nor do they excel at fast autofocus speeds. As a Pentax user, I've run into my problems trying to find fast telephoto lenses. The Pentax 80-200/2.8 and 300/2.8 are extremely rare..

Instead, I would strongly recommend Canon or Nikon, as both of these have many fast telephoto lenses available, and they are much easier to find than Sony or Pentax...

I think you're starting from a wrong point here..

IS is not the great thing for what you want. A tripod is what you need ! If you do wildlife photography you will be mounting some rather large and heavy long zoom lenses, if not now, certainly in the future. These are not for hand held photography, and IS is counterproductive used with a tripod..

Macro hand held is rather impractical. For the best results you need to set up a tripod and use a good lens. IS helps a little, but the more detail you want ( the smaller the scene you seek to photograph ) the movement involved is simply not something IS can compensate for..

For both I think you're looking at a good tripod and lenses with a cable or remote release and whatever camera body they all hand off..

Again as someone has indicated before me, you need to start from lenses..

Search for a lens or lenses offering the ranges and quality you want on each of the DSLR platforms. You can then choose from these..

Finally I think a solid weather resistant body is also needed for wildlife shooting..

StephenG.

Fuji S9600Fuji S5200Fuji F30Fuji E900Canon A710ISPCLinuxOS..

My tuppance worth:.

Firstly, there have been several dust comparisons. There's no standardised test as you can't guarentte a fixed amount of dust on each sensor. Another test said Oly first, then Sony, then Pentax and Canon was useless. In the Sony forum many of us either haven't had dust or haven't had problems with dust (ie run the dust shake, puff a blow of air into the body and end of problem). So the dust problem is overblown (sorry for bad pun). I think general agreement is Oly is best though..

Stablised sensor - great for all those moments you wished you'd had a tripod but didn't have it to hand. Though perhaps for wildlife you need a tripod too, having IS is great for those times you don't have it..

Long lens - Oly has smaller sensor so 410 or 510 better as same lens length goes further. Sony can use Minolta lenses and many fine second hand lenses available. DOn't know for Pentax, though for either the Sigma 50-500 or Tamron 200-500 are supposedly good for wildlife. Depends on what you could afford. The 70-300 lens from either is surprisingly good for a beginner though not reaching so far. Or there's the 500 mirror lens..

Finally if you like the Pentax check the price of the Smsung GX10 as it's exactly the same camera but often cheaper as branded Samsung not Pentax...