Pentax K10D vs. Nikon D80 or vs. D200? Samsung GX-10 as Canon killer?

It’s happened! The new K10D is Pentax's first foray into the serious-amateur digital SLR market. It's bigger, tougher and richer in features than any Pentax digital SLR before it and it certainly carries a wide enough range of features to make the 'big name' brands worried. Headline features include a stabilized ten megapixel CCD, high quality image processing pipeline, dust and weather proof seals, 11-point AF, continuous drive in 3 fps, unlimited JPEG, 9 images RAW and some unique exposure modes. Shake Reduction includes CCD-shift system with permanent magnets and electronic magnet coils which can compensate in x, y direction and rotational similarly Sony’s 'Super Steady Shot’. Body is excellent and is made of high-impact plastic with metal sub-structure. Its dust and weather resistant seals throughout and has a good hand grip. We fully expected and Pentax delivered ten million pixels for their new flagship digital SLR and it is an absolute (marketing) requirement. Interestingly this CCD has slightly different specifications than the Sony unit used in a few other ten megapixel digital SLRs. So we can be sure that it is original. It's 23.5 x 15.7 mm with 10.75 million total pixels, 2-channel read-out and max Image size - 3872 x 2592. All of these we can have for Body only $899 and for not bad Kit with 18-55 mm lens $999. The dimensions - 142 x 101 x 70 mm, the weight with battery - 793 g are not far from others. But how impressive its abilities are! I think Pentax K10D is a very interesting device which can fight for victory with Nikon, Canon and which can’t beat Samsung GX-10. This first SLR camera from Samsung is a Pentax’s (cheaper) clone. May be their appearance is a double blow to the digital SLR market. May be not. For those who are interested in I wrote a Post: “Today: Nikon D2Xs vs Canon EOS-1D Mark III. Tomorrow: Sony A1 vs The Great Wall!?” which include some analysis of modern Digital market tendency. But I think that Pentax K10D and Samsung GX-10 it’s the second good blow (the first is Sony A100) to SLR camera prices. And we can win! For comparison I made The summary table of DSLR cameras specifications. I think that it's userfull for choosing. Search for pros and cons in my:
- Sony A100 vs Nikon D80 worthy than Sony A100 vs DSC-H9/H7
- Canon EOS400/XTi, Nikon D40x and Pentax K10 pros& cons; SLR over SLR-like triple benefits
- SLR's price-cutting: $250's Canon XT vs. $500's Canon S5; 10 motives to spit upon SLR-like and buy cheap SLR.
I asked to several photographers for their opinions about Pentax K10D and Samsung GX-10 and they send me a lot of information. You can see brief replies below.
Pentax K10D is a really excellent digital SLR camera. I used 35mm Pentax cameras before but my first digital camera was Konika-Minolta. When Konika-Minolta stopped making SLR cameras I was looking for Sony Alpha but I was disappointed. I became interested in Canon because it always impressed me with its image quality, but Rebel XTi’ ergonomics disappointed me too. Instead Pentax K10D impressed me. It works very fast and is easy to control. It is very important for a photographer, even more so than image quality. Pentax K10D produces very nice images with excellent color, its handles well and my eyes can stay on the viewfinder all the time. Off course I have some problems with the auto-white-balance and with the image stabilizer but in other respects K10D is the best choice for me.
Samsung GX-10
I was looking for 10 MP sensor SLR with rich features set, good continues shooting and weather-sealed body but not such expensive as Nikon D200. At first I looked at the Pentax K10D but after some meditates I decided to get it. I looked at Pentax’s clone – the Samsung GX-10 with was materially cheaper. I spend in the store several hours with Samsung. It’s impressed me. It feels good, with a great build quality and a lot of useful hardware buttons and I made this purchase. Now I’m happy. I have fast autofocus, bright and clear viewfinder, good and cheap kit lens, some useful shooting modes etc. Yes, Samsung GX-10 is big, but not bigger than Nikon D200.

DSLR 10 megapixel cameras: Nikon D80, Canon EOS400D, Sony A100 – what’s better to buy?

OK I know – I need Digital SLR camera for myself, my pleasure and my travels (look at my The Thai Tramp blog. But what camera is better for me – the choice is really great! For what camera do I want to pay my money? What do we have in the market? I think it’s more interesting to talk only about 10 megapixel DSLR cameras now. We have a SLR device from Nikon – D80 for $920 – 960 for body. But you need Nikon 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for $180 or Nikon 18-70 mm AF-S DX f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Zoom Lens for $400 if you want to take good pictures (and pleasure) with this excellent device. Add memory card, case and other accessories and the price goes up. But all of these things you need for all SLR cameras and we talk only about prices for body and lens. What we can have for $1100 – 1300 from Nikon? Firstly – it’s Nikon and we must pay some money for this brand. Secondly, CCD sensor by Sony with 23.6 x 15.8 mm size and max resolution in 3872 x 2592, ISO 100-1600 (plus 3200 with boost), continuous drive in 3 fps, up to 23 JPEG, 6 NEF images and 2,5” LCD with 230000 pixels. The weight (inc. batteries) - 668 g and dimensions - 132 x 103 x 77 mm are not so big. What can’t we have? There isn’t image stabilization - useful service, which can help us to save some money for buying cheaper lenses.
The next device comes from Canon – EOS400D, cost $730 – 840 with EF-S 18-55mm II Kit lenses (we talk about Canon’s kit bad quality). You need Sigma 28-70mm f2.8-4 DG f/ Canon EOS (58mm) for $160 or Sigma 28-200mm f3.5-5.6 DG ASP Macro f/Canon EOS (62mm) for $250 as standard or more. For $890 – 1090 we can have: Canon’s SMOS 22.2 x 14.8 mm sensor with max resolution in 3888 x 2592, the same like Nikon ISO rating, continues drive in 3.0 fps, 27 JPEG or 10 RAW frames, 2,5” LCD and to say no for image stabilization system. For bonus this camera has a new dust removal system which includes anti-static surface coatings. The weight (inc. batteries) - 556 g, dimensions - 127 x 94 x 65 mm are comfortable.
And we have Sony's first digital SLR – A100 for $700 – 800 for camera with not bad kit lens DT 18-70mm F3,5-5,6 (well-know as Konica-Minolta kit). If you want to ask the question to Sony: “What f… are you doing on DSLR market?”- Sony can answered – anything! Who made sensors for Nikon and others? Sony made. This monster of electronics devices made not only sensors, processors – Sony was buying Konica-Minolta for digital cameras production and Karl Ceizz for lenses making. Look at these posts:
- How to shoot with 10 great Sony Alpha lenses and not to be beaten by salesmen
- Choosing DSLR camera lenses: take a shoot before buying
What’s a result? This camera has CCD sensor with size 23.6 x 15.8 mm which stay in Nikon pro camera D200! Sony A100 has the same ISO and the same 3 fps. It has a sensor clinging system and sensor shift Image stabilization system. It’s no bad if you want to buy 75-300mm F4,5-5,6 chip kit lens and take a picture of your beauty girl-next-door without she’s permit. And it’s no bad if you want to buy Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Aspherical Super Compact AF Lens for $800. The weight (inc. batteries) - 638 g, dimensions - 133 x 95 x 71 mm are comfortable too. May be its good when new non specialized company come to the market, may be no but these device is interesting for buying. But we have other SLR cameras from Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Leica – do you want to know more?

One more preference of DSLR: low noise

And one more preference of SLR camera – this device can take pictures without noise. All of previous Digital SLR cameras from Canon and Nikon as: Canon EOS 300D, Nikon D50 and D70s has smaller than modern models sensor size (6, 3 mega pixels). Look at The summary table of the most interesting 6-7-8 megapixel DSLR camera specifications; But what as perfect pictures it was taking! And how much money it was worth! There was nothing (just a little) about noise. Instead now we have as a general rule ten mega pixels not expencive devices as: Canon EOS 400D (Canon Digital Rebel Xti), Nikon D80 and Sony A100, Pentax K10D and Samsung GX10 from new Digital SLR camera manufacturers. It costs less than $1000. It makes accessible to take high-quality pictures for beginners. For comparison I made a summary table of the most interesting 10-megapixel DSLR camera specifications. I know that it’s useful for people who are choosing their first SLR camera. But later I will make a summary table of 9/10-megapixel Compact cameras. In fact there are so many new attractive Compacts. And they have such cool opportunities.
Sony A100: what about image noise?
There are two kinds of noise: sensor noise and noise in digital images. Why compact cameras generate more noise then digital SLR’s? Because the sensor in compact cameras makes more – it’s used when you are focusing and it’s used when you take a shot. It’s get heat up and noise increases with temperature. And SLR’s cameras are made with higher quality components and more powerful processors than compacts. But it’s not the rule – because for example: Olympus SLR’s sensor have got more noise, that some Sony’s compacts. The noise is not a problem for many compact cameras users, if you don’t need to make posters. It’s probably to see the noise in digital images if you use an ordinary LCD monitor. But I have the Mitsubishi Diamond Pro and can see anything I need. There are many new LCD devises with grate resolution and not grate prices in modern markets. May be its more interesting to use the digital SLR camera today?
A propos, You can use lower ISO settings on your DSLR for getting the lowest noise. The majority of digital cameras work best at ISO100 and you can use this setting and a tripod for best results. You don't want to take a great image only to find the noise unacceptable, especially if you want to try and sell your images or to publish it.

Want to take trendy photos, smear a background with DSLRs

The next advantage of the Digital SLR camera – you can smear a background and pick out someone or anything which is in the centre of your attention. It’s good for me because when I want to take a picture of my cat into the balcony I can have only the cat view. Not my garbage on the dirty balcony! It’s good for lovers because you can take a picture of your girlfriend against any background. Look at that face – I think she is beautiful! You can smear and blur the background for fun, creative effects which makes your photos original and such interesting. Unlikely you can take a picture like this with an ultra zoom (I have a lot of posts about these cams and some of SLR-like digital cameras are really interesting)or a built-in camera in your smart phone. Even if you have a new SonyEricsson K800 with such "а must" for mobile phone image stabilizer!
And you can shoot in RAW mode. Don’t look at the majority of digital photographers who are shooting all of their images in Jpeg. This makes it easy to process the images but also means that you're throwing away valuable image quality every time you take a shoot. Raw files are your starting material like a “digital” negative. You can work on them without impairing quality much, whereas working in Jpeg files; you lose quality with each adjustment. It’s not a rule to take a shoot only in RAW mode. But it’s a good advantage of your Digital SLR camera which can be useful for any moments. Don’t to consign to oblivion this SLR cam resource.

Digital SLR optical systems glossary

Most DSLR cameras are able to use conventional 35mm lenses. However, such lenses are designed to create an image circle that covers a 35mm film frame and are therefore larger and heavier than necessary for sensors which are smaller than a 35mm film frame. "Digital" lenses as Canon Short Back Focus Lenses, Nikon DX Lenses, and Olympus 4/3" System are lighter because their image circles only cover the sensor area.
The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance in mm from the optical center of the lens to the focal point, which is located on the sensor or film if the subject is "in focus". The camera lens projects part of the scene onto the film or sensor. The field of view is determined by the angle of view from the lens out to the scene and can be measured horizontally or vertically. Larger sensors or films have wider field of views and can capture more of the scene. It’s associated with a focal length is usually based on the 35mm film photography, given the popularity of this format over other formats.
Focal lengths of digital cameras with a sensor smaller than the surface of a 35mm film can be converted to their 35mm equivalent using the focal length multiplier.
Many DSLR cameras have sensors smaller than the sensitive area of 35mm film. Typically the sensor diagonal is 1.5 times smaller than the diagonal of 35mm film. As a consequence, a sensor smaller than a 35mm film frame captures only the middle portion of the information projected by the lens into the 35mm film frame area, resulting in a "cropped field of view". A 35mm film camera would require a lens with a longer focal length to achieve the same field of view. The Focal Length Multiplier is equal to the diagonal of 35mm film (43.3mm) divided by the diagonal of the sensor. Let's now discuss two cases. So a 200mm lens on a digital SLR with FLM of 1.5X will have the field of view of a 300mm lens on a 35mm film camera which would be heavier and more expensive. Also, because the 35mm equivalent field of views is achieved with shorter focal lengths, depth of field is larger. This advantage on the tele end becomes a disadvantage on the wide ange end. For instance, a 19mm lens fitted onto a digital SLR with FLM of 1.5X will only generate the field of view of a 28mm lens fitted on a 35mm film camera.
Optical zoom is a division of maximum focal length on minimum focal length. For instance, the optical zoom of a 28-280mm zoom lens is 280mm/28mm or 10X. This means that the size of a subject projected on the film or sensor surface will be ten times larger at maximum tele (280mm) than at maximum wide angle (28mm).
Zoom lenses, especially the lower end ones, can sometimes suffer from vignetting. The barrel or sides of the lens become visible, resulting in dark corners in the image as shown in this example. The use of converters can also result in vignetting.
The field of view is determined by the angle of view from the lens out to the scene and can be measured horizontally or vertically. Because the aspect ratio differs between formats, the more universal picture angle, measured along the diagonal of the scene is often used. A shorter focal length (such as a 28mm wide angle) produces a wider picture angle, while a longer focal length (such as a 200mm tele) produces a narrower picture angle. In 35mm photography, a 50mm lens is called a normal lens because it produces roughly the same picture angle as the human eye (about 46°).
Macro means the optical ability to produce a 1:1 or higher magnification of an object on the film or sensor. For instance if you photograph a flower with an actual diagonal of 21.6 mm so that it fills the 35mm film frame (43.3mm diagonal), the flower gets magnified with a ratio of 43.3 to 21.6 or 2:1, or with a magnification of 2X. Macro photography typically deals with magnifications between 1:1 and 50:1 (1X to 50X), while close up photography ranges from 1:1 to 1:10 (1X to 1/10X).
From the above it is easy to understand that digital cameras with sensors smaller than 35mm film have better macro capabilities. Indeed, a digital compact camera with a focal length multiplier of 4X can capture the above flower of 21.6mm diameter with a magnification of only 1:2 (close-up) instead of the 2:1 (macro) required with the 35mm camera. In other words, macro results are achieved with (easier) close-up photography. On digital cameras there is often a Macro Focus mode which switches the auto focus system to attempt to focus on subjects much closer to the lens.
Prosumer cameras typically allow the zoom range to be extended via converters. Converters are add-on lens adapters which expand the picture angle or make it narrower. For instance, fitting a 0.8X wide angle converter on a 35mm lens will result in a 28mm picture angle. A 2.0X telephoto converter on a 100mm lens will give the picture angle of a 200mm lens. Converters often cannot be used across the whole range of a zoom lens and sometimes only at the end of the zoom range because they would introduce vignetting. Also, the internal flash may no longer work properly because the converter will cast a shadow and the flash sensor is covered by the converter.
Higher-end binoculars and zoom or telephoto lenses for SLR cameras often has the image stabilization. It is also available in digital video cameras with large zooms. Digital cameras with large zoom lenses also come with image stabilization or variants such as anti-shake. It makes the CCD move so that it compensates for the camera movement as implemented in the Sony A-100. The sensor is mounted onto a platform which moves in the opposite way as the movement of the camera, which is determined by motion detectors. According to Sony and Konica Minolta, this "anti-shake" system gives you an additional 3 stops. For example if you would require a shutter speed of 1/1000s to shoot a particular scene, you should be able to shoot at only 1/125s (8 times slower) with anti-shake enabled. This is very useful when shooting moving subjects in low light conditions by panning or when using long focal lengths.
Image stabilization helps to steady the image projected back into the camera by the use of a "floating" optical element—often connected to a fast spinning gyroscope—which helps to compensate for high frequency vibration, hand shake at these long focal lengths. Canon EF SLR lenses with image stabilization have a IS suffix after their name, Nikon uses the VR "Vibration Reduction" suffix on their image stabilized Nikkor lenses.
The width divided by the height of an image or aspect ratio is usually expressed as two integers, for example width/height = 1.5 is expressed as width to height in the ratio of 3:2.
Barrel distortion is a lens effect which causes images to be spherical or "inflated". Barrel distortion is associated with wide angle lenses and typically occurs at the wide end of a zoom lens. The use of converters often amplifies the effect. It is most visible in images with perfectly straight lines, especially when they are close to the edge of the image frame.
Chromatic aberration or "color fringing" is caused by the camera lens not focusing different wavelengths of light onto the exact same focal plane (the focal length for different wavelengths is different) and by the lens magnifying different wavelengths differently. The amount of chromatic aberration depends on the dispersion of the glass. Chromatic aberration is visible as color fringing around contrast edges and occurs more frequently around the edges of the image frame in wide angle shots. Special lens systems using two or more pieces of glass with different refractive indexes can reduce or eliminate this problem.
The term Circle of Confusion usually brings up around people's eyes. But this does not need to be the case as it is actually rather simple. Depth of field defines the distance range where things have an acceptable level of sharpness. Although sharpness is very subjective, it is in general based on an 8" x 10" print viewed from a one feet distance.
Depth of field is a term which refers to the areas of the photograph both in front and behind the main focus point which remains "sharp" in focus. It is affected by the aperture, subject distance, focal length, and film or sensor format.
If you photograph a subject with a tele lens and want it to have the same size on the film or sensor when photographing it with a wide angle lens, you would have to move closer to the subject. Because this would cause the perspective to change, lenses with different focal lengths are said to "have" a different perspective. Note however that changing the focal length without changing the subject distance will not change perspective, as shown in the example below.
Pincushion distortion is a lens effect which causes images to be pinched at their center. It is associated with tele lenses and typically occurs at the tele end of a zoom lens. The use of converters often amplifies the effect. It is most visible in images with perfectly straight lines, especially when they are close to the edge of the image frame.
Subject distance is the distance between the camera lens and the main subject. Varying the subject distance will change perspective. Also, varying the subject distance with the same aperture will produce a different depth of field.
Digital compact cameras are fitted with lenses with short focal lengths to create 35mm equivalent field of views on their small sensor surfaces. Typically the sensor diagonal is 4 times smaller than the diameter of 35mm film. A 7mm lens fitted on such a camera will have the same field of view of a 7mm x 4 or 28mm lens on a 35mm film camera. Just like the digital lenses for digital SLRs, these lenses are designed to generate image circles to cover the smaller sensor. This allows these lenses to be much smaller and cheaper to manufacture. Because of the very small focal lengths used, the depth of field is much larger than digital SLRs or 35mm film cameras with the same field of view.
Most digital compact cameras have non-interchangeable zoom lenses which have been designed to work with a specific sensor size. Some prosumer models allow extending the zoom range via converters. Because of the small sensor sizes, the lenses used in digital compact cameras have to be of much higher optical quality than glass which would be "acceptable" on a 35mm camera. This is less of an issue with digital SLRs with because their sensors are much larger.

DSLR camera advantages

It's harder to shoot sports competitions. Football and hockey players are very fast guys. They don't know that your compact has auto focus based on detecting contrast, which can't be as fast as they are. To show the feeling of flying as we can see on that black-and-white photo taken by CanonEOS350D (Canon Digital Rebel XT) is not possible with a compact.
Another advantage of SLR camera is an opportunity of changes photo lenses. Wide Zoom, Standard Zoom, Telephoto, Macro Lenses, DC and Tele Lenses - their choice is really big! For more information look at my other posts:
- How to shoot with 10 great Sony Alpha lenses and not to be beaten by salesmen
- Choosing DSLR camera lenses: take a shoot before buying
And using them gives us a new range of possibilities. We can make pictures of outlying, invisible objects. And we can take pictures of beautiful butterflies, which are flying near our eyes. Lens performance like: focal length from 8 mm to 800 mm, hi tech utilities, like a built-in mechanism of optical stabilizing, high-speed motor drive for fast focusing serve us for making a good picture. Of course, now we have many compact cameras with excellent lens performance. For example - Sony DSC-R1 with a built-in CarlZeiss Vario-Sonnar T-24-120mm lens. But weight of those cameras inc. batteries - 995 g (2.2 lb) and their dimensions - 139 x 168 x 97 mm (5.5 x 6.6 x 3.8 in) are bigger than dimentions of many SLR cameras. However when I hold Sony DSC-R1 in my hands I recall old machine gun advertisement: Better means to get back at neighbors! (look at The summary table of the best SLR-like camera specifications). What’s about Sony’s DSC-R1 price range: $689-980 – I think that Canon EOS 350 D for $485-599 is more interesting. Even as you know the Canon kit lens has become a legendary-device of low quality.
Generally it’s hard to talk about SLR camera advantages when you have to be explained by fingers. Therefore I post some pictures which I took on my Sony A100 with different lenses. I captured this beautiful face when I stayed at a range abt. 300 feet from this young lady. Thanks for Sony’s 300mm F2,8 G because if she can see me, her face can be a little spiteful. It’s a good SLR advantage because you don’t need to ask permission of somebody. But it is not easy to take pictures with so big Telemonster. Anyway you need to use this device before buying. Expressly for flowers and insects lovers we have a Macro lenses. I took picture of this flower with 100mm F2,8 Macro lens. However there are so many SLR lenses and accordingly there are so many SLR camera adventures that I need to make special post to write about them.

Digital SLR camera: quick shooting for smart babies

As I haven’t decided camera to buy I’m thinking which over all Digital SLR advantages and drawbacks. I began this story in my previous post: Choosing DSLR camera for travelers: Do we really need it?Its best point is that it hasn't got a lag time - the time between pressing the release button and the shot. Try to ask your lovely cat to wait and pose beautifully before your compact camera can make a shot. I usually manage to shoot my tomcat's tail and hairy balls because it doesn't like being shot. You may also have more problems with taking photos of your kids. You see a nice face with a lovely smile on the LCD but all you get on the picture is a finger in the nose. It was a torture to get what I wanted on the Songkran festival. My wife desired to have a photo taken when she was pouring a gallon of water over the merry Thai people. But all we had to bear with was an empty jug.
Lag time is the time between you pressing the shutter release button and the camera actually taking the shot. The modern digital cams, especially DSLR have not lag time (in ideal) and react in the same way as conventional film cameras, even in burst mode.
Many DSLR users prime the autofocus and autoexposure systems on their cams by half-pressing the shutter release. This lag is the amount of time between a half-press of the shutter release and the camera indicating an autofocus and autoexposure lock on the viewfinder. This timing is normally the most variable as it is affected by the subject matter, current focus position, still and moving subject.
The amount of time it takes to take the shot, assuming you have already primed the camera with a half-press, by pressing the shutter release button all the way down to take the shot.
The amount of time it takes from a full depression of the shutter release button without performing a half-press of the shutter release to the image being taken. This is more representative of the use of the camera in a spur of the moment "point and shoot" situation.
There are a lot of preferences of DSLR in my other posts:
- Low noise;
- You can smear a background and pick out someone or anything which is in the centre of your attention;
- An opportunity of changes photo lenses;

Choosing DSLR camera for travelers: Do we really need it?

I’m a hot fan of traveling. As I need a warm sea and friendly people best of all, some exotic countries like Afghanistan are not good for me. Having visited Thailand once I know it’s my piece of cake. So I got interested in traveling to Middle East. Unluckily it happens only twice a year that I have a chance to have a two-week holiday. Luckily I always take some hi-tech cameras with me to have a good memory.
Everything is easy as far as it concerns video. Surfing the Net I chose 3CCD Panasonic GS200 formation Mini DV and have had no problems for years. Come back, transfer the film into the computer, convert it into a DVD and here’s a disk and here’s my family on the Island of Chang. I can watch it myself. Moreover I can show it to my friends go that they get jealous – poor homesitters! If I think of a new video camera I’d rather wait for less expensive HD. It’s too early, because the pieces are high.
As far as it concerns photography, it’s not so easy to choose the best equipment. I started my career of a photographer in red light smelling photo chemicals. At this time label Leica appeared on excellent cameras, not on a lens for cheap Panasonic ones. And only when Kodak was introduced, the process of developing films stopped being private. The privacy returned with the appearance of Hi-tech digital technologies. So did the chance of taking pictures of everything. Now I don’t worry about the thing that someone can see my wife posing naked, or me enjoying a joint on the beach of Sa Collette in Catalonia. Then some time passed, the manufactures introduced their new technologies and when the price battle finished I bought Nikon 8700. And my trips became more picturesque and colorful. Then I had other ‘problems’, for example, to put more preservatives on my camera at Songkran Festival in Pattaya (I have The Thai Tramp blog about this beautiful Kingdom) where the Thai people pour water over everybody, mostly white tourists.
My preparations for this year’s trip, which I had planned to start in Bangkok, became darkened as my son, a teenager, killed my Nikon. I managed to borrow an ultra zoom from Canon from my relatives. But having fun on the tropical islands I realized I need DSLR camera. And even if on the islands of the province Trat I was the only white idiot, carrying two kilos of expensive photo devices, what a delight I’d have at home!
When I came back I connected to the Net and only the news from Bangkok with tanks in the streets could distract me from numerous photo websites. The events in Thailand started a day after we had caught a plane home. On the one hand I breathed with relief, but on the other hand I was sorry. It’s always a great chance for a photographer to film hot news. In the fall 2006 the selection of DSLP cameras impressed greatly! Before the trip I’d intended to buy Canon EOS 350D. Now I’ve decided not to hurry. Moreover, I was lucky to borrow and try the Canon from my friend’s son, a student, who had bought this device for temporary summer work.
First I realized it was not like Nikon at all! I got used to working with Nikon, of course, but that was not the point. I’ve used many cameras. Canon 350D is quite a convenient and friendly device. It is simple with two displays. But the camera’s case squeaks as if it was of cheap plastic, and it doesn’t look good enough. As for the pictures – they are great! But Canon employees should have given a more thorough thought to design its case to suit a hand. Besides Nikon’s eight mega pixel sensor didn’t impress me much. The price is good, but the kit lens requires replacement. Certainly, it costs some extra money. What is more, Canon put on sale EOS 400D with ten mega pixel CMOS sensor and with an integrated cleaning system.
So I stop and have a look around.
There is a great selection of cameras, as I’ve said. We can choose among 3 cameras with 10 mega pixel sensor of $800-1000.
They are: mentioned Canon 400D, my favorite Nikon with a new model D80 which laid down D50 and D70. And there is also a new Japanese miracle – Sony A100 which has many good qualities of Konica Minolta. A K10D device of Pentax is coming. So is its clone Samsung GX-10. For comparison I made a summary table of the most interesting 10-megapixel DSLR camera specifications or look at The summary table of the most interestingt 6-7-8 megapixel DSLR camera specifications. Also there are Sigma and Fujifilm. Olympus devices are somewhere at the back, because the level is high,(for more look through The summary table of Olympus SLR: E330, E500, E410 and E510 specifications) and as Leica is previewing its new products of quite a different price range. I realize – a new race has started! Wait and see!