> > Hi, Jeremy, > > First welcome aboard. Telus.net, eh? You Canadian? If so, > whereabouts? Come to think of it, if not, whereabouts?
Canadian indeed... Vancouver Island (the unknown and best part of Canada!) :) > Lots of people here have *istD's and really like them. No, they're > not perfect, but what is? There are even guys and gals here using > them for some professional applications, who are more than pleased > with how the camera handles, and the results that are obtained I am just an amatuer, so I am sure the results from the *ist D will be more than good enough for my needs. > So, before I go on, I'll ask: Why is it that you would consider that > the Pentax shouldn't be your DSLR? What is it that the others have > that Pentax doesn't? Is it features? Is it price? Is it build > quality? > My concerns have nothing to do with what the pentax *ist D does or doesn't have. They are more based on trying to make the best long term decisions. > You mention that you wonder if Pentax can "keep up". What exactly do > you mean by this? Are you planning to buy another DSLR as soon as a > new generation comes out? Or are you, like most amateurs, planning to > keep yours for a good long time despite whatever new product comes > down the pipe. Definately not worried about keeping up in the sense of buying the latest thing... I guess to me the main point is that if Pentax will eventually lose out as things progress into the digital future, than I cant see much point in investing more money in it. Ultimately, I love photography, not cameras, and while I love Pentax, for all the standard reasons (interchangable lenses, intuitive use, great glass that is affordable a lot of the time), I reckognize that the other companies are great camera manufacturers as well. So if Pentax is bound to lose out in the digital long run, I guess I feel like maybe I should cut my losses now (which would be a real shame indeed). It is true that if I go ahead and buy the *ist D, I would plan on using it for hopefully at least 5 years, if not more. > Someone here commented just the other day that his feeling is that > he'll be using his *istD for at least another 10 years; the build > quality is that good, and he's that happy with what it can do for him. > Quite frankly, you're no pro (near as I can see), and the cam you buy > now will likely be your camera for many years, so I don't know why > "keeping up" is a concern. Again, not so much keeping up, as not wanting to invest much more in technology that will become obsolete. Aside from the *ist D, there are still more Pentax lenses I would love to add to the collection (100mm Macro, a few of the LTD series for example). However, maybe I am better of to start collecting N___ or C___ before my investment in Pentax lenses gets even deeper. > The other thing to consider is that if you go to another manufacturer, > you'll be unable to use your Pentax lenses on the new body. You'll be > spending a lot of money on equivalent new lenses, money that you'll > never recoup by selling your Pentax glass 2nd hand. Also, Pentax is > the only company committed to backwards compatibility with all lenses > they've ever made, even m42 if you don't mind stop down metering. > It's looking like even Pentax won't be able to keep that up for much > longer, so who knows how many bodies Pentax will put out after the > *istD that will do that. Love the backwards compatibility, but I plan on pursuing photography for many years to come, so I feel like I want to make wise decisions when I do actually spend money. One thing for sure is that I want to go digital. I dont mind sitting on my camera money for a year though to see what pans out. I love my PZ1 in the mean time :) > Just a few thoughts of mine, along with questions that you may want to > ask yourself before you consider going to another brand. > > Keep in mind that: a) I have no plans to go digital, but if or when I > do, all things being equal, I'll only consider going Pentax, and; b) > I'm no great booster of Pentax, I own and use other brands quite > often, and Pentax isn't paying me to say any of this (but perhaps they > should!) <vbg>. > > I'm sure you'll hear many other opinions here. Consider them all, and > think long and hard before you switch brands. You're right to look > for input for a decision involving such a large expenditure! > > Again, welcome aboard, > frank > Thanks for the welcome and your feedback. Jeremy [EMAIL PROTECTED]
