A short but nevertheless interesting tale about a friends who are looking for a DSLR.
They are taking a four week break in Australia soon (she's from Sydney) and he is keen to pick up a digital camera. He has an ME-Super and a clutch of manual lenses. She has a Nikon manual focus camera (forget which) and a couple of lenses. He's cruised the internet and was hyped up about the 300D, but the thing that freaks him most of all was the small viewfinder image in these cameras. In discussing it, I pointed out that the Pentax offerings (D, Ds) would be ideal for him, as they would be compatible with his old lenses, which he liked. She was keen for Nikon, a D70 maybe. I suggested a local camera shop (small chain of half a dozen regional stores) called T4 Cameras in Witney, near Oxford. He went. He told me that he saw a D70 and an *ist Ds (no 300D there although they do carry Canon). He loved the Ds, admiring its size and relatively large viewfinder image compared to the D70 and the 300D (which he has previously handled). The sales dude told him that sensor-wise, there was virtually no difference between the D70 and the *ist Ds, and that while he would be able to use his old Pentax glass on the Ds, his wife would not be able to use her old Nikon glass on the D70. This had a large sway. My friend has retired to listen to his wife ;-) and consider his verdict. He wants the Ds. T4 Cameras sells it for 799 GBP but he can get it mail order for a hundred less if they decide to go that route. I suspect his wife (who works for a large picture agency) will balk at the Pentax, rant at the incompatibility of he Nikon glass, and order him to buy a Canon. She is Australian, don't forget. My friend drinks a lot. I hope he holds out for the Pentax. Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________
