My first DSLR

[Picchores]

Hi all,

I am going to buy my first DSLR soon and am on a tight budget. Does anyone think this one from Pentax will do the job for a begginner? The price seems reasonable...

http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=859207&source_id=aw&camp_id=pricerunner

[Joe T]

That is a very good price for a first DSLR! And it aint a bad camera either!

For that money, I dont think there is much else out there, but maybe worth pricing a Nikon D40?

[moomike]

Make sure you invest in some rechargeable batteries too if you go for that one as it runs on AA's.
Personally I'd go for either Canon or Nikon myself due to availability of extras/lenses, etc. There are some amazing deals out there for entry level DSLR's & I'd be tempted to wait & see what shows up.

Good luck with your choice & welcome to the forum :thumbs:

[8utters]

Looks like a good price for what you geet.

Personally id go for an EOS 400D or Nikon D40 as suggested above. You could get a EOS 350D tho, it's discontinued so you could snap one up for a really good price.

[Picchores]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I might stick with the Pentax though, it is around £100 cheaper then the cameras you suggested.

[marky_h]

I would suggest having a good play with it first (do Currys do a 16 days return? :suspect:) - it may be cheaper than the competition, but if it doesn't feel right then you won't enjoy the DSLR experience as much as you could have.

[Seppi3]

Picchores,

I recently purchased a Pentax, for the simple reason that Pentax lenses, from previous cameras fit the new DSLR's, I have already purchased varied lenses very cheaply.

A great camera to start out with, I am not a professional but find the pentax a great tool, to learn a basic art.

[SimonTALM]

Picchores,

The pentax is a good camera (as are all other consumer DSLRs).

However, with a DSLR because of the ability to buy additional lenses and then upgrade the body later I would suggest you need to think about the system you are buying in to. Your first DSLR is effectively starting an investment in your photographic future and although the price and features might better with one specific camera now in the long term it might be a disaster for you and this will be you :bang:.

Think about where you'd like to be in 5-10 years time with photography and work out what kit you'll need then. Next work out if and how you'll get there with the various sytems. Keeping in mind the availability S/H or even the ability to hire lenses should you want / need to.

In my mind one of the most important things to remember is that the DSLR body is a consumable as within 3-5 years (if the photo bug hits) you'll want to upgrade. In contrast the lenses you buy are investments - if the photo bug hits and you've bought wisely you'll be using the same lenses in 5 (even 10) years time.

After doing this you may well find that Pentax is the right system for you, but you might not.

[dellipher]

I came on here asking for advice, and was mainly looking at Nikon and Canon, but I had also looked at the Pentax K10D, which I bought. I personally prefer the Pentax K10D, on how it felt whilst I as holding it....end of day...its upto you! x