Nikon D3100, Canon EOS 1100D or Pentax K-r?

dankellys

dankellys

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Dan
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I am looking to purchase my 1st SLR and really can not make my mind up on which one to go for. Pro's and Cons of each (from what I have read online):

PENTAX K-r:
PROS: Body + Two lenses for under £500, sensitive AF (9 cross type points), far better continuous shooting mode, VR built into body instead of lens, 6fps in Continuous shooting mode, least reflective and most clear LCD screen

CONS: Underexposure where contrasting subjects present, Less mainstream? Could be more difficult to find 2nd-hand equipment in future?

CANON EOS 1100D:
PROS: Image quality the best out of 3, best autofocus speed (fewest AF points, however)

CONS: Feels most plasticky of the three, continuous shooting the weakest of three models

NIKON D3100:
PROS: Ease of use (Guide mode good for beginners), edge-to-edge focusing in live view, largest buffer of the three to sustain burst shooting

CONS: Overexposure can be an issue for some scenes

I was almost certain that I was going to go for the Nikon D3100, until today when I have done a little more digging. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am really struggling to make up my mind.
 
Morning Dan
I was in exactly the same position as you 6 months ago. I wanted to buy the Nikon D3100 but production issues in Thialand made them unavailable.
Decided against the Canon because of the very plastic and cheap feel to it and ended up buying the Pentax K-r and was very disapointed with it. The image quality was poor (the images from my Finepix S8000 bridge camera were far superior !) maybe it was me but I just couldn't get on with it - ended up taking it back after 5 days and exchanging it (and some more money!) for the Nikon D5100 which I am delighted with.:)
Check out the Pentax users site, http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/ there's tons of info there and a dedicated section for the K-r - there seems to be a lot of controversial comments as to front focus problems and Pentax's slow reaction, or rather no reaction at all to fix the issue, I wish you luck in your deliberations - spend your money wisely.
regards
NN
 
Cheers for that NN, you have certainly helped with my decision making. TO be honest the Pentax was the one I was least interested in, but the price kept attracting me.

Everyone seems to be recommending the D5100, might be worth waiting a little longer to get the money together and go for this one instead.

Thanks Again

Dan
 
my pleasure, I don't think you'll regret it - I certainly didn't :)
 
Have you thought about secondhand (like a D90:) )?
Need to try and handle a few as they will 'feel' different (although you sort of implied that you might have alreday done this with the plasticky comment?)

I chose Nikon in the end and started with a D3000 (so entry level at that time) which did me a few years (1 or 2 messing about then 1 a bit more serious) - what about Sony? Heard they are pretty decent these days.

No regrets with Nikon, tbh they are all much of a muchness just whatever feels better for you.

Went to secondhand D90 from the D3000 rather than a D5100 which would have been a similar cost - I wanted controls on the outside rather than good video (use my camera for stills only, never even had video on once with the camera), flip screen or more megapixels, again, just whatever is right for you really.

I could also be way off here, but I seem to hear the Nikon lenses are better than the Canon at entry level? (only what I've heard I dont have much experience with Canon apart from a G7 which was superb:thumbs:) My mate has a 'cheap' prime on Canon and is always amazed at what my 35mm 1.8 (~150 uid) produces, I think Canon have a rep for very good ISO performance though. It's all a trade off really.

I would seriously look at a good secondhand model from a year or 3 back and start saving for very expensive glass:lol: :lol:
 
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