Switching From Pentax to Nikon PLease Help?

Emma1

Emma1

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Hi, I'm looking to switch from Pentax to Nikon and don't know where to start, I have a Pentax k200d which has been great but I'm ready to move on. The af hunts in low light and it is becoming harder to buy lenses etc without ordering online ( I like to try before I buy). So where do I start with Nikon? I'm not a pro so dont need top specs and I will be on a budget of less than £500 after I've sold the pentax stuff.
So far Ive been looking at the D90, what else is out there for me?

Thanks in advance
 
I personally wouldn't move to a low spec Nikon from Pentax. I did the move the other way around a year and a half ago and I am much happier with Pentax.

Build quality and size/ergonomics are not as good on lower end Nikons. You don't get in body stabilisation and weather sealing is just not even close. You need to only look at the D600/D7000, cameras much more expensive than either a K5/K30 yet both not nearly as weather sealed as the Pentax and neither as well built as the K5.

Have you looked at the K30? Much better AF than your K200d and well within your budget and IQ is as good if not better than the K-5. On top of that with the introduction of K5 MKII and K5s the original K-5 can be had for less than 500£ s/h (and that is one heck of a camera for that kind of price.)

Depending on what kind of glass you will be trying to pair your camera with moving to Nikon even for a low end or s/h camera chances are you will need a fair bit more than 500. To get better AF you should be looking at least a D5100 and maybe a D90. Both have major disadvantages compared to the K-5/K30 and they will leave precious little for lenses.

Might be worth letting us know what lenses you have for Pentax so people can advise on equivalent Nikons and how much you are likely to have to pay.
 
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Would echo the above regarding the K5 with the caveat of lenses currently owned and what type of photography you're doing and planning on in the relatively near future.
 
Thanks for this, the one thing that is putting me off is the lack of weather seal. The K5/k30 is something to think about
 
D7000 is the Nikon starter for weatherproofed bodies - same pre-owned price as the K5, which you already have lenses to use with from the off.
I think Canon's 60D is their starting body with seals to keep the elements at bay.
The fact Pentax also does it in the cheaper K30 does not go unnoticed compared to the cameras the big two offer in the same market segment.

The K5 will still be a saleable commodity in a couple of years time if you were to decide to go full frame or needed some of the features only Canon & Nikon provided at the high end APS-C.
 
I have a K-30 and a K-01. When I lost my K10D last year, I spent a lot of time researching the various brands - I couldn't get close in VFM terms with Canikon cameras - the lower end bodies were all hamstrung by something!

The K-30's autofocus is light years ahead of your K200D (after all, this is a relatively old body, so better compared against a Nikon of that era!). The K5ii is even better than the K-30.

However your choices do depend somewhat on what you currently/want to/like to shoot, so please advise and I'm sure we'll all get you to the right decision, regardless of system.
 
I think the comments above make sense..if you are seriously considering swapping to the budget end of Canon/Nikon you need to try them out beforehand.

I agree one of the problems with Pentax PR is that they don't really excel in getting their product into stores, shame as I'm extremely impressed with my K5 and Pentax lenses are some of the best you'll get...unfortunatly not very often in stores though..the dedicated Pentax User forum is great for used lenses and advice

Simon
 
You should definitely check out the K30 - superb value for money with many features usually only found in higher end DSLRs such as twin control dials for shutter and aperture, excellent standard of weather, dust and temp resistance, 100% field of view pentaprism rather than pentamirror viewfinder along with such things as the ability to save your last image as RAW when shooting in jpeg, inbuilt image stabilisation effective with older k lenses etc, compact dimensions, superb image quality comparable to Pentax K5 and D7000 etc etc
You can also buy an adaptor to run the camera on AA batteries when the rechargeable runs out !
Just over £400 body only - gets excellent 4 - 5 star reviews !
Regards
Rob
 
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Thanks for all the comments, I popped into currys the other day and picked up a a canon entry level camera (not sure which model) and it didnt feel right at all. I also had a little play with the k30 and really liked it. I think this will be what I buy :)
 
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