Buying a DSLR camera

[godoubleblues]

I am looking at upgrading my camera this year as we are heading off overseas later in the year
I want to buy a digital SLR
I have narrowed it down to 2 choices
the Pentax K7 with twin lenses, 18-55 and 50-200 for around $1800, or
the Canon 500D with twin lenses, 18-55 and 55-250 for under $1600

some mates of mine have one or the other and they both take very nice pictures and they are very happy with their purchases
I used to have a normal SLR a number of years ago but it got damaged and I am looking at getting back into the SLR game
I am leaning towards the Pentax mainly due to the fact that it is water resistant/weather proof but I would be happy to hear any other opinions from the learned members of this site

[Psyber]

After my trip to Kruger National Park in August 2009 I came back with a renewed interest in photography, and did some research.
I narrowed it down to the Nikon D90, Canon 50D and the Pentax K7.
Basically I thought the Nikon had the edge in sharpness and the Canon in colour rendition.
The K7 was, I thought, the best compromise between the two, and its rugged construction was a plus.

Then, I started thinking about the type of photography I do and needing a long lens which would be big and heavy to travel with.
So for portability I went this way: http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-r ... eview.html

I took an earlier model, I had bought for my wife just before she died, to Kruger and now have it for sale:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-r ... eview.html
Here are the shots I took with it - somewhat compromised by waving grass affecting auto-focus and shooting from moving vehicles.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Psyber2009/ ... WDm_HQvgE#

[devilsadvocate]

Here's a site I found massively helpful when making my decision on which model to buy:

http://www.dpreview.com/

I narrowed my choices down to the Canon 450D (at the time), Nikon D60 and Nikon D90.

I ended up with the D60, but wish I'd forked out the bit more for the D90.

The D60 is fantastic, but is limited IMO by it's 3 auto focus points, compared to 11 on the D90. The D90 is probably the best camera bang for you buck if you can stretch the budget that little bit extra.

The Canon 500D is also a brilliant camera and I'm sure you'd be more than happy with that if you got it.

Personally, I'd stick with Canon/Nikon if I were you - purely down to image quality and the better range of lenses.

The best advice I had was to go into a camera store and hold each camera to see which feels best. When you're on holidays and taking lots of shots, given that an SLR is bigger and heavier than a compact, you need to have a camera that's comfortable to hold for extended periods.

Good luck - make sure you post your pics in the photo's thread.

Oh, and buy a tripod, a big, heavy sturdy one. Bulky they may be, but the results are a million times better and well worth the effort.

[Psyber]

The best advice I had was to go into a camera store and hold each camera to see which feels best. When you're on holidays and taking lots of shots, given that an SLR is bigger and heavier than a compact, you need to have a camera that's comfortable to hold for extended periods.

Very definitely. Overall I liked the feel of the D90, but the K7 was close. The 50D didn't sit quite as well in my hands, but we are all a subtly different shape.
I went for the 10 Megapixel compact with the 28-560mm zoom [35mm equivalent] because of travel convenience.
On my last trip one of the guys was toting a Sony dSLR plus a 500mm lens but it is a lot to carry and a fiddle for quick shooting.
The Canon SX10 iS will also run on 4 AA Alkaline or Lithium batteries, so it saves worrying about charging when you are out and about camping for several days.

[lesthemechanic]

I am looking at a Pentax K20D. Looks to be a great unit.