Comments on: Poll: Best SLR rivals to Canon and Nikon

Speak out! Who's got the best products today for someone buying a first SLR or for somebody willing to change brands?

[thesurfdoc]

they perform as stated...

Pentax is a no nonsense camera and optic maker. the k10d is
the only truly weathersealed camera in its class. i can't speak
for Olympus, but between the other cameras in its class namely
the 30d/40d or d200/d300 the Pentax K10d really lives up to its
"weather sealed" feature.

it may not be a feature important to most, but for what i do and
the extreme conditions i shoot under (dust, sand, humidity,
marine mist, rain, etc...) Pentax cameras simply perform and
endure.

A colleague and myself were hired to shoot a 'surf' fashion
editorial, in which we shot near and around the waterline of a
very humid and rain soaked island. sad to say, both his brand
new 40d and 5d were damaged and ceased from operation after
2 days of shooting. we finished the bulk of the work on my 2
K10's and the pair of weathersealed DA* lenses (16-50, and
50-135)

pentax, a simple no nonsense, yet durable alternative...

md

[emiitel]

Pentax - ABSOLUTELY!

When I was shopping for a DSLR last year, I was very impressed by the Pentax K100... and then the guy at a local photoshop was telling me about the K10D, so I went looking for reviews and information... and I was hooked. Having had the camera for a year now, I can definitely say that it was a GREAT purchase. My results have been great! The quality and feel of the camera are excellent. When I was doing my shopping, I did seriously look at the Canon Rebel XT and XTi and honestly, they felt like toys. Also, the IS feature of the K10D was attractive, and also saves money on lens, as Nikon and Canon have their IS systems built into the lenses and not the camera. Not only that, but pentax has some great older lenses that will work with the K10D. Not to mention the fact that the K10D is weather sealed, and the new lenses just came out... ;)

[alesk46]

Pentax

I have a k10D, and before that an *istDs.
Both deliver a lot at a reasonable cost.
AE

[SJ-Bill]

Canon unquestionably makes high quality lens and dslr cameras, however, a lot of the white lenses that are so visible were seeded a while ago when Canon practically gave them away to a number of professional photographers to build up their ranks of professional users. Especially as they introduced new lens that obsoleted others Canon lenses. Canon's intorduction of the highest MP dslr bodies has them helped to retain many professional users. Had Nikon done the same to retain market share they may have an equal number of professional users. Ultimately they are both great sets of tools, as a gifted photographer will deliver great work with either system. I've seen users of both systems that produce memorable work, just as I have seen some pretty forgetable work too. I also know people who shoot both systems, and they express pros and cons for each. It isn't so cut and dry as to say that one beats another.

[jmcoa]

May have been mentioned but Sony as the Alpha 900 which is a full frame sensor DSLR and cheap compared to the competition offered by Canikon.