Pentax K10D

Pentax K10D (and K20D now) is the best camera on the market! Had that camera been produced by Canon, it would cost well over $2,000.
This camera is without any doubt a proffesional tool and when mounted with the top pentax lenses (especially the limited series) it delivers just perfect results. What is the best and also quite strange about this camera is the following: I used it on several photographic workshops and when we compared the same scenes taken by K10D to Canons (40D, 450D) and Nikons (D300, D80) we all agreed we just LIKE IT BETTER - don´t ask me why....:o)
As this is a proffesional camera, you have to shoot RAW of course and process the images (Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are the best combination probably) in your PC. Never shoot JPEG unless you are shooting your family for your gradma....
Excellent is the variability of manual setting, especially the range of available modes.
I like the shake reduction - do not have to carry a tripod when I am lazy...:o)
Dust and weather-proof camera helps you not to worry when rain starts to fall, mist appears or sand is blown by the wind - excellent feature!
The built quality is just amazing, it is so lovely to hold the camera. Thank you Pentax for not competing on size and weight - when I imagine a solid camera, Pentax K10D is what is see.
Everything you need when working with the camera is very quickly and easily accessible, maybe ISO and WB could have a dedicated button, but going to the Function menu is also very fast and easy.

- Image quality in RAW (depending on lens of course)
- Built quality
- Manual settings range (modes, program lines etc.)
- Weather-proof
- Features (shake reduction, dust removal)
- PRICE!

NONE
Only one improvement would be welcome: dedicated button for WB and ISO

Shortly tried some Canon and Nikon

No experience

Excellent camera. Before purchasing it I bought the cheapest SLR I could get - istDL. Recently I bought the K10D. This is the right tool for me - robust construction, and I can use same FA lenses I used on my LX and MZ-5n. Some say, K10D underperformes in JPEG conversion. Well, I do not know if its true, because I never use JPEG. I take time working with RAW and shoot only RAW. (By the way, if it were cheaper, I would gladly buy a similar camera without even having any JPEG conversion. I have not even installed the Pentax software supplied with the camera, PhotoShop CS2 is so good!)

Dependable construction.

Too much automation. I like everything manual.

ME super
LX
MZ-5n
istDL

None

I don't have many hours on this camera yet to write a complete review, but I can say a couple of things about the K10D:
The dust buster really works
The camera feels solid in my hands
RAW output is gorgeous
Verical Pattern Noise is a reality at ISO 1600 (especially in shadows)

This camera feels much more solid in my hands compared to my Rebel XT. So far its biggest plusses are the image quality in RAW and the dust buster. Tripod shots in low light and low ISO (up to 400) produced very silky results.
Tested for sensor dust against a blue sky and noticed one small speck out of the box. Used my bulb blower once, then shot again. Result: THE CLEANEST IMAGE SENSOR I'VE EVER SEEN! One less thing to worry about when swapping lenses on hikes.

Just two things:
At ISOs over 400 there is clearly vertical pattern noise. And it's not just in the shadows like I've read. I enjoy shooting in low light and my Canon made this very comfortable because the results were acceptable at ISO 1600. Granted, I'm no pro, but I do wish that my top-line Pentax camera was able to handle high ISO shots as good as my 2-year-old mid-priced XT. Eh, go figure.
My other gripe is just with the fact that the camera and kit lens were not packaged with genuine caps/covers. Pentax just packed a pair of cheesy plastic pieces to keep things covered until I got the lens on the body.

Canon Digital Rebel XT

Not used yet...

I like to keep it simple and short. As a professional photographer (and an avid Pentax man), this is a GREAT camera! Total control over what ever you need with outstanding results! The big two companies?? Well here comes the third at a much better value.

I like a big, heavy, well built camera that feels like you can take it, throw it over a mountain into a river and it would survive. I think this thing can. Feels, looks and acts as pro camera. The bad thing, Pentax doesn't have the rep of being a pro DSLR, at least not yet.

Poor marketing of the line makes it feel like it's a prosumer set up. But things seem to be chaning and soon I'll think this and newer Pentax DSLRs will rival the other two companies.

Pentax MZ-7
Pentax *ist D

Help on the website is lacking, again, a marketing problem.

This is my first Digital SLR. I bought a Pentax ME and several lenses when I lived in Japan in the late 70's, so I went with this body in order to be able to use my fleet of lenses.
Since I have almost no experience with other digital SLR's, I don't really have a baseline, but from the experiences I've had so far, I'm thrilled with this camera. Compared to my old ME-super film body, this thing weighs a ton, but there is a whole lot more stuff in the K10D.
This was a bit of a leap of faith. In addition to the lenses, I have some powerful Sunpak flashes that were made to interface with my old Pentax body. I wasn't sure if all these accessories would work with the new camera. Basically, they do. (sometime you get lucky)
The flashes work great. All the auto synching, shutter control, etc. works as expected. The lenses are another story.
I only had one SMC lens that had an Automatic setting for the aperature (I always wondered what that was for...) That is the only lens that really integrated properly with this camera. All the others have to be operated manually. The only exposure control setting that works with the older lenses is the Hyper Manual setting. None of the others will move the aperature off it's wide-open setting. To use these lenses, I have to put the camera in manual, use the exposure preview feature to check the exposure, then manipulate the shutter speed or F-stop to get the proper exposure. Fortunately, the way the controls are set up on this camera, all these steps don't take too long, but for action shots, it's a bit complicated.
I was torn when I was researching this thing. Since this was my first digital SLR, I thought about going with a Nikon or Canon. The prices are similar. My lens and flash investment pushed me over the edge. I suppose ignorance is bliss, but I'm happy with my decision. This camera is really nice.
I'm not a professional photographer, but I take a lot of photos in my job (marketing engineer). I've taken tens of thousands of photos over the past 30 years and have taken the craft seriously. I am a Photoshop expert as well. Non-professionals like my photos, but I'm a little shy about showing them to pros. I'm a gadget guy, so I study my toys thoroughly and try to get the full use of them. I'm enjoying this one.

I like the feel. The controls are easy to reach. The guys that did the ergonomics on this thing were obviously photographers. I shoot all my photos in RAW format, so I like the built-in DNG format. It imports directly into Photoshop. And it has an Adobe color space option, too.
For me, the fact that I can use all my old SMC lenses and dedicated flashes was a big plus.
So far, the battery seems to last forever. I've taken several hundred photos on a single charge with very little drop in the battery indicator. But I rarely use the built in flash.
The image quality is also exceptional. I only use the ASA100 sensitivity, so I'm not sure how noisy it will get at higher speeds. I've enlarged photos to 20"x30" with amazing clarity and without noticeable grain. Of course, that's using my old SMC f1.4 lens, too.

It's a little heavy (compared to my old film camera body), but it doesn't seem much heavier than my sister's Canon. And it feels more solid than the Canon. The controls have a more precise feel, too. Still, once I put a telephoto lens on this thing, it starts to wear on my neck.
The Pentax 18-55mm DA lens that came with the camera is a bit of a disapointment. Compared to all my old SMC lenses, this one seems cheap (to be fair, it is cheap). It works fine, but is doesn't have that really solid feel that you get with the old SMC lenses. I guess you get what you pay for (or at least you won't get it if you don't pay for it).

None. I've been a Pentax film camera guy for 30 years and I've had a few point-and-shoot digitals, but this is my first digital SLR.
I had a pretty nice Panasonic point-and-shoot with a 10:1 zoom. My daughter had her's stolen from her luggage at the airport, so I gave mine to her. That's how I justified buying the K10D. But now I think I might have to buy another point-and-shoot for the times that I don't want to lug my big camera bag along.
Or maybe I'll put that money towards another lens...

No experience.