Nikon D5200 Vs Pentax K-50

[mrinmoyvk]

Hello All,

One of my friend "Pratik" currently has a digicam and is not happy with the image quality of it. He is not interested in super-zoom bridge cameras as those might need a replacement in next few years again. He has decided to get a DSLR as it would be one time investment but for life time. He has shortlisted below mentioned two models. Request you to please suggest one of these two.

If you could also suggest some lenses to start with that would be great

1. Nikon D5200
2. Pentax K-50

Points to consider
1. He is new to photography and wants to learn (no intentions of being professional)
2. He wants a DSLR for capturing his kid playing around and to carry on different trips
3. Most shots would be landscape and portraits with few wildlife like (zoo or sanctuary)

My suggestions are:
Nikon D5200 + Nikon 18-105 + Nikon 70-300

[tclune]

I have the D5200 and think that it's a terrific camera. I don't know the K-50, so I can't make any comments on that. As to lenses, it pretty much depends on his budget. I have the 18-140, which I use as a travel lens. If money is an issue, I would think that it would be a good kit lens to start with. If he were to get the 18-140, he ought to also get one of the inexpensive primes from Nikon. I couple it with the 35mm f/1.8, which is good for indoor shooting and the combo makes for a light-weight travel kit. I also have the Nikon 70-300, but it is my least favorite lens. It isn't awful, but it just doesn't much please me. My favorite all-around lens is the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, which is a real bargain. It has a fast enough maximum aperture to be a decent portrait or event lens and covers the standard focal length quite well. Many folks prefer a bit more on the wide end, but I seldom feel constrained there. It's just a question of personal style. The Nikon 24-120 f/4 is on the pricey side for a general-purpose lens, but is well-regarded if his pockets will allow it.

[Manfred M]

Mrinmoy; I think your friend is a real optimist if he figures that upgrading his camera is going to improve his image quality. That generally has a lot more to do with the shooter than the camera.

I can show you images that I've taken with anything from a point & shoot, superzoom, crop frame and full frame cameras and you will unlikely be able to tell which camera I used without looking at the metadata.

Without seeing his work and understanding what he does not like about the image quality, making specific recommendations as to what to do about it is quite problematic. My suggestion would be to figure out this issue before recommending a specific camera upgrade path. If he is going to continue to be a casual shooter, both of the camera recommendations might not be the best and I wonder if an entry level camera might not be a better choice? A D5200 is a mid-range amateur camera and frankly might be "too much camera" for him; for normal shooting he won't likely be using any of the more advanced features on the camera. I suspect that he might get more value out of a D3300 and getting a "universal" lens like the 18-200mm or 18-300mm.

He might also want to consider a mirrorless camera. Nikon, Panasonic, Sony and Olympus all have decent cameras in that market niche. Canon likely does as well, but I don't know their line other than their DSLR products. All the shots I took in India last year were with a Panasonic GX7 (2.0x crop factor) and used the "universal" 14-140mm lens for most of my shots.

[csa mt]

Here's some reviews of the Pentax K50. I'm really sold on Pentax, having 2 K10D's!

http://www.pentaxforums.com/camerare...ntax-k-50.html

I must agree with Grumpydiver; that it may well be the shooter, rather than the camera giving unsatisfactory results. Some of my best photos were taken with a point & shoot super zoom! Going the route of a DSLR, getting additional lenses may be more costly than he wishes to spend.

[inkista]

One of my friend "Pratik" currently has a digicam and is not happy with the image quality of it. He is not interested in super-zoom bridge cameras as those might need a replacement in next few years again. He has decided to get a DSLR as it would be one time investment but for life time.

I'm a dSLR shooter. I'm on my second and third dSLR bodies, now, and my second mirrorless camera body. Personally, I think the idea that a dSLR is a one-time investment that will last for a lifetime is utterly wrong. The lifetime of the camera will be for as long as you can find new battery packs for it and until any of the circuitry goes bad. My first dSLR only lasted four years until the power board had to be replaced. Twice. At which point, I dumped it and moved on to another camera. These are digital electronics and their lifespans are roughly the same as a cellphone's or a computer's--most folks ditch 'em while they're still working to get newer features. These are no longer decades-long devices the way that mechanical film cameras were, mostly just because of how people "upgrade" their electronics. A few souls can use these things for 10+ years, but back in 2005, the Canon 350D/XT was an 8 megapixel camera with no video capability or liveview, let alone wi-fi. It's also the camera that only lasted me for four years. Paying more for a camera doesn't necessarily mean it lasts you longer--just that you have more features to play with while you have it.

In addition, there are a number of things a dSLR doesn't get you that a P&S camera can, like macro capability without needing a macro lens. And supertelephoto without needing a supertelephoto lens. Chances may also be good that it's technique, and not gear that's affecting his images, and no matter what camera you use, bad technique will always still affect your images.

All the camera models are good. But if he has to choose between the two he's shortlisted, tell him he needs to figure out which system contains what he needs. Both can do landscape, portraits, and zoo shots. But Nikon or Canon might offer better lens choices for wildlife and for fast-action photography. Like chasing a kid around the house. And that if he doesn't want to haul a 10-20 lb. bag of camera gear with him wherever he goes, a mirrorless or fixed-lens camera can sometimes be a great choice, too.

Don't let him get fixated on dSLRs too early before considering all the alternatives and how much budget and time he's realistically got to spend.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I agree with what has been said here.
Have you let him try your camera to see how he likes it?
I'd recommend the Nikon w/18-200 lens if he can afford it, but that's what works for me when I shoot dslr.
It may not work for him.

[mrinmoyvk]

Thanks everyone. Most of the reviews seem to be inline with what I initially suggested and still trying to convince him. I also think PnS camera would suit him better and then after couple of years he would be able to decide whether to upgrade it or not. Lets see what he decides.
Thanks again everyone.