Canon or Nikon, which one?

[Shanghai Steve]

The IQ of the camera should be very good. Just make sure you check the AF accuracy.
I cannot comment on the quality of the zoom.

As to your documentary photography, brava for a worthwhile and unusual genre. You should get to Asia! The square mile that I live in was once a Hutong but it has now been flattened. The local population has been cut drastically, so it seems there are more young, serious, very white Russians than Hutong residents around here these days. The men all look quasi-military and the women all look like exotic dancers!

[Manfred M]

Louise - if you already know which lens you want, you don't have to go to a physical camera store. I have ordered many of my lenses on line from online retailers. I order them and I have them in my hands within a couple of days.

You have a 18-135mm and are looking to upgrade to the 18-140mm. You will barely notice and describable difference between those lenses. The other thing I question is that you are willing to drop your current camera and go with either a Canon or Nikon with a kit 18-55mm lens? You have far better range with what you already own.

To me you seem to be planning a big step backwards.

[Black Pearl]

I might take up Castle camera's deal that they will sell me the Nikon for £389 with a 18-250 lens, if I part exchange my Pentax and lenses. They said they would give me £200, while London Camera Exchange said £150 but only the kit lens with theirs.

Should I go with Castle cameras?

What do you hope to gain with this that your current camera can't deliver - personally I can think of more disadvantages than I can advantages so I feel you would be wasting your money.

[ionian]

If getting a new camera will make you happy, then go and enjoy it. But a step up in what you have? Neither of these options offer you that, as Manfred and Robin point out above. You will be paying out a considerable sum for no gain. If you want a canon or a Nikon for the name, then the Pentax is never going to satisfy you - but as a tool, it's as useful as the offerings from these other better-known makers.

For lenses, have you tried shopping online? In the uk there are plenty of online camera shops that stock Pentax, not just Amazon. There are also the grey importers for cheaper but waranty-less options, and the second hand market on eBay or similar also has plenty of options. I bought a Pentax fit lens for my mirrorless camera from eBay a couple of weeks ago myself.

I may be wrong, but I have a feeling you're not quite sure what you want a new camera to do and you have had your head turned by acquaintances. This is completely human, but unless you know what you want to do with the camera you may end up with nothing more than a lighter bank account and a bunch of regrets.

[Tringa]

I agree with the comments about shopping online.

My setup is very modest compared to some but every bit of it (excluding the few manual lenses I bought 40+years ago) I have bought online.

If you decide to stick with Pentax have a look st SRS Microsystems in Watford

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/

The mail order side of their business excellent - instant acknowledgement of your order, additional emails giving the staus of the order and approximate times of delivery.

If you do decide to change then your aren't going to get a bad camera from any maker, but you might not get as highly featured camera as you have now for the same price.

Good luck

Dave

Dave

[LouiseTopp]

Hi it's very expensive at 438.72?

[MrB]

Hi it's very expensive at 438.72?

What gear is 'very expensive' at 438.32, which currency is that, and to whom is the post directed?

Cheers.
Philip

[LouiseTopp]

What gear is 'very expensive' at 438.32, which currency is that, and to whom is the post directed?

Cheers.
Philip

Sorry I get confused by figures and numbers, think it was in Dollars.

[rpcrowe]

I think that I am caught in a time warp and am being brought back to the days in which zoom lenses for still cameras were definitely inferior to prime lenses. The first zoom I ever used for a still camera was in the mid 1960's: the Nikon 43-86mm zoom which was really a pretty poor lens. Virtually any prime lens of those days would beat the pants off that original Nikon zoom.

However, the zoom lenses of today (especially top-line zooms) provide excellent image quality. I always use a zoom lens for landscape work because "zooming with your feet" is just not practical in landscape work. Too often there are natural barriers (such as rivers, lakes and valleys) that prevent "foot zooming"

I tend to crop my images in-camera and thus have the benefit of the total crop format. I will very seldom find that one of my prime lenses gives me the in-camera crop that I am looking for. The only way to use a prime lens in that situation is to utilize a wider angle lens and then crop to the image I want in post-processing.

I have used both the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L and, presently, the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens for my normal angle lenses... However, when mounted on a tripod and shot at f/8 or f/11, the newer 18-55mm kit lenses provide excellent image quality. The quality that these lenses provide at their very low price point is surprising...

I have several prime lenses but, seldom use these any more; especially for landscape work.

[Shadowman]

While I own several prime lenses, I've been having some fun with the 18-55mm kit lens. The images are typically SP, for personal use, but could easily become usable prints.

[LouiseTopp]

I would ideally lik to get it from London Camera echange, as the customer service is a bit better. I find them a bit abrupt in Castle cameras. But Castle have suposedly offered me £200 for my pentax kit and stuff in part exchange with a 18-250 lens. how do I get round this with LCE?

[Saorsa]

Ask LCE if they will beat that deal.

A friend of mine went to school in NY and when he wanted gear he would shop around all the big NY stores asking each of them to beat the last offer.

The big brands used to hold people to the recommended price but he could get a lot of bonus gear with a purchase at retail.

[Black Pearl]

I would ideally lik to get it from London Camera echange, as the customer service is a bit better. I find them a bit abrupt in Castle cameras. But Castle have suposedly offered me £200 for my pentax kit and stuff in part exchange with a 18-250 lens. how do I get round this with LCE?

Can I first start with me saying I still believe you are making a mistake - but if you want a new camera and have your heart set on a new camera then I don'r suppose any of the advice here will change your mind.

So - have you tried WEX?

They have a very good part-exchange system and superb staff. I traded all my Nikon and most of my Pentax gear in to them last year for a brand new system and can hand on heart recommend them.

[Shanghai Steve]

I think that I am caught in a time warp and am being brought back to the days in which zoom lenses for still cameras were definitely inferior to prime lenses.

Zoom lenses ARE definitely inferior to prime lenses. I'm surprised you don't know that!
However, zoom lenses have become more than good enough ofr many purposes.

[Black Pearl]

Zoom lenses ARE definitely inferior to prime lenses. I'm surprised you don't know that!
However, zoom lenses have become more than good enough ofr many purposes.

You might want to quantify that statement a little.

For starters you are going to need to define 'inferior' and what qualities of a lens (absolute resolution is but one of them) you believe makes your statement true.
You might want to mention which lenses you feel are inferior and which are superior as some prime lenses can be bettered by some zooms and vice-versa.
You might want to define the subjects or situations where you feel a prime is superior and equally I suppose those where a zoom isn't a superior option - this I feel you may find difficult.

Absolute opinions need absolutes or they are nothing more than opinions and we all know what they are.....

[Manfred M]

Zoom lenses ARE definitely inferior to prime lenses. I'm surprised you don't know that!
However, zoom lenses have become more than good enough ofr many purposes.

I would not say they are inferior, but would suggest that you are trading off slightly increased image quality and maximum aperture, etc. for a continuously variable focal length. Generally the only time you will actually see a difference is if you are shooting from a very sturdy tripod under close to ideal "lab-like" conditions. If you hand-hold shots, I would suggest that you are unlikely to see any image quality advantage of a fixed focal length lens over a zoom because camera movement (even with image stabilization active).

For the type of shooting Louise is doing, I would not recommend a prime lens as site access restrictions are likely a key factor in deciding the required focal length. If I look at all the lenses I own, I have 9 primes and 11 zooms; so I have a lot of shooting experience with both types of lenses, and in fact the last two lenses I bought were both specialty primes.

[DanK]

I would not say they are inferior, but would suggest that you are trading off slightly increased image quality and maximum aperture, etc. for a continuously variable focal length. Generally the only time you will actually see a difference is if you are shooting from a very sturdy tripod under close to ideal "lab-like" conditions. If you hand-hold shots, I would suggest that you are unlikely to see any image quality advantage of a fixed focal length lens over a zoom because camera movement

Or if displaying on screen or printing small.

I think your description of the trade-offs is right on the money. In the case of the best of my zooms (70-200 f/4 IS), I simply don't notice any optical weaknesses. Perhaps if I printed huge, I would, but I doubt it. My 24-105 f/4 is a considerably weaker lens, and I do notice some its optical limitations (although they are for the most part easy to fix in post). However, the lens is so useful, and allows me to capture so many things I wouldn't be able to do with a prime, that it sits on my camera more than any other lens.

One other consideration is the effect of cropping on image quality. If you can't get close enough and have an appropriate zoom, you just increase the focal length. If you have only a prime that is too short, you end up framing loosely and cropping. And cropping enough will damage the quality of the image, which can offset--or more than offset--the optical advantages of a good prime. Or am I missing something here?

[LouiseTopp]

Can I first start with me saying I still believe you are making a mistake

Sigh. I'm going to give up I think.

[Stagecoach]

Sigh. I'm going to give up I think.

Louise, do not despair.

I spent four days convincing myself last week that I needed a 70-200mm 2.8, visited the shop twice, and on the fifth day came to my senses because I could not answer the question 'WHY'

We ALL do it

[Shanghai Steve]

I feel perhaps Louise, you weren't quite prepared for all the information or deciding factors which your post elicited. Everyone here is trying to be helpful (regardless of side-discussions) but I don't get the feeling that you personally have made much progress in your decision. Some of us are lucky to have vast choice near our homes but in some ways that can make the decision process harder!