I went down the Nikon route (D90), mainly because the friends I have which have cameras have Nikons and that means I can borrow their glass (and they can borrow mine, My Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4G has had a better holiday lifetime than me!), which saves a lot of money!

I think you'd be surprised at just how many others do the same thing. (8+)

Mark

Just for you, man. Just for you (8+)

Al, that video is sick! May have to look at that further. Although that means I'm stuck with Pentax glass - right?

Bobbdobbs, you make an interesting point, but as Mark has already sigged that would make it Canon for me!

If you know people with Canon hardware, have you asked for a play about?
I know the pic you posted earlier was with a mates Canon, so you've obviously used one at least once. What was your experience like? Was it that use that led to the creation of this thread?
Just curious as to which way you're leaning.
As an aside, I seriously considered getting a Pentax before I decided on my Nikon.
At the time I seem to recall Pentax not offering a full frame DSLR and certainly didn't have the wide angle lens offering that Nikon did - which was important to me as I wanted a good wide angle for my landscapes.

Mark

And the 3rd party options; Tamron, Sigma, Samyang, Lensbaby.

The lens line-up certainly isn't as extensive as Canon/Nikon but it's big enough that I can't see where an amateur would be left wanting - they sell more lenses than I could ever wish to own frankly. They have stonkingly good (and expensive) primes and have finally started producing cheaper 'nifty' lenses in 35mm and 50mm focal lengths.

What you do get with Pentax is the option to use lenses since the age of the dinosaurs as the lens mount hasn't changed. I've got an old 50mm f/1.7 and 28mm f/2.8 that are lovely and sharp (albeit manual focus) and cost next to nothing.

They still don't do a full frame. Unless you count the smaller-than-medium-format-645D. Pentaxians have been crying out for one for years but nothing as yet.

Given the money I'd go for Nikon full frame too. Without the money I'll stick with Pentax

I have one mate with a 400D, and one with a 500D. Whenever I've used either, I've not navigated the UI really. I've just shot with whatever was setup already. They both felt nice to hold and play with, but I suspect with my limited experience any decent SLR would. The reason I was leaning Canon was purely because I've never seen anyone with a Nikon, so I assumed they had more market share and there was a reason for that. Also, it increases the glass sharing odds.

However, with the reading I'm doing now, Pentax seems really interesting for the build and outdoorsiness of their stuff. Problem is a K-5 is still very expensive even second hand.

The reason for starting this thread is because I recently changed over to timeline on Facebook. With that came a new "cover photo" requirement. I trawled my stuff from the past year and half and uploaded an image from Austria that I was particularly pleased with (after cropping it). It was only taken on a Lumix travel zoom compact with a Gorillapod and self-timer and is a world away from the quality of the shot I posted earlier in this thread, but it was really popular on Facebook. I got quite a few comments and likes in a short space of time. That reminded me how much I enjoy taking photographs and that sometimes I do have a good eye for composition, even if I have no clue about f/this and white balance that.

So I'd like to pursue that and learn the technical aspects as well. So that I can enjoy it more, share my images with others and have something to remind me of some of the amazingly beautiful things my eyes have been lucky enough to see

As a side note, in line with a presumed return to the Alps in a few months, I think there could be a few quid to be made on the slopes, by combining a photographer with skis to get to the parts "normal" photographers can't reach (but that's kinda secondary at the moment)!

The reason I can't just try anything is because where I live we have very little decent shopping. I have to travel for good stores in any hobby or specialty.

Not that I'm trying to push Pentax or anything but the K10D, K20D and K7 were all weather-sealed too. The Samsung GX10 and GX20 were the identical (apart from badge) equivalents but they never did a K7 Samsung branded version.

The GX series would be cheap 2nd hand and any glass you buy could then transfer to a better body in the future. That being said the K10/20 and GX10/20 were big old cameras (compared to 400D) so I'd probably want to hold one before buying. You might find the size restrictive when on the slopes, etc. The body size reduced considerably with the K-7 and followed with the K-5.

If I'm picking faults (and compared to my K-5) the older models aren't as good at higher ISO (not a problem if you're outside) and AF performance has always been behind Canon and Nikon.

Have a look at http://snapsort.com to compare camera features (but ignore the rating system, it's daft!)

Edit... camerasize.com is worth a look. They don't have all the models but I compared a similar Pentax K200D and Canon 450D. The Pentax is 4% wider, 20% thicker and 32% heavier

Not wishing to complicate matters more, but it could be that the compact that you have might just be outdated.
I don't know how old the one you have is, or what the specs of it are, but it could be that even a brand new top-of-the-range compact might get you the images (and control, because a lot of the newer compacts have all the manual controls of DSLRs - excluding perhaps focus) that you seem to want to achieve.
Just saying.

Mark

Just wait until you start looking at underwater photography on a DSLR!!!

Housing
Port for macro lens
Dome for wide angle lens
Gears
Strobes

Easy to spend way over $10k, and that is without accessories.

The man has a point. My X10 can be fully controlled manually including things like custom white balance and manual focus. The sensor is small compared to a DSLR though so you have to accept the compromise that brings. A step up from a compact (in sensor size at least as some still handle like compacts with very few external controls) would be a Micro 4/3rds and I've seen brand new PENs and GF3 in the region of £200-£300. Even the new GF5 can be had for just under £400 with a cashback offer or the GX1 for just over.

GF3
GF5
GX1

Right, but I can't pour Afganny dust all over my 4/3 and then rinse it in the shower.

Maybe there's a point there, maybe there isn't. Glass is not cross compatible in most cases (or requires an adapter which costs as much as the upgrade to SLR). Also from what I've been reading today it seems that speed is not their strong suit. So for skiing that's a bit of a bust. Also, it seems I can get a K5 with kit for £730 brand new and 500D bodies for less than £300 second hand. So they'd have to be stupidly cheap to be a contender.

+1. I was originally looking at dSLRs, wanting something better than a cheap point-and-shoot. I looked at dSLRs and had a play with them with friends and in Jessops. Whilst it felt great to have fancy new playthings, I quickly realised something like a dSLR was too big and cumbersome for me to carry around. I couldn't just bung it in the car. It was extra bulk and weight that would mean it was inconvenient for me to run around with. On top of that, with the escalating costs involved, I'd be too scared to take it out and about other than for very special occasions.

Contrast this with the G12 which had lots of useful features like separate dials for ISO/EV and switchable dials that could control aperture and shutter speed. For me, this camera was small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, easy to take around and still can take some good pics. I'd honestly say have a look at fixed-lens bridge cameras or high-end compacts.

I have. At length. I've been reading for what feels like 2 solid days now. Yes it's great to have a camera you can take anywhere. That's why I have the compact I currently have. But unless I'm massively mistaken, you simply can't acheive the same sport (fast moving), or low light results with anything but a DSLR. As those two are two of my intended applications, it seems that's where it's at.

Even the mirrorless bodies which are compact sized and offer decent sensors have massive interchangeable lenses. So I may as well go all the way. It either fits in your pocket, or it doesn't. As far as I'm concerned that's all there is two it. Once you're past the pocket level, the cheapness of second hand bodies makes them very interesting.

On top of all of that, the more I read about Pentax and their weather proofing and outright IQ, the more I'm interested.

On that note, Veato - you say that Canon and Nikon are faster with focussing. Do you do any "sports" photography? What lens(es) do you have for your K-5? DPReview have basically called it the highest IQ of any currently available APS-C sensored camera. Which is pretty high praise. Anything you don't like?

The other thing in the back of the mind is reviews aren't really out there for the new K-30 yet, which is very interesting...

If you do end up buying a second hand DSLR, make sure you check the shutter actuations count.
Every DSLR shutter is rated for a certain amount of actuations. You'll need to check this against what the camera has done.

Good luck in your purchase. (8+)

Mark