Canon 1200D vs Nikon D3300 vs Pentax K-500: which is the best entry level DSLR?

Which beginner DSLR is best for your needs? Find out in our Canon 1200D vs Nikon D3300 vs Pentax K-500 comparison. 

Sony has swapped over to SLT and ILCE non-reflex camera designs, and Olympus has committed to mirrorless Micro Four Thirds designs, which means that Canon, Nikon and Pentax are the only mainstream digital SLR makers left.

Canon and Nikon are the big names in this market, while Pentax is more of an outsider, but one that always offers an interesting alternative.

All three have recently announced new entry-level DSLRs , and while they’re all aimed at cost-conscious newcomers, they offer three very different approaches.

The Canon EOS 1200D is the newest, following hot on the heels of the Nikon D3300. The Pentax K-500, by contrast, has been around since the middle of 2012. Digital Camera World telling it as it is

 

Pentax offers K-30 in a variety of colors and finishes

Oh yuk!

Pentax has announced a wide range of new colors options for its K-30 weather-sealed mid-level DSLR. Available in either a shiny ‘Crystal’ or matte ‘Silky’ finish, the 16MP DSLR now comes in dramatic tones like orange, yellow and blue. The cameras are available for pre-order at a retail price of $799.95, including the 18-55 kit lens. See below for a complete list of available color options. If you are tempted there is more information here

 

Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras?

Once there were compact cameras and DSLR cameras, then we had bridge cameras and now MIL cameras If you don’t know what is being talked about these are examaples The Panasonic Lumix G Series ,the Lumix DMC-GH2,  the Sony NEX and the Olympus Pen Series. Pentax is also taking grip on the market with it’s oddly designed Pentax K-01.

Here Tiffany Mueller  at Lightstalking explains what, how, why

While not an entirely new technology, mirrorless cameras manufacturers have been enjoying a steady rise in interest of the compact cameras among amateurs and professionals alike. Initially marketed at serious amateurs who were looking for more from their point-and-shoots, but were not interested in a DSLR, the mirrorless camera, has helped fill a gap in camera technology. Their lightweight design offers users the comforts of carrying only a compact camera and their DSLR sized sensors produce images which rival some of the most popular DSLRs on the market..….MORE

Viewing RAW files in Windows

There is a download now available that makes it possible to view RAW files as thumbnails in Windows, being a Mac user for more than 30 years I didn’t realise this was a problem but a friend in Denmark alerted me to the difficulty, so here is the resolution of that

“Overview

• The Microsoft Camera Codec Pack enables the viewing of a variety of device-specific file formats in Window Live Photo Gallery as well as other software that is based in Windows Imaging Codecs (WIC).
• Installing this package will allow supported RAW camera files to be viewable in Windows Explorer.
• This package is available in both 32-bit (MicrosoftCodecPack_x86.msi) and 64-bit (MicrosoftCodecPack_amd64.msi) versions.
• The Microsoft Camera Codec Pack provides support for the following device formats:
• Canon: EOS 1000D (EOS Kiss F in Japan and the EOS Rebel XS in North America), EOS 10D, EOS 1D Mk2, EOS 1D Mk3, EOS 1D Mk4, EOS 1D Mk2 N, EOS 1Ds Mk2, EOS 1Ds Mk3, EOS 20D, EOS 300D (the Kiss Digital in Japan and the Digital Rebel in North America) , EOS 30D, EOS 350D (the Canon EOS Kiss Digital N in Japan and EOS Digital Rebel XT in North America), EOS 400D (the Kiss Digital X in Japan and the Digital Rebel XTi in North America), EOS 40D, EOS 450D (EOS Kiss X2 in Japan and the EOS Rebel XSi in North America), EOS 500D (EOS Kiss X3 in Japan and the EOS Rebel T1i in North America), EOS 550D (EOS Kiss X4 in Japan, and as the EOS Rebel T2i in North America), EOS 50D, EOS 5D, EOS 5D Mk2, EOS 7D, EOS D30, EOS D60, G2, G3, G5, G6, G9, G10, G11, Pro1, S90
• Nikon: D100, D1H, D200, D2H, D2Hs, D2X, D2Xs, D3, D3s, D300, D3000, D300s, D3X, D40, D40x, D50, D5000, D60, D70, D700, D70s, D80, D90, P6000
• Sony: A100, A200, A230, A300, A330, A350, A380, A700, A850, A900, DSC-R1
• Olympus: C7070, C8080, E1, E10, E20, E3, E30, E300, E330, E400, E410, E420, E450, E500, E510, E520, E620, EP1
• Pentax (PEF formats only): K100D, K100D Super, K10D, K110D, K200D, K20D, K7, K-x, *ist D, *ist DL, *ist DS
• Leica: Digilux 3, D-LUX4, M8, M9
• Minolta: DiMage A1, DiMage A2, Maxxum 7D (Dynax 7D in Europe, α-7 Digital in Japan)
• Epson: RD1
• Panasonic: G1, GH1, GF1, LX3
• Download here
• 
• ©Keith Barnes

Pentax sold to Ricoh for £77m

Not as much as Manchester Utd got for Cristiano Ronaldo when they sold him to Real Madrid

Hoya is selling the camera manufacturer Pentax to Ricoh in a £77m deal confirmed this morning. Pentax UK reacts…

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2083298/ricoh-pentax-usd124m#ixzz1RdXr0qP6
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Pentax 645 Digital

After a very long time in bringing to market Pentax have finally produced a digital version of their popular 645 film camera. It uses 40megapixels so producing something like 115mb file. Here is a first review of the camera. http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/test/1898766/pentax-645d-tested-contender