# Pentax K-50 or Nikon D3300



## Titania11 (Jun 29, 2016)

I hope someone can help me at all. I like Pentax cameras as they produce excellent results from what I have seen. My husband has a Nikon D3300 and would like me to ask an unbiased opinion on them both because I really don't know what to do because more mega pixels doesn't necessarily make for a better camera does it? Any help would be much appreciated as I am going to buy a new camera. I like the Pentax K-50.


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## jaomul (Jun 29, 2016)

They are both close, both have advantage. Pentax generally give harder more weather sealed bodies at the lower price points than other makes.

24mp is nicer that 16mp if you need to crop, but remember that the top pro specs cameras are all around 16mp at the moment, they were 12and 10mp so pixels isn't everything.

I have Nikon, if I lived somewhere that Pentax was readily available I'd be using Pentax, the inbuilt stabilization is one thing I'd really like.

However, it would probably make more sense for you to buy Nikon due the fact you and hubby could use each other's lenses, flashes etc


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## robbins.photo (Jun 29, 2016)

Titania11 said:


> I hope someone can help me at all. I like Pentax cameras as they produce excellent results from what I have seen. My husband has a Nikon D3300 and would like me to ask an unbiased opinion on them both because I really don't know what to do because more mega pixels doesn't necessarily make for a better camera does it? Any help would be much appreciated as I am going to buy a new camera. I like the Pentax K-50.



The big thing with more megapixels is the ability to crop your photos more and still end up with usable results.  If your shooting a lot of telephoto, like say long range wildlife shots, then a higher MP sensor can be a big benefit.  For a lot of other things though, the higher MP rating really doesn't matter that much.  

I guess my next question would be do you and your husband plan on sharing lenses?  If so then investing in a single system so that you can both uses the same lenses might make more sense.

Pentax does make some excellent camera bodies with a lot of very nice features, however if you are planning on buying used equipment in the future, such as lenses, just keep in mind Pentax will not have as much available as Nikon will, simply because they don't have as large of a market share.

However if you choose the Pentax with that in mind I doubt you'd be disappointed.


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## petrochemist (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm sure I'd be in the minority but for me the Pentax would win hands down 

I could adapt maybe half a dozen of my lenses to work on the Nikon, (Adaptal 2 & T2 lenses) but none of the remaining 100+ would be any use except for macro. Most of these are PK or M42 mount lenses that are of course ideal for Pentax bodies. The range of lenses in PK mount is more than sufficient for me!
I have heard that it's possible to half mount Nikon lenses on PK bodies and use them in fully manual mode - I'm not likely to try it unless I find a perspective control lens in a charity shop...

I'd certainly agree that more megapixels doesn't make a better camera. It can give an advantage for cropping but it gives a disadvantage for low light performance.

Now for my unbiased advice - see if you can get to try the two bodies in your hands! Ergonomics can make a big difference to how a camera works for you. 

I find Pentax ergonomics suit me well but not so much Nikon, others find the opposite. It's very personal, and you have to judge for yourself. Both cameras are capable so there's no need to worry there


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## robbins.photo (Jun 29, 2016)

Pentax makes a phenomenal APS-C camera, no doubt about it.  The reason I ended up going with Nikon was at the time I looked a few years ago at Pentax they didn't have a full frame offering, and the second reason was the used market for lenses.  

Truth be told I'm still tempted on occasion to pickup a pentax, I've shot a couple owned by friends and they really are fantastic cameras.  You can tell they are geared towards hobbyists.


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## limr (Jun 29, 2016)

Pentax, all day long


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## PropilotBW (Jun 29, 2016)

If I were in your shoes, I would go with Nikon.  
Since your husband already has a Nikon, this opens up options for sharing lenses!!


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## charchri4 (Jun 29, 2016)

I faced the same struggle when I shopped not very long ago but i was looking at a 5200 vs a K-5.  IMO the only things that matter in a camera is image quality and price point.  The right camera is the one the pushes those two numbers the farthest apart and after weeks of detailed study I went with a K-3 and would do so again in a heart beat.  It kills my friends Canon D70 in every way and IMO remains the best bang for the buck in a camera there is.


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## smoke665 (Jul 13, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Pentax makes a phenomenal APS-C camera, no doubt about it.  The reason I ended up going with Nikon was at the time I looked a few years ago at Pentax they didn't have a full frame offering, and the second reason was the used market for lenses.
> 
> Truth be told I'm still tempted on occasion to pickup a pentax, I've shot a couple owned by friends and they really are fantastic cameras.  You can tell they are geared towards hobbyists.



I usually can't fault you on advice, but Pentax always topped the list against Canon and Nikon in durability in a production environment. Our cameras were tools used daily in less than clean, dry environment. They got bounced around a lot. The wider range of glass is a slight disability but not ensumountable. In the case of the OP the availability to interchange with her husband would probably weigh heavy on my decision, but if it wasn't for that it would be Pentax all the way. Currently have 3, the last being the k3 II.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 13, 2016)

smoke665 said:


> I usually can't fault you on advice, but Pentax always topped the list against Canon and Nikon in durability in a production environment. Our cameras were tools used daily in less than clean, dry environment. They got bounced around a lot. The wider range of glass is a slight disability but not ensumountable. In the case of the OP the availability to interchange with her husband would probably weigh heavy on my decision, but if it wasn't for that it would be Pentax all the way. Currently have 3, the last being the k3 II.



Ok, so I stated Pentax makes a fantastic camera body with loads of features, and you took exception to.. umm.. what exactly?


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## smoke665 (Jul 13, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> smoke665 said:
> 
> 
> > I usually can't fault you on advice, but Pentax always topped the list against Canon and Nikon in durability in a production environment. Our cameras were tools used daily in less than clean, dry environment. They got bounced around a lot. The wider range of glass is a slight disability but not ensumountable. In the case of the OP the availability to interchange with her husband would probably weigh heavy on my decision, but if it wasn't for that it would be Pentax all the way. Currently have 3, the last being the k3 II.
> ...



The part about being geared toward hobbyists.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 13, 2016)

smoke665 said:


> The part about being geared toward hobbyists.



So you took exception to the part where I stated that Pentax takes into account the kinds of features that most serious hobbyists are interested in and incorporates them into their cameras?

I mean that wasn't actually clear enough when read in context?  Really?


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## smoke665 (Jul 13, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Truth be told I'm still tempted on occasion to pickup a pentax, I've shot a couple owned by friends and they really are fantastic cameras. You can tell they are geared towards hobbyists.



Actually the wording wasn't clear as you didn't specify models and seemed to be lumping the entire line into the hobbyists category.  If that wasn't the intent then I misunderstood and apologize. I would consider the D3300 referenced by the OP much more a hobbyist camera when compared to the features of the K50. Moving on up the line the k1 or 645z hardly qualify as hobbyist, any more than would applying the term to top of the line Canon or Nikon. Sorry if I was overly touchy as we Pentax users tend to be seen as the "outsiders" sometimes, despite the side by side comparisons.


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## robbins.photo (Jul 13, 2016)

smoke665 said:


> Actually the wording wasn't clear as you didn't specify models and seemed to be lumping the entire line into the hobbyists category.  If that wasn't the intent then I misunderstood and apologize. I would consider the D3300 referenced by the OP much more a hobbyist camera when compared to the features of the K50. Moving on up the line the k1 or 645z hardly qualify as hobbyist, any more than would applying the term to top of the line Canon or Nikon. Sorry if I was overly touchy as we Pentax users tend to be seen as the "outsiders" sometimes, despite the side by side comparisons.



Well didn't realize I was supposed to specify everything down to the knats behind to keep from running afoul of PADL - the Pentax Anti-Defamation League.

The intent behind the statement was meant as complimentary, meaning that Pentax puts features like focus peaking, in body stablization, etc, etc, into their camera bodies.  Which is why the word PHENOMENAL was used at the start of that whole discussion.  Not a word I generally toss around a lot.

The only "negative" I listed for Pentax was the availability of used lenses, that was it.


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## smoke665 (Jul 13, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> The only "negative" I listed for Pentax was the availability of used lenses, that was it.



Then again for the second time, I apologize for misreading your comment. The limited availability of used lenses is a problem, which may be due in part to the limited line up under the Pentax line, the durability of the lenses, (I'm still holding on to a lot of my earlier ones), and the lack of third party manufacturers because the line isn't as popular as the others


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## pez (Aug 8, 2016)

K-70...


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