For me the choice would be a no brainer. I begin my interest in Photography in 1966 wiht the acquisition of a Pentax Spotmatic w/ 50mm f1.4, which was the worlds first SLR to have a built in through the lens light metering system. A year later I bought a Pentaxc Spotmatic II, which was the Spotmatic with the addition of the worlds first "hot shoe" flash mount.
In additiont to the 50mm f1.4 normal lenses that came with the cameras, I added a Taumar 28mm wide angle, 105mm portrait lens, 300mm auto tele, 500mm auto tele and a whopping 27lb monster 1,000mm f4. To date I have put over 100,000 frames through those cameras without a single mechnical problem, in fact, they have never been professionally cleaned or lubed, yet they still work fine, even in sub zero weather.
In 1980 I bought a Pentax K-1000, which is basically a Spotmatic with a bayonete mount, but it also works with the old M42 screw mount lenses. (This camera is considered one of the best manual cameras for serious photo students, and it still retains a market value nearly equal to what i paid for it.)

Next I bought a Pentax Me, followed by and ME-Super along with a Pentax 70-200mm zoom and a small drawer full of Ricoh and Sears lenses with PK mounts plus a Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 pk-A macro zoom which quickly became one of my workhorse lenses.

When I retired last June I had a very limited budget but i wanted to move up to digital photography. I looked at both Nikon & Canon but with an average of over $1k for body and lens that was way out of my budget.

I then found a used Pentax ist-DL (6.3mp)body on Craigslist for $250. Not exactly what I wanted but it offered one great feature. I could move up to digital while still retainting the use of all my lenses and accessiories including an auto bellows.

I then got curious about auto focus so I began watcing Ebay and an online auction sponsoered by Goodwill Industries. I found that the Pentax F series lenses were auto focus but they were first designed for Pentax SLR film cameras, however they not only work perfectly on the digital, many dealers sell them as kit lenses today.

I got a Pentax F 100-300mm auto focus from Goodwill for $15 +S&H. (How could I turn that down? ) I followed that with a Pentax F 35-80mm f4-5.6 for $21 +S&H on Ebay and just a week ago I found a new, in the box with warranty Pentax F 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 for $32 +S&H, again on Ebay.
Just tonight I found a new Pentax k20d 14mp with shake reduction and almost all the features found on the K7 for $600 with free shipping, and to top it off, it will still work with all the Pentax lenses and accessories that I already have. In fact, the only features on the K-7 that are not on the K20d are video features and i doubt if i would use them if i had them, although I will continue to keep my eyes open and will probably have a K-7 with 6 months.

One thing that I love about my Pentax ist Dl is that it uses four standard AA batteries and I have 36 rechargable AA's. I have been told that the K20d will also work with AA's but that remains to be seen.

I'm not familiar with the Canon, but I've read a lot of good things about the K-7 on DPReview.

A new camera is such fun!

Thank you Lazypup and Alisande. Lazypup thank you for sharing a lot of information. I am going to go and look at the Pentax K-7 tonight.

A third camera has now entered the mix, the Nikon D5000, but wonder if I would I be happy with 12 MP. I really like to see the details.

The Dynamic Range is said to be lacking on the K-7. I don't want to spend all that money and be disappointed.

Thank you again.

According to my research, the two Pentax lenses I have are good. There is also an adapter for the my old Pentax lenses making them usable on the Canon T2i. Any opinions on using adapters?

Here is a link that might be useful: This website compares the three cameras.

Deb, how much reliance are you putting on that website? I couldn't see the comparison of the three cameras, for some reason, so I did an Olympus comparison. (I'm familiar with this brand.) The site said the Olympus E-520, which I own, has a better dynamic range than the E-620. This is contrary to everything I've heard up to now.

People tried to talk me into getting the E-620 instead of the 520, citing better dynamic range. But I chose the 520 and am more than happy with my decision.

Have you tried doing a comparison on DPReview? I know they do a good job with this.

I went to the Pentax SLR Talk forum on DPReview and did a search on K-7 dynamic range. I took a quick glance at the results, and it seemed to me there was a fair amount of criticism of that model (not necessarily for the dynamic range. If you want to take a look yourself, I'll link the forum below.

BTW, I've seen lots of images in which the dynamic range was improved using Topaz or Redynamix.

Here is a link that might be useful: DPReview Pentax SLR Talk

Thank you everyone for sharing with me.

I went and looked at the Pentax K-7 at Fry's. I used my lenses and memory card. I had a lot of difficulty getting a decent picture. My old lenses of course could not be used with the auto features of the camera and there was no one to properly show me the camera. Fry's was the only place locally to carry the Pentax D-7, therefore I have decided not to purchase the K-7.

I tried out the Nikon D5000. I think the Canon T2i has a sharper image. I am assuming it is sharper because of the extra MPs. I did also look at the D5000 photos in RAW and from what I can determine they are not as sharp as the T2i in JPEG.

I am feeling very uncertain about choosing between the D5000 and the T2i because of my lack of experience. I do know that I want to zoom in on pictures when viewing them on a the computer monitor, and see the details, therefore I believe the T2i is the way to go. Any comments are welcome.

I have now spent a lot on time on the dpreview site and I am still unsure.

Thank you to all of you.

DEB,

Don't get so hung up on the MP debate, even the companies have stopped that now. Unless you going at, or over 20"x30" regularly, you will be fine on anything 8-12MP, seriously.

90% of your prints 4x6? [nod yes] Dont give MP another thought.

my current most used cameras are 5MP, 8MP, and 12MP.
Sharpness-----Its about the glass, not the MP---its not about the MP. Take into account the LED screen your looking at the pictures through, the sharpness of those little screens can lie about the sharpness of the picture, FYI.
If the salesperson says camera A has sharper pics because of the MP, ask for someone else to talk to for the sale.
Dotn believe, Ken can explain it :
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm

MP allow you to crop more away, that has nothing to do with the sharpness of the pic. Learn how to properly frame a pic, cropping is *almost* obsolete.
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/media/flash/d/digtalimaging/demo2_v5.swf?h=504

Okay, I think I hammered that away.

Honestly, when it comes to the cameras, the amateur photog will see little difference in picture results when comparing oly/nikon/canon/(newer) sony of the same caliber, price range.

So find your price range, get what feels nice in your hands, what feels comfortable.

Ken also named the the D5000 his best serious camera.

Joe is right, of course--sharpness is about the glass. But it's also about how much sharpening is done by the camera. Most DSLRs have a sharpness setting that can be adjusted by the photographer. Some people prefer to adjust the sharpness in post-processing.

I haven't read Ken Rockwell in a while, but if I recall correctly he likes Nikon and Canon, and that is all he likes.

Thank you everyone for sharing with me.

I went and looked at the Pentax K-7 at Fry's. I used my lenses and memory card. I had a lot of difficulty getting a decent picture. My old lenses of course could not be used with the auto features of the camera and there was no one to properly show me the camera. Fry's was the only place locally to carry the Pentax D-7, therefore I have decided not to purchase the K-7.

I tried out the Nikon D5000. I think the Canon T2i has a sharper image. I am assuming it is sharper because of the extra MPs. I did also look at the D5000 photos in RAW and from what I can determine they are not as sharp as the T2i in JPEG.

I am feeling very uncertain about choosing between the D5000 and the T2i because of my lack of experience. I do know that I want to zoom in on pictures when viewing them on a the computer monitor, and see the details, therefore I believe the T2i is the way to go. Any comments are welcome.

I have now spent a lot on time on the dpreview site and I am still unsure.

Thank you to all of you.

Ken definately leans towards Nikon and canon. I just figured since her two finalist were those I would throw in his sourece of comparisons.

Good luck with your choice. Bringing home a new camera is just shy of bringing home a little one! Ha!

First, thank you to all of you for going thru this decision process with me.

Thank you Zitro Joe and Alisande. I read Ken's website and checked out the Best Buy pixel comparison. Good information. I have looked at many comparison photos and info on the internet and I do like the extra pixels for viewing and zooming in on the computer monitor. However, I just need to get closer to my subject when I want that kind of detail.

I am now deciding between the Nikon D5000 with two kit lenses (18-55 mm + 55-200mm) and the Nikon 90 with one kit lens (17-105 mm). I am told the 17-105mm has better optics.

I really like the grip and feel of the D90. I fits in my hand better and feels more balanced. My only problem is the extra weight. I am wonder how important the weight is for any of you. The D90 with the lens on is 10 oz heavier than the D5000 with the 18-55 mm lens, and 8 oz heavier than the D5000 with the 55-200 lens. I am not planning to take it on long trips just short outings. I have some aches and pains in my neck and shoulders, but there is a hand strap available (that I would use with either camera) instead of a neck strap.

The other things I like about the D90 besides the grip and feel are:

Better viewfinder
Larger monitor
Depth of field preview
Stronger build
Better optics in the lens
A little better in low light?
One nicer kit lenses

What I like about the D5000:

Lighter weight
Built-in protection for the LCD screen because it flips around

There is no question that I would choose the D90 over the D5000. I am just concerned about the weight of the camera. The salesman points out that if it is too heavy I will be less inclined to take it with me. Is this true of any of you? Does the weight cause you to leave it behind?

Thank you again.

debs3,
I read a review that compared a D80 (the camera I have) to a D90. As far as weight, it said the D90 weights 1.2 oz more than the D80. The D90 hadn't come out when I got my camera, but I was hooked with the way the camera felt in my hands. I like the weightiness of it..I was always afraid I'd accidentally drop a smaller and lighter camera....just me. Even though I have smaller cameras, I don't hesitate to take it with me anywhere.
Whichever one you choose, I know you will have a great time with it.

Pam

The deed is done. I bought the Nikon D90 kit with the 17-105 mm lens and a Panasonic LX3. I am feeling so spoiled.

Lazypup, your enthusiasm for Pentax really got me excited about the Pentax K-7, but the lack of support for Pentax in our area is very discouraging.

We are headed out of town today, I will report back next week.

Thank you everyone.

Deb