Nikon D80 VS Canon Xti VS SOny A100 VS Pentax K10D

Hi,
I am going to look for a new camera in that category sometime this year. I would like to know your opinions on the cameras (Nikon D80 VS Canon Xti VS SOny A100 VS Pentax K10D), the lenses, the camera/lenses system and the like. Obviously you will have a certain bias towards your preferred brand, but what I am interested in is why have you chosen that particular brand and what did you dislike from the other brand. (The good old car sale trick, you want to know the defect of a car, go see the competitor, he will gladly tell you).

My background is 5000+ shots with a 4 Megapixel HP (with pentax 3x lens) P&S. For about a year now, I've had the Canon Powershot S2 IS (5 Megapixel with a Canon Stabilized 12X zoom and all manual modes). I've taken a few thousands shots with that one too. I've read a few books and lots of tips. Now, I think I am ready for my first DSLR.

I love to do night photography and landscape. I'd like to do more portraits and maybe once in a while sports photography (Rugby). I intend to buy a body for about 1000$ canadian (The price of the cameras mentioned) without the kit lens and to pay another 1000$ for some lenses at the same time.

I was thinking of getting some lenses in the following ranges (I am open to suggestions, from the camera makers or well-known third party):
16-45mm f4 (Landscape, night photography, the odd portraits with a background)
50mm f1.4 (night photography, portrait)
50-200mm 4-5.6 (portrait, sport photography, zoom-in landscape features)

I'd like to get these essentials too (If my budget allows, or one of the lens might go so that I can get that):
A better sturdy tripod but not too heavy(I was thinking the Manfrotto Modo)
A few filters: Circular Polarizing, neutral density, UV
The camera grip and an extra battery
A good weatherproof bag to put everything in.

So, what do you have/suggest as the camera, the "glass", the accessories? Why?

Thanks in advance for your input, I am sure that I am not the only one which will be interested in that discussion.

I will post that question at photography-on-the net canon SLR forum, Nikonians D80 forum and Pentax user SLR forum. I will edit the posts to add the links to the other forums once it is posted everywhere.
Canon Forum
Nikon Forum

Regards (sorry for the long post),

Mathieu

The lens choice is a good one, no other comment to make really. The accessories are fine - all very logical.

Why Pentax? For me the quality of design and results, the excellent lenses, the superior viewfinders, the backwards compatibilty with Pentax film lenses.

For you? Only you can decide - why not compare all of them at some local dealer and see what you think?

There are some unique features that might attract you to the K10D:
22 bit A/D conversion
DNG and PEF raw formats
3 fps JPEG capture till card full
Shake reduction built into body so useable with all lenses
Very competitive price

Hope that helps!

As an accessory, get a cable release for whatever camera you go for - makes work on a tripod easier and steadier!

As this is your first SLR you are not restricted by having legacy lenses, but should you decide to go with pentax you will find that you can use all their older lenses (with some restrictions) which often come up on that well known auction site.

Another reason for going with the K10D: infra-red. It seems that it is still quite amenable to IR photography - so add a hoya R72 filter and you get a whole new avenue to explore. I'm not sure the other makes are as sensitive in the near-IR wavelengths.

I have a Pentax *ist Ds and on the course I'm following I have also used a couple of Canons, 350 and (I think) 300. Now my Pentax is so easy to use in comparison - so much more intuitive, you don't need a third hand to set things. Even the Canon users commented on that! I don't know what the K10D is like, sadly I can't afford one (yet), but if it is anything like my Ds it will be easy and intuitive to use.

I would suggest you go and get your hands on all the options in a shop where they will let you really try them out, read the handbooks and have a play with them.

Another advantage or two of the K10D are the weatherproffing, and the sensor cleaning as well as the anti-shake. The sensor cleaning I believe occurs at shut down unlike other cameras with it which do it on start up, which slows things down a bit.

Thank you for your answers.
I welcome more comments, if you have any. Especially the kind of lenses I should get in your opinions (brands and focal length). I'd like to know which lenses in those ranges are good and which are not so good.

Same kind of things about the accessories. What brand of filters/filter systems do you use? What bag do you like? Any experience with the Modo tripod?

I was already leaning towards the Pentax because of the price of the lenses, the sensor anti shake and the wheather proofing. I am very happy to know that the pentax is good for infrared. This is the kind of stuff I want to know!

What about the lens availability? It seems that there are more canon and Nikon lenses available, am I mistaken?

Thanks for the comments and continue to keep them coming!

there are more lenses available for those other brands because they pretty much force you to buy a whole new system evrytime you try to upgrade.
in other words how many of those lenses will work with any particular body has to be weighed against what pentax offers. no one body from any other brand will work with as many different lenses as a pentax.

In July 2006 my Minolta 5000 the 2nd AF release camera by Minolta died, and looked around as I had extension tubes / 28-70 and 70-210 mm glass TARMON glass to use with my MINOLTA. My first choice was to save up money for the D70S but when I walked into Henry's I saw the SONY flyers and didn't like the look of it, and the D70S was lots of money.

But I saw the Pentax *DSL2 with 18-55 and 50-200 mm glass and also took 52mm filters which my MINOLTA off brand stuff took, I was sold and purchased that day, and also later was informed of the coupon and about a week later when Henry's had a sale I saved another ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS CANADIAN plus tax, and now happy using this KIT and would like to say using PENTAX as made me a better photographer.

A macro image I took recently can be seen @
http://www.psaphoto.org/Group01/Images/m-4.jpg
And one of a friends's dog @
http://www.psaphoto.org/Group16/Images/Mem6/mem6a.jpg

Looking forward to my first CHRISTMAS shooting DIGITAL and love the choice in case of emergencies to use the AA batteries.

Thanks to PENTAX I am now a better photographer.