I don't know, never having tried that, but I would suspect they might
fight each other. It is often recommended to turn IS off when you use a
tripod.

    Don't rush else you may end up spending more for less.  I would suggest to
spend at least 4-6 months with lot of reading to have the idea what you are
getting yourself into, or try to dig as much information as possible.  Or
try to read *both* GOOD/BAD sides before spending the money.

    Or try to think of the whole SYSTEM instead of any specific body or brand.
So, if you interest in Nikon (or Nikon D40) then point your browser to some
web page like www.dpreview.com or www.steves-digicams.com (I think it's the
correct name as I saw it few days ago), and join the Nikon FORUM to read and
learn more about it.

    This type of question shouldn't be asked <bg>, because you either don't
get the right answer, no answer, or wrong answer.  Or a cheap P&S with right
lighting and setting could easily beat expensive DSLR body with cheap poor
lens and wrong setting.

    Yes and No, I haven't seen any body has built-in IS (have heard some) to
start with, and I have never done any research about those.  Cuz to me it
isn't an important part, or I don't have much time to waste on wishful
thing, or easier way out.

    I have never read anything about Pentax, never owned any Nikon etc.. but I
have a feeling that you are more interesting about $$$$ than building a
camera system.

    I can tell you that going for DSLR is not going to be expensive, but you
will need lot more than just Pentax vs Nikon.  Here is a general answer

- Get a GOOD LENS to go with the body.  For the lens you may want to check
with www.fredmiranda.com REVIEWS to read the end users' feedbacks.  And
depending on the body, sometime the lens will cost more than body.

    And if you want good IQ (Image Quality) and more chance to capture sharp,
clean image then Good Fast Lens is the way to go.  And a top-notch xx-200
lens you may be looking at around $1000-1700 (for example).

    You said you have done lot of research, but to me you will need to do much
more, and don't pay much attention to wishful thing but whatever system you
try to build.

On Nov 26, 3:28 pm, "Eichler34" <john.eich...@comcast.net_nospam>
wrote:

As antidotal information, it appears the Canon uses like their
Canons.  Nikon users really like their Nikons.  But Pentax users LOVE
their Pentaxs.  I don't know if it's the counter cultural thing or the
egronomics or the interface, but Pentax users are a breed apart and
have much more love of their equipment than either Nikon or Canon
users.

If you look around, you are probably likely to find used pentax glass
at a more reasonable price than used Nikon that will fit a newer
camera.

If you're not tied into another line, then don't be afraid of Pentax
just because it isn't Nikon.

How about an Olympus 510?
It's well rated, has stabilization within its body as well as quite a lot of
goodies* :
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse510/
and sometimes, you get 2 lenses at one shot :-)
Marcel

_______________________________________
 a.. 10 Megapixels Digital SLR Camera
 b.. 2.5 inch HyperCrystal LCD screen
 c.. Live MOS Sensor
 d.. Imager shift image stabilizer
 e.. 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Lens
 f.. Sequential shooting speed - Approx. 3 frames/sec.
 g.. Live View - Live-MOS Sensor for still picture shooting is used, 100%
field of view, Exposure adjustment pre-view, White balance adjustment
pre-view, Grid line displayable, 7x/10x magnification possible, MF/S-AF, AF
frame display, AF point display, Shooting information, Histogram, IS
activating mode, Heat warning
 h.. Dust reduction - Supersonic Wave Filter (dust reduction system for
image sensor)
 i.. Picture Mode - Vivid, Natural, Muted, Monotone (default setting:
Natural)
 j.. Picture tone - Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green tone available for
Monotone
 k.. Metering system - TTL open-aperture metering system: Digital ESP
metering (49-point multi pattern metering), Centre weighted average
metering, Spot metering (approx. 1% for the viewfinder screen), Spot with
Highlight control, Spot with Shadow control
 l.. Exposure mode - Auto, Program AE, Aperture priority AE, Shutter
priority AE, Manual, Scene program AE, Scene select AE
 m.. Memory - CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive, xD-Picture Card
(Dual-Slot)
 n.. Recording format - DCF, DPOF compatible/Exif, PRINT Image Matching III
 o.. File format - RAW (12-bit), JPEG, RAW+JPEG
 p.. Scene program AE Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sport, Night + Portrait
 q.. JPEG editing - Monotone, Sepia, Red-eye reduction, Saturation (color
depth), Resize (producing another file)
 r.. Print function - Print reservation (DPOF), Direct print (PictBridge
compatible)
 s.. PC interface - USB 2.0 High Speed for storage and camera control (MTP
mode is available)
 t.. Power Requirements - BLM-1 Li-ion battery (included)
 u.. Dimensions - 5.35 in.(W) x 3.6 in. (W) x 2.67in. (D) / 136 mm (W) x
91.5 mm (H) x 68 mm (D) (excluding protrusions)
 v.. Weight - 16.2 oz. / 460 g (body only)

Some Nikon lenses have IS/VR/AS (image stabilisation), where-as none of
the Pentax lenses do.
For the simple reason that all Pentax DSLR cameras on the market now
have sensor-shift AS, so there is no need for AS lenses for Pentax.

As a general rule, if IS/VR/AS (image stabilisation) is built into the
body, then it won't be in the lenses (the only exception seems to 4/3:
Olympus bodies Vs Leica lenses).
There only seems to be a few bodies which have both an AF motor and
contacts for in-lens motor, the two current Pentax DSLR cameras and all
Nikons except the bottom model (D40x ?).

With Pentax there are no IS/VR/AS (image stabilisation) lenses, so there
can't be a "fight" between the sensor-shift AS and in-lens AS.
The same with Nikon, for the opposite reason.
It could conceivably happen with FourThirds, some Olympus DSLR camera
bodies have AS built in (like the Pentax DSLR cameras), there are some
FourThirds AS lenses (similar to Nikon IS) and mixing the two could have
interesting results

John,

I bet you watch pro sports.  Take a look at the Photogs on the sidelines,
They are shooting either Canon or Nikon and have choice glass to boot.  They
make their living with their gear and you can bet they have more invested in
glass than in camera bodies.

I  like to say, "buy a lens and put a camera on it".

Feature rich cameras are nice but you will find that you never use all of
the features anyway.  The important thing is to get the feature you want.
Of course you do not know yet what features are important to you.

You also do not know what you are going to do with the photos.  4X6 prints
and the occasional 8X10 (8X12)?  Web site and email?

The D40X is a good choice, I have heard good things...  I'm like Canon and
would push you towards the XTi.  Either will do justice and are good entry
level DSLR's

More important than any of this is to develop the skill of taking good
photographs.  So many see that big black machine with the words Canon or
Nikon on it and think that the photos will automatically turn out great, not
true...

Learn to compose, expose and edit...  Read.  Shoot tons of photos,
experiment, get critiques.  Stay away from the NG's and post images and good
critique sites like DPreveiw, Usefilm, Pop Photo and Shutterbug.  There are
many others...

It is entirely possible that Nikon may be paying a promomtional commission
to salespeople.

Which camera 'feels' best? Which one is easier for YOU to use? Historically,
Nikons have been the cameras of professionals and Pentax has been the camera
for beginners. So much for the snob factor!
Explore the features and accessories available for each camera, and pick the
one that you think will give you what you want.

On Nov 26, 8:28 pm, "Eichler34" <john.eich...@comcast.net_nospam>
wrote:

Did he say *why* he thought it better to have the featuers in the
lens?

Both cameras have optically excellent lenses available.  With the
Pentax, you can use any Pentax lens with it, even the old M42 thread
ones with an adapter.  Obviously that won't make a manual focus lens
into an autofocus one, but it opens up using lots of very good lenses
brought reasonably on Ebay.

As to which is the absolute best lens - you probably don't want to
spend that much money...

The autofocus method was never anything to do with the lens - it's the
motor that's in the lens for the D30x, not the mechanism for
determining where to focus.  And my view is that having image
stabilisation in the body is good as I get a much wider choice of
lenses from both the original maker and 3rd party makers.

There are no Pentax lenses with IS so they can't compete.

And as someone else said, have you been to a shop to try the cameras
out?  I'm sure you woudn't buy a quality suit based on magazine
reviews - you'd want to try it one and see how it fits.  The same with
a camera IMHO.

Good lenses are a must. They will stay with you longer than the camera
body. Later you can buy the Nikon  D300 or D400 as you progress and
still use the same lenses.

The other thing is don't get hung up on specs. a good picture depends on
what is in the frame.  That is down to you (and the lens to some extent)
not the spec of the camera body.

VR  is not a "must"  it was not used for the first 200 years of
photography. If you are doing low light it is useful but not
essential.... (use a tripod :-)

It depends what the kids sports are. If it is indoor in a well lit hall
you are not going to need VR.

Either will be fine, I'm a Nikon man so know about them.  But handle both
and get which feels best.

Remember though: image stabilisation, whether in-body or in-lens, will do
nothing for subject motion, e.g. sports, which you said will be your main
subject.  IS is only good for camera shake.

For sports you need fast shutter speeds (1/500th or faster perhaps) - and
that means fast glass, i.e. with a wide maximum aperture, preferably of f/2
or better.  So for example an f/4.5 - f/5.6 zoom won't do it (can't recall
what the Nikon 55-200VR is but it's not fast).  With such a commercial zoom
your shots will be blurred, dark or both.