Pentax K-5 Weatherproof Digital SLR Digital Camera Body w/ 1080p HD Video $699.99 + FS eBay (via BuyDig)

If you do pick one up I recommend picking up an extended warranty from Pentax for only $20 for 2 years. You can get 'em right off of Adorama so a 3 year warranty is only $20 more.

http://www.adorama.com/IPXEWKX.html

I bought this for $1100 earlier this year and I freaking love this camera. The picture quality is amazing and the ergonomics are fantastic.

When you get a lens, make sure it is also waterproof, or you defeat the purpose!!

If you do pick one up I recommend picking up an extended warranty from Pentax for only $20 for 2 years. You can get 'em right off of Adorama so a 3 year warranty is only $20 more.

http://www.adorama.com/IPXEWKX.html

I bought this for $1100 earlier this year and I freaking love this camera. The picture quality is amazing and the ergonomics are fantastic.

The other great thing is that this warranty also provides for a free complete check up "at any time during the warranty period."

Just an FYI though... the owner of the camera needs to send $20 along w/ the warranty info for shipping and handling from the repair place to the owner.

That said, the free tune up is worth the cost of this, so really it's a no brainer.

If I were starting again from scratch today, I'd likely go Sony or Pentax, not Nikon or Canon.

I've read that on lenses 200mm or more, in lens stabilization is a little better than in body. Of course neither of these are as good as using a tripod or a monopod w/ stabilization on. But I think it has a lot to do with the user's technique too - friends of mine who have been shooting rifles for a long time are quite a bit better at getting a shot from a long ways away with a low shutter speed.

But I know I've benefited a lot from having in body stabilization - I often can get away with shooting with shutter speeds at up to 1/5th the focal length (it is often taught that a person should shoot at a shutter speed equal to the focal length for a sharp image ie: if shooting 100mm, you should shoot at 1/100 on 35mm or 1/150 on apsc). And the great thing about in body stabilization, every lens you mount on it is stabilized. Often the time you need it the most is when there is very little light like at an indoor party at night in an average person's house that isn't really well lit. In that situation, I'd be using a fast prime lens like my Pentax FA77 1.8 and I'd be shooting at f2.0 w/ a shutter speed of around 1/30th or maybe even 1/20th and have an iso of around 3200 or even up to 12800. This is when stabilization is the most important in my opinion.

If I'm shooting with a long telephoto, it's usually in the day and if I need faster shutter speeds, I will up the ISO. Nikon and Canon do not have many fast primes with lens stabilization. All Pentax fast primes will be stabilized on the k5, even lenses that are 40 years old! And with Pentax, you don't have to pay extra for a stabilized lens. And your lens won't weigh more because it has a more complex design.

So there are pros and cons to each type, but I'm glad that all of my lenses are stabilized.

From a Nikon D5100 and D800e user, I can say that the Pentax K-5 was the camera I wanted BADD!! It was too expensive at the time at over $1700 w/lens so I opted to get the d5100. I got the D800e as an upgrade a year later. I was already locked into the Nikon system.

If you just getting into DSLR, chose wisely as you end up being locked into one system due to the amount invested in lenses and accessories (mainly lenses since that's were the money goes).

Going Pentax is the way to go since all your lenses are stabilized and you can buy lenses from way back when.
What other lenses work on the pentax? Sony and Minolta lenses?

Am I the only one thinking 700 slaps for a camera is a lot? Maybe I just dont know enough about cameras.

I really wish people would stop referring to snapsort.

But anyway, this is a great deal.

What is wrong with snapsort?

it's some computer generated comparsion using data complied from several review sites.

it's frequently wrong, and it often compares stuff that is not very important.

it's better to read real user reviews.