[addisonnicogel]

I'm about in the market now, I think. I've been reading a lot of the other threads, as well as reviews, but it's an awful lot of money to spend so I'm really trying to cover my bases.

It's mostly between the Pentax K10D and Sony Alpha at the moment, I think. Obviously the Alpha's price is much more appealing, but I could stretch my wallet a bit if the extra $200 for the Pentax if it is worth it. The camera itself is just for general use.

I actually work at a Wolf Camera, so I've had a chance to play around with a lot of DSLR's and such (I've only been there two weeks, part time, so I'm still learning about the cameras themselves). I can say my hands are about just the right size that I could be easily comfortable holding a D80 or Rebel XTi. We don't carry the K10D, so I haven't had a chance to get a feel for it yet.

I think my main concern is three, four, five years down the line if I decide I want to upgrade to a more midrange DSLR. I don't know what Sony or Pentax's future plans are (I did see mention in older threads of Sony having new bodies coming out and Pentax being bought out, but other than that I'm clueless). I suppose, though, I might be in the market for some new lenses by the time I get to that point anyway.

Just a side note - this won't be the camera's primary purpose (it'll be just general use) - but I was wondering what kind of lens would be good for conventions (i.e., dimly lit, with high concentrations of light). I'm looking for small aperture, I figure, but I think most of the telephoto / zoom lenses ideal for that kind of use are probably far out of my price range (even though I haven't even really determined what I want to spend yet). Though I also get the impression the K10D is a bit less noisy at higher ISOs, which I think would help a bit.

Anyway, any input is appreciated.