No they are not. If your just getting a dslr then grab a nikon d40 with a 18-55mm vr lens. great camera. its only 6mp but its plenty enough for 4x6 all the way up to poster size. Its the best camera under $1200 for low light photography, and its got a great lens. also the flash sync time is 1/500th of a second versus the slower 1/250th of a second that every other entry level digital slr has. It can be had for under 450 with that lens which is a great piece of glass. I use it in my bag a lot and love it. The thing with digital is that the camera's depreciate in value a lot more than lenses and its the lens that makes a good picture great. Ive shot stuff on my d200 with a shit vivitar lens and it was crap. OS save your money, get a d40 and the 18-55vr, a 55-200vr for telephoto 2 uv filters for each lens and if you need a flash then have a look at the sb400 flash. All this can be had for around 800 and would be a better set up than any pentax, canon or more expensive nikon set up for a beginner
