I'm looking at buying a new camera and lenses (starting from scratch) and I had a look at the Pentax K5 and really liked the smaller size and the ergonomics of the body and heard good things about the picture quality from the K5, so I am thinking of possibly trying out Pentax, the only problem is trying to work out what lenses to purchase.
I've narrowed it down to the following kits:
*K5 With Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 and Tamron 70-200 f/2.8.
*K5 With Sigma 17-70 and 70-200 (between the OS and non OS models).
*K5 With Pentax 16-50 f/2.8 and Pentax 60-250.
*K5 With Pentax 16-45 f/4 and Pentax 60-250.
*K5 With Pentax 17-70 f/4 and Pentax 60-250.
Anyone using these lenses on Pentax bodies? how much better is the SDM lenses vs the body driven AF lenses? and how well does the Tamron AF work on the Pentax bodies?
In my experience the SDM was not faster than the regular screw driven focus motor. The real advantage of the Pentax system is mating the K-5's smaller form factor with the limited primes. If you are going to purchase zooms, you are going to be much better off with the Nikon D7000. I owned both. AF on the nikon is much better.
If you are looking for something small, I think the best system now is the NEX with manual focus lenses. A camera being small is great, but has no real advantage once paired with a larger zoom if you intend to pocket carry.
The K-5 is a great camera in many areas, but unfortunately AF speed isn't the same as Nikon or Canon. The sensor in the K-5 performs practically identical to the D7000, as they are both Sony sensors.
I am also looking at the D7000 or possibly a NEX 7.
The only thing is, I don't really like the way the D7000 feels to hold, it's grip isn't as comfortable as the K5, and the K5 is smaller.
I did try a A77 and the EVF was ok, but I think I would rather use a optical viewfinder, I owned a Olympus E-P2 with the EVF and didn't really like it much, especially when shooting in low light, not sure how well the Sony EVF performs in low light/night time shooting conditions.
If I do go with the Pentax, I do plan on adding some of the smaller primes, but want to start off with 2 zooms. The K5 prices have also come down allot over the last 2 months, and it's now cheaper then the D7000.
The lenses you listed as a possible pairing with the Pentax are not known for speed. I had the Tamron 70-200 2.8. Excellent lens, but slow. Optically it was brilliant, every bit as good as the 80-200, but the AF was rather dismal. Another thing to keep in mind is the flash system. If you use external flash, the Nikon, again, is miles ahead. I could never get the K-5 to produce consistent results without needing to do everything manually.
The prices on the K-5 have really dropped, so that is a definite bonus. Also keep in mind though, if you decide to sell your equipment, you will have better luck reselling Nikon stuff without taking a bath.
I think the question of "what do you shoot" really applies here. I mostly shoot landscape. So AF speed isn't as important to me as weight. But I do use flash so need a decent flash system. I am giving serious consideration to NEX, just to have a camera I can take along in a coat pocket, or if I pack a bag, something that doesn't weight much.
I didn't mind the A77 EVF when I tried it, it seemed pretty decent. What types of things do you shoot? WIll this be your primary system?
Yeah the resale value is my main concern and is probably the biggest thing holding me back from buying a K5 over the D7000 as tend to sell off my gear allot when I get bored.
I mostly do available light photography, so the flash system isn't a big issue, and I don't usually do much action photography (I mainly shoot landscapes).
I was thinking about the A77, but after trying it out, I found it to be big (I tried it with the 16-50 f/2.8) so If I go with Sony, I will get the NEX 7 (if I can find one) or possibly the new Fuji mirrorless camera.
I shoot Nikon (D300 and D90) and Pentax (K5) and have a NEX 5N.
When using zoom lenses I almost always go for the Nikon bodies. Pentax autofocus does not compete. To me, the reason to get a Pentax is to use the excellent and compact limited prime lenses.
Looking at the K5 and the list of lenses that you posted above, I would certainly prefer the Nikon D7000 and the Nikon AFS 16-85 VR, which is an excellent zoom. Kirk Tuck said it was the best zoom lens he ever used. I have nothing but good things to say about that lens and have taken many trips with only my D90 and the 16-85. Then if you want to have something for low light that is compact, you could add the new Nikon 35 or some alternative glass like a Zeiss 50/1.4.
EOS20 wrote:
Another question, how well does the Pentax Shake Reduction system compare to optically stabilised lenses?
One thing I really don't like about my K5 is that the only way to turn off IS is by diving into the menus, where on lenses that have VR there is an easy to get to switch on the lens and you really want to turn off image stabilization when using a tripod or when your shutter speed is faster than 1/250.
With optically stabilized lenses you can see the stabilization working in the viewfinder.
As far as using image stabilization on my K5 and on my Nikon 16-85 I don't notice much difference and i also think by the nature of hand holding it's difficult to test.
Jeff Kott wrote:
One thing I really don't like about my K5 is that the only way to turn off IS is by diving into the menus
That sucks, the K20D I had used a three way switch: off, on, on + IS. Really had a superb user interface overall, just wish the AF system had been moderately decent.
the lenses you mention defeat the purpose of getting a small body. they are every bit as large as everyone else's lenses of comparable specs. i think if you are not getting the Pentax Limiteds, the benefits from the body are minimal to nonexistent. SDM is at best the same speed as their older AF. the only significant advantage is noise and more modern lenses, but they are probably less reliable than the non-SDM lenses. the SDM AF motors have a tendency to go and are expensive to replace once out of warrantee. oh, and early SDM lenses tended to have QC issues. i occasionally use my K5 for landscape work and the most uses lenses are the 21 Limited or the 14/2.8 with the DA* 16-50/2.8 sometimes. mostly though, i use it for portrait work with the 43 Limited, 77 Limited, or 55/1.4 and sometimes macros with the FA 100/2.8.
Herb...
EOS20 wrote:
I'm looking at buying a new camera and lenses (starting from scratch) and I had a look at the Pentax K5 and really liked the smaller size and the ergonomics of the body and heard good things about the picture quality from the K5, so I am thinking of possibly trying out Pentax, the only problem is trying to work out what lenses to purchase.
Anyone using these lenses on Pentax bodies? how much better is the SDM lenses vs the body driven AF lenses? and how well does the Tamron AF work on the Pentax bodies?
A couple observations from a K-5 and Canon 1Ds owner....
The K-5 is a real pleasure to use, small and tight, kind of along the lines of a Nikon F100.
It's rainproof (at least with the right lenses)! I spent an hour out in an Oregon downpour day before yesterday without once thinking about how drenched the camera was getting, and just set it on the kitchen counter to drip dry when I came in. Don't try this at home with your 5D2. Or with your Sigma lenses.
Image quality is sterling, as good as you're going to find in an APS-C camera, and in very many situations the equal of full-frame.
Autofocus is irritatingly slow and clumsy -- the decade-old 1Ds smokes it, with decade-old lenses -- but it still works fine for most situations.
There is, ahem, some dispute out there about the SDM quality issue. My own belief, based on lots of reading online, is that Pentax quality control is no better and no worse than Canon or Nikon's -- and that the quality of current digital gear overall is simply worse than in film days. Digital cameras and lenses are more complicated and more delicate. I could be wrong.
My workhorse lenses are the Pentax 16-50 and 50-135/2.8. My fun lenses are the 21/3.2 and 70/2.4 Limited primes. I print from all four of those lenses to 22x30 on an Epson 7600 and love the prints.
I use old auto flashes (a $40 Pentax 280T and a Vivitar 285 with an optical trigger); for events and portraits, that setup is easily the equal of the Canon E-TTL flashes I still have for the 1Ds.
I know this is an old thread, but I agree with what everyone else has said here. I shoot a K-5 alongside a D700. After using the Pentax system for several years I've gone to a completely prime kit. There's just not much reason to shoot zooms with the K-5. Brilliant camera, though.
After using just about every camera out there I finally settled on a K-5, it grows on you. I don't need super fast autofocus but it has not failed me in any situation so far.
