[kuau]

Is there anyway a K5 with there DA* 50-135/2.8 can compete with a D3s with Nikons 70-200mm 2.8 AFS-VRII at base ISO and IQ?
I am going to be shooting a lot of action ski photo's this winter and I already own the D3S/70-200mm combo which is amazing and yet very heavy to lug around.
Just not to sure about AF performance when shooting sports with the K5 / DA* 50-135?

Steven

[dgaies]

Is there anyway a K5 with there DA* 50-135/2.8 can compete with a D3s with Nikons 70-200mm 2.8 AFS-VRII at base ISO and IQ?
I am going to be shooting a lot of action ski photo's this winter and I already own the D3S/70-200mm combo which is amazing and yet very heavy to lug around.
Just not to sure about AF performance when shooting sports with the K5 / DA* 50-135?

Steven

I actually just replied in the other thread, here's the cut and paste of it:

I have no idea how to quantify the difference, but D3S/70-200 would easily outperform the K5/50-135 in terms of AF for action shots. Whether or not the K5/50-135 would be acceptable or not is another question. I have the 50-135, and although the IQ is excellent and the AF perfectly acceptable for most applications, I'm not sure how confident I would be using it for fast-paced AF action shots.

[kuau]

Yeah, I am not looking to replace the D3s setup, i was thinking for a smaller setup when I am not in the mood for carrying around the Nikon stuff, For the price of a k5 and 50-135 is peanuts compared to Nikon, and another thought was when I have to shoot on a snowy day I am really impressed with the weather sealing of the K5, which I don't think the Nikon D7000 can compare with or not even sure the D3s can take. I would feel a lot safer to take out a $2400.00 K5 setup on snowy days then a $7000 D3s 70-200 setup..

Steven

[dgaies]

Yeah, I am not looking to replace the D3s setup, i was thinking for a smaller setup when I am not in the mood for carrying around the Nikon stuff, For the price of a k5 and 50-135 is peanuts compared to Nikon, and another thought was when I have to shoot on a snowy day I am really impressed with the weather sealing of the K5, which I don't think the Nikon D7000 can compare with or not even sure the D3s can take. I would feel a lot safer to take out a $2400.00 K5 setup on snowy days then a $7000 D3s 70-200 setup..

Steven

Understood.

I will say that the AF does lock a bit quicker with the K5 compared to my K7. The AF-C mode also works better than the K7. Again though, I have no idea how this compares to what you're used to with the D3s as I've never used one. Also, as long as your subjects are generally about the same distance, the AF might do an acceptable job as a significant amount of the slowness of the DA 50-135 is the relatively slow travel of the fairly long focus throw.

[imtheguy]

Is there anyway a K5 with there DA* 50-135/2.8 can compete with a D3s with Nikons 70-200mm 2.8 AFS-VRII at base ISO and IQ?
Steven

Perfect opportunity to answer your own question FOR SURE by renting the K-5 and lens from CameraLensRentals.com and doing some testing.

[creampuff]

I actually just replied in the other thread, here's the cut and paste of it:

I have no idea how to quantify the difference, but D3S/70-200 would easily outperform the K5/50-135 in terms of AF for action shots. Whether or not the K5/50-135 would be acceptable or not is another question. I have the 50-135, and although the IQ is excellent and the AF perfectly acceptable for most applications, I'm not sure how confident I would be using it for fast-paced AF action shots.

My question is have you even tried shooting fast-paced AF action shots with the K-5 & DA* 50-135mm before coming to your conclusion?

[dgaies]

My question is have you even tried shooting fast-paced AF action shots with the K-5 & DA* 50-135mm before coming to your conclusion?

Yes, I have.

While the K5+50-135 is an improvement over the K7+50-135, I still would not consider it particular fast setup for fast action sports (or similar shooting).

Also, FWIW, my K5+60-250 outperforms the K5+50-135 in terms of AF speed.

EDIT: That said, I plan to use my K5+50-135 tomorrow to shoot my son's first karate "test". As I wouldn't call that "fast-paced AF action" (they are 4-year olds), I think the K5+50-135 should do fine.

[luke0622]

kuau,

I wouldn't compare D3s with K-5 especially in AF department, I mean, I shoot with D700 for action, mainly using K-5 with primes for portraits or so...

and now let's talk about Pentax K-5, great upgrade over K-7, used K-7 in the rain, in the cold with Da* lenses before, it's perfect, K-7 and K-5 seem to be unstoppable in extreme weathers...

Go for the K-5, it's a GO!!!!

[climit]

Well, the K-5 system is the Range Rover of the cameras.