Pentax vs. Nikon Questions

**Lowell Goudge** · 11-10-2011, 01:57 PM

Originally posted by BravoFoxtrot

First off...great community! I've read a ton of posts here and this site is fantastic!

Now to the questions...

I'm at a crossroad of which direction to go regarding the Pentax and Nikon systems. I've tested the D7000 out on multiple occasions and like Nikon's lense selection. I also like their flashes. I haven't seen, let alone handled, a K-5 as I haven't found one in the area. The K-5 and Pentax lenses are the rogue factor in this purchase decision. I have had great experience with their astro EP's, so I suspect their DSLR and lenses are of equally high quality.

Without any prior handling/usage of any Pentax DSLR, I'm leery about diving into a Pentax system. The Nikon is obviously well established in the DSLR market and have a significant amount of support, lenses, flashes, etc. However, the features, ergonomics, build quality. weather resistance, and all of the great primes I've read about really put the Pentax on the top of my list.

With that said...any experiences anyone would like to share who have also been down this decision path? Any regrets or buyers remorse for either? Does anyone feel hampered by having less lenses, support, etc. with Pentax? How about the flash systems?

Caveat - I've read about problems with both bodies. It seems like a wash. I also have no future ambitions for any of the high end telephoto lenses.

Thanks in advance!
Joe

Just a simple view of things comparing pentax to nikon

- with a few exceptions, you will find that both cameras use the same sensors from sony. the exceptions are the K20 and K7, and the nikon full frame, (pentax does not have one and please DO NOT consider this as an invitation to start the full frame debate, otherwise it is possible to find equivelent (based upon sensor) cameras in both pentax and nikon cameras, therefore shooting RAW is the great equalizer. images from both should be very comparable.

Lenses, both manufacturers make a variety of lenses, but pentax generally has a smaller range and is missing some lenses. Mostly pentax has (for lack of bettter terms and again lets not enter the debate of pro and amature) amature or consumer level products (zooms) and prosumer lenses in a variety of zooms and fixed focal length lenses. Unlike Nikon, pentax has no absolute pro line

Pentax has shake reduction in the body, and I personally think this is all that is needed, nikon you have to get Optical stablization lens by lens, but they do offer it in some consumer lenses not just pro lenses. The advantage as far as I can tell will be largely in having a stabalized viewfinder with OS, as well as possibly better AF, because the AF will also see a stable image. BUT for pentax the in body stabalization means any lens you put on has stabization. the two sort of cancel out.

Nikon has a vastly superor flash system, and if you shoot flash, consider this as a reason to go nikon.

user interface goes to pentax, I have looked at nikon several times but the menu system and interface is somewhat wanting, and is not at all intuitive.

the other thing that is heavily in pentax's favor is backwards compatibilityu, although nikon is learning. Every pentax DSLR can use and meter any lens you can mount to it. Only a few nikons can do this, but the number is growing, and the buyers seem to want it, as evident by the rapid disappearance of legacy nikon lenses at my local haunts.

I can't comment about pentax AF but it has never really bothered me, so as far as I am concerned it is adequate for my uses, which include wildlife, low light, and general travel / archetectural photography.

Frogfish · 11-10-2011, 02:10 PM

Originally posted by filorp

Not in low light.... d700 and k5 is like night and day, and im not talking about continous AF mode. I can agree reg durability built, but so what if one cannot hit the target.... But anyway d700 is like 2.5x more expensive... its comparison aples to oranges....

I'm sorry but looking through your posts above you don't know your apples from your oranges (that is a pseudonym for a common British saying using parts of the anatomy) - where the K5's AF is concerned. I've used the K5 on pro sports shoots in semi-darkness and it never missed a beat, also for interiors in virtually complete darkness with an average speed lens (Sigma 10-20), and with the focus assist switched off, and the K5 still hits focus every time. For sports shoots it's excellent. For birding I've tracked and shot small birds at 80 yds. without even a hint of not being able to follow the target.

What you may have seen could well be as a result of having an inferior lens on your camera as much as the camera itself (or be user error) - put a quality lens on it and it's excellent. Yes Nikon's better cameras have great AF, as do Canon's better cameras, I've used both the 7D and D700, what I have found is that though they are a fraction faster the accuracy rate seems to be lower (but again this could be lens-specific). Your rhetoric is way way off base where the K5 is concerned.

mrNewt · 11-10-2011, 02:14 PM

You know there is a simple fix for AF problems in low light conditions ... is called "manual mode"

.
As a rule of thumb, I never use AF in low light conditions no matter how good the AF is - always manual. That's how I shoot most of the times anyway (90% of my lenses are manual lenses).

I think all cameras have their own issues but in the same time if you take the time and learn how to use them, all of them can give astonishing results. In the end is just a matter of what you like how it looks and feel.

Btw, I am using K5 and K10D as DSLRs and I love both of them just the way they are ... and I'm the kind of person who misses the old days of film photography and strongly believes that one to become a good photographer should get his hands first on a fully manual SLR.

Experiment, buy what you like and what you think is good for you, experiment again, get better at it, enjoy

.

Eagle_Friends · 11-10-2011, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by filorp

Not in low light.... d700 and k5 is like night and day, and im not talking about continous AF mode. I can agree reg durability built, but so what if one cannot hit the target.... But anyway d700 is like 2.5x more expensive... its comparison aples to oranges....

Gonna disagree with you. My friend and I swap cameras when we hung out at night, and both cameras performed well under dim lightning around the suburbs. I did not feel the K5 was inferior in any way, espeically not about AF. I was more focus on the feel of the camera and the button layout, the D700 is very well made, I like it much better than a 5D Mark II. The Nikon is a very photo focus dslr, definitely one of the best FF out there. Again, I think you are really exaggerating about the poor AF on the K5, it is not as good as a Nikon, but it is not terrible. I had a K-x before and the K5 is miles ahead in term of AF.

pinholecam · 11-10-2011, 08:17 PM

Originally posted by Eagle_Friends

Gonna disagree with you. My friend and I swap cameras when we hung out at night, and both cameras performed well under dim lightning around the suburbs. I did not feel the K5 was inferior in any way, espeically not about AF. I was more focus on the feel of the camera and the button layout, the D700 is very well made, I like it much better than a 5D Mark II. The Nikon is a very photo focus dslr, definitely one of the best FF out there. Again, I think you are really exaggerating about the poor AF on the K5, it is not as good as a Nikon, but it is not terrible. I had a K-x before and the K5 is miles ahead in term of AF.

+1 to this.
I've used K5 against D700 (the 'pro' was using one) and D7K in my friend's low light church wedding. K5 actually had far better in focus shots than D700 and D7K when I got to review all of them.

pinholecam · 11-10-2011, 10:29 PM

ClassA, I can only say that you are missing out.
The present and future cameras will always be 'problematic' whatever brand they may be.
They are so much a confluence of tech (mechanical; optical; electronic; software) added with short development cycles that makes them almost impossible to be 'error free'.

Its your decision as a consumer of course.

filorp · 11-11-2011, 06:07 AM

Originally posted by pinholecam

+1 to this.
I've used K5 against D700 (the 'pro' was using one) and D7K in my friend's low light church wedding. K5 actually had far better in focus shots than D700 and D7K when I got to review all of them.

... this is exactly in opposition to my personal experience especially with wide angles i had da14 on k5 and sigma 20 f1.8 on d700 and k5 keepers rate was rather pathetic it was even worse during the reception inside dark room filled with stroboscopic lights ... am telling you guys el cheapo d3000 acts better than k5 in that regard...

**Rondec** · 11-11-2011, 07:56 AM

Originally posted by filorp

... this is exactly in opposition to my personal experience especially with wide angles i had da14 on k5 and sigma 20 f1.8 on d700 and k5 keepers rate was rather pathetic it was even worse during the reception inside dark room filled with stroboscopic lights ... am telling you guys el cheapo d3000 acts better than k5 in that regard...

Can't comment on the DA 14, but with my lenses, the K5 is quick and a lot more certain the previous Pentax cameras. Much less hesitation than even the K7. And it doesn't miss focus often. My wife does wedding photography, often in quite low lighting, and hasn't had any issues.

The biggest issue I see with Pentax autofocus is that the focus points are too big and with wide angles in particular, you could easily see the camera locking on the background rather than on what you thought you had focused on.

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11-10-2011, 01:57 PM	#151
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	Originally posted by BravoFoxtrot First off...great community! I've read a ton of posts here and this site is fantastic! Now to the questions... I'm at a crossroad of which direction to go regarding the Pentax and Nikon systems. I've tested the D7000 out on multiple occasions and like Nikon's lense selection. I also like their flashes. I haven't seen, let alone handled, a K-5 as I haven't found one in the area. The K-5 and Pentax lenses are the rogue factor in this purchase decision. I have had great experience with their astro EP's, so I suspect their DSLR and lenses are of equally high quality. Without any prior handling/usage of any Pentax DSLR, I'm leery about diving into a Pentax system. The Nikon is obviously well established in the DSLR market and have a significant amount of support, lenses, flashes, etc. However, the features, ergonomics, build quality. weather resistance, and all of the great primes I've read about really put the Pentax on the top of my list. With that said...any experiences anyone would like to share who have also been down this decision path? Any regrets or buyers remorse for either? Does anyone feel hampered by having less lenses, support, etc. with Pentax? How about the flash systems? Caveat - I've read about problems with both bodies. It seems like a wash. I also have no future ambitions for any of the high end telephoto lenses. Thanks in advance! Joe Just a simple view of things comparing pentax to nikon - with a few exceptions, you will find that both cameras use the same sensors from sony. the exceptions are the K20 and K7, and the nikon full frame, (pentax does not have one and please *DO NOT* consider this as an invitation to start the full frame debate, otherwise it is possible to find equivelent (based upon sensor) cameras in both pentax and nikon cameras, therefore shooting RAW is the great equalizer. images from both should be very comparable. Lenses, both manufacturers make a variety of lenses, but pentax generally has a smaller range and is missing some lenses. Mostly pentax has (for lack of bettter terms and again lets not enter the debate of pro and amature) amature or consumer level products (zooms) and prosumer lenses in a variety of zooms and fixed focal length lenses. Unlike Nikon, pentax has no absolute pro line Pentax has shake reduction in the body, and I personally think this is all that is needed, nikon you have to get Optical stablization lens by lens, but they do offer it in some consumer lenses not just pro lenses. The advantage as far as I can tell will be largely in having a stabalized viewfinder with OS, as well as possibly better AF, because the AF will also see a stable image. BUT for pentax the in body stabalization means any lens you put on has stabization. the two sort of cancel out. Nikon has a vastly superor flash system, and if you shoot flash, consider this as a reason to go nikon. user interface goes to pentax, I have looked at nikon several times but the menu system and interface is somewhat wanting, and is not at all intuitive. the other thing that is heavily in pentax's favor is backwards compatibilityu, although nikon is learning. Every pentax DSLR can use and meter any lens you can mount to it. Only a few nikons can do this, but the number is growing, and the buyers seem to want it, as evident by the rapid disappearance of legacy nikon lenses at my local haunts. I can't comment about pentax AF but it has never really bothered me, so as far as I am concerned it is adequate for my uses, which include wildlife, low light, and general travel / archetectural photography.

11-10-2011, 02:10 PM	#152
Frogfish Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Shanghai Posts: 4,490	Originally posted by filorp Not in low light.... d700 and k5 is like night and day, and im not talking about continous AF mode. I can agree reg durability built, but so what if one cannot hit the target.... But anyway d700 is like 2.5x more expensive... its comparison aples to oranges.... I'm sorry but looking through your posts above you don't know your apples from your oranges (that is a pseudonym for a common British saying using parts of the anatomy) - where the K5's AF is concerned. I've used the K5 on pro sports shoots in semi-darkness and it never missed a beat, also for interiors in virtually complete darkness with an average speed lens (Sigma 10-20), and with the focus assist switched off, and the K5 still hits focus every time. For sports shoots it's excellent. For birding I've tracked and shot small birds at 80 yds. without even a hint of not being able to follow the target. What you may have seen could well be as a result of having an inferior lens on your camera as much as the camera itself (or be user error) - put a quality lens on it and it's excellent. Yes Nikon's better cameras have great AF, as do Canon's better cameras, I've used both the 7D and D700, what I have found is that though they are a fraction faster the accuracy rate seems to be lower (but again this could be lens-specific). Your rhetoric is way way off base where the K5 is concerned.

11-10-2011, 02:14 PM	#153
mrNewt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ON, RH Posts: 2,181	You know there is a simple fix for AF problems in low light conditions ... is called "manual mode" . As a rule of thumb, I never use AF in low light conditions no matter how good the AF is - always manual. That's how I shoot most of the times anyway (90% of my lenses are manual lenses). I think all cameras have their own issues but in the same time if you take the time and learn how to use them, all of them can give astonishing results. In the end is just a matter of what you like how it looks and feel. Btw, I am using K5 and K10D as DSLRs and I love both of them just the way they are ... and I'm the kind of person who misses the old days of film photography and strongly believes that one to become a good photographer should get his hands first on a fully manual SLR. Experiment, buy what you like and what you think is good for you, experiment again, get better at it, enjoy .

11-10-2011, 07:31 PM	#154
Eagle_Friends Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 971	Originally posted by filorp Not in low light.... d700 and k5 is like night and day, and im not talking about continous AF mode. I can agree reg durability built, but so what if one cannot hit the target.... But anyway d700 is like 2.5x more expensive... its comparison aples to oranges.... Gonna disagree with you. My friend and I swap cameras when we hung out at night, and both cameras performed well under dim lightning around the suburbs. I did not feel the K5 was inferior in any way, espeically not about AF. I was more focus on the feel of the camera and the button layout, the D700 is very well made, I like it much better than a 5D Mark II. The Nikon is a very photo focus dslr, definitely one of the best FF out there. Again, I think you are really exaggerating about the poor AF on the K5, it is not as good as a Nikon, but it is not terrible. I had a K-x before and the K5 is miles ahead in term of AF.

11-10-2011, 08:17 PM	#155
pinholecam Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,709	Originally posted by Eagle_Friends Gonna disagree with you. My friend and I swap cameras when we hung out at night, and both cameras performed well under dim lightning around the suburbs. I did not feel the K5 was inferior in any way, espeically not about AF. I was more focus on the feel of the camera and the button layout, the D700 is very well made, I like it much better than a 5D Mark II. The Nikon is a very photo focus dslr, definitely one of the best FF out there. Again, I think you are really exaggerating about the poor AF on the K5, it is not as good as a Nikon, but it is not terrible. I had a K-x before and the K5 is miles ahead in term of AF. +1 to this. I've used K5 against D700 (the 'pro' was using one) and D7K in my friend's low light church wedding. K5 actually had far better in focus shots than D700 and D7K when I got to review all of them.

11-10-2011, 10:29 PM	#156
pinholecam Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,709	ClassA, I can only say that you are missing out. The present and future cameras will always be 'problematic' whatever brand they may be. They are so much a confluence of tech (mechanical; optical; electronic; software) added with short development cycles that makes them almost impossible to be 'error free'. Its your decision as a consumer of course.

11-11-2011, 06:07 AM	#157
filorp Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Aberdeen Scotland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 398	Originally posted by pinholecam +1 to this. I've used K5 against D700 (the 'pro' was using one) and D7K in my friend's low light church wedding. K5 actually had far better in focus shots than D700 and D7K when I got to review all of them. ... this is exactly in opposition to my personal experience especially with wide angles i had da14 on k5 and sigma 20 f1.8 on d700 and k5 keepers rate was rather pathetic it was even worse during the reception inside dark room filled with stroboscopic lights ... am telling you guys el cheapo d3000 acts better than k5 in that regard...

11-11-2011, 07:56 AM	#158
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	Originally posted by filorp ... this is exactly in opposition to my personal experience especially with wide angles i had da14 on k5 and sigma 20 f1.8 on d700 and k5 keepers rate was rather pathetic it was even worse during the reception inside dark room filled with stroboscopic lights ... am telling you guys el cheapo d3000 acts better than k5 in that regard... Can't comment on the DA 14, but with my lenses, the K5 is quick and a lot more certain the previous Pentax cameras. Much less hesitation than even the K7. And it doesn't miss focus often. My wife does wedding photography, often in quite low lighting, and hasn't had any issues. The biggest issue I see with Pentax autofocus is that the focus points are too big and with wide angles in particular, you could easily see the camera locking on the background rather than on what you thought you had focused on.