Pentax K-5 or Nikon D7000

kenyee · 10-28-2011, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by LaurenOE

Also, the setup in the above image

Out of curiosity, are those bogen magic arms holding up that slider? Is it to compensate for the lighter slider frame (most are solid heavy hunks of metal)?

**LaurenOE** · 10-28-2011, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by kenyee

Out of curiosity, are those bogen magic arms holding up that slider? Is it to compensate for the lighter slider frame (most are solid heavy hunks of metal)?

Yes and no. Those are the Manfrotto Long Lens supports with some custom bits and manfrotto quick releases.

I am using a lightweight slider prototype. I put the long lens supports on it because of the lightweight nature of the slider. I have my own metal lathe and metal mill, and when I bought another slider from that same company, they gave me the slider above to test out because I made extensive modifications to the other one.

I've since done extensive modifications to the slider above after taking it overseas and on the airplane/hiking and in the wild.

It's still not lightweight - especially with those long lens supports.

**LaurenOE** · 10-28-2011, 04:02 PM

I'm sorry for the thread-jack, but I just went out to the slider manufacturer, and they still don't have the prototype on their website. I gave them feedback, and offered to buy another one, but I think it will be a while until they offer it for sale. They have a ways to go, and their quality control is not up to par.

I think my recommendations and modifications to their prototype may have killed the project, as they may have been too costly or their manufacturing not able to implement my recommendations.

PALADIN85020 · 10-31-2011, 01:59 PM

Originally posted by LaurenOE

Oh, and this is what I shoot with my K5

My Search for Permanence - Part 3 - YouTube

I won't bore you with Part 1 and 2, but they are also out there.

Watch in 1080p or 720p - and the sound turned up!

That was magnificent - smooth camera work, great editing, and very appropriate music. Bravo!

John

**LaurenOE** · 10-31-2011, 02:01 PM

Originally posted by PALADIN85020

That was magnificent - smooth camera work, great editing, and very appropriate music. Bravo!

John

Thanks!

garyk · 10-31-2011, 04:27 PM

LorenOE Nice video. I have been toying with the idea. But your video is very good. Nice computer work.

**Rondec** · 11-01-2011, 04:20 AM - **1 Like**

Beautiful work Lauren!

Interesting that you found the D7000 more difficult to use for video since its "auto focus" feature was supposed to be one of its strengths over the K5.

**LaurenOE** · 11-01-2011, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by Rondec

Beautiful work Lauren!

Interesting that you found the D7000 more difficult to use for video since its "auto focus" feature was supposed to be one of its strengths over the K5.

Thanks for the praise!

Again, sorry for the thread jack.

Autofocus would be a disaster in any DSLR doing video. Why? Noise from the autofocus motor and the fact that the autofocus could lock onto something you don't want to focus on. Autofocus is useless in video - depth of field is what keeps a subject in focus as they move through a scene. If the scene is rehearsed, then there will be focus points as the subject moves from point A to B to C - etc. Additionally, I don't have a great need to pull/follow focus, but if I did, there are several ways to do that.

The D7000 focus in video, is either single point static or single point continuous autofocus. The point of focus can be chosen, but it comes from being the focus point in photograph mode, immediately before you switch into live view and then into video.

That is WAY too complicated based on how the D7000 takes video when you are trying to capture a scene. If I have it wrong, I hope someone who has a D7000 will speak up. I've tried to do it differently and I can't find a way around it.

Therefore, to actually choose which point to focus on is less convenient in a D7000 than the K5 which has the autofocus points easier to manage on the LCD screen in live view and in a dedicated video mode.

On the K5, I autofocus on what I want in live view, set a good depth of field, then I turn the autofocus to manual so that my focus is locked. In Live View, I can also push the "info" button to get a magnified view on the LCD screen and focus manually.

So in a nutshell autofocus is "out" in a DSLR and manual is the way to go - which also makes manual Pentax lenses an even better selling point.

Once again - Nikon is a great camera, but the folks over at Pentax seem to have gotten the "usability" right when it comes to doing video out and about.

The D7000 is more complicated than it has to be, and some might giggle and interpret that frustration as "Pros have no problem with the complexity" but I'm not buying that line of reasoning or another Nikon.

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10-28-2011, 03:27 PM	#31
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Originally posted by LaurenOE Also, the setup in the above image Out of curiosity, are those bogen magic arms holding up that slider? Is it to compensate for the lighter slider frame (most are solid heavy hunks of metal)?

10-28-2011, 03:56 PM	#32
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	Originally posted by kenyee Out of curiosity, are those bogen magic arms holding up that slider? Is it to compensate for the lighter slider frame (most are solid heavy hunks of metal)? Yes and no. Those are the Manfrotto Long Lens supports with some custom bits and manfrotto quick releases. I am using a lightweight slider prototype. I put the long lens supports on it because of the lightweight nature of the slider. I have my own metal lathe and metal mill, and when I bought another slider from that same company, they gave me the slider above to test out because I made extensive modifications to the other one. I've since done extensive modifications to the slider above after taking it overseas and on the airplane/hiking and in the wild. It's still not lightweight - especially with those long lens supports.

10-28-2011, 04:02 PM	#33
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	I'm sorry for the thread-jack, but I just went out to the slider manufacturer, and they still don't have the prototype on their website. I gave them feedback, and offered to buy another one, but I think it will be a while until they offer it for sale. They have a ways to go, and their quality control is not up to par. I think my recommendations and modifications to their prototype may have killed the project, as they may have been too costly or their manufacturing not able to implement my recommendations.

10-31-2011, 01:59 PM	#34
PALADIN85020 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 442	Originally posted by LaurenOE Oh, and this is what I shoot with my K5 My Search for Permanence - Part 3 - YouTube I won't bore you with Part 1 and 2, but they are also out there. Watch in 1080p or 720p - and the sound turned up! That was magnificent - smooth camera work, great editing, and very appropriate music. Bravo! John

10-31-2011, 02:01 PM	#35
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	Originally posted by PALADIN85020 That was magnificent - smooth camera work, great editing, and very appropriate music. Bravo! John Thanks!

10-31-2011, 04:27 PM	#36
garyk Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 488	LorenOE Nice video. I have been toying with the idea. But your video is very good. Nice computer work.

11-01-2011, 04:20 AM - 1 Like	#37
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	Beautiful work Lauren! Interesting that you found the D7000 more difficult to use for video since its "auto focus" feature was supposed to be one of its strengths over the K5.

11-01-2011, 08:51 AM	#38
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	Originally posted by Rondec Beautiful work Lauren! Interesting that you found the D7000 more difficult to use for video since its "auto focus" feature was supposed to be one of its strengths over the K5. Thanks for the praise! Again, sorry for the thread jack. Autofocus would be a disaster in any DSLR doing video. Why? Noise from the autofocus motor and the fact that the autofocus could lock onto something you don't want to focus on. Autofocus is useless in video - depth of field is what keeps a subject in focus as they move through a scene. If the scene is rehearsed, then there will be focus points as the subject moves from point A to B to C - etc. Additionally, I don't have a great need to pull/follow focus, but if I did, there are several ways to do that. The D7000 focus in video, is either single point static or single point continuous autofocus. The point of focus can be chosen, but it comes from being the focus point in photograph mode, immediately before you switch into live view and then into video. That is WAY too complicated based on how the D7000 takes video when you are trying to capture a scene. If I have it wrong, I hope someone who has a D7000 will speak up. I've tried to do it differently and I can't find a way around it. Therefore, to actually choose which point to focus on is less convenient in a D7000 than the K5 which has the autofocus points easier to manage on the LCD screen in live view and in a dedicated video mode. On the K5, I autofocus on what I want in live view, set a good depth of field, then I turn the autofocus to manual so that my focus is locked. In Live View, I can also push the "info" button to get a magnified view on the LCD screen and focus manually. So in a nutshell autofocus is "out" in a DSLR and manual is the way to go - which also makes manual Pentax lenses an even better selling point. Once again - Nikon is a great camera, but the folks over at Pentax seem to have gotten the "usability" right when it comes to doing video out and about. The D7000 is more complicated than it has to be, and some might giggle and interpret that frustration as "Pros have no problem with the complexity" but I'm not buying that line of reasoning or another Nikon.

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