[geoles2]

Hi, I am in a little dilema, I am not a pro and that is my dilema lol serisouly, I shoot a lot of stuff, different stuff and really like the concert, sports photography side of things.

Here is what I currently have, a KX with a tamron 28-70 2.8 and also a tamron 70-200 2.8. Now my problem is I think the kx is just too slow auto focus for the tamron 70-200. Thusly I would like to upgrade to a k5 for sports photography but then what?

I really want to stay with pentax but am concerened that this upgrade body I do should be a different brand so I can start over with lenses before I get too many.

Now let me say that I take my KX and shoot concerts, sports everything, this is not a plug but go to my website below and look at my pics of concerts -

I have shot Taylor Swift right next to guys using D3X's and I think my pics turned out great! My problem is will the k5 be fast auto focusing with the lenses?

Thanks for all your help

George
www.strohlphotography.com

[crewl1]

The K-5 is a bit better at AF, but if you want to do sports you may be better off swapping the Tammy for a Sigma 70-200 with the HSM AF.
The Tammy is a great lens though, and the shots at your site are very cool.
I have done quasi-sports (dance competitions) with the K-5 and Tamron 28-75 and was very happy with the speed of focusing.
I have a Sigma HSM II as my 70-200. Some shots with K-5 here https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/179570-sports-dance-comp...le-photos.html
K-5 and Tamron 28-75 shots here:https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/174309-sports-dance-comp...le-photos.html

[joe.penn]

Where are you having AF speed problems; are you having issues somewhere? You mention AF speed but then mention Taylor Swift as maybe her movement out-paced the AF speed of the Kx and lens combo. More details would be great...

Almost everything here has been shot with K-5s and 1 of 4 lenses: DA12-24/4, Tamron 28-75/2.8, DA50-135/2.8 or Sigma100-300/4. Older stuff was with K-20's. Downloads & Prints - View and Order | Brooke Meyer

I won't post here but I shot the CEO of Lenovo with some Senior Exec's last week in a company meeting, dim conference room with projected slides. I was hired again this year because of performance last year. Same K-5's, same lenses. The bus photo was taken a year ago, it was unplanned, I had about maybe 2 minutes to set it up. http://www.lenovo.com/lenovo/us/en/"]http://www.lenovo.com/lenovo/us/en/"]http://www.lenovo.com/lenovo/us/en/ Shot it with a K20 because it had the 12-24 on it, I hadn't yet bought my second K-5.

Regardless of what brand camera I had, I'd shoot the same way.

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[tigerzen]

I shoot fashion runway with my kx and a pentax 50-200. Not the fastest lens but auto focus is never ever a problem. You might try setting it on sensitivity priority and just pick and aperture and shutter speed to shoot at and let the camera do the rest.

I had some shots that were at iso 5000 and they came out great even with all the crazy colored lighting they use in concerts and fashion shows.



You got some really nice work and I'm adding your blog to my blog list

[G and T]

I don't know about your KX A/F speed but I have a K5, a K7 and a Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 and the difference in A/F speed between them with this lens is marked. With all my A/F lenses the K5 is much faster.
Glenn

[reeftool]

The K5 is a significant improvement over the K10D in burst speed and AF in general and I shot a lot of sports with the K10D. My only experience so far in sports shooting with the K5 was the Dew Tour and my daughters run in the super pipe in particuar. It performed well. I'm entertaining no thoughts at all of switching brands for my sports shooting.

[kaiserz]

Are you still planning to get an aps-c camera? or would you like to step it up a notch and get a full frame? They say that the K5 has a much more improved AF vs the Kx,k-r,k-7 the K5 is just a different class of camera in the pentax line. But arguably some reviews are saying that The k5's AF is slower than it's competitor the d7000, and they say that the d7000 is much more "sport" oriented. I will not tell you to stay at pentax when you feel that you "need" to get another system. It's going to be up to you and your needs. Try testing out a k5 and some other cameras that you're interested and go from there.

[Ash]

The K-5 does it better. The K-x does OK, but when it matters, the crucial shot can be missed because of focus point ambiguity or misplacement. The M-5 is both faster and more reassuring with its focus point confirmation points intue viewfinder. The live view is also a significant improvement. Much much faster and always accurate. I've rarely had problems focusing on my K-5 with the 70-200, and speed is greatly improved when the lens is pre-focused.

[Sandy Hancock]

The K-5 has much better autofocus, much better low light performance, and much better burst shooting speed. For the style of shooting you prefer it will kick arse compared to the K-x

Unfortunately I think you still have a dilemma; to get the most out of your new body you would be best served by getting lenses with internal focus motors, like the DA* SDM's, or one of the HSM zooms from the Sigma range. Pre-focus sounds great in theory, but musicians rarely move predictably enough for that to work well enough to get the money shots.

Bailing and switching to either Canon or Nikon, APS-C or full frame, is also a realistic option. Only you can make that decision, but I am happy with my Pentax-based system for my semi-pro live music work.

[Tom Woj]

Why not just rent a k-5 for a couple of days/your next concert shoot and test it out? That would give you a good idea of how well it suits your needs. The cost of rental would be minimal compared to buying it outright.

[Rondec]

I agree with those who said switch your Tamron for a Sigma 70-200 with HSM and get a K5. That combo will do well in nearly any situation you throw at it.

Upper end nikons and canons (lenses and bodies) will focus faster and track better than the K5, but you will pay for them as well. Remember that the camera body is only half (if half) of the equation and the lens (length of focus throw, speed of motor -- whether in body or in lens) is the rest of it.

[Sandy Hancock]

Remember that the camera body is only half (if half) of the equation and the lens (length of focus throw, speed of motor -- whether in body or in lens) is the rest of it.

And the tool behind the camera is the other half

[geoles2]

Thanks for all the advice, I may have mis stated the problem, as far as concerts go, I dont have a problem - What I was trying to say there is that I was standing next to guys with full frame bodies, and my pics look great with the kx imo.

The problem I have is specifically this, and maybe it's the way I am using the camera, but when I shoot sports it seems that if I put it on continuios focus its adjusting a lot and not that fast thusly I am missing some shots? Then I will try to use afs and just refocus a bunch?

That is my problem, just does not seem fast enough - I can't afford a FF at this time, and would love to stay with Pentax because I really dont wont to go with the herd and I like their product. So my dilema is go for a 60d or 70d, or a k5? before I get a massive collection of lenses. lol

Thanks, George

[geoles2]

So maybe I would be served better by purchasing a genuine Pentax lens or a third party lens with an interal focusing motor?