I have been shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II for awhile with the 24-105L as my main lens. I started to realize that the setup was pretty bulky and that if I wanted to do much lightweight traveling (ie, hit Europe or SE Asia with a backpack) this was going to be a burden to haul around. No to mention the 5DII isn't built quite as well as I'd like. I am mostly interested in landscape/nature random walkaround photography with some interest in learning portrait photography. I am not a "pro" so to speak, but I have some aspirations and demand high quality.
A few months back I posted about the K-5 and finally succumbed two weeks ago and got one and a DA21 Ltd. The more I looked at the limited primes, the more I loved them. I just got one lens to start with, and the DA21 seemed like a versatile, high quality place to start.
In the long run, I really cannot see myself affording two camera systems and a good selection of high quality lenses and accessories for both and still have money to do anything. For the moment I feel incredibly lucky having two cameras I love, but one is going to have to go.
The problem is that I love both and they both seem to have their strengths and weaknesses. The 5DII files seem crisper and the added resolution and ability to get really thin DOF is super nice. This isn't really completely fair because I only have one lens to test them against and the K-5 has lower resolution. Unless there is DOF involved, the files don't look too different zoomed out on my computer screen. Upon some examination zoomed out the 5DII seems somewhat crisper but the colors are bit punchy on the K-5 and the shadows seem to have a bit more depth to them.
The pros to the K-5 are many. Better build, better weather sealing, and the limited primes make for a very small, lightweight setup. I love shooting with it but I have less confidence with it right now than with the 5DII that I am going to get nice files that I can make large prints from.
I am tempted to buy one of the super sharp FA primes....like the FA43 or FA77 and see how that stacks up (if my budget can handle it). The DA21 is versatile but isn't known as one of the sharpest Ltds from what I've read. Ideally, I'd like to travel with a 3-prime setup and maybe have the 18-55WR as a bad weather/lazy backup. The DA21, FA43 and FA77 set seems appealing. The plus to getting FA lenses is that if Pentax comes out with a killer compact FF, they will be usable. If I sold the 5DII and its lenses, I would have the cash to get a nice set of Pentax glass and still have money left over to put into my travel budget. I am just worried I will be selling myself short by parting with a FF camera that produces fantastic files.
Any advice from anyone else who has used the 5D series and K-5?
Last edited by sb in ak; 06-28-2012 at 01:48 PM.