[conradcjc]

I been doing some serious reading and studying of two SLR cameras. The new Pentax K5 and the Nikon D700.

This is what I am looking at two different packages.

Nikon D700
Nikon 28-300mm
External Flash

Pentax K5
Pentax 17-70mm
Pentax 60-250mm
External Flash

I just read on the this forums home page that the Pentax actually beat out the D700 in an overall score test. That is really hard to believe. Well in any case I would love some feed back on what you would do and which way you would go with the above packages. I realize this is a Pentax forum so most may lean towards the Pentax package.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
Chuck

What exactly do you want to shoot and what are your plans for the future?

[FullertonImages]

K-5. Discussion's over.

But really. K-5 out-performs the D700. Plus, 17-70 and 60-250 will both out-perform the 28-300 in their respective ranges. So, unless what you want is larger, heavier, less weather-sealed, outdated, inferior technology, for more money... then I would say go with the Pentax system.

The only thing in Nikon's favor is their flash system, which is the best there is.

K-5. Discussion's over.

But really. K-5 out-performs the D700. Plus, 17-70 and 60-250 will both out-perform the 28-300 in their respective ranges. So, unless what you want is larger, heavier, less weather-sealed, outdated, inferior technology, for more money... then I would say go with the Pentax system.

The only thing in Nikon's favor is their flash system, which is the best there is.

And this is exactly the shortsighted kind of reply I would expect...

[conradcjc]

I will probably shoot indoor events.. weddings, birthdays, etc... then outdoor stuff... parades, zoo, baseball game, vacation photos... That would be about it.

[Craig66]

if i was buying again. It would be a Nikon.

Had enough of, can't get the lenses/TC i want for a Pentax.

The importer told me what i wanted to hear. Even though it wasn't true.

If he'd told me the truth about 70-200mmF2.8s and TC not working on a Pentax. I would have got a Nikon. Made my purchase on what i was told. Only to find out once i had bought my Pentax cameras. That nothing is as told...

I'd buy the Nikon. More choice.

[FullertonImages]

And this is exactly the shortsighted kind of reply I would expect...

I'm glad I could live up to your expectations.

Rather than just dismissing my reply as shortsighted, would you care to point out what I said that isn't true? I'm not saying the D700 is a bad camera, I'm just saying the K-5 is a better one.

OP - I also forgot to mention the lack of video on the D700, if that's something you care about for weddings, birthdays and vacations.

However, if your talking about trying to shoot weddings professionally, I would say that the favor might still be with the Nikon system, due to better lowlight AF and a much better flash system. If you're just talking about snapping shots and friends/family weddings, then I would say it's not enough of a factor to throw the balance.

[Eruditass]

And this is exactly the shortsighted kind of reply I would expect...

Well, the 28-300mm will suck pretty bad. Now, if lens choices were equivalent...

[conradcjc]

They all seem to rave about the image quality of the 28-300mm especially on a FX camera rather then a DX. I am not sure who to believe.

[jsherman999]

But really. K-5 out-performs the D700.

rofl.

Plus, 17-70 and 60-250 will both out-perform the 28-300 in their respective ranges.

Agree here. Jury's still kinda out on that 28-300, but c'mon, it's a variable-aperture consumer zoom, FF-capable notwithstanding.

17-70 f4 and especially the 60-250 f4 are better glass than that 28-300, although probably slower-focusing.

.

So, unless what you want is larger, heavier, less weather-sealed,

Yes.

outdated, inferior technology,

Keeping in mind that the K-5 sensor is just (almost) catching up to the sensor in the D700, and surpassing it slightly in one effective area (DR), then it's hard to see how "outdated" is anything but relative. And we're just talking about the sensor here - in everything else but video, the D700 utilizes more effective technology including perhaps the most important attribute (depending on what you need to shoot) - AF technology.

for more money...

Yes. But a low-count D700 body can be had for ~$1800 used now. $350 more than the K-5.

And there is no more Pentax lens price advantage, as long as you don't think you're required to go with the most expensive Nikon pro zooms (hint - you're not.)

then I would say go with the Pentax system.

I might too, but not for the reasons you give.

The only thing in Nikon's favor is their flash system, which is the best there is.

Superior flash, yes. But not quite the only thing.

Bottom line:

With the K-5, Pentax can stand on it's own now, play with the big boys. A fanboyish denial system is no longer required. Drop your defenses!


.

[Eruditass]

About the flash system, I was really considering switching because of it until I learned of the strobist world, where everyone uses manual flash, so brand doesn't matter.

With weddings, there is some advantage for on the fly adjustment of CLS. With that, many strobists still go all manual flash once they set up their off camera flashes to bounce how they want it, taking advantage of inverse square and large light sources. Then they can still adjust DoF given their ISO latitude. Also, TTL/CLS and auto-thyristor will be fooled by different backgrounds and clothes colors (white dress, black tux), giving incorrect subject lighting.

Flickr: Discussing Manual flash at weddings? in Strobist.com
Flickr: Discussing Manual flash at weddings? in Wedding Photography

That said, there are many other Nikon system advantages.

Oh one big annoyance is the hotshoe cutoff at 1/180s. Depending on the flash duration, you can actually sync higher than the camera's sync speed... except on Pentax which won't fire a trigger.

[elpolodiablo]

Can't say much bout body choice cause I have neither body, but if you are doing indoor events why not DA*16-50 with DA*50-135 or Sigma/Tamron 70-200 f2.8? they are all constant f2.8 zooms and theoratically works better than the 2 constant f4 zooms you mentioned

[Eagle_Friends]

K-5. Discussion's over.

But really. K-5 out-performs the D700. Plus, 17-70 and 60-250 will both out-perform the 28-300 in their respective ranges. So, unless what you want is larger, heavier, less weather-sealed, outdated, inferior technology, for more money... then I would say go with the Pentax system.

The only thing in Nikon's favor is their flash system, which is the best there is.

the k5 is a great camera, but please, let's not get delusional here.

[Wheatfield]

You won't go wrong with either choice, really, and frankly, I don't really think it matters overly what you want to shoot, with the one big caveat that really long telephoto lenses are thin on the ground with Pentax.
Of course, they are also very expensive, which may or may not be a factor for you.
The Pentax is a much smaller camera, the D700 has a bigger viewfinder.
I'm told Nikon's flash system is better, but people do seem able to hobble along with other brands as well.
I have yet to try the P-TTL flash with the K7 or K5, so I can't say how well it works.

[dgaies]

IRather than just dismissing my reply as shortsighted, would you care to point out what I said that isn't true? I'm not saying the D700 is a bad camera, I'm just saying the K-5 is a better one.

I'm a huge advocate of the K5, bought one as soon as it was released, but to say that the K-5 is a better camera than the D700 is not only unfair, but just not true. There are some aspects of the K5 that are superior to the D700 (size, in body SR and the ability to mount small, very high quality primes) just like there are advantages to the D700 (FF FOV/DOF, access to a better selection of lenses/flashes). In terms of IQ, they are probably close enough at this point that the other factors would likely play a more important role in your making your decision.