Originally posted by pjtn I shoot with a Canon 5D MKII and have been considering the Pentax K5 since it came out. I take only landscape photographs, always at base ISO and print up to 16x24".
My first DSLR was a Pentax IstDs, which was great for it's simplicity. I'm hoping Pentax have retained that simplicity in their newer models. Another factor I love, since I walk a lot with equipment, is the small size and light weight.
What I really want to know is what people think about the image quality difference. Since DXO posted their sensor score results we can see that the K5 has a greater dynamic range than the 5D MKII. How would overall image quality compare though?
Do you think the K5 would be as good as the 5D MKII at 16x24" prints?
Interesting thread this one.
I am mostly a landscaper and have prints from my K20D at 24"x36" and I am very happy with the results at normal viewing distance. I get much the same performance from my EOS 7D. Therefore, I would expect that a K-5 would be great at the print size you mention.
Is it worth switching from your existing 5D Mk2? If you need complete weather sealing and a small, lightweight package as your primary requirements, the Pentax system is certainly going to give you that, although (and this is my BIGGEST gripe) there is no decent weather sealed landscape wide angle lens for the Pentax system, so the weather sealing is a moot point. My K20D has taken some serious abuse so can certainly vouch for the build quality of the Pentax bodies. With regards to dynamic range; as long as it's good enough at base ISO, then I would prefer to take lens selection and resolution over DR simply because (as mentioned) DR can be balanced out easily with mutiple exposures or through the use of graduated neutral density filters.
Something else to factor in about the 5D Mk2 is that it's getting
old, that doesn't mean it doesn't take stellar photos anymore, it's just that the latest bodies / sensors are snapping at the heals of older FF bodies. The sensor in the 5D Mk2 is the same as the 1Ds Mk3 which is
over three years old now. You may be worth waiting a year for the 5D Mk3 which will certainly hammer today's technology, plus you can use your existing lenses.
With regards to lenses, there is no denying that the 5D Mk2 has three tremendous landscaping lenses worth mentioning:
- Carl Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8
- Canon TS-E 17mm f/4
- Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5
The tilt and shift lenses are of particular interest to me because a) they're optically fantastic with very impressive resolution figures and b) one can correct for distortions at the lens, retaining resolution and detail that would otherwise be lost in PP distortion correction. The resolution figures for the Carl Zeiss are also smashing.
I don't recall you mentioning which lenses you had for your 5D Mk2, but I would be investing in awesome glass now with the option of the 5D Mk3 this time next year which will definitely have upwards of 25 megapixels to play with and a noticeable advantage resolution wise over today's APS-C resolution (not to mention great glass to go with it).