[glanglois]

Nice to see a thread like this where the OP is thinking about jumping TO Pentax vs AWAY from Pentax.

.... then we spend our time and valuable electrons thinking logically and talking him out of it. Only Pentax owners would do that .....

Sounds like a bunch of engineers when asked to be sales people!

[MRRiley]

I don't know if there is a way to search members by location or not. Does anyone know?? I wouldn't make a decesion untill you at least the K-5 a spin. Hard to do as they aren't, to date, sold in many stores. I hope you can find someone in NC to help ya out.

You can't search by location (that I know of) but there is always the Member Map (bottom of the main forum page)... It might be helpful.

[johnmflores]

.... then we spend our time and valuable electrons thinking logically and talking him out of it. Only Pentax owners would do that .....

Sounds like a bunch of engineers when asked to be sales people!

I'll continue to act like an engineer until Pentax starts sending me commission checks LOL!

[CaymanImaging]

You can't search by location (that I know of) but there is always the Member Map (bottom of the main forum page)... It might be helpful.

I did as suggested and I see there are 2 members your area. They are:
arpaagent
DrBill36

You may want to send them a private message or email and see if they would be willing to show you their stuff. Worth a shot!

[HeavyD]

where did my post go???

[thashef]

Hi. So does this mean you "used" them or you own them? If you own these two buying the 7D or the 60D makes sense to me.

However saying that The 7D with these lenses is quite big for someone starting out or if you are an advanced hobbyist. If I were being paid i think i would have a greater purpose and find the inner shoulder strength to lug this stuff around. So if convenience is a factor here is Pentax's strength .
I shoot mostly Primes and I can fit my K10D plus 4- 5 primes and flash in my Crumpler brand shoulder bag or my Lowepro slingshot.

To me one is not necessarily better but based on what system you want to shoot. For me it's simple the K-5 works with the lenses I own which i wont part with, Decision made!

Cheers
Roger

I have sold the Canon XSi, but still have the 50mm f/1.8, 24-105 f/4L IS, 70-200 f/4L IS and Tamron Adaptall2 35-80 with EOS Mount. It seems like you guys have done a good job of convincing me of getting a Canon body

[Urkeldaedalus]

It seems like you guys have done a good job of convincing me of getting a Canon body

Lol, don't get me wrong, I'd love for there to be another person who converts to Pentax, as I personally love the brand. I'd just rather you not make a decision that you'd regret later. I'm sure that's true of the other board members as well.

[MRRiley]

It seems like you guys have done a good job of convincing me of getting a Canon body

Unlike a Canon forum, where you would hear endless bashing of Pentax from people who have never seen one, much less used one, we are more interested in you using what suits your needs and temperment (as well as not wanting to see you throw away money). Pentax is a fine system that suits many people's needs but there is no intrinsic value in convincing you to switch just so we can add another guy to the Pentax Team.

Mike
PF Moderation Team

[mugund]

Pentax DA 17-70mm is equivalent to 26mm to 105mm in terms of focal length. I heard this lens is very nice. DA 16-45mm F4 is also veru high quality. Similarly 50-135mm is equivalent to 70-200mm 35mm focal length
You got these standard zoom lenses:
DA 17-70mm, DA16-45mm (available < $250), DA*16-50 and the kit DA18-55mm
Longer zooms are: DA 50-200m, DA 55-300mm, DA*50-135mmDA *60-250mm
You got lots of primes between the ranges DA14 to 300mm

As people say, penatx system is geared for APS-C and they have the range covered here. ALso the primes are good too...
For K-5 16-50mm and 50mm-135mm looks unbeatable
Also 16-45mm, 55-300 or 50-135mm along with one low light prime should cover you and should be very good quality

[nanok]

so, now that you've made your mind up, and decided to do "the right thing": while i hear those two lenses are great and so on, unless you are buying a 35mm body, they don't make much sense: they are the wrong focal lengths, they are probably big and heavy being designed for a bigger frame coverage. instead of getting a new canon body, i would get some lenses that are more suitable first. i would probably look closely at the two tokinas (16-50 and 50-135), maybe adding the 11-16. tbh, the 11-16 would be the only reason to stay with canon (we don't have that one, at least not yet ). now that you noticed the pentax system, you should take into account it's advantages, and decide if it's good for you (smaller size, rugged body, and lenses if you have the cash, in-body sr -- think 50/1.4 stabilized, you can't have that from canon , and weight). furthermore you should find a k-7 or k-5 and shoot with it for a while, see if you like the ergonomics (and validate your initial thoughts about size and weight advantages, maybe you are under estimating them, or overestimating them). once that is done, see how much it costs you to get k-5 or k-7 (the k-7 is on par with the 7d for the most part, except af from what i heard, so odn't knock it), and see if, with your dream lens lineup, it's worth switching to pentax (with k-5 or k-7), staying with canon either with your current body or a new one, and suitable lenses, all things considered.

good luck

ps: yes, i know, not making it easier, but for what it's worth

[blockamon]

I must disagree regarding the 24-105 f/4.0L IS and 70-200 f/4.0L IS lenses. I think that they are perfect for APS-C bodies. Yes, I know that they leave you with no "true" wide angle. However, whether that matters or not is a function of what you shoot.

For years, I had nothing wider than 24mm on APS-C. I can honestly say that I can count the number of times I wanted wider on one hand. By contrast, I was banging the long end of the zoom range constantly. That was one large factor in my decision to stay with APS-C rather than shelling out $$ for the D700 or 5DII. As for size and weight, being f/4.0 vs. f/2.8, they aren't that large or heavy.

[Michaelina2]

...you guys have done a good job of convincing me of getting a Canon body

Consider the advice you got to stay with Canon as 'enlightened self interest' on our part.

Your decision not to jump means we have one less competitor for our wonderful legacy glass... We know where the grass is greener. Shooing you away helps keep our prices down.

Best of success...

[WerTicus]

Yes, as someone who has switched from Canon to Pentax I say stay far away! Pentax is still two megapixels behind the awesome canon! Terrible. Now back to that bidding war on the FA31mm.

[Rondec]

so, now that you've made your mind up, and decided to do "the right thing": while i hear those two lenses are great and so on, unless you are buying a 35mm body, they don't make much sense: they are the wrong focal lengths, they are probably big and heavy being designed for a bigger frame coverage. instead of getting a new canon body, i would get some lenses that are more suitable first. i would probably look closely at the two tokinas (16-50 and 50-135), maybe adding the 11-16. tbh, the 11-16 would be the only reason to stay with canon (we don't have that one, at least not yet ). now that you noticed the pentax system, you should take into account it's advantages, and decide if it's good for you (smaller size, rugged body, and lenses if you have the cash, in-body sr -- think 50/1.4 stabilized, you can't have that from canon , and weight). furthermore you should find a k-7 or k-5 and shoot with it for a while, see if you like the ergonomics (and validate your initial thoughts about size and weight advantages, maybe you are under estimating them, or overestimating them). once that is done, see how much it costs you to get k-5 or k-7 (the k-7 is on par with the 7d for the most part, except af from what i heard, so odn't knock it), and see if, with your dream lens lineup, it's worth switching to pentax (with k-5 or k-7), staying with canon either with your current body or a new one, and suitable lenses, all things considered.

good luck

ps: yes, i know, not making it easier, but for what it's worth

This is true. Pentax has really targeted themselves at APS-C, whereas Nikon and Canon seem to have the goal of moving as many people to full frame as possible. They do this, by making certain that the focal lengths they offer in their top end lenses are more oriented to full frame than to APS-C. If you really want to get full frame in the future, then it is definitely best to stick with Canon, as Pentax has indicated they aren't really looking in that direction. However if you want small, tightly sealed camera bodies and lenses for prices that won't break the bank, Pentax is a decent way to go.

Good luck!

[thashef]

I must disagree regarding the 24-105 f/4.0L IS and 70-200 f/4.0L IS lenses. I think that they are perfect for APS-C bodies. Yes, I know that they leave you with no "true" wide angle. However, whether that matters or not is a function of what you shoot.

For years, I had nothing wider than 24mm on APS-C. I can honestly say that I can count the number of times I wanted wider on one hand. By contrast, I was banging the long end of the zoom range constantly. That was one large factor in my decision to stay with APS-C rather than shelling out $$ for the D700 or 5DII. As for size and weight, being f/4.0 vs. f/2.8, they aren't that large or heavy.

I feel the same way that they are perfect for me. And thats why I kept on trying to find something like that from Pentax. I went through Aperture Library and I can only find a handful of pictures at 18mm (I had the kit lens for the longest time). I also have a old 24mm M42 Mount (i think Pentax) and I thought that was fine too.