[Just plain D]

I primarily use a K5 and a K10 as an additional camera for wedding photography. A couple of weeks ago my K5 locked up at a critical point during the wedding ceremony, but fortunately my K10 was hanging on my neck so I was able to recover quickly and only miss 1 shot. But of course the IQ of the K10 is not on par with the K5 so here is what I would like your thoughts on:

Should I consider a second K5 body or a Nikon D700 (or soon to be announced D800)? I LOVE the K5 hands down but my confidence has been shaken and besides the Nikon D700, no other camera matches the K5's IQ (imho).

What are your thoughts?

[Wheatfield]

Are you prepared to buy a second lens set as well? If you use a different system for back up, you need to have lenses for both systems.
And there is no guarantee that the computer in a Nikon is not going to freeze.

[Just plain D]

Yes I'm prepared to buy a couple Nikon lenses and I'm aware that the D700 is a FF camera so I would buy lenses that wil complement the Pentax lenses I have.

While no camera/computer system is fool proof, I've searched and have not found any issues on the D700 similar to what happened with the K5.

[Rondec]

Well, I personally would get a second K5 to back up your other (I guess if money is tight, could consider a K7). As Wheatfield says, using one system for a wedding is advisable. Packing (and buying) two sets of lenses is probably not the best. If confidence is shaken that badly, I guess you could trade your gear for a D700 and a D7000 combo (although it would be a pretty expensive switch).

[bymy141]

Should I consider a second K5 body or a Nikon D700 (or soon to be announced D800)? I LOVE the K5 hands down but my confidence has been shaken and besides the Nikon D700, no other camera matches the K5's IQ (imho).

What are your thoughts?

First thought: Cost!
- Changing systems is expensive.
- Maintaining 2 systems is very expensive.
- The cost of prime grade Nikon lenses is high. Much higher than Pentax even.

Second thought: Nikon is not without problems either.
- Read the D7000 series problems on DPR

Third thought: space & weigth
- How are you going to pack & carry 2 systems?
- 2 sets of lenses, 2 flashes.
- Wedding photography in my experience means running around a lot

If you want another brand, because of quality issues, I'd:
- Move entirely to Nikon: go with 1 system
- Not buy the latest camera model (let the problems be fixed first)
- Buy 2nd hand lenses to avoid high cost

Cheers, Bert

[Wheatfield]

Yes I'm prepared to buy a couple Nikon lenses and I'm aware that the D700 is a FF camera so I would buy lenses that wil complement the Pentax lenses I have.

While no camera/computer system is fool proof, I've searched and have not found any issues on the D700 similar to what happened with the K5.

Doesn't matter if the issues are similar or not, did you find any issues that caused the camera to stop working?

You won't be buying lenses that would complement your Pentax lenses, you would need to buy lenses that match the angle of view of your Pentax system. IOW, you will need to buy a duplicate system, since if one body fails, you will be switching over entirely to a different camera system. This system will need to be 100% as functional as your primary system.

Now, if a body failure happens in mid stream, you have the added issue of the look of your pictures. Nikon makes fine lenses, but the images off of them don't look the same as Pentax glass (which is why I moved from Nikon to Pentax in the first place), and I don't think you will be able to get exactly the same IQ off of a Nikon either.
So, your Pentax locks up and you switch to your Nikon....
You need to switch operations in mid job, can you seamlessly move from one camera maker's idea of an interface to another with no confusion?
Most people can't. I have problems going back to my K20, and it's from the same maker.
I can't imagine having to shift from one manufacturer to another when I'm already feeling pressured by an equipment malfunction.
And, I would be giving my client pictures from two different systems, which will not match in appearance.
Personally, I think running two systems for general photography is a bad idea.
There is nothing wrong with having some specialty equipment to do what another system is weak at, but I really think one is better off to use one system for day to day work.
If that means switching to Nikon then that is what I would advise, although if you like the D700, then you will want two of them, as if you have a D700 and a D7K, you are doing exactly the same thing as if you have a D700 and a K5, which is running two different systems....

[RonHendriks1966]

Most easy is to run one system I think. Doesn't matter if that is K-5 or D700. Unless you want just some basics to be covert on your second camera. So a D800 with 24-70mm and a flash would make a excellent camera. Where K-5 (just learn to open the batterydoor, flip down the battery and put it back and you are faster then changing camera's) could do some more different tasks.

On the cheap site: sell the K10D and buy a K-5 and you have not spend a fortune.

[SpecialK]

A second K-5 makes the most sense, and is the easiest and likely cheapest solution.

[sjwaldron]

What do you mean by locked up? Was it a known issue or something else?

It's up to you whether you want to deal with two systems or not. I'd personally try to stick with one unless I had a really specific reason to use another (60fps video, full-frame DOF, etc).

[Sperdynamite]

It is possible to own both systems and not be completely off your rocker.

Lets take a look at reasons for full frame:

1. IQ better? (Than K-5? Nope.)

2. DOF control. HELL YES. This is a MAJOR reason to want a bigger sensor.

3. Low light. K-5 is no slouch but the D700 is the mack daddy of low light.

5. Lenses. Classic lens focal lengths are near and dear to photographers. I am a victim of this. Even though I own the 31mm 1.8, I yearn to use it on full frame. Same goes for 50 1.4, 35 1.4, and 85 1.4.

So how would you do it?

Well here's how I might do it:

K-5 body w/ 16-50mm, 70mm, and 31mm Limiteds. Same kit that I have now.

D700 body with 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8, and 85mm 1.8. Notice I went with the cheaper models on two out of three.

Although the Nikon zooms are IMO a better solution, they are prohibitively expensive. And again IMO the biggest reason for full frame is the full frame look. That beautiful vision of the world that you only achieve by moving up in formats (which I at one time chased all the way to 8x10 film). Zooms always being a compromise are well suited to APS-C, and the zooms that Pentax makes though not being at Nikon 24-70 level, are VERY GOOD. Good enough for zoom standards and more importantly, WEATHER SEALED. You'd have to be spending D3S money to get that in Nikon.

Now I'll keep my Limited lenses like the 70 and the 31 because honestly you'll have to pry them from my COLD DEAD HANDS. But were I to own (another) D700 (I sold the first own to finance a 5DII, which I sold because the K-5 is APS-C and still has better noise and latitude that Canon's shitty sensor), I would keep it as a primes camera. In fact, one of the great things about full frame Nikon, and what we don't have but should with Pentax, is that you can use the awesome classic Pre-AI (Modified) and AI/AI-S lenses. They perform beautifully on digital and a bargain compared with modern glass.

So is a dual system the easiest way to go? No. Will you spend more? Yes. But you'll be happy with your gear and as long as you keep up with updating maintenance on both systems it will be reliable.

[Sperdynamite]

Oh and I should add that you don't have to buy EVERY lens you want for both systems, and it makes sense to have ONE k-5 and ONE d700. That way you spend a little bit less actually than two D700s out right. You just treat the Pentax as your back up kit with zooms plus two choice pentax lenses, like the Limiteds that I love.

Once I make some money I might add a super wide to the Nikon like Voigtlander's great 20mm ƒ3.5.

[TomE]

I have a D700 and find it to be a simply amazing camera when it comes to IQ and being FF it makes cropping much easier than with a APSC format. When it comes to lenses for the D700, Nikon really knows how to charge for their best lenses, they make Pentax lenses look very inexpensive in comparison, especially Nikon's FF lenses.

I have both systems, but never take both with me for a shoot, it is just too much of a problem keeping track of what lens goes with what camera. As others have said, I would choose a system and stick with it and if it is Nikon I would choose a D700 and a D300 to save some money instead of a D7000. Also, you don't need two sets of lenses for the Nikon, the FF lenses work just fine on the D300 and you can set the D700 to shoot in APSC/DX mode, so you can use the smaller DX lenses on it also.

Tom

[Pentikonian]

Doesn't matter if the issues are similar or not, did you find any issues that caused the camera to stop working?

You won't be buying lenses that would complement your Pentax lenses, you would need to buy lenses that match the angle of view of your Pentax system. IOW, you will need to buy a duplicate system, since if one body fails, you will be switching over entirely to a different camera system. This system will need to be 100% as functional as your primary system.

Now, if a body failure happens in mid stream, you have the added issue of the look of your pictures. Nikon makes fine lenses, but the images off of them don't look the same as Pentax glass (which is why I moved from Nikon to Pentax in the first place), and I don't think you will be able to get exactly the same IQ off of a Nikon either.
So, your Pentax locks up and you switch to your Nikon....
You need to switch operations in mid job, can you seamlessly move from one camera maker's idea of an interface to another with no confusion?
Most people can't. I have problems going back to my K20, and it's from the same maker.
I can't imagine having to shift from one manufacturer to another when I'm already feeling pressured by an equipment malfunction.
And, I would be giving my client pictures from two different systems, which will not match in appearance.
Personally, I think running two systems for general photography is a bad idea.
There is nothing wrong with having some specialty equipment to do what another system is weak at, but I really think one is better off to use one system for day to day work.
If that means switching to Nikon then that is what I would advise, although if you like the D700, then you will want two of them, as if you have a D700 and a D7K, you are doing exactly the same thing as if you have a D700 and a K5, which is running two different systems....

I'll go ahead and add a hearty agreement to the above.

I'm a hobbyist, not a pro... but I have used Nikon FF and crop-sensor side by side, and currently use Nikon FF and Pentax crop-sensor side by side. If I were working as a pro, I would not want a FF and crop-sensor mix from two systems - for the reasons listed above. Based on my experience running two sensor sizes and two systems, I would want to run two FF or two crop-sensors, preferably the same bodies.

Personally, I'd advocate you buy a second K-5. Unless you are so shaken on the reliability that you feel you have to go to a different system, then I'd suggest you change your working gear to Nikon/ Canon (whichever works best for you).

My opinion... your mileage may vary.

[Wheatfield]

K-5 body w/ 16-50mm, 70mm, and 31mm Limiteds. Same kit that I have now.

D700 body with 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8, and 85mm 1.8. Notice I went with the cheaper models on two out of three.

The only problem with this is that it is a complementary approach, not a complete replacement approach, which doesn't work in professional photography (the OP is a wedding shooter).
In a back up system, he needs to at least have the same capabilities as he has with his primary system.
This means some of those prohibitively expensive Nikon zooms.
He would be better off to buy a second K5, and if he wants a back up to the back up, then a k7.
Or, bite the bullet and switch systems entirely.

[Rupert]

Nope...two systems is out for me. I gave it some serious consideration when the K5 was having so many initial problems, but decided that one system is all I can handle, and I have trouble with that. Not the expense, that is not a real problem, but having what you need and learning two systems and not getting them confused is too much for me. I can handle two or three vehicles, but not two or three cameras and the lenses that match up. I could handle two K5's.....but I don't even touch my K20D anymore.......
I'm anxious to see what Ricoh does....it could be fantastic...or a disaster....switching systems is always a possibility, but two systems does not make good sense for me.
Regards!