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02-27-2012, 02:26 AM   #16
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The K5 is a great camera. I used to have the K7 and it is a vast difference between the two. Get the K5 and you will not regret it,

02-27-2012, 04:12 AM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mr.Leon Quote
Thanks guys for your input. I am looking for something lighter than my D300s. What I like about the K-5 it is so compact. I had the chance to play with one in the B&H store and I really like the feel. With a pancake I can be out all day!
What I meant by "better" is that the K-5 is newer technology and higher resolution.
I think the K-5 is more forgiving if I don't get the right exposure. But now you got me thinking.....
Decisions decisions decisions
For the things you are interested in, the K5 will be fine. With your budget what it is, I would get the DA 17-70 f4 and then a couple of primes (you pick the focal lengths) -- DA 35 f2.4, D FA 100mm WR macro (a really nice macro lens), one of the DA limiteds.

There does seem to be a lot of animosity in this thread, not sure why. The D300s is a nice camera, but if the K5 is more comfortable in you hands, for every day shooting there won't be a big difference. There probably is a little more leeway for post processing in K5 files. The big thing is to figure out a system that works for you -- holes in Pentax's line up tend to be in the telephoto/supertelephoto range and don't effect most shooters.
02-27-2012, 05:05 AM   #18
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The K-5 is lighter and newer with very very similar capabilities.. It's a step sideways, I'd say.

If I were you I'd wait 6-12 months and see what's available (from Pentax or Nikon/Canon/etc) that's both smaller and better than your D300s.
02-27-2012, 07:39 AM   #19
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If you wait til the new models come out, the prices for these will be 40-60% higher than what he can get a new K5 for and make his lens set up much less complete. And in the meantime, the op will be still having the same issues he is having now: too large, not having SR, and a sensor that isn't as forgiving as the K5.

02-27-2012, 07:48 AM   #20
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Great advise guys, maybe I will wait to see what Nikon and Pentax are going to release!
Thank you all!!
02-27-2012, 08:10 AM - 3 Likes   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by westmill Quote
I have the D300 and the K5..... While the K5 is capable of producing superb images, its a very finiky camera.
Would I swap it for my D3oo ? Not in a milion years !
Even though the K5 was pitched at the D300 and Cannon 7D both of these cameras are in another leauge as far as Im concerened.
I bought the K5 new and a tamron 17-50 and a metz 50 flash. I wish I had bought another D300 now.
I will keep it as a back up now ive got it. But one huge dissapointment for me, no question.
It simply doesnt hold a candle next to the D300

Do you work for Nikon in marketing? Did you buy your unit to so you could come to Pentax forums and advertise? Show a few comparison pictures if you really have both cameras, taken same place same time , and show us how the K-5 images are inferior. If you want to contribute something to the thread that could be huge. As it is your post comes off as unbelievable. Why would someone, anyone with one system, buy a unit that doesn't share the same lenses , flashes etc. as a back up? And you bought one flash? What the heck do you shoot. I have never seen a photo shot with a single flash that I liked. Shot with any camera... flash lighting just doesn't look natural.

I'm guessing if you're that unhappy with your K-5 you got a defective unit and kept it because you are so anti Pentax you thought that was the way it was supposed to work. There are a lot of possibilities here besides the K-5 sucks. or maybe it's what you shoot, the K-5 isn't good at everything... but you didn't tell us what you shoot. You just slammed the K-5.

I'm not saying you actually work for Nikon, but I still can't for the life of me understand what ever possessed you to buy a K-5. Was it cheap? You didn't do your research? You got sucked in by magazine article that said it was great? I'm sure there's some logic there somewhere... well, actually, no I'm not. Anyone has the right to an opinion, but this is the internet.. anyone has the right to call you a dishonest Nikon employee too.

Last edited by normhead; 02-27-2012 at 08:15 AM.
02-27-2012, 08:16 AM - 1 Like   #22
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You have to clearly understand what you'll be gaining and what you'll giving up while switching to K5.

K5 - the "+":
-size
-much newer sensor with better both low-iso and high-iso, bigger resolution and awesome dynamic range.
-in-body SR
-whisper-quite shutter
-probably better out-of-the-camera JPG as D300s is really intended for the RAW-users
-LTD primes (the smallest primes for any APS-C and FF systems)
-"over 30 years of K and m42 glass"
-better auto-iso
*I'm not including WR in the "+"es as it's of any importance only if you stick to WR'ed lenses, otherwise it's just a fetish-gimmick for Pentaxians to go orgasmic about.

K5 - the "-":
-stone-aged AF. Yes K5 is a huge improvement over the previous Pentax bodies, but it's still light-years behind the D300s/7D. In all departments: accuracy, consistency, # of AF points, tracking). D90 actually has a better AF than K5.
-very limited choice of lenses and for the most part, quality Pentax glass is more expensive. Used market is almost non-existent.
-if you're planing to use the flash in any other modes than directly in-da-face, full-manual is the only way to be on the same wavelength with the camera. Same goes for wireless.
-high pixel density sensor (same goes for the Nikon D7000), which implies big RAW-files, which implies that if you're shooting a lot and processing a lot - you gonna question your need for extra 4MPs a lot, as it does slow things down.
-finniky QC.
-Dodgy SDM in DA* lenses

D300s the "+":
-AF
-FLASH that just works!!! no questions asked!!!
-12mp sensor that produces considerably smaller files.
-huge used market
-huge choice of lenses
-over 30 years of F-mount glass.
-better compatibility with mass-consumer PP-software (RAW processing)
-all pentax DA* glass available from Tokina for the fraction of what Pentax costs, without the WR that is, and without SDM troubles.
-overall handling of the camera that is very robust, professional, dependent and consistent. Pentax gear always has some degree of "toy" feeling to it.

D300s the "-":
-damn bulky!!!
-loud shutter
-dated sensor
-noisy low-iso
-only in-lens VR
-finniky AUTO-ISO that only suits prime lenses and still requires some manual input.

If i were you, i'd consider trading the D300s for the D7000 or D90 instead. In my experience D90 is still the most "photographer's" camera for the money paid. It actually has a more accurate AF than D7000 (nevermind K5) as well as sensor and flash-capabilities of D300/D300s. Very capable and balances (feature-wise) camera body. D7000 is great as well, though I, personally, prefer the output from D300s and D90.


Last edited by alexeyga; 02-27-2012 at 09:37 AM.
02-27-2012, 08:34 AM - 3 Likes   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by alexeyga Quote
K5 - the "-":
-stone-aged AF. Yes K5 is a huge improvement over the previous Pentax bodies, but it's still light-years behind the D300s/7D. In all departments: accuracy, consistency, # of AF points, tracking). D90 actually has a better AF than K5.
http://www.colorfoto.de/testbericht/7/7/6/2/0/2/Test_Autofokus_ColorFoto_2011-09.pdf

Nikon D7000 -- Sharp images 35.2% Acceptable images 40%. Unacceptable images 30%
Canon 7D --- Sharp images 40% Acceptable images 29.7 percent Unacceptable images 24%
Pentax k-5 --- Sharp images 62.4% Acceptable images 28.9 percent Unacceptable images 8.6%
02-27-2012, 08:45 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mr.Leon Quote
Thanks guys for your input. I am looking for something lighter than my D300s. What I like about the K-5 it is so compact. I had the chance to play with one in the B&H store and I really like the feel. With a pancake I can be out all day!
What I meant by "better" is that the K-5 is newer technology and higher resolution.
I think the K-5 is more forgiving if I don't get the right exposure. But now you got me thinking.....
Decisions decisions decisions
It all depends on what kind of shooting one does.

I and about 3 other photographers shoot live threatre rehearsals in an official capacity. We're not allowed to use flash. Some plays they put on are very dim. I shot the image below at 20,000 iso and have gotten great comments on it from a local camera club and the theatre:




It was underexposed at 20,000 iso While the above image looks great at a 12"x18" size, its not the high IQ needed for larger work submitted to juried art shows im my region. I then use the 14ev range of the K5 at iso80 and thereabouts for that kind of image. I currently have a 36" canvas on order with a different image and am considering printing it up to 60" long. So what i'm saying it, the K5 is capable of producing fine images at both ends of the iso spectrum depending on the application. I'm retired and enjoy my enthusiast status, i have no desire to shoot weddings or be a pro shooting from NFL sidelines.

The rated range of the D300 is 3200iso. One of my friends has a D300s and he considers it to have a very noisy shutter, which the K5 does not.

The D300 was an excellent camera for its generation, but if one needs to shoot in low light, it no longer is competitive in my opinion.

Its true that the Nikon system has a more complete lens selection, but it appears that Ricoh intends to rectify that situation with their new lensmap. I like my smallish K5 very much and enjoy taking it for a stroll. The nikon AF systems are reputed to be the best of any mfr, but my 20,000 iso image was also correctly focused on the lead female subject. Large heavy cameras and VR lenses don't appeal to me. Life's a series of compromises and the camera world is no different.

Last edited by philbaum; 02-27-2012 at 09:13 AM.
02-27-2012, 08:56 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
http://www.colorfoto.de/testbericht/7/7/6/2/0/2/Test_Autofokus_ColorFoto_2011-09.pdf

Nikon D7000 -- Sharp images 35.2% Acceptable images 40%. Unacceptable images 30%
Canon 7D --- Sharp images 40% Acceptable images 29.7 percent Unacceptable images 24%
Pentax k-5 --- Sharp images 62.4% Acceptable images 28.9 percent Unacceptable images 8.6%
In my real-life experience with D300s/D90/D7000/K7/K5 (in nor particular order) the most issues and most missed images I had because of AF was with the K5/K7 while D300s being the most accurate and dependable. D7000's AF is in fact less accurate than D90's, but faster. D90 is pretty much on pars with D300s, just slower and less points.
02-27-2012, 09:01 AM   #26
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There is lots of info out there contradicting what these pro-Nikon gentlemen have to say... my take , Nikon marketing, the whole thing. From the OP to some of the answers, it all seems fishy and disingenuous. One guy talks changing systems for no apparent reason, a bunch of other guys jump in and talk poop about Pentaxes while extolling other systems... a bunch of reasonable Pentax users make some reasonable posts giving an honest breakdown... the end result is lots of PR for Nikon. Most of us know if we need to go top of the line everything we are probably going top of the line Nikon. D7000, not so much.

This looks to me like a choreographed marketing effort, attempting to get users of other products to look at Nikon products. If anyone can see anything more in this, I'm not sure what it might be. I find it amusing that on a Pentax site, a guy comes on and gets told to buy Nikon product, without anyone even finding out what he shoots, what lenses he has, all the reasonable questions.

SInce Adam and the moderators don't seem to have an issue with his kind of marketing... we can solve this easily by instead of responding to these guys with long posts, not answering until the person in question has explained exactly why Nikon sucks and he's looking at Pentax, before we provide answers. The number of people on here pushing non- Pentax product in areas where Pentax is not deficient is disturbing. Surely, on a Pentax forum, if a Nikon user is asking, the first response should be, "What's wrong with your Nikon?" The second should be whether or not a Pentax would help him out. We've had tons of threads with people advising people to go Canon or Nikon based on their shooting needs, be that low light, faster autofocus, full frame or whatever.

I fail to see why every one of these CaNikon threads has to turn into a Pentax bashing thread. And I really question why so many of you are Pentax users. Really... save your bucks and go buy the system you need. My K20D is good enough for what I do, I haven't even gone to K5 yet. All these clown who have to have a Nikon or Canon, fine, go get your Nikon or Canon, but, you don't shoot what I shoot, you don't need what I need, and your advice and constant claiming you need better is getting old.

I also find it amusing that when Adam put up a site for all camera users, most of these clowns stayed here... just more proof that this isn't about cameras, this is just Canikon marketers trying to mine Pentax users for new customers on a largely Pentax site. Hardly a wonder then that you hardly ever see these Canikon guys posting in post your photos. They aren't here for sharing or helpful advice, they are probably here for commercial gain.

Last edited by normhead; 02-27-2012 at 09:07 AM.
02-27-2012, 09:05 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
There is lots of info out there contradicting what these pro-Nikon gentlemen have to say... my take , Nikon marketing, the whole thing. From the OP to some of the answers, it all seems fishy and disingenuous. One guy talks changing systems for no apparent reason, a bunch of other guys jump in and talk poop about Pentaxes while extolling other systems... a bunch of reasonable Pentax users make some reasonable posts giving an honest breakdown... the end result is lots of PR for Nikon. Most of us know if we need to go top of the line everything we are probably going top of the line Nikon. D7000, not so much.

This looks to me like a choreographed marketing effort, attempting to get users of other products to look at Nikon products. If anyone can see anything more in this, I'm not sure what it might be. I find it amusing that on a Pentax site, a guy comes on and gets told to buy Nikon product, without anyone even finding out what he shoots, what lenses he has, all the reasonable questions.

SInce Adam and the moderators don't seem to have an issue with his kind of marketing... we can solve this easily by instead of responding to these guys with long posts, not answering until the person in question has explained exactly why Nikon sucks and he's looking at Pentax, before we provide answers. The number of people on here pushing non- Pentax product in areas where Pentax is not deficient is disturbing. Surely, on a Pentax forum, if a Nikon user is asking, the first response should be, "What's wrong with your Nikon?" The second should be whether or not a Pentax would help him out. We've had tons of threads with people advising people to go Canon or Nikon based on their shooting needs, be that low light, faster autofocus, full frame or whatever.

I fail to see why every one of these CaNikon threads has to turn into a Pentax bashing thread. And I really question why so many of you are Pentax users. Really... save your bucks and go buy the system you need. My K20D is good enough for what I do, I haven't even gone to K5 yet. All these clown who have to have a Nikon or Canon, fine, go get your Nikon or Canon, but, you don't shoot what I shoot, you don't need what I need, and your advice and constant claiming you need better is getting old.

I also find it amusing that when Adam put up a site for all camera users, most of these clown stayed here... just more proof that this isn't about cameras, this is just Canikon marketers trying to mine Pentax users for new customers on a largely Pentax site. Hardly a wonder then that you hardly ever see these Canikon guys posting in post your photos. They aren't here for sharing or helpful advice, they are probably here for commercial gain.
I guess I don't notice it because so many anti-Pentax / pro-Canikon people are in my ignore list. For example, anyone who come here to ask how to adapt a Pentax lens to a Canon immediately goes in my ignore list. Anybody who bashes Pentax for not having a 135FF immediately goes in my ignore list. Etc.
02-27-2012, 09:06 AM   #28
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QuoteQuote:
In my real-life experience with D300s/D90/D7000/K7/K5 (in nor particular order) the most issues and most missed images I had because of AF was with the K5/K7 while D300s being the most accurate and dependable. D7000's AF is in fact less accurate than D90's, but faster. D90 is pretty much on pars with D300s, just slower and less points.
The difference between you and these people

QuoteQuote:
Nikon D7000 -- Sharp images 35.2% Acceptable images 40%. Unacceptable images 30%
Canon 7D --- Sharp images 40% Acceptable images 29.7 percent Unacceptable images 24%
Pentax k-5 --- Sharp images 62.4% Acceptable images 28.9 percent Unacceptable images 8.6%
Is they actually ran some independent tests in which every camera had an equal chance of success. How could we believe for a half second, given your preference for Nikon product, that you did the same?
02-27-2012, 09:17 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
The difference between you and these people



Is they actually ran some independent tests in which every camera had an equal chance of success. How could we believe for a half second, given your preference for Nikon product, that you did the same?

Dude, just so you know, I actually do run a K5 system along with some Pentax lenses. And I had a chance to own and try other stuff, so i'm rather open-minded about pros and cons of either and I really have better things to do than run CaNikon's anti-Pentax conspiracies.

As far as these "independent tests" go - I really couldn't care less, my real-life experience dictates otherwise.

And just so you know, among Nikon bodies that I used, D7000's AF is probably the one I disliked the most. It was the first Nikon body that I actually had to use the AF micro-adjustment, and it was the only Nikon body on which my 16-85 was FF at 16mm and BF at 85mm. Nothing is perfect, got to make compromises everywhere. And if I own some Pentax gear now, this is clearly not for K5's AF capabilities.

Last edited by alexeyga; 02-27-2012 at 09:38 AM.
02-27-2012, 09:35 AM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
There is lots of info out there contradicting what these pro-Nikon gentlemen have to say... my take , Nikon marketing, the whole thing. From the OP to some of the answers, it all seems fishy and disingenuous. One guy talks changing systems for no apparent reason, a bunch of other guys jump in and talk poop about Pentaxes while extolling other systems... a bunch of reasonable Pentax users make some reasonable posts giving an honest breakdown... the end result is lots of PR for Nikon. Most of us know if we need to go top of the line everything we are probably going top of the line Nikon. D7000, not so much.

This looks to me like a choreographed marketing effort, attempting to get users of other products to look at Nikon products. If anyone can see anything more in this, I'm not sure what it might be. I find it amusing that on a Pentax site, a guy comes on and gets told to buy Nikon product, without anyone even finding out what he shoots, what lenses he has, all the reasonable questions.

SInce Adam and the moderators don't seem to have an issue with his kind of marketing... we can solve this easily by instead of responding to these guys with long posts, not answering until the person in question has explained exactly why Nikon sucks and he's looking at Pentax, before we provide answers. The number of people on here pushing non- Pentax product in areas where Pentax is not deficient is disturbing. Surely, on a Pentax forum, if a Nikon user is asking, the first response should be, "What's wrong with your Nikon?" The second should be whether or not a Pentax would help him out. We've had tons of threads with people advising people to go Canon or Nikon based on their shooting needs, be that low light, faster autofocus, full frame or whatever.

I fail to see why every one of these CaNikon threads has to turn into a Pentax bashing thread. And I really question why so many of you are Pentax users. Really... save your bucks and go buy the system you need. My K20D is good enough for what I do, I haven't even gone to K5 yet. All these clown who have to have a Nikon or Canon, fine, go get your Nikon or Canon, but, you don't shoot what I shoot, you don't need what I need, and your advice and constant claiming you need better is getting old.

I also find it amusing that when Adam put up a site for all camera users, most of these clowns stayed here... just more proof that this isn't about cameras, this is just Canikon marketers trying to mine Pentax users for new customers on a largely Pentax site. Hardly a wonder then that you hardly ever see these Canikon guys posting in post your photos. They aren't here for sharing or helpful advice, they are probably here for commercial gain.
Jeeezzz I don't even know where to start. First of all I asked an honest question, I don't work for Nikon! I just had a genuine curiosity about Pentax, I have read awesome things about the K-5.
I thought forums are for this purpose to discuss and see what other people think! I didn't know this site is for the only purpose of the adoration of the Pentax brand.
If Adam thinks this is a conspiracy against Pentax I will more than fine he deletes my thread.
That's all, thanks to all for your great input and have a great day!
Peace on earth!!
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