[jatrax]

Hi, do you think that Pentax has the gear (lenses and bodies with capable AF) for a professional wildlife photographer to switch over ?

The question is not whether Pentax has that gear but rather what does Pentax have that a professional wildlife photographer does not already get from their current gear? I can see someone new starting with Pentax and becoming a wildlife photographer but I do not see anyone with professional Canon or Nikon gear selling everything and switching.

You can make an argument that with the K-1 Pentax is now as good (or almost as good) as other brands but I don't see how anyone can argue that Pentax is better for wildlife. For general photography, especially landscapes, considering the entire gear set and cost I think Pentax is a very good option which is only going to get better. But specifically for wildlife, I think they have some work to do yet.

[BNBPhoto]

The question is not whether Pentax has that gear but rather what does Pentax have that a professional wildlife photographer does not already get from their current gear? I can see someone new starting with Pentax and becoming a wildlife photographer but I do not see anyone with professional Canon or Nikon gear selling everything and switching.

You can make an argument that with the K-1 Pentax is now as good (or almost as good) as other brands but I don't see how anyone can argue that Pentax is better for wildlife. For general photography, especially landscapes, considering the entire gear set and cost I think Pentax is a very good option which is only going to get better. But specifically for wildlife, I think they have some work to do yet.

I agree that Pentax is an awesome option for landscape and nature photographers. Even macro. However I also think that Pentax still lacks behind in the AF tracking field in order to be considered a serious wildlife photography tool. I have toyed with a friend's K-3 with a DA* 300mm f/4, and even though it is not bad it still couldn't keep up with another friend's D7200 with the 300mm f/4 Nikon equivalent.

Now I don't think that action and wildlife photography is Pentax's prime target audience. I think this is also reflected by the lens selection.

[slip]

So true. I have been shooting weddings, events, portraits and a little freelance commercial. Having most of my photo taking days being in the film era, much of the short comings that are brought up here is more hype than anything. I shot sports in the 80's on a SLR shooting at about 3 frames per second. You could not carry enough film to shoot 5,000 shots at an event. I am glad I had the fortune to shoot film and digital. I have the instant feedback and technology of digital but I am still very deliberate in the photos I take and depend heavy on anticipation of the "keeper" moments.

I took years to get over the "I only have 24 shots" so don't take anything not needed. I now take hundreds of shots and it feels good

Randy

[Winder]

Any of you that are full time pros feel like you are being held back because you use pentax gear? I'm a full time portrait/lifestyle photographer so I don't see it as a big issue, but what about you commercial guys. We are in such a minority by using pentax that some people don't think we are professionals or serious photographers. What's your take on this?

There are two drawbacks that I see.

1. Glass - I would like to see more glass and that is coming.
2. Support - A friend who shots Canon had is 5DII go down on him the night before a wedding. Called his local store and his sales rep went and got him a 5DIII from inventory that night and brought it to him. If my K-1 goes down I'm shooting with my A7II and K-3 for the day. I will eventually get a second K-1, but it would be nice to have B&M store that stocked equipment.

Most of the people I shoot for have no idea when it comes to cameras. I did have the mother of a bride give me some dirty looks because I shot most of her daughters wedding with a Sony A7II and that didn't look professional enough. Once she saw the pictures she was fine. I show people my portfolio, not my equipment.

I shot a different wedding down in Key West where the guy I used as a second shooter showed up with literally $50,000 in Canon equipment. I was shooting with a Sony A7II and everyone thought he was the primary photographer. In the end it didn't matter.

[pete-tarmigan]

You could not carry enough film to shoot 5,000 shots at an event. I am glad I had the fortune to shoot film and digital. I have the instant feedback and technology of digital but I am still very deliberate in the photos I take and depend heavy on anticipation of the "keeper" moments.

Exactly. Anyhow, who has the time after the event to sort through 5,000 shots?

---------- Post added 27th Jul 2016 at 14:44 ----------

Hi, do you think that Pentax has the gear (lenses and bodies with capable AF) for a professional wildlife photographer to switch over ?

The pros for wildlife on Pentax being of course the sealing and IBIS. For the rest I don't know. I know however that the AF on my K-50 often falls short in tracking and that I have a 10% keeper rate based only on AF.

To go off on a tangent, can anyone actually make a living as a wildlife photographer with the demise of print media and the abundance of people with auto-exposure, auto-focus DSLRs?

[Floggin Rodger]

Definately not a full timer but I am privillaged to shoot quite a few events and concerts professionally.
Concert photography is demanding. Yes both Canon and Nikon do have better low light capabillity and until recently had a big edge with full size sensors. I shoot a k5 usually at ASA3200 which is noisy. I use MF glass usually wide open so I will not comment on Pentax's auto focus capabillities. Most shows I get access to "3 songs no flash". Yes I get published but it is not because of my gear. Some of the guys I'm with in the pit are are really good and others not so much but pretty much all have gear better suited for that job. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" Pentax has made me a better concert photographer. The one real plus for Pentax in this application is it's size and weight. I would like to try a K1 and a 645 . Maybe some day the fine folks at Ricoh will help me do so.
That said , in my opinion other than giving up some resolution with the crop sensor most good photographers could get very nice professional results in most applications with Pentax gear.

[Nicolas06]

I agree that Pentax is an awesome option for landscape and nature photographers. Even macro. However I also think that Pentax still lacks behind in the AF tracking field in order to be considered a serious wildlife photography tool. I have toyed with a friend's K-3 with a DA* 300mm f/4, and even though it is not bad it still couldn't keep up with another friend's D7200 with the 300mm f/4 Nikon equivalent.

Now I don't think that action and wildlife photography is Pentax's prime target audience. I think this is also reflected by the lens selection.

High end AF yes, but also for wildlife more lenses options:

- there no cheap/consummer zoom that go up to 500-600mm.
- there no 55-300 for FF yet. In particular a version that would be great at 300mm would be quite interresting, even if max apperture is f/6.3... But it has to be nice at 300mm.

[lesmore49]

I took years to get over the "I only have 24 shots" so don't take anything not needed. I now take hundreds of shots and it feels good

Randy

That's exactly the line during film days, I used with myself... "I only have 24 shots"....and was always economizing. Digital was a whole new world and it took me awhile to get used to shooting all the time.

[Nicolas06]

2. Support - A friend who shots Canon had is 5DII go down on him the night before a wedding. Called his local store and his sales rep went and got him a 5DIII from inventory that night and brought it to him. If my K-1 goes down I'm shooting with my A7II and K-3 for the day. I will eventually get a second K-1, but it would be nice to have B&M store that stocked equipment.

I would expect honestly to have 2 latest greatest camera always available. And in fact many pro use both at the same time for the same event. if one fail, the second still there. And 99.9% of the time this allow to mount 2 different lenses like a 24-70 and a 70-200. Sticking to one mount means even in the worst situation ever you'd have some old camera fitting the mount still somewhere or that you could just add a K3 as cheap backup on top of the 2 K1.

Then ask Amazon for 1 day shipping and you'll get that replacement very fast.

None of my customers have ever asked what brand I used. And a ready spare is the fastest backup. I normally use two bodies for events and there is a 3rd body in my bag. And a 16mp aps-c sensor is plenty for most uses. Right now, my spare is a K5IIs while working bodies are another K5IIs and a K3II. And I've had stuff published in NYT, Our State (NC) magazine, Pointe magazine, etc. If a client really needed a high res giant file, I'd rent a 645z. But I always have redundant/overlapping gear so no single point failures.

[macman24054]

None of my customers have ever asked what brand I used. And a ready spare is the fastest backup. I normally use two bodies for events and there is a 3rd body in my bag. And a 16mp aps-c sensor is plenty for most uses. Right now, my spare is a K5IIs while working bodies are another K5IIs and a K3II. And I've had stuff published in NYT, Our State (NC) magazine, Pointe magazine, etc. If a client really needed a high res giant file, I'd rent a 645z. But I always have redundant/overlapping gear so no single point failures.

So true. If you go unprepared shame on you. Let's face if you or I (I have 3 bodies with me at every gig I do) have 3 bodies fail on the same job maybe something is trying to tell us we are in the wrong line of work. Customers are concerned about 2 things. How can you get me the same quality of images that are in your portfolio and how much will it cost me.

[jatrax]

Customers are concerned about 2 things. How can you get me the same quality of images that are in your portfolio and how much will it cost me.

+1 If they hire a professional they are paying for results. Then it's your job to deliver, whether the light cooperates, the camera body dies or you drop your lens in the fish pond. Doesn't matter, those are your problems.

[nomadkng]

High end AF yes, but also for wildlife more lenses options:

- there no cheap/consummer zoom that go up to 500-600mm.
- there no 55-300 for FF yet. In particular a version that would be great at 300mm would be quite interresting, even if max apperture is f/6.3... But it has to be nice at 300mm.

We are talking PRO wildlife photographers. They aren't going to be using cheap/consumer 600mm lenses. They aren't going to be using 55-300 f6.3 lenses.
That's a walnuts to oranges tangent.

Pro wildlife and sports shooters demand specific tools, and you can see them in the Canikon lineups, but they aren't even on the Pentax roadmap. That should tell you Pentax isn't targeting wildlife/sports shooters any time in the near future. And if they aren't making a body to support that genre they aren't going to waste limited R&D time and budgets on lenses for that segment, cheap/pro or otherwise.

As has already been stated, the reality is no one is currently going to jump ship to Pentax if they are pro or semi-pros who shoot primarily wildlife or sports. Canikon still dominates that market and will for the foreseeable future. And anecdotal evidence suggests there are some Pentax shooters who are still jumping ship to Canikon if they transition into wildlife/sports shooting as a primary focus.

Fortunately I'm primarily a landscape shooter, so I can be happy with the K1. But my GF who is becoming more and more advanced in her shooting is a dedicated wildlife photog. It's getting tougher and tougher to keep her in Pentax equipment.

[macman24054]

+1 If they hire a professional they are paying for results. Then it's your job to deliver, whether the light cooperates, the camera body dies or you drop your lens in the fish pond. Doesn't matter, those are your problems.

Very true

[Floggin Rodger]

a 16mp aps-c sensor is plenty for most uses. .

yeah....... but bigger sensors do yield better results otherwise alot of us would still be shooting istD's