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View Poll Results: Staying with Pentax or jumping ship?
I'm sticking with Pentax - I would most likely never change systems 11636.59%
I'm sticking with Pentax for now - will see happens down the road. 13141.32%
I'm sticking with Pentax - but would move on if I had the $. 3410.73%
I've given up on Pentax and moving to another system 3410.73%
I don't own a Pentax 20.63%
Voters: 317. You may not vote on this poll

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05-25-2012, 01:16 PM - 2 Likes   #166
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Ithink this trip to Britain has decided for me: Using the Nikon V1 gives me more hits than any Pentax ever given me. Using a cheap 70-300 on the V1 gives me better pictures than with my Sigma 150-500,with the K-5, and that combo weighs less than a kilo, and a half, while the sigma alone weighs that, easily. The Sigma equals 750mm on a full.frame, while the 70-300, on the V1 equals a 800+ lens! First to go will be the K-5 and the Fa31 & FA43, and possibly the wife's K-5 as well. The K-x with the DA21 and the DA40, still makes a nice kit.

On the buy list is a longer Nikon lens, and long m4/3rd lens, maybe the coming olympus lena, maybe the Panasonic 100-300.

Between the OM-D E-M5 and the V1 there is not much to choose - the focus with the OM-D is lighning fast, the V1 with its own specific lenses is about as fast, but not while tracking targets. Hopefully Nikon will come out with more lenses soon. The 10-100 motor zoom is not recommended by testers, by the way, while the 10-30 & 30-110 only have gotten rave reviews, this far!

Resolution-wise, the OM-D wins but not with a wide margin - the V1 with the 70-300 is simply amazingly sharp!

05-25-2012, 03:28 PM   #167
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
We have die hard Pentax fans.....Fanboys, they call them....just like other brands...nothing wrong with that in my eyes. However, in the end it all turns on getting the right degree of satisfaction from your gear. If you are getting it with what you have, none of this is relevant, but if you are not, then changing brands..or gear..might be a wise move. I see no reason to be hostile about this either.

Apparently Pentax is not satisfying a certain percentage of shooters and this may or may not be a catastrophic problem....we don't really know what Ricoh has planned for the future at this point. My guess is it will ride on their first introduction of a Flagship camera....the QC, the specifications, the body design, and the price. The K5 is, in my opinion, a great camera, but the rocky start almost ruined it. I don't think Ricoh can afford another near disaster like that.

I'll always have a place in my heart for Pentax....but it isn't etched in stone.....glass maybe?
Attachment 124280

Best Regards!
The way I see it is that, similar to dating, you really don't know what you are missing until you try another kind, or two.
05-25-2012, 04:45 PM   #168
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The release of the K-30, and what that portends for the high-end replacements, have made me even less inclined to jump ship.
Australia has also been relatively insulated from the lens price hikes.

That said, I am shooting a birthday party for a mate's one-year-old son today, and there will be a 5DMkIII to play with....
05-25-2012, 11:28 PM   #169
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QuoteOriginally posted by slackercruster Quote
You guys in the 'will see what happens down the road' camp. What would Pentax have to do or not do to keep you as a customer?
For APS-C format I really want a faster wide angle lens, like a 21mm f/2. The ultra-wide angle I want looks to be on the lens road map in zoom form.

I expect that eventually I will feel as though I have to have a full frame body and will likely buy the camera with the best features available at that time and at a price I can afford. That will be at least one year from now so, a 2013 release would suit me just fine.

With either format I would really like to see Pentax compete more closely with Nikon in terms of AF. I scrap a lot shots because of missed focus, never any fun. I'm trying hard to get better with manual focusing, but it's not practical all the time. I would also really like to see flash-sync speed that reaches at least 1/250, preferably even a half stop or so faster. That kind of increase in flash-sync speed, albeit minor, would definitely result in defectors from the C and N camps who do lots of flash work.

Pentax has everyone beat on ergonomics and size. I'm just in love with the way the all metal K-5 and Limited lenses feel in my hands. I see myself always having a Pentax APS-C body and set of Limited primes for that reason. Multi-system set ups certainly aren't convenient but I wouldn't rule it out if Pentax never releases a FF system.

05-26-2012, 07:58 AM   #170
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Forgot to mention that the lens road map also addresses the current lack of super telephoto options by giving us a zoom in the ~150-350mm range, a 560mm prime, and a 1.4x teleconverter, all of which will likely help keep people on board longer.

To clarify, I don't see myself ever fully jumping ship unless Pentax stops making DSLRs altogether and I need a replacement body to be able to keep using my Limiteds. The other possibility would be if I simply can't afford a dual system and truly need two compatible bodies (at least one being FF) when doing paid work. If money were no issue, I'd have three or four systems tomorrow!

I'll also add that if I were entering the market right now, I might not have gone with Pentax due to the prices. I can't say for sure, but what I can say is that I was very happy to purchase my initial set up consisting of the K-5, the DA* 16-50 and the DA* 50-135 because of it's value relative to the competition. I would've had to spend way more to get that same focal length range, constant f/2.8 aperture, and weather sealing from C or N. Sadly, that's not so much the case anymore and the attractive upgrade path to FF is only found with the other guys.

Last edited by TomTextura; 05-26-2012 at 08:20 AM. Reason: add detail about constant aperture
06-02-2012, 04:15 PM   #171
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The poll didn't have an option for me, either-- "Jumped ship, but swam back."

When I was shooting Canon, I still kept up with what Pentax was doing and was quite surprised by the hike in lens prices. Lenses that I had before I switched are now out of my budget. Saying that, I'm not terribly upset by it, though. In all reality, I really don't need a big bag full of expensive lenses when I can get the results that I want with a few mid-priced lenses. If you can't afford the shiny new expensive lenses, at least you've got the option of picking up older MF lenses that are just as good for a whole lot less.

Really, the Pentax system just fits me better. I'm loving my K5 and look forward to getting out and doing some "real" shooting with it soon. I loaded some test shots into Lightroom last night and was quite happy to find that they needed very little PP to look good. With Canon, it took me a good bit longer to get the results I wanted in LR. I'm especially pleased with the results I got at ISO 1600. Overall, the Pentax system is simply more intuitive.

Will I jump ship again? I don't plan to. Unless one of the other camera companies comes out with something absolutely amazing that I can't live without and could actually afford, I don't see any reason to switch. The gear I have will cover just about anything I might want to shoot. If it doesn't, then I can always rent a Canikon body and the appropriate lens/es for the particular photo outing.

Just my 2˘...
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06-03-2012, 02:30 PM - 1 Like   #172
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My ship is in the middle of the ocean and I cann't see no other near, if I jump I am even more lost then I am now on this lonely boat of me. It may be half wrecked, with wholes near the water line and I might be drowning soon, but is is what I am on. To what other shore shall I turn to salvage me. This mere boat must carry me or I shall be lost in the sea.

06-04-2012, 03:51 AM   #173
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Another Pentax + Nikon man. Each has some special bit of technology that the others do not have. Between the 2 outfits, I can cover most situations. Mind you ,I am waiting for the camera that has the lot. A bit crazy having 2 systems. Each system has some lenses that I cannot get in the other system. Pentax has that great fisheye zoom, Nikon has a great 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye and I picked up cheaply a Sigma 4.5mm f/2.8 circular fisheye in Nikon mount. I have an 80-200 f/2.8 Nikon which would cost a bomb to get in Pentax. Too stingy to get a 100 f/2.8 1:1 equivalent for the Nikon. The compromises go on. A decent ,inexpensive mirrorless in Nikon mount with wireless remote capacity would help.If extra bodies weighed very little, the overall kit for the job at hand could allow for multiple systems in the same kit. I reckon one of the camera manufacturers should give me a call to design that ultimate camera that would blow the opposition out of the water. There would be plenty of photographers out there that would appreciate that super camera. Interestingly, Pentax has more "exclusives" than the others in terms of useful features. If it were Nikon that bought out Pentax instead of Ricoh, they would be in the running to produce that ultimate camera and put a cannonball through Canon.
06-04-2012, 04:08 AM   #174
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That great fisheye zoom is available in Nikon mount:
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06-10-2012, 01:53 PM   #175
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When I changed from my Konica film camera and went to digital, I liked Pentax right off, the feel, the size allot like my Konica I had. I am very happy and plan on staying as all of my gear is Pentax based, lens and extras. Looking forward to Pentax upgrades as they come along.
06-10-2012, 02:07 PM   #176
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Going to be running dual system soon. My Nikon kit will be my "pro" setup for poraits and what not. While I'll be using the k5 kit for holidays and travel.

Don't exactly wanna fly around and go hiking with the D800 when I got the smaller lighter K5
06-15-2012, 03:48 AM   #177
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I think the Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom is the same as the Pentax. Mind you, if I were to get rid of the Pentax gear and retain the Nikon, I would get the 11-16 f/2.8 Tokina which is reputed to be a great lens. Still, Pentax has a couple of really great features that are particularly useful for me. The image stabilization in the sensor instead of the lenses saves a lot of money. Pentax is still the best for cold weather performance-particularly useful for astro, where sub zero temperatures with near 100% humidity(from the low temperatures) is normal. The K-5 still gives useable images at ISO 51,000 - perfect for quick and easy astronomy with a foreground images without earth rotation issues. Now we just need Pentax to catch up on the features of the competition, especially the megapixels of the sensors. Bit hard to take Pentax seriously when the flagship camera is 16MP when the competition is at 24MP +. Mind you, 20MP will give a pretty impressive size enlargements and with stitching programs you can get into the gigapixels.
06-15-2012, 05:20 AM   #178
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QuoteOriginally posted by fisheye freak Quote
Now we just need Pentax to catch up on the features of the competition, especially the megapixels of the sensors. Bit hard to take Pentax seriously when the flagship camera is 16MP when the competition is at 24MP +.
Arguably, the least important metric when judging a camera. Qualities like dynamic range and ISO performance are what really matter. Pentax's weak point is its AF system, and it certainly does need to catch up with the competition on that.
06-15-2012, 02:23 PM   #179
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QuoteOriginally posted by Philoslothical Quote
Arguably, the least important metric when judging a camera. Qualities like dynamic range and ISO performance are what really matter. Pentax's weak point is its AF system, and it certainly does need to catch up with the competition on that.
Agree fully! If the AF was as fast (and accurate) as some of the other cameras I have access to, like the Nikon V1, the Olympus OM-D, or the NEX-5N! The V1 is as fast as the best of DSLRs (as long as you use Series 1 lenses), while, over-all, the OM-D is even more capable!
06-15-2012, 02:36 PM   #180
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QuoteOriginally posted by Frogfish Quote
The Poll is missing an important option. Dual systems.

I can't wait forever for Pentax to introduce FF and decent birding lenses. I'm going dual system; K5 and 5DII.
The Nikon V1 is more than decent at bird photography, as is the OM-D - here's a few examples: Red Kite | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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