[RiceHigh]

Yes, I have bought a Canon 5D, with just one lens, the 24-105L. But I have never said that I have sold all or any of my Pentax gear nor I needed to sell these to get my new 5D kit set funded. :-)

So, I'm still a Pentaxian, as long as I still own some Pentax gear. In fact, I have never thought about to sell my Pentax lenses and my K100D up till now.

So, don't be either happy so fast or be disappointed! ;-) Just becoz I'm still here!

Sometimes I just really wonder, cameras are just toys that we can own more than one brand! So, my Canon 5D is now the largest format digital gear, with very high pixel count and low noise. Then the Pentax DSLR is the middle format, followed by my Fuji 1/1.6" F810 which has the smallest CCD in my "lineup".

As for light DSLR for use, my Pentax K100D with limited or FA primes is still the way to go. Actually, the K100D with Pentax DA zooms are still considerably (much) lighter than the 5D kit. So, my Pentax system should still have its value.

As for the 5D, I have owned it for days now. My experience is that the AF and multi-segment metering is very accurate (especially the light metering is far intelligent). If I have to compare to the K10 and K100, the metering is far superior and the exposure and images are mostly usable for nearly all images directly out of the camera which would have been a dream for any Pentax DSLRs - the closest thing is just the MZ-S in Pentax land, I'm afraid. That's also why there is always a reason to shoot RAW with Pentax DSLRs, i.e., to compensate for exposure errors and/or to use 3rd party convertors to extract more details (as for the K10D case). As for the AF accuracy, it is very close to the MZ-S.

As for my K100D, I'm really happy with the in-camera jpegs of my 5D which are with even better details per pixel - that's a main reason I choose the 5D over the K10. For such a 12.8MP camera, the level of jpeg details is really amazing.

Nonetheless, if Pentax now has a DSLR at the 5D grade and accuracy (or even the D200 grade), I would have "upgraded" to another Pentax body. However, since the wait is over, I get a 5D as price drops below my threshold, which I shall need a better camera for this summer.

Finally and again, I shall keep waiting the next upper model Pentax DSLR and most importantly, I shall keep (updating) my Blog, whenever my time allows!

[Falcons]

Oh!! Now you've gone and spoiled everything.

[skaktuss]

Actually, I'm happy, that You are here! You are very knowledgeable pentaxian and it is worth to listen to Your opinions and read Your tests. I like people who say whats in their mind. How much of it all we take to heed, is our subjective business. I think every brand should have such a measurbator to listen to or to ignore, but objective point of view is allways good thing (and not those brand-loyalist BS that we see every day).
Only Your blog is realy yucky. You should do some html improvements, so it would be easier to read. Or else it looks like a heap of dry text, that is very hard to read. make it a bit more juicy and some eye candy for average reader would be good.

[stewart_photo]

Yes, I have bought a Canon 5D, (snip)

The Canon 5D is priced well more than three times the average cost of a K10D. As such, I would certainly expect it to be better. However, the fact that you're here in this Pentax forum working so hard, writing so much, to present this Canon favorably in comparision to the K100D and K10D only demonstrates to me how good these Pentax cameras truly are. Thanks for providing further affirmation for my choice to buy the Pentax K10D - expensive features at a very reasonable price.

stewart

[Peter Zack]

Stewart_photo, You're right. He just doesn't get it and doesn't even know what it's really about 'cause he spends too much time in the basement.

Sure it's fun to compare notes on this lens or that. Argue about what camera takes a better picture. But...

It's not about the gear. It never was. I hope most of us could care less if you shoot with a C,P,N or an old Minox. It's about the photograph That's all that matters. Personally, I have far more respect for the guy/gal who reads all these posts and can only afford the old Spotmatic his dad gave him with 1 lens and does his/her best to capture that perfect sunrise down by the beach at 5AM. He's too timid to post a message but reads,studies,experiments and learns the craft, relishes in that 1 great shot from a roll of 36. That's a real photographer. Some of the world's best photographers shot magnificent art with gear you wouldn't pay $5.00 for at a flea market today.

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. ~Ansel Adams


No photographer is as good as the simplest camera. ~Edward Steichen

[khardur]

Stewart and Peter: well said, and couldn't agree more.

[stewart_photo]

Yes, RichHigh just doesn't seem to get it. At that price, the Canon 5D should be better. The real question is whether the Canon 5D's image quality is really three times, $2000, better than the K10D's image quality? The Canon's metering system $2000 more accurate? That extra 2.8MP really worth the additional two grand? The Pentax K10D is a great camera, consistently compared to cameras costing several times more (as RichHigh has done here). That fact alone, to me, makes the Pentax K10D a terrific value.

Peter is absolutely right. Once you reach a certain point, a usuable camera to you, it really isn't about the gear anymore. It's what you do with it that really matters. And the K10D is a truly usuable camera, to me and obviously a lot of others. RiceHigh, however, is far too busy making comparisons to see the roses, scenery, or whatever else one might photograph.

Between his blog and all the forums he participates in, RichHigh spends an exorbitant amount of time online. Perhaps if he got away from the computer more often to actually use the cameras he claims to own, he might learn, realize, how good, how much of a value, the Pentax K10D truly is - far better than he continiously tries to make it out to be.

Virtually the same could be said for the K100D, K110D, istD, and other Pentax cameras.

stewart

---

Last edited by stewart_photo; 06-15-2007 at 12:22 AM.

[rhermans]

Ricehigh
Just to put this straight I'm not mad that you're back or didn't leave

As I already earlier mentioned to you, your analysis are great but have been to focussed at the Pentax area. Now that you've got a Canon they might become a bit more balanced. Only wished your canon was more in the current pentax pricerange.

[Peter Zack]

Here's the "official definition" of a Pentaxian taken from the Pentax USA web site. It's the print off the T-Shirt Pentax sells direct to the public. I'll agree that not all Pentax gear is perfect. What camera maker hasn't produced some 'dawgs' over the years but they all produce some gems too. RiceHigh, read the second last sentence. Need I say more...

I'M A PENTAXIAN. A LOYALIST. A DIEHARD. I ONCE
CARRIED A K1000 AROUND WITH ME EVERYWHERE,
ONLY RELUCTANTLY SETTING IT DOWN TO TAKE
THE OCCASIONAL SHOWER. I TELL MY KIDS BEDTIME
STORIES ABOUT THOSE HEADY DAYS WHEN THE
CAMERA KNOWN SIMPLY AS "THE PENTAX" WAS
THE BEST-SELLING SLR MADE. I DON'T SPEND
COUNTLESS HOURS PIXEL PEEPING. I JUST TAKE
PICTURES. AND WHILE I MAY BE TEMPTED, ON
OCCASION, TO TURN TO A STRANGER ON AN ELE-
VATOR AND SAY, "THE BEST AUTO-FOCUS SLR
LENS EVER MADE IS THE PENTAX 31MM F/1.8,"
I'D REALLY RATHER BE USING MY EQUIPMENT
THAN TALKING ABOUT IT. PENTAX UNDERSTANDS
THAT CAMERAS DON'T TAKE PICTURES, PHOTOG-
RAPHERS DO. THEIR NEW DIGITAL SLR'S ARE
THE RESULT OF LISTENING TO PENTAXIANS AND
DELIVERING TOOLS FOR TRUE PHOTOGRAPHY
LOVERS. THESE CAMERAS ARE ALREADY CREATING
MANY MORE LOYALISTS. SO THE QUESTION IS: CAN
THESE NEWCOMERS COUNT THEMSELVES AMONG
THE DIEHARDS? HEY, WE'RE PENTAXIANS, NOT
PHOTOGRAPHY SNOBS. WELCOME TO OUR CLUB.

Check it out at:

https://pc-wweb.pentax.com/scripts/wgate/zw20_pc/!?~language=en&~Okcode=star...rea=0000000002

[vinzer]

Ricehigh, personally, I'm fine that you're back.

To the other guys, I'm actually pretty happy that the K10D draws comparisons to much higher-priced models (and comparing favorably, at that!). I'd welcome comparisons to any and all cameras out there, because it just further legitimizes the legacy of the K10D.

Personally, I can't believe that I own a soon-to-be legend, and at a fraction of the cost of other legends while they were in production.

When all's said and done, the K10D will be fondly remembered as a camera that propelled the photography industry forward, and I'd welcome Ricehigh's negativity about it fully. Haha.

[mutley]

Yes, RichHigh just doesn't seem to get it. At that price, the Canon 5D should be better.

stewart

His opinions on his K100D hold a slight bit of water, only because he owns one. His opinions on the K10D are basically useless because he doesn't own one, and his abilities to to tweak the settings properly from just a few uses of a borrowed one cannot be acceptable enough yet. I own the K10D, and unlike a Canon, getting past the default settings, or understanding what the autofocus is seeing, whether set on multipoint, or center and how to get vast improvements in focus speed, jpg punchiness, etc. are a definite learning curve that needs time.

Not everyone likes the default oversharpening of the 5D, and many do. This biases his opinion as well. The K10D jpg sharpening has to actually be reduced a step, and then sharpened in post processing - to get a great jpg. Rice high did not have the time or finesse to work this technique.

Pentax would do well to tweak their sharpening algorithm in firmware giving owners a menu option of edge sharpening simply to eliminate this type of comment that the 5D (and others) has far better jpg's. Let the owner decide how "film-like" they want to get out of the camera, and shut all these other people up already.

Noise reduction options (at least chroma noise) like the E-510 would help as well for the level of many considering the K10D, as long as the NR can be completely turned off (unlike Nikons). That will shut the noise complainers up enough.

In terms of RAW detail, the K10D is very similar to the 5D (unlike the D80, etc.). A few owners of both have uploaded 100% crops of the identical shot taken by both and the detail similarity was amazing (the K10D shot uprezzed to Canon 12.8MP size), though K10D color was more accurate.

He loves to bash the K100D AND K10D on other forums using very strong language on how the Pentax just can't do at all what is easy on the 5D. He really doesn't care that this is VERY damaging especially in the case of the K10D where he is simply not adept at working the cameras capabilities properly - but speaks like an authorative engineer.

Even these jpgs are not far off the 5D's with the "serious" limitation of only using the $79US kit lens and the measly Tamron 70-300mm LD Di lenses. (Technically, I think they're more detailed than many 5D jpgs, but am too humble to say it...)

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/8240-car-show-abstracts-greenwich-show.html

[stewart_photo]

His opinions on his K100D hold a slight bit of water, only because he owns one. His opinions on the K10D are basically useless because he doesn't own one, and his abilities to to tweak the settings properly from just a few uses of a borrowed one cannot be acceptable enough yet. I own the K10D, and unlike a Canon, getting past the default settings, or understanding what the autofocus is seeing, whether set on multipoint, or center and how to get vast improvements in focus speed, jpg punchiness, etc. are a definite learning curve that needs time. (snip)

I agree entirely. By the way, very nice car show images.

stewart

[mutley]

I agree entirely. By the way, very nice car show images.

stewart

Thanks Stewart!

Hopefully they are as detailed and focused fast enough compared to Rice High's 5D jpgs.

[Peter Zack]

He loves to bash the K100D AND K10D on other forums using very strong language on how the Pentax just can't do at all what is easy on the 5D. He really doesn't care that this is VERY damaging especially in the case of the K10D where he is simply not adept at working the cameras capabilities properly - but speaks like an authorative engineer.

Even these jpgs are not far off the 5D's with the "serious" limitation of only using the $79US kit lens and the measly Tamron 70-300mm LD Di lenses. (Technically, I think they're more detailed than many 5D jpgs, but am too humble to say it...)

In total agreement here. Sad thing is there have been 18,000+ visitors to his blog. I wonder how many people considering their first DSLR have come across that site and looked elsewhere for a camera. Pentax may not be for everyone but the critique needs to be fair and balanced and his pronouncements are as about as unbalanced as I've ever read in 25 years as both a photo hobbiest and Electronics territory rep. I think it's worthy of note that the Blog and all his other ramblings provide a dearth of actual photographs. I guess there's no window in his basement.

Larry, Great Car show shots. Every one is well taken and offered a different perspective than the norm. The hand and hair shot was a nice crop of the subject, just enough info to tell a story but leave something to the imagination. My fav is the 'Man in the Hat', very well seen and perfectly exposed!! Was that a close up of an Indian motorcycle front fender light? Nice car BTW, looks like you've spent many hours in the garage with that gem.

[FotoPete]

LoL and look who's back! I agree with you Peter that Rice's blog and forum comments will reaffirm many about Canon's "you can't screw up a shot" image. However its not unexpected because in this generation of young adults and twenty somethings, most have never even heard of the name Pentax and will continue to be duped by salespeople into buying over priced crippled cameras and bad lenses.