Originally posted by wlachan Don't forget wireless features Nikon offers too. I love the 580EX II shoe design btw.
I consider the strobe-controlled solution quite adequate for my use. Of course, a non-strobe protocol in P-TTL would be great.
Quote: For some unknown reason predictive AF is missing on all Pentax DSLRs. It was available on the Z-1. The existing AF-C is not predictive so by the time the exposure was made, the subject might be slightly in-front or behind the focus. It really has much to do with how smart the AF is, instead of sheer speed. What lens you used on the D300 btw?
And no "release/focus priority" to choose. Z-1's predictive focus was quite primitive compared to Nikon's offerings, so it needs to be redeveloped, with more focus points. If you try any of the early AF lenses on Nikon (earlier than AF-D), e.g. the 80-200 f/2.8 AF, it's ridiculously slow, and hunts more than its AF-D and AF-S counterparts, on the same body (the one I tried was a D300, I now shoot with a D700 but it's reasonable to assume the slow lens will focus just as slow there, too) So, lens gearing is an important factor, too. If you try the FA35-80, it focuses lightening fast, faster than a lot of Nikon AF-D lenses.
Quote: I think Pentax K system have been improving if a bit slowly but surely. However, as a whole the system is still not quite as good as the C/N mid range gears yet. The problem I can see is that Pentax seem to resist on addressing some issues that have been reported by users for years, and they are a little inconsistent on each body designs. For instance, the K-x has noiser mirror/shutter than the K-m. The K-7 is quiet mirror/shutter but worse iso performance than K-x. And why stopped with plastic back, why not all the way? Perhaps due to budget constrain, Pentax seem to design their products well then with a few quirks every time. This tendency leaves some users with 1/2 satisfied experience.
In the shutter noise department, the grass is not always greener over there. For example, I'm quite fond of the D70s' shutter sound. Although it's still not as quiet as K-7's, it's very mushed, damped, and makes you wonder if the lack of MLU on that body is really a disadvantage at all. OTOH the D700's shutter noise is a disaster even compared to the D70s'.