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02-28-2008, 12:51 AM   #1
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Please guys reassure me about Pentax

Hiya all,

My first post here.

Firstly let me say that I have read alot of the posts here already over the past few months and learnt heaps about using my K10d and Pentax in general and I really appreciate everything you guys and gals put in here.

I bought my K10d in order to photograph my wifey at her Veterans Athletics Championships - she is a 100m sprinter and long jumper. In fact she came 4th in the 100m at the recent world titles in Italy (nothing to do with my question, I'm just really proud of her...)

Anyway, I have always viewed the fps rate to be my cameras most important feature due to my wifey being quite fast on the track.

I had hoped that the K20d was going to give me at least 5 fps, but now we all know thats not going to happen.

So please tell me, I will listen to you, should I hang in for the next upgrade in the hope of a fps increase, or be happy with my 3 on my k10d or shock horror switch codes?

Or maybe the K20d is worth the upgrade for a sports/action photographer - are there new features in there that I may have missed on the spec sheet that I should rate higher than just fps speed ?

Thanks in advance for your guidance,

02-28-2008, 03:00 AM   #2
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Kip

It depends on what you plan on doing with the images you get, viewing on the web or printing. Remembering you can get a higher FPS with the K20D camera operating at the 1.2mp range.
02-28-2008, 03:33 AM   #3
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It is not the FPS that matters. It is about how well you know the camera and utilise it.

Most of the time, buying camera gear to suit your needs is all about how much money you have. K20d shall be good enough since k10d can do sports and birding alike (just requiring skill :P )
02-28-2008, 03:45 AM   #4
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Congrats to your wife for doing so well.

Agreed with the others. You have to remember that some great sports action shots (like the contents of Sports Illustrated) were done with film cameras that could barely shoot 2 Fps. It takes practice, with skill and understanding of the sport. I'm sure you understand running just fine. So now it's practice and being in the right spot with the right lens.

The K20D will do the lower res shooting and you can switch to Jpeg on the K10D with a fast card and shoot for quite a while before the buffer is filled. Humans can't run that fast so this should not be that tough. Panning with the subject will get you more keepers. Practice on cars to improve your skill level.

02-28-2008, 03:48 AM   #5
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The real thing about sports photography is not the camera or FPS. Good greif! When I lived in the US, I shot profesional basketball with a Spotmatic. Yes, early on, I was very ordinary but developed my skills.

All of this with a "thumb wind" and manual focus lenses!

Example here:

Remember the ABA: Ron Boone

Bob
02-28-2008, 03:56 AM   #6
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What about intermediate size/fps (between 1.2Mp/21fps and 14.6Mp/3fps)?
I remember that was discussed somewhere but don't know if there was some definite conclusion - is it posible or not?
Maybe now that some of the forum members have their K20 in their hands we can come to some answers - is it doable only by means of a firmware update or is it hardware thing?
02-28-2008, 03:57 AM   #7
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As the others have said it's not about the FPS rate. The K10D can do 3fps as you've said - I nearly never use it. Even at a motorsport event last week, I only used the burst mode once, in a crash sequence.

02-28-2008, 04:25 AM   #8
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If one follows the machine gunner approach to action photography, there will be critics who will complain that 3 fps isn't nearly enough. If you adopt the sniper style (peak of action) approach, then your camera's speed is more than enough.
02-28-2008, 04:39 AM   #9
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Sorry, but I've to tell you my honest opinion..

I won't reassure you to use any Pentax DSLR to shoot Sport, especially for your case is for those really really "once in a lifetime" precious moment. Just imagine if your wife will win a medal in the coming Olympic game but your Pentax DSLR fails to nail the focus..!

Get a Canon upper class DSLR for your application! What I mean is at least a Canon 40D or so, for better AF capability, better continuous AF tracking and a much higher frame rate at full resolution!

Sorry, if you're disappointed with my comment but I think I have to tell you the truth I believe, i.e., if I were you, I must get a Canon for what you'll need!

QuoteOriginally posted by kipsta Quote
Hiya all,

My first post here.

Firstly let me say that I have read alot of the posts here already over the past few months and learnt heaps about using my K10d and Pentax in general and I really appreciate everything you guys and gals put in here.

I bought my K10d in order to photograph my wifey at her Veterans Athletics Championships - she is a 100m sprinter and long jumper. In fact she came 4th in the 100m at the recent world titles in Italy (nothing to do with my question, I'm just really proud of her...)

Anyway, I have always viewed the fps rate to be my cameras most important feature due to my wifey being quite fast on the track.

I had hoped that the K20d was going to give me at least 5 fps, but now we all know thats not going to happen.

So please tell me, I will listen to you, should I hang in for the next upgrade in the hope of a fps increase, or be happy with my 3 on my k10d or shock horror switch codes?

Or maybe the K20d is worth the upgrade for a sports/action photographer - are there new features in there that I may have missed on the spec sheet that I should rate higher than just fps speed ?

Thanks in advance for your guidance,
02-28-2008, 05:10 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by kipsta Quote
Hiya all,


Anyway, I have always viewed the fps rate to be my cameras most important feature due to my wifey being quite fast on the track.


So please tell me, I will listen to you, should I hang in for the next upgrade in the hope of a fps increase, or be happy with my 3 on my k10d or shock horror switch codes?

Or maybe the K20d is worth the upgrade for a sports/action photographer - are there new features in there that I may have missed on the spec sheet that I should rate higher than just fps speed ?

Thanks in advance for your guidance,
Can you afford to spend $1,700 US now? Are you willing to wait at least a year to buy? I think those are the questions you need to answer. The Canon 40D combined with a 70-300 lens will do the job if that is a long enough reach for you. If it isn't look at spending a lot more. The K20D isn't going to be what you want according to the early reports. It's not just the 3fps but it's the tracking ability also.

I don't like the weight and feel of the 40D but would like to have an action camera. I'm thinking of buying that combo but keep my K10D for all other types of shooting. In a year or 2 if Hoya allows Pentax to go forward with a faster camera I'll sell the Canon at a $500 or $600 lose and get the Pentax. Not a great solution but it's the only one I can come up with now.

BTW, congrats on your wife's success.

Regards,

Ken
02-28-2008, 05:57 AM   #11
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Unless you wanna shell some serious money (like, 1D or D3 money), I'd have to suggest you pick any camera you feel comfortable with and learn its quirks. Even then, people have complained about the AF on some of the more expensive cameras.

It really boils down to technique in the end. Once you get comfy with whatever camera you choose, you could probably nail the shot you need. I find that I am getting more comfy with using manual focus lately, not because I don't trust my Pentax's AF (which is pretty darn accurate), but because I like to shift focus much more quickly. I've read people recommend manual focusing, too, and maybe it's something you could look at.

If you could wait until Photokina, maybe Pentax has something to show in the way of a new higher-spec camera (which I'm sure will contain a new AF module).

You could also try to ask help in improving your technique with some of the resident action/birding shooters in this forum. There are quite a number of them here, and they can nail the shot even with *only* 3 FPS or even a much smaller buffer as with the K100D.

That said, if you really feel that switching systems is necessary *now*, then by all means go ahead. I'm not one to hold back someone who have need for better action photography performance (and you certainly do need it).

I suggest you rent out cameras and see which one's to your liking. Good luck in your decision and congratulations on your wife's achievements. I sure as hell can't run fast if my life depended on it.
02-28-2008, 06:08 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by regken Quote
I don't like the weight and feel of the 40D but would like to have an action camera.
I think the size and weight between 40D and K10D/20D are just very similar.

QuoteQuote:
In a year or 2 if Hoya allows Pentax to go forward with a faster camera I'll sell the Canon at a $500 or $600 lose and get the Pentax. Not a great solution but it's the only one I can come up with now.
Depends on whether you have invested deeply into Pentax glass or not, I think it would be wise and better to just switch over to Canon completely as Canon will satisfy for your basic requirements by now (and I bet for general use as well) but currently your Pentax does not fulfil your most important application and requirement.
02-28-2008, 06:10 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobrapp Quote
The real thing about sports photography is not the camera or FPS. Good greif! When I lived in the US, I shot profesional basketball with a Spotmatic. Yes, early on, I was very ordinary but developed my skills.

All of this with a "thumb wind" and manual focus lenses!

Example here:

Remember the ABA: Ron Boone

Bob
I can only second the statement above. I shoot a lot of indoor volleyball. The best pictures I get are usually off a K100D along with a M100/2.8 and M50/1.4 (yes, manual focus). The thing with the machinegun approach is that even with 5fps you gonna probably miss the cruical moments when you see the face of the player, the ball, and the action at the same time. Slowing things down with a manual focus lens actually makes you think before you take a shoot. There is also something else to consider. If you'd shoot with 5fps all the time, you'll have a huge number of pictures you have to wade throu (400+), just to find the 3 ones that were the decisive moments of the day.

Your scenario seems to be more outdoor with a long distance to the event. If you are more than say 20 meters away chances are you don't need to focus and can safely turn off autofocus and focus to infinity. Hence most of the infamous AF issues of the K{12}0[0]D will not be relevant. Assuming it's nice and sunny out there you'd also shoot faster than 1/250, which means it's prudent to turn off SR, which results in less shutter delay.
02-28-2008, 06:31 AM   #14
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I think the immediate questions are, "How has your K10D been performing for you?" Have you been missing a lot of shots? Have you been unable to keep up with the action? Or has it been doing okay, but you were just hoping the K20D would bring more improvement in fps and auto-focus?" If it's the latter, then my advice would be to hang onto your K10D for the time being.
02-28-2008, 06:37 AM   #15
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Wow, after reading this thread there are all of a sudden Canon admirers coming out of the woodwork. This on a Pentax forum...
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