Promises, promises K3 24mp New tracking AF

**Ash** · 10-01-2013, 05:53 PM

The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me.

Wired · 10-01-2013, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by Ash

The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me.

sounds more like a Volkswagen.

normhead · 10-01-2013, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by Ash

The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me.

I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car.

**Ash** · 10-01-2013, 06:11 PM

By the camera size comparison site, I was interested to see the comparison between the K-5 (APS-C dSLR) and Sony a77 (APS-C translucent mirror):
Pentax K-5 IIs is 8% (11.6 mm) narrower and 7% (7 mm) shorter than Sony SLT-A77.
Pentax K-5 IIs is 10% (8.4 mm) thinner than Sony SLT-A77.
Pentax K-5 IIs [760 g] weights 4% (28 grams) more than Sony SLT-A77 [732 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).

Pentax K-5 IIs dimensions: 131x97x72.5 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)
Sony SLT-A77 dimensions: 142.6x104x80.9 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)

I can understand the big differences in their FF line (the a99 is bulkier but not much weightier than the K-5), but why Sony couldn't make their APS-Cs less weighty and less bulky is beyond me...

konraDarnok · 10-01-2013, 06:11 PM

Originally posted by normhead

I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car.

Must be thinking of this rather than this

konraDarnok · 10-01-2013, 06:14 PM

Originally posted by Ash

less weighty and less bulky is beyond me...

I think it's a status thing. "look at my giant professional camera." Probably cheaper to engineer too.

tuco · 10-01-2013, 06:35 PM

Originally posted by cfraz

...
While the linear dimension differences between a K-5 and a D600 are not huge, the D600 is about 40% larger in volume than the K-5. You don't carry just the length, depth, or height of your camera on a hike, all 3 dimensions have to fit in your backpack. The 40% difference is significant. Consider also that for typical K-5 / D600 lenses, the camera/lens volume difference is even larger.

I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that.

Last edited by Ash; 10-04-2013 at 05:21 PM.

derekkite · 10-01-2013, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by konraDarnok

I think it's a status thing. "look at my giant professional camera." Probably cheaper to engineer too.

When I saw a D800 on a store shelf, beside all the other Nikon, the Pentax, Canon and Oly stuff, I got the impression that it was designed to say 'mine is bigger than yours'.

**monochrome** · 10-01-2013, 07:26 PM

Saw a guy (amateur) at an event last weekend (1500 people) hauling around a d800, 24~120 and a Stroboframe/Speedlight from 5:00pm Friday to 5:00pm Saturday. He said he made 5000 clicks, batch-processed and speed-selected 400 for a 30 minute slide show at 9:00pm.

Kinda thought that was overkill.

cfraz · 10-01-2013, 08:40 PM

Originally posted by tuco

I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. It is picking the fly sh*t out of the pepper from my perspective. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that.

Yep, it's all about perspective, and I'd say yours is a lot broader than mine. To someone who's come from Olympus and Pentax film SLR's, and now a K200D, the 600D looks like a *big* camera.

kadajawi · 10-01-2013, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by tuco

I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. It is picking the fly sh*t out of the pepper from my perspective. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that.

Yikes. I thought the D7000/D7100 and 60D were way too much. The K-5 is already a tad too heavy. I sometimes walk around all day with all my camera gear hanging on one shoulder (backpacks are better, but accessing them is hard, and I don't feel comfortable having the access to my gear where I can't see it), so it needs to be small and light. I once borrowed some small Sony, and it was a joy to use. Image quality wasn't good, and whoever thought exposure rows should be in 0.3EV steps should be shot, but other than that had fun with it. The lack of weight (while feeling solid) is nice. It is nimble.

tuco · 10-01-2013, 08:56 PM

Originally posted by kadajawi

Yikes. I thought the D7000/D7100 and 60D were way too much. The K-5 is already a tad too heavy.

I have a mirrorless too. When I want it light-n-easy or don't need the speed or resolution of the DSLR, I shoot it instead which is to say easily over 50% of my digital shooting time. I like adapting my Super Taks to it on occasion. I also still try to devote some of my available shooting time to BW film on my medium format cameras.

Winder · 10-01-2013, 08:57 PM

I have taken my Contax 645 on several multi-day backpacking trips. If you stick with LTD glass you can save some weight, but I really don't think the size is that much of an issue. I sent the day with an A99 a few weeks ago, and I actually liked it a lot. The taller grip allowed me to get ALL of my fingers on it with out the accessory grip.

I would like to see Pentax release a taller FF body with a VF like the A900.

**RobA_Oz** · 10-01-2013, 09:52 PM

Originally posted by normhead

I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car.

Oh, please! Camry is an acronym for "Cardigan Associated Motoring, Really Yucky"...

Barry Pearson · 10-01-2013, 11:40 PM

Originally posted by Wired

sounds more like a Volkswagen.

Hm! I use a Pentax K-5IIs and drive a VW Scirocco.

Is there a connection?

10-01-2013, 05:53 PM	#271
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Promises, promises K3 24mp New tracking AF The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me.

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10-01-2013, 05:57 PM	#272
Wired Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Edmonton, AB Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,519	Originally posted by Ash The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me. sounds more like a Volkswagen.

10-01-2013, 05:59 PM	#273
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by Ash The Camry is a no frills car that gets the job done. Pentax cameras don't have the frills, but above what Camrys do for motoring, Pentax offers the photographer ease of use of advanced features with ergonomics that are second to none, whether heavy (K-5) or light (K-r). That is also important, and is noticed more when going from a Pentax dSLR to a beast like the D800 or 5D, both of which are great cameras, but have UI nuances that frustrate me. I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car.

10-01-2013, 06:11 PM	#274
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	By the camera size comparison site, I was interested to see the comparison between the K-5 (APS-C dSLR) and Sony a77 (APS-C translucent mirror): Pentax K-5 IIs is 8% (11.6 mm) narrower and 7% (7 mm) shorter than Sony SLT-A77. Pentax K-5 IIs is 10% (8.4 mm) thinner than Sony SLT-A77. Pentax K-5 IIs [760 g] weights 4% (28 grams) more than Sony SLT-A77 [732 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card). Pentax K-5 IIs dimensions: 131x97x72.5 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion) Sony SLT-A77 dimensions: 142.6x104x80.9 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion) I can understand the big differences in their FF line (the a99 is bulkier but not much weightier than the K-5), but why Sony couldn't make their APS-Cs less weighty and less bulky is beyond me...

10-01-2013, 06:11 PM	#275
konraDarnok Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Albums Posts: 969	Originally posted by normhead I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car. Must be thinking of this rather than this

10-01-2013, 06:14 PM	#276
konraDarnok Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Albums Posts: 969	Originally posted by Ash less weighty and less bulky is beyond me... I think it's a status thing. "look at my giant professional camera." Probably cheaper to engineer too.

10-01-2013, 06:35 PM	#277
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Originally posted by cfraz ... While the linear dimension differences between a K-5 and a D600 are not huge, the D600 is about 40% larger in volume than the K-5. You don't carry just the length, depth, or height of your camera on a hike, all 3 dimensions have to fit in your backpack. The 40% difference is significant. Consider also that for typical K-5 / D600 lenses, the camera/lens volume difference is even larger. I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that. Last edited by Ash; 10-04-2013 at 05:21 PM.

10-01-2013, 06:36 PM	#278
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by konraDarnok I think it's a status thing. "look at my giant professional camera." Probably cheaper to engineer too. When I saw a D800 on a store shelf, beside all the other Nikon, the Pentax, Canon and Oly stuff, I got the impression that it was designed to say 'mine is bigger than yours'.

10-01-2013, 07:26 PM	#279
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Saw a guy (amateur) at an event last weekend (1500 people) hauling around a d800, 24~120 and a Stroboframe/Speedlight from 5:00pm Friday to 5:00pm Saturday. He said he made 5000 clicks, batch-processed and speed-selected 400 for a 30 minute slide show at 9:00pm. Kinda thought that was overkill.

10-01-2013, 08:40 PM	#280
cfraz Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 521	Originally posted by tuco I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. It is picking the fly sht out of the pepper from my perspective. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that. Yep, it's all about perspective, and I'd say yours is a lot broader than mine. To someone who's come from Olympus and Pentax film SLR's, and now a K200D, the 600D looks like a big* camera.

10-01-2013, 08:42 PM	#281
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Originally posted by tuco I owned a D600 for a while before upgrading it to a D800. I have a K-7. That 40% in volume difference may sound large but, again, it was all the same size to me. It is picking the fly sh*t out of the pepper from my perspective. I come from a time of hauling a Pentax 6x7 up Mount Rainier and on week-long backpacking trips in the wilderness. All DSLRs are a piece of cake after that. Yikes. I thought the D7000/D7100 and 60D were way too much. The K-5 is already a tad too heavy. I sometimes walk around all day with all my camera gear hanging on one shoulder (backpacks are better, but accessing them is hard, and I don't feel comfortable having the access to my gear where I can't see it), so it needs to be small and light. I once borrowed some small Sony, and it was a joy to use. Image quality wasn't good, and whoever thought exposure rows should be in 0.3EV steps should be shot, but other than that had fun with it. The lack of weight (while feeling solid) is nice. It is nimble.

10-01-2013, 08:56 PM	#282
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	Originally posted by kadajawi Yikes. I thought the D7000/D7100 and 60D were way too much. The K-5 is already a tad too heavy. I have a mirrorless too. When I want it light-n-easy or don't need the speed or resolution of the DSLR, I shoot it instead which is to say easily over 50% of my digital shooting time. I like adapting my Super Taks to it on occasion. I also still try to devote some of my available shooting time to BW film on my medium format cameras.

10-01-2013, 08:57 PM	#283
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	I have taken my Contax 645 on several multi-day backpacking trips. If you stick with LTD glass you can save some weight, but I really don't think the size is that much of an issue. I sent the day with an A99 a few weeks ago, and I actually liked it a lot. The taller grip allowed me to get ALL of my fingers on it with out the accessory grip. I would like to see Pentax release a taller FF body with a VF like the A900.

10-01-2013, 09:52 PM	#284
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,197	Originally posted by normhead I used to own an Echo, a Camry seemed like a luxury car. Oh, please! Camry is an acronym for "Cardigan Associated Motoring, Really Yucky"...

10-01-2013, 11:40 PM	#285
Barry Pearson Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Stockport Posts: 964	Originally posted by Wired sounds more like a Volkswagen. Hm! I use a Pentax K-5IIs and drive a VW Scirocco. Is there a connection?