Thank you for all the kind words everyone!!
I just feel I need to answer this one:
Originally posted by leekil I don't have a good sense what that really means, either your interpretation or what kenspo said. The "total package" involves significant financial support (beyond equipment)? Or the equipment that Pentax has is not sufficient, compared to the Tamron/Canon combination? I assume it is the first one, but I don't really know. It would seem that he is provided with the new equipment, though, rather than buying it himself? Was that the case with Pentax as well?
With total package I mean what makes my days and workflow easier. I do more and more video beside my rock'n roll photography
Until now I have used K-1 and K-1ii + 645Z for stills. While Panasonic has provided me with video gear. Not ideal, but it has kind of worked since Panasonic works a lot with Focus Nordic who is responsible for Pentax in the nordic and baltic countries. I have got everything I wanted from both Ricoh and Panasonic, so I cant complain there
But the main issue for me, and the reason for a growing frustration, is both the speed of development and that the fps and buffer is something that makes my days harder. K-1ii became worse, not better then K-1 here..Im tired of always need to calculate to get the awesome stuff. Sometimes I hit, other times I miss..The reason I stayed so long, is a combination between that I was thinking this will be better in future models and that I really love the files Pentax produces..
But the little things that was something I could live with in the beginning, started to grow to a bigger and bigger frustration..When I work directly with bands, it wasn't as frustrating, cause then I had the whole evening to shoot. But when I cover a show as a regular press photographer, I have very limited time to get my shots (with KISS we got around 5min to get the pics), then the fps and buffer is really really a crucial point. It started to become such a big frustration that my motivation slowly faded away..When people like Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Guns N Roses + + + are on the stage and you miss everything from jumps to flames etc because both cameras was buffering, it is not fun. I tried to turn the negative spiral of frustration around, but was unable too
I was also getting tired of always needed to carry around many bags with two different systems when I was traveling with a band doing both stills and video. Now I get just 2 cameras covering both (with a couple of gopro's). The AF is better in challenging condition then people think..So that wasn't an issue.
My main tasks as an ambassador was to sell in the system to pros and get Pentax to be taken seriously. I feel I succeeded with the last one, but the first one was close to impossible cause most pros felt it would be a step down from what they already had due to certain features (or lack of) and speed of development. Most of them loved what I did with the system and they respected Pentax..But they wouldn't change system...So it felt like trying to sell a car to a blind man. And when I sold more Tamron lenses then I ever could do with Pentax, we started to talk about me just doing the switch. I tested both Nikon and Canon. D850 crushes Canon on the quality in stills, but Nikon is no match to Canon on the video (even with the strange codec on Mark iv). Since video is so important to me now, my choice became 5D Mark iv. Even with a step down in stills quality compared to K-1/K-1ii, things will now be easier for me now. I get everything in one package.
I have no connection at all with Canon, just Tamron (they provide me with what I need of lenses). When I tested both Canon and Nikon combined with Tamron, it felt like a relief to shoot with knowing that the fps and buffer wouldn't make my evening frustrating. That combined with knowing that I now can travel around with everything in one bag, compared to 2-3 bags previous was making me do this choice. This was not a financial decision, it was a move I feel is the better for me as a total package.
Sorry for this long answer (not enough coffee yet
) but I hope this clear things up