Originally posted by Eigengrau Going by DXOmark, the D3s offers a stop and a half of better low light performance. Other full frame cameras have a significantly smaller advantage. And, this is with worse dynamic range and color depth than the K-5.
The DR advantage is only really there at base ISO, and if you can ever see any difference in output from that small color depth delta, you must be superhuman
(Also, D800 has made up those small differences and then some, now.)
Quote: So, I wouldn't call them "way better". I think it is safe to say that the K-5 is in the same ballpark. Note also that there are full frame cameras that the K-5 beats... the point here is that it isn't as simple as it used to be. There used to be a huge image quality gap between full frame and everything else, and that gap has diminished.
'Same ballpark', sure, but it depends on how you define the ballpark. Really, the Fuji X10 is in the same ballpark as the K-5 as well, then.
Also, the output is only part of the equation - how you get that output is another part. There's a pretty big difference in performance between the K-5 and D700 for example in AF lock speed and accuracy, especially with tracking and low-light shooting, there's a much better VF in the D700, and you enjoy the lens advantage in the wide-normal-mid telephoto focal lengths with regards to DOF control.
Quote: The question isn't "is full frame better?" The question ought to be: Is full frame enough better to move a lot of units and make more profit than an APS-C only strategy? Is it enough of a difference to motivate a lot of buyers? It is tough enough for a small player like Pentax to make a grab at a fairly large market (entry level DSLR). Don't expect a small market like full frame to magically be any different - in many ways it could be more difficult to do profitably.
That is the question - but also,
what is the cost of doing nothing, or of doing half measures? Pentax may not be able to sell K-mount lenses in the market that will exist five years from now at sufficient volumes without an FF footing.
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