[Lurch]

I'm not the most active member here. A lot of that has to do with me selling my K5 earlier this year and getting a D800.

Allow me to preface this with saying that the D800 is a terrific camera and well, well beyond my pathetic skill levels.

But.... I wish I hadn't.

Probably because the D800 is so far beyond my abilities and as a hobbyist I just dont have the time to put into bringing my skills up to even close. I love my photography, but thats life I guess.
But the nutshell version is that I just haven't bonded with the Nikon as I had with my K5. Where the K5 urged me to pick it up and play with it, use it, and basically not leave it alone. I just dont get that from the Nikon.
So what I'm saying is that if you're champing at the bit to go FF; my *personal* experience tells me - dont. Sure, if you've got the time and patience to invest into a whole new system and replace all your kit, then awesome. But I've just found it to be soooo much more than a) I need, and b) I can use.
So (for as long as I've been a member here) Pentaxians have been going on (and on, and on, and on) about a FF camera, I would hazard a guess that for a fair chunk of people "it's just not necessary" <- to be read with James May in your head.

If I was to do it again and with a good dose of hind sight - I wouldn't have done it. I would have hung onto my gorgeous K5 and would now be looking at the K3 for Xmas.
In fact I will give the D800 the summer, and if I still feel the same - it will go and a K5/ii or a K3 will come and I'll rebuilding my beloved Pentax lens collection again (starting with my fave, the Sigma 20-40mm 2.8)

[starjedi]

I'm not the most active member here. A lot of that has to do with me selling my K5 earlier this year and getting a D800.

Allow me to preface this with saying that the D800 is a terrific camera and well, well beyond my pathetic skill levels.

But.... I wish I hadn't.

Probably because the D800 is so far beyond my abilities and as a hobbyist I just dont have the time to put into bringing my skills up to even close. I love my photography, but thats life I guess.
But the nutshell version is that I just haven't bonded with the Nikon as I had with my K5. Where the K5 urged me to pick it up and play with it, use it, and basically not leave it alone. I just dont get that from the Nikon.
So what I'm saying is that if you're champing at the bit to go FF; my *personal* experience tells me - dont. Sure, if you've got the time and patience to invest into a whole new system and replace all your kit, then awesome. But I've just found it to be soooo much more than a) I need, and b) I can use.
So (for as long as I've been a member here) Pentaxians have been going on (and on, and on, and on) about a FF camera, I would hazard a guess that for a fair chunk of people "it's just not necessary" <- to be read with James May in your head.

If I was to do it again and with a good dose of hind sight - I wouldn't have done it. I would have hung onto my gorgeous K5 and would now be looking at the K3 for Xmas.
In fact I will give the D800 the summer, and if I still feel the same - it will go and a K5/ii or a K3 will come and I'll rebuilding my beloved Pentax lens collection again (starting with my fave, the Sigma 20-40mm 2.8)

Do you find significant enhancement of photography quality (eg at low light) comparing D800 to K5? One of my friends told me when he upgrade from canon 40d to canon 60d , there was huge enhancement of IQ but when he bought 5d markiii, there was no big diff comparing to 6d. His story tends to suggest the diffs between semi-pro aps-c and ff are not so large. Is that true based on your experience?

[Lurch]

Until I pixel-peek (which I hate BTW), I'm not blown away by the differences, put it that way.
In saying that, I do like the wafer thin DoF on the full frame, especially on the 1.8 50mm.
I probably just need to put more time into it and am feeling down about it; but the 'spark' that I got from the K5 just isnt there *sniff*

[normhead]

Keep us posted, I hope you learn to like that D800. It's always hard to tell if you're just going through a creative dead period with your photography, or you really just don't find the camera useable. I'm still miffed at how little I use my K-3, and find myself jumping at every bit of light that looks decent to get out and shoot. But I'm retired. If i was working I don't know if I'd have taken 500 frames yet. Hang in there, maybe it will grow on you. I'm one of those people who figures, it really doesn't matter what I'm shooting with, I'd find a way to make it fun. But, bigger heavier gear, is the one thing that would make me change my style.

[Kozlok]

Before buying my K-30, I looked at Nikon, since at the time I had not a super big lens investment. I borrowed a 3100 or 5100 (whichever it was) from work. I hated it immediately. The interface is just stupid for me. I also tried a 7100 and an 800 in the store, and I didn't gel with them either. I love my K-30. Sometimes I take photos just to play with the camera. It's just fun to touch and use.

[DeadJohn]

... But the nutshell version is that I just haven't bonded with the Nikon as I had with my K5. Where the K5 urged me to pick it up and play with it, use it, and basically not leave it alone. I just dont get that from the Nikon. ...

Do you think that's because Nikon's D800 controls and menus aren't as friendly as what you had with the K-5? Or is it because the D800's larger size is a hindrance?

Everyone's welcome back to Pentax-land but I hope you learn to love your D800 so you don't have the pain of changing systems again. If in the end you give up on the D800 and want a smaller camera, take a look at the Sony A7[R]. It's ultra-compact if you can live with Sony's limited lens choices. Note that I handled an A7 for 10 minutes and walked away disappointed; the controls felt poorly placed and cheaply made.

[tuco]

Do you think that's because Nikon's D800 controls and menus aren't as friendly as what you had with the K-5?

As an owner of both a Pentax and Nikon, I say bull to the menu ergonomics that people here seem to think Nikon is so bad at. The newer Nikons have some menu features that make using every day things both fast and convenient that Pentax does not have ( at least mine doesn't). If you pick up a Nikon and play with it in a store, it is unlikely you'll ever know what those customizations are.

[Rondec]

Keep us posted, I hope you learn to like that D800. It's always hard to tell if you're just going through a creative dead period with your photography, or you really just don't find the camera useable. I'm still miffed at how little I use my K-3, and find myself jumping at every bit of light that looks decent to get out and shoot. But I'm retired. If i was working I don't know if I'd have taken 500 frames yet. Hang in there, maybe it will grow on you. I'm one of those people who figures, it really doesn't matter what I'm shooting with, I'd find a way to make it fun. But, bigger heavier gear, is the one thing that would make me change my style.

The problem I have with the K3 is that I got it at the very worst time of the year to be shooting. Fortunately (I guess) I am going skiing with my family in a week, so hopefully there will be better opportunities to shoot. But winter in Indiana is a really gray time with poor light and contrast.

[TomE]

I have both Nikon FF and Pentax and other than the much smaller footprint, the Pentax lacks many of the features the Nikon FF has. The Nikon focuses in much lower light than the Pentax and focuses much faster on moving objects, with far fewer missed images. The Nikon Flash System is so superior to the Pentax system it isn't even worth discussing, which is another reason I went to Nikon. I certainly do not regret purchasing the Nikon FF, just the two weddings I have done with it have made it worth the purchase.

I have two systems and use both, but when it is important like a Wedding I always take the FF!

[link81]

I have two systems and use both, but when it is important like a Wedding I always take the FF

when you say this, why do you take the FF?? because it's a nikon and has superior focusing and flash? or because it's full frame. If you had all the same features/performance but an APS-c sensor would you really notice a difference in the images?

not arguing, just asking, like a little kid always saying "why"

[TomE]

The FF has superior focusing (no do overs in a Wedding) especially in low light, a superior flash system and in my opinion, FF makes it easier to control DOF to isolate subjects. Also, using wide angle lenses, FF gives a greater coverage with less distortion because extreme wide angle lenses are required using APSC to cover the same area.

[Lurch]

I have both Nikon FF and Pentax and other than the much smaller footprint, the Pentax lacks many of the features the Nikon FF has. The Nikon focuses in much lower light than the Pentax and focuses much faster on moving objects, with far fewer missed images. The Nikon Flash System is so superior to the Pentax system it isn't even worth discussing, which is another reason I went to Nikon. I certainly do not regret purchasing the Nikon FF, just the two weddings I have done with it have made it worth the purchase.

I have two systems and use both, but when it is important like a Wedding I always take the FF!

and you're talking about a money making tool. You're coming at it from a completely different perspective.

[Rondec]

I have both Nikon FF and Pentax and other than the much smaller footprint, the Pentax lacks many of the features the Nikon FF has. The Nikon focuses in much lower light than the Pentax and focuses much faster on moving objects, with far fewer missed images. The Nikon Flash System is so superior to the Pentax system it isn't even worth discussing, which is another reason I went to Nikon. I certainly do not regret purchasing the Nikon FF, just the two weddings I have done with it have made it worth the purchase.

I have two systems and use both, but when it is important like a Wedding I always take the FF!

Although you are still shooting with an original K5, not? I do think the low light auto focus with the K5 II and K3 is quite a bit better. My wife shoots weddings with that combo without problem. She shoots manual flash, so the flash situation, while not great, doesn't effect her a whole lot, but it is definitely something Pentax needs to up date.

[ElJamoquio]

I'm not the most active member here. A lot of that has to do with me selling my K5 earlier this year and getting a D800.

Allow me to preface this with saying that the D800 is a terrific camera and well, well beyond my pathetic skill levels.

But.... I wish I hadn't.

Probably because the D800 is so far beyond my abilities and as a hobbyist I just dont have the time to put into bringing my skills up to even close. I love my photography, but thats life I guess.
But the nutshell version is that I just haven't bonded with the Nikon as I had with my K5. Where the K5 urged me to pick it up and play with it, use it, and basically not leave it alone. I just dont get that from the Nikon.
So what I'm saying is that if you're champing at the bit to go FF; my *personal* experience tells me - dont. Sure, if you've got the time and patience to invest into a whole new system and replace all your kit, then awesome. But I've just found it to be soooo much more than a) I need, and b) I can use.
So (for as long as I've been a member here) Pentaxians have been going on (and on, and on, and on) about a FF camera, I would hazard a guess that for a fair chunk of people "it's just not necessary" <- to be read with James May in your head.

If I was to do it again and with a good dose of hind sight - I wouldn't have done it. I would have hung onto my gorgeous K5 and would now be looking at the K3 for Xmas.
In fact I will give the D800 the summer, and if I still feel the same - it will go and a K5/ii or a K3 will come and I'll rebuilding my beloved Pentax lens collection again (starting with my fave, the Sigma 20-40mm 2.8)

Nikon is a pain to use, no doubt about it. I still don't know how to use mine 'completely'. In Pentax I know how to do everything (I think).

[Ash]

Sobering and good points made, mate.
The most significant issue is that the 'experience' of using the camera counts for much more than what we give it credit for.
Indeed, my experience shooting with Pentax dSLRs has always been seamless whereas I struggle with finding my way with Canons and Nikons. This may well be confirmation bias, but that's my personal experience and I'm still enjoying shooting with Pentax dSLRs, and I am up to my 7th one.