[Joojoo2010]

lurch: u did something i beem tempted to do few yrs now. Getting nikon or canon ff. even my friends wondering what i am thinking. Well truth is k5 is enough camera for me. I not even use all features k5 have, i mostly like to stay with basics...so why i need more features cos i will not use them. Same with pixels and image quality, k5 is enough for my needs. Today i did take all christmast family pics with k100ds and even that was fine for me. I did also order new k30, battery holder, so many eneloops and best battery charger i could find for my manual strobist use.

I hope u did not sell ur pentax gear...

[Rupert]

The most significant issue is that the 'experience' of using the camera counts for much more than what we give it credit for.

Absolutely! That's why I use my little X20 so much, the joy and the fact it is so handy. Likewise, my K5 feels good in my hands, has a great user interface, and is not intimidating to use. Looking around at the different photo posting Forums here, it appears to me that the key is not as much FF as it is really good glass. When we use good glass on a K5 or K3 , the IQ is just superb.

Regards!

[Lurch]

I posted this on my blog, but I'll quietly drop this here too:
Why did I go back to Pentax? | Dark Side of the Pants

Why did I go back to Pentax?


(aka: why did I leave Full Frame)
I’ve kept this a little quiet; but I’ve sold the Nikon D800 and gone back to my first love – Pentax. However Pentax doesn’t have a Full Frame option, so you may be thinking this is a strange decision.
Let me explain…
First the soft and fluffy reason. The simple fact is that I never ‘bonded’ with the Nikon like I did with the K-5. I bought the D800 for no other reason than ‘because I could’. Full Frame is just better, right? But I just never got the urge to pick it up and play with it like I did the Pentax. I never looked forward to using it because of what it was. It became nothing more than a tool.
The Nikon was just waaaaay too much camera for me too. To shoot with a camera of that calibre, you have to compare yourself with every other D800 shooters out there. And 9/10ths of these are full blown professionals. I don’t have the skill to even eat the crumbs from under their table. This alone was disheartening enough to make me not want to use it. My photography was never good enough. Yet the K-5 was the perfect match to my current abilities, with still much room to grow. It’s almost like it flattered my style/skill/whatever.
Simply put; I took better pictures with the Pentax.
Shooting with Pentax is simply something special. *Everyone* has either a Nikon or a Canon. You’re just another Canikon shooter. Whilst shooting Pentax sets you apart from the rest. And I like to be just a little bit different. Some people might choose to turn their nose up at Pentax because its NOT Canon or Nikon; but thats their problem. I guess there is also a little bit of smugness in knowing the things about Pentax that others choose to ignore or are simple ignorant of.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and state something that a lot of people may grate against.
Full Frame cameras for anything less than a professional/Semi-professional are just a complete and utter waste of time. The money involved for starters is horrific. The amount of dollars I threw at the Nikon is insane (I wont mention exactly how much, but it was a lot). I did it ‘because I could’; but in the end it did absolutely nothing for my photography. In fact I would suggest that it made it worse. Or at least I never felt as pleased with it as I did with anything I took on the Pentax. And nothing I took on the Nikon wasn’t achievable on a APS-C camera. If I was a professional with a permantently set up studio or the most avid landscape shooter (think the next Ken Duncan) sure; I can completely see the point of this camera. But thats not what amateurs/hobbyists do. I know I dont. I’m out there doing the whole ‘jack of all trades’ thing.
Nikon like to say that their cameras are very back-wards compatible. But not as backwards (even remotely) as Pentax. EG: I got a m42/F-mount adaptor. Screwed it onto a stunning old m42 Pentacon 1.8 50mm. Nada, nothing, zip. Just wouldn’t work. This would have been a piece of piss for the Pentax. Was very disappointed.
Thats all very rambling; I know. And I’ll probably come back and edit this a few times. However that covers a lot of why I’ve gone back to a crop-sensor Pentax.
TL;DR – My heart was never into the Nikon. It’s Pentax that I still love.

[jsherman999]

I posted this on my blog, but I'll quietly drop this here too:
Why did I go back to Pentax? | Dark Side of the Pants

It's very good that you came to grips with this and did what you wanted to do. It's not in any way a step back if you feel more comfortable with Pentax. I haven't been able to let my Pentax kit go because of a lot of the same reason you gave.

One quibble with your blog post: 9/10 D800 shooters are not 'pros', the vast majority of D800 shooters are enthusiasts. Thom Hogan has said that there are not enough pros in this country to account for D3 sales alone, and D800 sold at a 30,000/month clip in 2012... The 'pros' who shoot the D800 probably accounted for less than 1 month's sales

Anyway, kudos for knowing what you wanted and making an adjustment.

[Lurch]

It's very good that you cane to grips with this and did what you wanted to do. It's not in any way a step back if you feel more comfortable with Pentax. I haven;t been able to let my Pentax kit go because of a lot of the same reason you gave.

One quibble with your blog post: 9/10 D800 shooters are not 'pros', the vast majority of D800 shooters are enthusiasts. Thom Hogan has said that there are not enough pros in this country to account for D3 sales alone, and D800 sold at a 30,000/month clip in 2012... The pros who shoot the D800 probably accounted for about 1 month's sales

Anyway, kudos for knowing what you wanted and making an adjustment.

Well, if they're not Pro's; then at least a #@%!-load better that I am

[jsherman999]

Well, if they're not Pro's; then at least a #@%!-load better that I am

Or perhaps they just care more about equipment than photography Don't assume they all know what they're doing either! Anyway thx for the post.

[jakeblues]

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.

I vote you go out in the grey and shoot some pictures of bleak trees. And snow. Ooh, ooh, and WOLVES! Post the results here.

[Rondec]

I vote you go out in the grey and shoot some pictures of bleak trees. And snow. Ooh, ooh, and WOLVES! Post the results here.

Here's a few photos from my six weeks with the camera...

[Ash]

Now that's some art. Thanks for sharing Rondec.

[jakeblues]

Here's a few photos from my six weeks with the camera...

Yep, nothing wrong with winter for using a new camera. Just as I thought.

[Rondec]

Now that's some art. Thanks for sharing Rondec.

Yep, nothing wrong with winter for using a new camera. Just as I thought.

Thanks, it has been fun shooting. The K3 just feels right when I am out and about with it.

[tuco]

It seems whatever camera takes a person's virginity is the one they will always like the best.

[Paul MaudDib]

Not necessarily. I started on a K1000 and have browsed pretty much every cheap camera I could get my hands on. In digital I started in a 40D and ended up selling it for a NEX. In the end however my one true love is the P67 system even though it wasn't my first MF/LF system. I just couldn't let go of any of the P67 lenses I've gotten used to. The ME and some of my old Pentax glass isn't far behind.

In the end it's not that expensive to pick different cameras/optics for specific types or styles of work. If you define any given task fairly narrowly there is an overwhelming chance there is some optic or camera that can accomplish that task cheaply. It's all-round capability that's really costly.

[clostoyo]

This is a great read ! I have an opportunity to upgrade my k30 to a k3 but I've also been thinking about spending a little more and getting the Nikon d610 . I been doing lot of pregnant belly shots in my home studio with an Alien Bees setup. I've also been doing a lot of pet photography and have been itching to get a better camera. At the higher ISOs the k30 gets a little grainy so id like to get rid of that about my images. I do dominate my k30 and love the interface on it so I'd hate to loose that. I'll keep checking on this section for more input.

[Parry]

The attraction to switch to Nikon FF also comes down to lenses. It's my intention to go Nikon FF later this year and this isn't just because of the full frame sensor on the D800e, although the low light performance and focusing speed are central to this.

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art, Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 Ai-S, Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G and especially the Nikkor 135mm f2 DC with defocus control are also the main reasons. A Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 is another possible reason, although as I age I find myself using wide angle less and less.

Add to this the forthcoming Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is touted to compete with the Zeiss Otus, we'll see.

I'll likely keep hold of the K-5IIs and the Limited's, just thin the number of lenses down to what I actually enjoy using. I know family members are keen to explore photog'ing too, so I have a good idea where it will end up.

I have to agree with the OP that the Pentax K-series of cameras does make you want to pick them up and use them.