[motorhead9999]

Hey everyone. First post here, and was looking for some advice. I'm strictly a hobbyist at this point. I don't make my living from photography, nor do I have any intention of making it a career (although at some point I could possibly see selling prints here and there as a supplemental income). I do greatly enjoy the hobby though.

Where I'm at:
I currently use Canon products. I own a 2yo Canon 6d. In general, I've been happy with the camera. I own the following lenses:
-Rokinon 14mm f/2.8
-Sigma 35mm Art f/1.4
-Canon 50mm f/1.8
-Canon 24-105L (the first version)

In reality, I almost have exclusively shot with my 14mm and my 35mm lately.
What do I shoot mostly? My main things I do are landscapes, and I've gotten very much into astrophotography.

So why do I want to switch from Canon to Pentax? I recently drove up to TN for the eclipse. I borrowed a friends Canon 70D (it's a crop camera, and I was looking for a bit of a focal bump with the 400mm lens I was using) with the tilt screen. I'm sure I don't need to say it, but it was immeasurably helpful with my eclipse shots, especially considering that my camera was pointed almost completely vertically. During my night shots (and other times as well), the tilt screen is definitely something I wish I would have had.

The 6Dmk2 just came out (with a tilty screen!), so I thought of upgrading to that, but it's been getting hammered in reviews as being generally inferior to the mk1 version. The 5Dmk4 doesn't have the swivel screen either. I've recently gotten to the point where I've been planning on buying more lenses (a good large zoom like the 100-400, fisheye etc), so I'm sort of on the borderline of the "being married to a particular lens system" point, as I've got one really good lens (my 35mm) and a good, but far cheaper lens (my 14mm), with the rest being ones I don't really use, or would be looking to replace anyways (like the 24-105).

Tony and Chelsea Northrup's review of the K1 really got me thinking about switching to Pentax. Aside from the lens situation (which I'm ok with, as both my goto lenses are available in k-mount versions, and there's stuff available for k mount in the ranges I'd be looking for), it seems to be a camera tailored for me. They called it "the greatest landscape camera ever", and certainly the star tracker and inbody IS would be great for my night shooting. I've also heard nothing but good things about the menu system, and ease of use of the camera.

Now, the one wrinkle here is that I've also been thinking about getting a crop sensor camera to complement my full frame. Preferably one with a higher shooting rate for sports or action/wildlife shots (and also possibly for close up star/moon shots, given that a nice zoom would get a bit of a bump with the crop factor). I'd imagine the suggestion would be "Get a crop camera in whatever system you decide to stick with". Which would be the best Pentax crop style camera to go with? Pentax has so many crop models that it's hard to figure out which to go with.

If I do a full switch to Pentax, it'll certainly cost me money, but I can mitigate most of the switchover by selling my Canon mount lenses and body. So to quote The Clash...should I stay or should I go?

TIA!

[SpecialK]

tilt screen.

I went from Pentax to the 70D and 6D a couple years ago. I agree about the tilt screen. Very helpful. You can use a "crop mode" on the K1. I liked Pentax but the AF was tedious. Though it gets better (I read) with every new release, it lags behind most everything else. The hyper-program mode is handy and is the only thing I really miss with Canon.

[ffking]

General advice would be this:

1.Make a list of what does and doesn't matter to you in a camera and see which cameras come closest
2. Go and hold/use one of each
3. You'll probably know by then.

Every system has it fierce loyalists - and the truth is that they're all right - all the major makers (and Pentax is one in terms of history if not current size) make great cameras - some suit some people more than others, that's all.

[pschlute]

The k1 tilt screen is great. Whether for star photography or portrait work on a tripod, not having to bend to look at the screen is a huge benefit.

For your kind of shooting the K1 is a good choice. Pixel shift can give your landscapes a resolution unheard of a few years ago. Don't forget that with the Pentax you can use any K-mount lens ever manufactured. I often shoot with 40 year old lenses !!

Autofocus....there seems a lot of debate at the moment of various forums about the AF on the K1. Take it all with a pinch of salt. The AF with the K1 is very good in AF-S (autofocus single). It takes a bit of practice, and preferably a modern lens, to use the AF-C (continous) mode, and if that was your main interest it would possibly be a major factor.

Yes the K1 can do aps-C crop mode (and square mode) in addition to FF. The "extra reach" you get with crop mode (or an aps-c sensor camera) is illusory however. It is a product of the sensor size and "enlargement" of the file. This is the same with any brand camera. aps-c only appears to give you longer reach because the image is cropped in the first place. You will get the same "extra reach" by simply cropping the FF image.[COLOR="Silver"]

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Last edited by pschlute; 09-10-2017 at 08:40 AM.

[BullsOnParade81]

Get the K-1 get the DFA 15-30mm f2.8 for landscape and astrophotography. Get the DFA 150-450mm. You can use the 150-450mm in crop mode then when the K-3ii replacement comes out get it if you still feel you need the crop camera.

[Miguel]

I've been shooting both Pentax and Canon systems for the past 10 years; Pentax even longer. Your 6D is still a very good camera. I'd advise you rent a Canon 80D and try that. It has a modern higher dynamic range sensor, a tilty LCD, and really good AF and a fairly fast FPS. The lens selections for Canon vs. Pentax gets broader and deeper every week and over time that will matter to you beyond your current go-to lenses. I have a K-1 and enjoy it a lot, especially for the LCD capabilities, but bemoan the weak lens offerings.

M

[Na Horuk]

Do it. Join us.

Pentax is good for outdoors and landscapes. Lots of lenses to choose from in that range, supplemented by Samyang primes (10, 14, 16, 20, 24,...), some Sigma and Tamron support. You can always get something like K-3 for faster burst mode (8.3fps). If you buy the K-3 used, you can get it for a really good price. And you can use the same Kmount lenses on K-3 that you use on the K-1. Plus you can get a nice film Kmount camera for when you are feeling artsy.
Wide angle lenses here: <= 44mm Lenses | PentaxForums.com
You can play with the sliders to see what is available currently, what is FF, what can be found on the used market..
And to compare powerful K-1 with the faster K-3:
Pentax K-1 vs. Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax 645Z - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com

I think Pentax has two main weaknesses against Canon. Video mode, and overall system support (lens rentals, repair shops, wide selection of gear and accessories). But if you check this forum and sites like 500px and Flickr you can see that people can get stunning shots with Pentax gear.

[Pentax Syntax]

Since it is hobby for you, try the switch and if it doesn't work out for you, sell the gear you don't need. Resale value for the lenses and newer bodies is fairly high as a percentage of purchase cost. Because of my vocation, I am routinely forced to shoot with Nikon cameras and lenses. Love Nikon glass but not a fan of their ergonomics and interface. I also use Canon and Pentax as my 'hobby cameras'. I will say that for astrophotography Canon is probably the better system since they make models that completely lack the UV/IR filters. I have a Canon just for that purpose. The astrotracer function of the K-1 and K-3 are also very nice but you are better off with a proper equatorial mount and a dedicated DSLR if that is direction you are headed. For landscapes, I shoot exclusively Pentax because of the weather-sealed body design and IBIS. The K-1 is hard to beat in the full frame format for landscapes. Its a hobby......enjoy!

[KiloHotelphoto]

For landscape and astrophotography the K1 would be great. I rented the Sigma 35 1.4 for a week and it was a terrific combo, I don't do that much shooting with small lenses so I couldn't justify buying it.

I just bought my first Canon, a 5ds-r and it's really nice but I think the K1 is better and half the price, Canons auto focus is better though. I added the Canon because I mostly do wildlife shooting and Canon has much better long lenses but 300mm and below that is all K1 shooting for me.

I would suggest getting a K1 for your main shooting style and maybe a 7D II with the 400mm 5.6 if you want to get into action wildlife shooting.

[clickclick]

In reality, I almost have exclusively shot with my 14mm and my 35mm lately.
What do I shoot mostly? My main things I do are landscapes, and I've gotten very much into astrophotography.

.......

Tony and Chelsea Northrup's review of the K1 really got me thinking about switching to Pentax. Aside from the lens situation (which I'm ok with, as both my goto lenses are available in k-mount versions, and there's stuff available for k mount in the ranges I'd be looking for), it seems to be a camera tailored for me. They called it "the greatest landscape camera ever", and certainly the star tracker and inbody IS would be great for my night shooting. I've also heard nothing but good things about the menu system, and ease of use of the camera.

.......

Now, the one wrinkle here is that I've also been thinking about getting a crop sensor camera to complement my full frame. Preferably one with a higher shooting rate for sports or action/wildlife shots (and also possibly for close up star/moon shots, given that a nice zoom would get a bit of a bump with the crop factor). I'd imagine the suggestion would be "Get a crop camera in whatever system you decide to stick with". Which would be the best Pentax crop style camera to go with? Pentax has so many crop models that it's hard to figure out which to go with.

If I do a full switch to Pentax, it'll certainly cost me money, but I can mitigate most of the switchover by selling my Canon mount lenses and body. So to quote The Clash...should I stay or should I go?

TIA!

I feel like you're actually after two different creatures here potentially, but perhaps we look at this as a multi-phase switch over, but timing is perhaps key and how much of this do you need to do "now". The K1 is without a doubt a great landscape camera, and coupled with something like the D FA 15-30 or some of the third party primes, people are taking some great shots. I believe it is also well liked for the low noise and high dynamic range when doing astrophotography, so that's another check, but we're full frame, not the crop that you are pursuing. Switching gears to the crop choices would point to the K3II for your FPS, but if you are looking for an APS-C camera for sports where you need really fast autofocus, then perhaps not. Perhaps not Pentax at all... But if you were thinking K1 and landscape and crop for birding and sports and wanting to look at the Pentax world, the newer KP has an improved AF coupled with the right lenses, but not the FPS of the K3II, and you loose the built in GPS and astrotracer functionality of the K3II. So, what's your "now" factor? Can you wait to see what the new K3II replacement is like? I would call it the expected but unannounced "next" camera from Pentax with no known time frame, but figure it's time for a new flagship APS-C, and hopefully with improvements in all areas. I think to fully figure this out, it's necessary to prioritize landscape/astro/sports angles and what the long and short term desires are. A K1 for landscape with the next generation of APS-C may be fine for your combo if you're really after astro and landscape photograhy, but the type of sports and how important that is may ultimately dictate staying with Canon or heading over to Pentax.

[patarok]

Hey everyone. First post here, and was looking for some advice. I'm strictly a hobbyist at this point.
If I do a full switch to Pentax, it'll certainly cost me money, but I can mitigate most of the switchover by selling my Canon mount lenses and body. So to quote The Clash...should I stay or should I go?

TIA!

go.

Actually it is as easy as:
Go and get a Pentax.
(if you dont like to do video with your DSLR!!! - the videos from Pentax never come as smooth as the ones you do with canon gear... that may have something to do with the codec or compression or dunno what; IMHO its visible even if the videos are taken with the same framerate.)

There actually is no problem with lenses, (except that AF drive on most lenses is really slow compared to other makers)... There is so much "legacy" glass available.
And most of that legacy glass, is actually pretty good. (I would only tend to suggest a hobbyist, to buy newer lenses if he needs wide angle glass... That has a technical background.)
There is all that F and FA glass thats pretty good, you even can choose from loads of pretty up to date Sigma glass. From time to time Sigma still releases a new lens for the Pentax mount. ... the 35mm 1.4 Art lens for instance is available for PK-Mount.


you may want a bit till October is over. Maybe you will see a new APS-C Pentax body arriving that fits your needs.

If you dont want to wait, just pick up a K-70...(along with an 18-50 DC WR and a 55-300 WR PLM lens)
Its a real nice camera and those 2 lenses i mentioned dont have fast aperture stops in their pockets for you, but they are focusing pretty fast.(I guess nearly as good as Canon glass) some dealers still may do promotion, then you maybe could pickup a DA 50mm 1.8 for free if you buy the camera new.
And as said before, the 35mm DG Art from Sigma ... you will also get that with a pentax mount.

But if you feel that your compositions are better with FF:
You may want to grab a K-1.

it shoots much faster in crop mode than in FF... (4.5fps - ff and 6.5fps APS-C mode)
The K-1 may not be the blockbuster that it could have been....(They could have charged 2800 for the K-1 and made it nearly the same specs as the D850(4k video, 7fps bursts in FF, it would have been the same demand, if not much much more i guess.)
... but honestly, i am pretty sure the K-1 beats the Canon 6D Mark II in nearly every way.

---------- Post added 09-10-17 at 10:35 AM ----------

BTW. My part thinks, that Wildlife in pentaxland is actually owned by Sigma ... The 50-500 DG OS HSM or the 150-500 DG OS HSM both do a very good job, none of them has actual weather sealing but you will be good with a coat and by popping a rubber-band over the mounting gap when the lens is already mounted.

AF speed in the sigma is a bit better than in the Pentax DFA 150-450. At least according to what i remember(from using the DFA 150-450).(correct me if I am wrong)
and I feel the OS in the SIGMA is doing a much better job on the tele-end than the Body internal SR from Pentax.(no correction needed ... at least for me it works way better and the feeling when framing is a whole other thing with lens-internal OS on tele-lenses.
Despite that PENTAX cameras offer body internal "Shake Reduction", you really will miss that canon "IS" stabilizer when shooting tele on a PENTAX at first (only if you ever rented a 100-400 that incorporated it)its hardly noticable at 300mm, but much more at 400mm and therefore i would suggest you, that you better keep your eye on buying a 50-500 or 150-500 from SIGMA with HSM and OS if you plan on buying a good tele-zoom.
keep in mind that you maybe have to switch off SR before using a stabilized lens on a PENTAX body. otherwise the SR may counteract to what the OS does.
unfortunately lens-stabilizer and body-internal SR dont talk to each other on pentax systems, like they would do on some M43 bodies.

[motorhead9999]

Primarily, I'm certainly after a full frame camera. The crop camera would be more of a backup camera, or for specific purposes (i.e. sports/fast moving stuff)

I feel like you're actually after two different creatures here potentially, but perhaps we look at this as a multi-phase switch over, but timing is perhaps key and how much of this do you need to do "now". The K1 is without a doubt a great landscape camera, and coupled with something like the D FA 15-30 or some of the third party primes, people are taking some great shots. I believe it is also well liked for the low noise and high dynamic range when doing astrophotography, so that's another check, but we're full frame, not the crop that you are pursuing. Switching gears to the crop choices would point to the K3II for your FPS, but if you are looking for an APS-C camera for sports where you need really fast autofocus, then perhaps not. Perhaps not Pentax at all... But if you were thinking K1 and landscape and crop for birding and sports and wanting to look at the Pentax world, the newer KP has an improved AF coupled with the right lenses, but not the FPS of the K3II, and you loose the built in GPS and astrotracer functionality of the K3II. So, what's your "now" factor? Can you wait to see what the new K3II replacement is like? I would call it the expected but unannounced "next" camera from Pentax with no known time frame, but figure it's time for a new flagship APS-C, and hopefully with improvements in all areas. I think to fully figure this out, it's necessary to prioritize landscape/astro/sports angles and what the long and short term desires are. A K1 for landscape with the next generation of APS-C may be fine for your combo if you're really after astro and landscape photograhy, but the type of sports and how important that is may ultimately dictate staying with Canon or heading over to Pentax.

I don't need the camera tomorrow. The plan was to certainly wait till Black Friday/holiday season before I make any purchases to try and see if I can get any good deals (do Pentaxes go on sale like other brands?). I wouldn't wait for years to do this purchase though. I don't think there's any plans for a K1mk2 coming out soon though, is there?

In theory (and one thing I've thought about) I could get rid of the 6D, get the K1 for my landscape/astro/full frame needs, and then get a 7Dmk2 (which was something I had thought about getting before my love affair with the flip screen) for the nature/sport shots. The thought process I have is that I really only need the full frame for the 8-35/50mm range, so I could get my lenses for that range, and then just get the >50mm lens range I need for the Canon. It would suck that I couldn't interchange lenses though, but it might be a necessary evil. As appealing as the Pentax camera has been, I can certainly see reasons for sticking with Canon partially at least.

[Adam]

Now, the one wrinkle here is that I've also been thinking about getting a crop sensor camera to complement my full frame. Preferably one with a higher shooting rate for sports or action/wildlife shots (and also possibly for close up star/moon shots, given that a nice zoom would get a bit of a bump with the crop factor). I'd imagine the suggestion would be "Get a crop camera in whatever system you decide to stick with". Which would be the best Pentax crop style camera to go with? Pentax has so many crop models that it's hard to figure out which to go with.

The K-3 II is the current flagship APS-C, and it's pretty quick. Not as quick as a 7D II though, so if you want to shoot a lot of bursts, that would be my recommendation. If you opt for the Pentax, then the 55-300mm PLM lens is an absolute must have because it focuses instantly

There's also the KP, which has a smaller buffer but same AF, plus a tilting screen.

With proper technique the K-1 can of course also be used for sports, but you'd be limited to a slower burst rate. Next week we will be posting a homepage article with lots of FF sports shooting tricks, so keep an eye out for that.

I don't need the camera tomorrow. The plan was to certainly wait till Black Friday/holiday season before I make any purchases to try and see if I can get any good deals (do Pentaxes go on sale like other brands?). I wouldn't wait for years to do this purchase though. I don't think there's any plans for a K1mk2 coming out soon though, is there?

Nope, definitely no new body. The K-1's price has actually increased since launch and remained rock-solid at around $1899, as you can see in the price history here:

Pentax K-1 - Pentax K-mount DSLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

It went on sale for $1707 for a few days in June, and was available through amazon for $1783 for a bit, but after tax it's probably the same as B&H's price.

Lenses are a different story- most FF lenses are currently on sale at the lowest prices of the year, as you can see in the price charts here:

Full Frame Lenses | PentaxForums.com
Pentax Camera & Lens Deal Finder

This includes the 24-70mm, 15-30mm, and 70-200mm. The FA limiteds, 50mm, and 35mm are also cheap right now. The 28-105mm has room to go lower, but is already a great value (this is my favorite zoom for the K-1).

My recommendation would be to get the camera and a walkaround lens now, and wait to see if any crazy good deals go live on other lenses, as Pentax does typically do a lens-oriented sale on black Friday. If the body does drop, it wouldn't be less than we've seen before, IMO.

I do weekly price roundups so keep an eye out for those in the price watch forum, but the deal finder above will always have the latest data.

[patarok]

Nope, definitely no new body. The K-1's price has actually increased since launch and remained rock-solid at around $1899, as you can see in the price history here:

Actually i thought, that we might see a K-3II successor soon.

I wasnt talking about a FF... Nonetheless, does the price correction for the K-1 and keeping it stable say anything?
At least in europe the flagship DSLRs from pentax are pretty stable with their official price to the very end of their "market-lifetime".
Just sayin... I am also pretty sure that the soonest date we may see a K-1 successor could be 2018 if not 2019.

[btnapa]

Advice on potentially switching from Canon to Pentax

Welcome to Pentaxland!.

As a former Canon shooter (last camera was 6D) I can see your points. I switched from 6D to K5iis (16mp crop sensor) after my studio shots showed comparable results. I now own the K1 graduating from K5iis to K3 and now K1. BTW, I bought the K5iis with the three amigos (Limited FA 31,43,77). The lenses were part of the reason for the switch.

The image quality of K1 is superior (DR, low light) to 6D. Although 6D was and is a great camera. Canon focus was snappier and the system is much deeper. Other than that, as an image making machine the K1 has no equal in the price range... no one comes anywhere near the value of the K1. I love my K1. The only time I might give it up is when I have the budget to jump to 645Z (probably for not much gain in quality) or a much higher MP medium format, possibly the next 645Z. I do not see that happening anytime soon. So I am maximizing my K1 and the lenses I have. Frankly, I have more machine (fire power) than I need!.

Let me know if you have any specific questions I may be able to help you with.

Boris