[DogLover]

I'll add that the note inside the box or envelope to make an entire day of visiting the camera store, trying out Pentax and DA lenses, Canon stuff, lunch or dinner - whatever else you can think of that tells her this is a present will be good tactics.

Sage advice.

[Pepe Le Pew]

I'm shocked that no one has recommended the K-50...

Or the K-30 :P

[robjmitchell]

Buy your wife a 70d, then buy a K3 and some ltd glass for yourself, When she gets jealous of your tiny lenses sell the canon gear and buy her a K50!

[Pepe Le Pew]

Buy your wife a 70d, then buy a K3 and some ltd glass for yourself, When she gets jealous of your tiny lenses sell the canon gear and buy her a K50!

Or a k-30

[snofox]

The T5i has a touch screen interface, and is more responsive in Live View. If your wife does a lot of shooting for schools, and groups etc., then that flip out touch screen interface may tempt her into shooting some video as well. The 70D has a new sensor. The IQ doesn't see an improvement over the 60D, but the 60D's version of the 18MP sensor delivered noticeably higher IQ than the T2i. Most important, the Live View focusing is pretty snappy now on the 70D (because of the new sensor) so, with a flippy screen, video would be be really easy and enjoyable to do. For stills, that flippy LCD is incredibly good for difficult angle shots.

Either the T5i or the 60D/70D would be a noticeable upgrade for your wife, and because she has those lenses, it is the best choice. Even if the K3 or other Pentax is the better camera (in your opinion), it may not be the best camera for your wife. Or your bank account. Or you.

[kadajawi]

The 70D might be too massive for her. Keep that in mind. Only entry level Canons are small and light (but they feel very cheap), the ones you'd actually want to use (70D onwards) are too heavy and too bulky, while the K-5/K-3 isn't. Basically I simply would switch to my phone for photos if I had a 70D, let alone a 5D Mk II. I tried a Mk III in a shop once, after a minute or so I just wanted to put that brick down. That thing is more Mjölnir than camera. If it were me I'd let her try both bodies for more than a few minutes. See which one she is more comfortable with. Maybe it is possible to rent both bodies for a few days? (Not sure if there is any place that actually has a K-5 or K-3 though...).


The ergonomics are very different on a Pentax, though I'd say it is much easier to pick up a Pentax than a Canon. Learning how to use a Canon takes more effort than a Pentax.


However if you do want to shoot video I don't see any reason why you would buy a K-3. The 70D will be much, MUCH better (especially with that new video AF they have... video AF that is actually usable!). Though for that matter the K-5 is also better for video than the K-3.

[Rondec]

The deal on the K5 II would be hard for me to pass up right now. It is a pretty sweet camera with a significantly better sensor than anything Canon offers - certainly in APS-C, anyway. K3 is definitely better in many respects -- faster operations in general, but the sensor on the K5 II is awfully good and it is a nice camera.

I guess the real question is what your wife really wants. There really aren't any bad SLRs out there at this point. Even the entry level ones (while somewhat crippled) are capable of great shots.

[Queued]

.... buy a K3 and some ltd glass for yourself, When she gets jealous of your tiny lenses sell the canon gear and buy her a K50!

LOL, I wouldn't get away with buying her a K50. She has shot over 65,000 frames on her t2i since Dec 2010, so I don't want to cheap out on her.

I have no doubt that she would be happy with the 70D. She does not have a gear fetish like I do. The problem is that "I" can't get excited about the 70d, and I do all of the camera/gear purchases. And even thought the 70d is supposed to be a very good camera, especially for video ( we NEVER shoot video ), I feel like Canon is not really committed to the APS-C format and I'll face this issue again in 2-3 years as I watch the advances that Pentax is making. It's time to upgrade her t2i, it is well used. So invest more in Canon even though I am not excited about it, or jump ship and start the migration to the Pentax line....hmmm.

I left here a few days ago convinced that the 70d was the common sense upgrade with the investment that we already have in lenses, and I guess it still is....but I am really thinking that in the long run, she'll be better off with Pentax ( even if she doesn't know it yet). But it could go either way, I still have a few weeks before Christmas to waffle.

[bass3587]

LOL, I wouldn't get away with buying her a K50. She has shot over 65,000 frames on her t2i since Dec 2011, so I don't want to cheap out on her.

I have no doubt that she would be happy with the 70D. She does not have a gear fetish like I do. The problem is that "I" can't get excited about the 70d, and I do all of the camera/gear purchases. And even thought the 70d is supposed to be a very good camera, especially for video ( we NEVER shoot video ), I feel like Canon is not really committed to the APS-C format and I'll face this issue again in 2-3 years as I watch the advances that Pentax is making. It's time to upgrade her t2i, it is well used. So invest more in Canon even though I am not excited about it, or jump ship and start the migration to the Pentax line....hmmm.

I left here a few days ago convinced that the 70d was the common sense upgrade with the investment that we already have in lenses, and I guess it still is....but I am really thinking that in the long run, she'll be better off with Pentax ( even if she doesn't know it yet). But it could go either way, I still have a few weeks before Christmas to waffle.

Well get her the K5IIs and I think you'll have the best compromise. All the goodies of the original K5 and better low light performance and maybe a smidgen of better focusing.

[kadajawi]

Hm. Does she like to shoot primes? Do you like to? If yes, then... why not? Try Pentax. If it isn't for you guys, you can always sell it (at a good price for the buyer...). Having 2 seperate systems... not optimal. And if you are going down that route, why not buy one of those lovely Fujis. They are just such a joy to use (even more so than Pentax), and since your wife likes to shoot manual anyway... it's like shooting a Leica, without the pricetag of a Leica.


Anyway, does she only use her own lenses anyway or does she borrow your gear as well? I think that would be a serious consideration too.

[derekkite]

Get the Pentax. If it doesn't work out I'm sure someone here will let you sleep in their basement for a few days.

A co worker who has a Canon Ti3 (I think, something similar) can't keep his hands off my K-5. I used his canon for a few days and understand why. The K3 is a body where the feel is matched by the performance.

[snofox]

The 70D might be too massive for her. Keep that in mind. Only entry level Canons are small and light (but they feel very cheap), the ones you'd actually want to use (70D onwards) are too heavy and too bulky, while the K-5/K-3 isn't. .

Ooops. I think you may have mistaken the 70D for the 7D, which, in terms of weight, is very close to a 5DMk2. However:

Canon 70D body alone =23.8 oz.
Pentax K5II " " 23.3 oz.
" K3 " " 25.2 oz.

I don't really care, just sayin' and trying to be helpful. I have a keen interest in what both Canon and Pentax are doing, and I see no evidence whatsoever that Canon is giving up on its APS-C line. Quite the contrary, considering the improvements to the T5i, and the 70D. I anxiously await the G1X and 7D upgrades next year, just because, not that I would buy one. I am pretty happy with all of my gear (especially the K200D and K20D), and so plan to stand pat for yet another year. Gimme a tripod and ISO 100 and my old, outdated, ancient and useless Pentax gear will run with the best. Too bad Pentax won't put a flippy screen on one of its dSLRs. I would be all over it instantly, but I gave up waiting for it and invested in Canon gear, which impresses me greatly.

[kadajawi]

Hm. When I tried the 60D I thought it was too heavy, too big. That being said the K-5 isn't very light either, but compared to it's competition (and is the 70D really a competitor to the K-5/K-3? The 7D yes, the 70D seems to be a step down) it is. And the Pentax is quite compact, especially when compared to the D7000/D7100. Even if the weight isn't that different, size too matters. And finally there is noise. Pentax is simply quieter.


Flip out screen... can be nice, I agree, especially for video. But ultimately I can live without, and it means a more compact and tougher body. I'm sure Pentax could make a flip out screen, but it would compromise on the weather sealing. Higher end Canons AFAIK also don't have flip out screens, do they?

[Queued]

I see no evidence whatsoever that Canon is giving up on its APS-C line. Quite the contrary, considering the improvements to the T5i, and the 70D. I

My Point is the T5i has the same sensor as the T2i from 2010, the same sensor as the 60D and 7D. Sure, the T5i has a flip out screen and others goodies for video shooters, but the same sensor so essentially the same camera as the T2i. Image quality will be exactly the same. So the 70D finally ships a new sensor with only slightly better lowlight performance, and 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' geared toward better LIVE view focusing...again it's more about the videographer than the still shooter. Maybe the 7DmrkII will trump that, but I suspect it will get the 70d sensor, who knows.

[IchabodCrane]

Ooops. I think you may have mistaken the 70D for the 7D, which, in terms of weight, is very close to a 5DMk2. However:

Canon 70D body alone =23.8 oz.
Pentax K5II " " 23.3 oz.
" K3 " " 25.2 oz.

I don't really care, just sayin' and trying to be helpful. I have a keen interest in what both Canon and Pentax are doing, and I see no evidence whatsoever that Canon is giving up on its APS-C line. Quite the contrary, considering the improvements to the T5i, and the 70D. I anxiously await the G1X and 7D upgrades next year, just because, not that I would buy one. I am pretty happy with all of my gear (especially the K200D and K20D), and so plan to stand pat for yet another year. Gimme a tripod and ISO 100 and my old, outdated, ancient and useless Pentax gear will run with the best. Too bad Pentax won't put a flippy screen on one of its dSLRs. I would be all over it instantly, but I gave up waiting for it and invested in Canon gear, which impresses me greatly.

On the surface, it appears Canon have put all their effort into improving video on their APS-C cameras whereas Pentax and Nikon have put their effort into still image quality. For practical purposes, it's hard to identify any IQ improvement from Canon in the past three or more years.