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10-01-2015, 04:15 PM   #1
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Camera or Lens?

Hey all,

I am forced to make a decision of either purchasing the K3 or the Tamron F2.8 70-200. I currently own the K30 with adequate lenses but nothing like the Tamron. I shoot my son's baseball games and auditorium showchoir events so I need a good lens that can cover both fairly well. But I also want the new technology that will give me better photos. I can afford just one of these, but not both, at this time.

Up for debate; I would like anyone's opinion of which they think is more important, camera or lens, and the reasoning. The K30 is good but I really want the pixels...

Thanks for any insight you may be able to give me on this.

James

10-01-2015, 04:20 PM   #2
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Thread moved to proper area. General Talk is of Off Topic discussions, not anything photographic related.
10-01-2015, 04:30 PM   #3
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K3. Huge bump up in quality and capability. Heck, I'd buy the darn thing again just for the rear IR remote. Seriously, this camera is unbelievable for the money. I have the K50 and K3ii, btw.
10-01-2015, 05:01 PM   #4
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I've upgraded from the K-5 to the K-3, and wow the megapixels does make a big difference. I can do tighter crops yet retaining more pixels.

I had a Tamron 70-200 f2.8 a couple of years ago and it's a fantastic lens, very sharp and has unbeatable pricing. People said that lens hunts a bit, but from the time I owned it, I found that it is nowhere near the amount of hunting people claimed. Also the Tamron felt hefty and solid. It amazed me with it's quality because I've owned the Tamron 17-50 before and it felt cheap!

There is one problem with this lens that I found out, it collects dust through the gaps of the front element. To fix this, all you need to do is put a filter on and that'll seal the dust from pushing it's way in. - Talking about the old version of course, the new Tamron with sealings are not sold in Pentax K-mount.

10-01-2015, 05:14 PM   #5
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Unless you print big, I don't think the MP will make much of a difference. The Tamron is amazing.
10-01-2015, 05:40 PM   #6
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I shoot indoor sports with a sigma 50-150mm f2.8 (aps-c equivalent of your Tamron that you are considering), and shot them with both K50 (16MP) and a K3 (24MP). The pictures all ended up on the league's and athletes' Facebook pages so megapixels meant squat.

(Though the K3 supposedly has better low light and autofocus capabilities).

But having the lens meant everything. I could not have got the shots I got without that lens.

So my vote is for the lens, assuming your camera is atleast working the way it is supposed to.
10-01-2015, 05:42 PM   #7
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Lens should make a bigger difference.

10-01-2015, 05:57 PM   #8
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What lens are you using to shoot the games now?
10-01-2015, 06:36 PM   #9
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Tough Decision! Personally, I would choose the lens first.because the K-30 is quite capable. But if I really wanted more megapixels, no AA filter, and the GPS, I'd get the K-3II. I have the 70=200 and it is a good lens for sports. I assume the lenses you currently have don't quite cut it for these activities. Is 2.8 even fast enough for inside an auditorium?
10-01-2015, 07:12 PM - 1 Like   #10
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I don't know how anybody could answer this question without knowing what your current lens is. Either camera will do a fantastic job though and take great pictures. I've owned a K-30 since it was first released, and I haven't felt a pressing need to upgrade. If you take a look at my sig, you can see where I chose to put my money.

Knowing how to use your equipment will make a bigger difference than the upgraded camera body. I shot my daughters' Nutcracker last year with my K-30, and I got better pictures than another dad who was using a 5D III with a Canon 70-200mm. (He told me he was disappointed with the pictures he got compared to mine.) I mostly used my Sigma 85mm f1.4 and Sigma 100-300mm f4.

Last edited by Edgar_in_Indy; 10-01-2015 at 07:17 PM.
10-01-2015, 08:10 PM - 1 Like   #11
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Photography is a study in compromises. Lenses are more important than a body. Lenses collect and focus the light, while the body records it. A great body with a crappy lens will provide a crappy image. However, a crappy body with a great lens, produces a pretty good image.

Lenses tend to hold their investment, while bodies depreciate. By this time next year the K3 will be half its current price. There are also the Black Friday and holiday sales coming up quickly.

It is very tempting to go for the body,but I would go for the lens first....

10-01-2015, 08:35 PM   #12
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You can never go wrong with good glass. Camera bodies come and go. Good glass lasts for years.
10-01-2015, 10:38 PM   #13
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I made a very similar decision this year- upgraded my K10D to the K3 over buying the Tamron F2.8 70-200 to shoot my daughter's soccer... I have not been disappointed.
10-02-2015, 12:59 AM   #14
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what lenses do you own and what did you bring to the game?
10-02-2015, 01:03 AM   #15
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Tough one. K-3 is a huge leap forward in terms of ergonomics, and the tamron is a very useful good lens.

That being said I got pretty good shots of college soccer with a K-30 and s $25 manual focus 80-200 F3.5-4.5 tokina lens.
So you have to decide what limits you.
Is it image quality? Then go for the lens.
Is it the focusing system? Is it too slow? Is it limited by the lenses, or is it limited by the camera? Can it be overcome with catch in focus and zone focusing?

I would only go for the K-3 if:
- need more focus points
- need more consistent focusing with large apertures (F2.8 and lower)
- need the AF to work in lower light
- need more accurate metering

I would go for the tamron if:
- need better image quality
- need smaller depth of focus
- need better noise performance, and only have slow lenses

If none of these points, then I would experiment with a manual focus lens and practice with zone focusing and catch in focus. I found the old push-pull zooms to be very nice for sports.
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