Personally, I'm not sure I agree that the second shot is a more 'journalistic' one - unless we're talking about a family newsletter or similar where happy snaps are the norm. The first shot is just better, whether we're talking about the mood, the lighting, the onlooker, the lack of clutter, or simply the fact that in it, the birthday girl is the main subject - surely the whole point?
The second shot is just poor, and as Marc's pointed out, part of this is no doubt due to time constraints, rather than a crummy photographer who doesn't know how to use his flash. Still, the general consensus is that no 1 is the winner, and I suspect that the outcome wouldn't change whether you asked a group of photographers or a group of people on the street. The available light shot conveys mood, warmth and an idea of context, all of these are absent in no 2.
I think the best thing about the comparison isn't that the purportedly lesser gear got the better shot, but that shots like the first are possible with relatively affordable and readily available equipment. I live with two other enthusiastic amateurs (both of whom use other brands) one of whom has bought a fast fifty on the back of playing around with mine, and the other who's intending to.
Photos like this make me smile, and marvel at the wonderful opportunity to buy cheap, fast, manual glass that using Pentax affords.
Originally posted by Marc Sabatella It was taken without flash, using my M28/2.8, a very inexpensive (usually $50-is) manual focus lens, at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with a 1/45" shutter speed, on my very middle-of-the-road K200D:
Now now, no need to bad mouth the lowly K200D