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03-23-2012, 09:53 PM   #16
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You will not notice any difference in picture quality between the two cameras. They are both stellar performers that won't let you down.

What you should look at is:
1. Which feels better in your hand, including layout of the buttons, dials, etc.
2. Which has the features you want (video, weatherproof, etc.)
3. And most importantly, which has the lenses that you want.

When you buy a camera, you are buying into a lens system. Your camera will eventually be upgraded, outdated, etc., while your lenses will last a lifetime.
The lenses you choose will have a bigger impact on the quality of your photos than your decision between the K-5 and D7000.

Also, it is very difficult to judge a camera by the photos you find on the internet. Great photographers can make breathtaking pictures with any camera, whereas a great camera in the wrongs hands can produce substandard results.

03-23-2012, 09:56 PM   #17
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Jase036, first pic is greattt. Did you use a tripod ?

All, specially Jase and Ross, as far as I know, focus in an image depends on both AF and shake reduction systems. When manual focus is used, then it is about shake.

A few years ago I was almost getting K-x,but as I remember there were bad reviews on SR performance, and personally I saw many out of focus images.

This site, http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Pentax-K-5-Digital-Camera-Review/Sharpness.htm has given a horrible score for image stabilization in K-5. Known photography web sites, DPR, Imaging resources, photographyblog, etc, usually do not comment on SR performance. Do you think SR in K-5 performs well compared to stabilization in Nikon lenses.

It makes me confused when I see out of focus images in flickr, that is it BF/FF issue, AF performance or hand shake?

BTW, Ross, you mentioned about manual focusing. I think in K-5 you can not have a zoom window on the LCD to fine tune focus, it is on LCD just for a few seconds and then goes. Is it so ?

Last edited by lnb14; 03-23-2012 at 10:02 PM.
03-23-2012, 10:08 PM   #18
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Chris, it looks that you are experienced enough. You are right, but when it is gonna be your first system, and at least you should invest 1500$ with only one decent lens, you can not just go and grab one.
03-23-2012, 10:17 PM   #19
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You CAN "zoom focus" on the K5 in live view, I believe up to 10x.

Not sure about the bad reviews you mentioned on the Kx SR performance, I have had no issues whatsoever with either of the 2 Kx's I have had and no issues with the K5 SR performance - this could be due to the fact that I really never utilize it though as either I am snapping at fast shutter speeds or I am tripod'ing it with remote shutter at which SR deactivates automatically.

03-23-2012, 10:30 PM   #20
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Both the D7000 and the K-5 stand on equal ground in terms of taking the image. Given the same lens, they can both take very similar images this is because they both have the same sensor.

What you need to consider when you make your decision is this:
1. Will you be taking photos of moving objects or static objects? I find my k-5 is excellent at autofocusing on AF.S mode but clearly weak on AF.C mode compared to my D90 (the D7000 would have the same if not better focusing than the D90). (This is unscientific just based on my experience)

2. The lenses. If you have friends that are also into photography, a great way to share the experience is to share lenses. If most of your friends have Pentax, then get the K-5 if most of your friends have Nikon then get the Nikon. Actually this is labeled no.2 but it may be the most important thing to factor. If you plan on joining or are already in a photography club, sometimes they hire expensive lenses and share that lens for a trip, so its worth finding out what most members use)

3. Which lenses you want is also important. Pentax make great lenses of interesting focal lenghts. The FA limiteds are awesome and they have unique focal lengths such as 77mm, whereas Nikon makes them in more traditional focal lengths such as 85mm. Modern affordable Pentax lenses such as the DA limiteds are also slow but have great build quality and are made of metal. Modern Nikon affordable lenses are fast with speeds of 1.8 or 1.4 but are made of plastic.

4. Do you think you will go full frame in the future? Nikon has a definite upgrade path, you can take your lenses with you and use them on a full frame. If you go Pentax then full frame is unlikely, you may need to sell your lenses to fund a switch to another system in the future.

Then theres some quirks and nice to have things, for example:;
Pentax k-5 has a very nice quiet shutter noise, however most Pentax lenses still use screw drive focusing which can create a loud noise when autofocus.
On the other hand the Nikon d7000 has a louder shutter noise than the k-5 but most modern nikon lenses now use an in-lens motor that is quiet. I find Pentax works better in this case because if you want it to be quiet you can just manual focus then shoot with the quiet shutter, whereas with the nikon you can't dampen the shutter sound.

Nikon has faster flash sync than k-5.

K-5 has more weather seals than the D7000 (unconfirmed info but most people say this so I'm guessing its right).

K-5 right now is much much cheaper than the D7000.

Pentax's catch in focus only works with MF lenses or AF lenses with an AF/MF switch. Nikons focus trap works with any lens. However, I find the Pentax fires much better than the Nikon, I find the nikon sometimes doesn't shoot when the subject has clearly entered focus.

Both cameras have manufacturing issues that have been sorted out, for example the K-5's sensor stain issue has long been fixed and also the front focusing issue.
03-23-2012, 11:03 PM   #21
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Verglace, it is great that you have both D90 and K-5. Two years ago I was considering T2i and D90, but found D90 body big for my hand, D7000 should be the same.

No friends with any lenses, unfortunately, no clubs around, at least now.

Not interested in sport photography at all, nature, ppl, landscape, macro, ...

Honestly I do not know advantage of different focal length, 70, 80, 90 ??? Should be expensive to have all so I will probably start with some basic zooms, not kit lenses, something in the range of 17 to 50.

Not sure if I need a flash, mostly I will shoot in natural light.

Full frame, do not think so, APS-C is still kinda heavy, full frame much more, if dynamic range of m4/3 was not bad, I would get one, BTW, dynamic range is important.

I did not get what you said about focus trap in D90 and MF/AF lenses in K-5, sorry I have no experience at all.

So in this way it looks K-5 can be a better fit for my needs.

Since you have D90 and K-5 both, please let me ask you and others again the questions that bother me a lot,

1. How shake reduction in K-5 performs compared to that in Nikon lenses ?

2. How focus accuracy (not speed) compares between D90 and K-5? If you see focus confiramtion in K-5 viewfinder, is the output focused well? I am asking this, because I see many K-5, also D7000 photos that look completely out of focus. If the AF system is there, why these photos are like that?
03-23-2012, 11:36 PM   #22
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AF is there for both cameras, but as you ascertained that doesn't always account for camera shake. If you are worried about shake reduction and you like to shoot portraiture, then Nikon's primes should give you some pause since there is no VR (Nikon's shake reduction system) on prime lenses until you get to longer focal lengths. So the fun primes like the 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm have no shake reduction at all. Whereas with Pentax every prime of every focal length automatically has SR. In my opinion, some people who are new to Pentax might not know they have to wait for the SR indicator before taking the photo. Without doing so makes the SR useless.

So moving from Primes to zooms, the story remains the same. Most of Nikon's desirable zooms (i.e., 14-24mm f/2.8 FX, 17-55mm f/2.8 DX, and 24-70mm f/2.8 FX) have no VR plus they are all very expensive. Additionally, the size of Nikon's zoom lenses are large and their lineup is geared more towards a full frame format whereas the Pentax zooms are designed for a crop sensor. The Pentax 16-50mm f2.8, 50-130mm f2.8, and 60-25mm f4 are a bargain compared to their Nikon counterparts.

If you want to see K-5 portraits done by a professional, look no further than Benjamin Bjorn's photostream: Benjamin Bjorn's Flickr

03-24-2012, 12:43 AM   #23
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Nikon is focused () on selling you a full frame camera. Therefore they don't pay much attention to the "professional" APS-C lens lineup. Users have been waiting for years for something like the 50-135 2.8. One even existed in the film era.
03-24-2012, 02:07 AM   #24
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lnb14 - further to your question regarding manual focus and lcd - I have been only using the optical viewfinder for manual focus, I don't really like shooting using the live view. If I wanted to use an EVF live view all the time I would have probably brought a m4/3 camera or Sony NEX. The K-5 manual focus using the optical viewfinder works fine, with good focus confirmation. I have used it with both my Takumars with no problems at all using the optical viewfinder.

The SR on the K-5 works well, and I haven't noticed any problems with it. I previously had a Nikon D200 and a couple of VR zoom lenses. They worked fine as well. I can't really say that I have noticed too much difference between the two systems. The advantage of the Pentax system is, as others have pointed out, that the SR also applies to older, and prime lenses. This is a real advantage when shooting handheld in low light.

Having used Nikon, and Pentax I can say that both systems have their advantages and disadvantages. I have sold all my Nikon gear, and now have Pentax. I seriously considered the Nikon D7000 vs the K-5 just as you are. I went with the K-5 for two main reasons - I travel a lot and wanted a smaller camera (Pentax body and lenses are smaller than the Nikon), and the lower cost of new Pentax lenses (relative to Nikon and Canon L) with a huge range of old lenses available.

Everyone has their own criteria. I am very happy with the K-5. I am sure the D7000 would have been equally capable.

Regards,

Ross
03-24-2012, 02:52 AM   #25
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For stills the quality of output will be almost identical - both are the best APS you can get at the moment.

If you want to shoot lots of video then get the 7000

For stills the Pentax has some fundamental advantages - in camera anti-shake - worth a stop at least and if that means lower ISO in low-light conditions then the Pentax shot will be better. The Pentax has the magic 'RAW' button which means you can save any shot in RAW after the picture is taken. The Pentax Auto ISO mode appears better and I (much to my surprise) use it a lot. The water resistance of the Pentax is much better and matched by several reasonably priced lenses - if you want to take pics in the rain, mist, beach, sailing or anywhere dusty then that's a biggie. But most of all the camera is back compatible with a biggest range of very high quality and dirt cheap lenses on the planet (autofocus excepted). In my kit I've a 50mm f1.7, a 35 f2.8 and a 40mm pancake - the lot cost me about £100 and are of the very highest quality.
03-24-2012, 02:54 AM   #26
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Well, why not spend less money and go for an entry level camera, rather than one with lots of bells and whistles.

Get a Pentax K-r, or the soon to be releases K-z, or a Nikon D3100, or D5100.

As others have said try them out. If you buy an entry level camera, you won't loose much money if you decide to shift systems.

But you will have a bettre feel if you jump in and try one. Any one. There both good.

Regards

Chris
03-24-2012, 03:58 AM   #27
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I think you're getting hung up on the SR issue. Bear in mind that the D7000 will have no SR unless you buy expensive lenses with it built in. Also bear in mind that 95% of the time you just don't need it! It is only useful when you are shooting at low shutter speeds, and even then if things are moving it won't help. If you get blurry photos it's your fault not the camera's - whatever the camera.
03-24-2012, 04:25 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by lnb14 Quote
SpecialK, no, I am just trying to learn. I have seen a photo that I like, and since I prefer K-5, just wanna know if I can get same result.
Why wouldn't you, 90% of the photo is your own skill, 9% the lens and 1% the camera if you ask me

here is a photo search site.
Full-size sample photos from Pentax K-5

As for reviews, don't believe all of them, most are sponsored you know
Just read this one.
He doesn't really jump to conclusions and he explains a lot so it's easy to decide for yourself if the points he is making matters for you or not.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/K5/K5A.HTM
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D7000/D7000A.HTM

As for focusing.
I did this with the K10D but this camera is already 4 generations old and the K5 i've now is only an improvement.
I don't have many K5 photos online so can't show you one so fast.
Lens was the DA*50-135 at 103mm f/2.8

Last edited by Anvh; 03-24-2012 at 04:35 AM.
03-24-2012, 04:43 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by lnb14 Quote
Chris, it looks that you are experienced enough. You are right, but when it is gonna be your first system, and at least you should invest 1500$ with only one decent lens, you can not just go and grab one.
If it's going to be your first system, either camera will overwhelm you. Since you don't know how to use a dslr, you'll probably accuse the camera for the poor quality of you pics. (It happens a lot.) Go with a K-r or similar.

On another hand, flickr isn't the place to visit for representative pics, because simply everybody who has a camera posts pics there (regardless of how skillful they are). Pixel-peeper.com (mentioned above) is much better.
03-24-2012, 04:47 AM   #30
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I would just suggest you look at some K-5 photos on this forum, they are amazing. But you can't really compare two different photos like in the OP to see how different the bodies are, because in those photos everything was different, the lenses, the lighting, the setup, the processing..
I dunno, Id rather get the K-5 and some FA limiteds
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