[Isnwm]

I'm probably not alone when I say that I'm getting more increasingly disgruntled and peeved at the lack of respect that Pentax camera get, and consequently the lack of lens options we have. I got so excited when I saw the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8... Then my excitement quickly turned to anger and resentment as soon as I saw they don't make it for Pentax. I swear everyday I have to talk myself down off the proverbial ledge. Everyday I tell myself "just do it... Sell it all, and get a 7D or a D7000... Plenty of lens options. Do it." Then I read the comparison reviews and the K-5 beats them both. WHY DO WE HAVE SUPERIOR CAMERA BODIES W/ HORRIBLE lens selection ?!?! We literally don't have ONE 2.8 lens that covers ANYTHING between 200 & 300. NOT ONE ! Why not ?! So our only choices are 70-200 f/2.8 , then go straight to 300 f/2.8 prime. Does sigma not think we would like the flexibility, too ? Or maybe they won't make it because they'd sell like 12 of them ? That's my guess. I've been crunching numbers all week , looking at the 7D & D7000, I'd have to sell everything, and I'd still come out
Of pocket about a grand, to have my comparable lenses & flash on either of those bodies. That's when I say "oh, it's not worth it. I'll stay Pentax, and just get the K-5 IIs. That'll ease my pain. But it probably will just make it worse. Because then I'll have an even better camera, and still be limited to te same lens selection we have now. Am I the only one feeling like this ? How have you life long pentaxians dealt with this for so long ? I've been one for like 5 months and it already ticks me off. We have LESS lenses to choose from. The ones we do have are HUNDREDS of dollars more expensive than Nikon or Canon. Take the sigma 70-200 f/2.8 OS Version. $1,299... Cheapest you're going to find it ANYWHERE for pentax. Trust me. I've looked EVERYWHERE. But you know who had it for $999, and $1099 ?! Nikon & Canon ! I'll get off my soap box now. I'm just frustrated & seriously getting to the point of wishing I never bought my K-5. I have snapsort to thank for that.

[Canada_Rockies]

I feel your need. I've had it off and on for 51 years now. It goes away once in a while. Usually when I look at the minus sign in front of my bank balance.

[Venturi]

I'm in no way making excuses for Pentax, and I feel the frustration too at times. Looking back over the past 4 years since I came back to photography I have gained a smidgeon of perspective that helps me stay semi-rational about it.

In 2008 Pentax wasn't doing all that great financially; I won't try to armchair quarterback their management at the time but they were struggling. Enter Hoya, who swooped in with lots of cash and bought the company lock stock and barrel - but all they really cared about was the medical division. So again, Pentax Imaging suffered from neglect and poor management. 3 years later Hoya decides to trim the fat and Ricoh bought the Imaging division as part of a wholesale reboot of their camera business. We're just now one year into their ownership, which isn't a ton of time to handle a buy-out and launch new products. But they are starting to show some signs, albeit cryptic, that they are going to advance the brand once more.

If we're still looking at a line-up of 2.5 SLRs and a thin tele-zoom lens stable at this time next year then in my humble opinion, it's time for a re-think on what system to go forward with.

[calsan]

Point 1:
I read this and went "What's snapsort?"
I then looked it up. Seriously? You chose a camera system with that website?

Point 2:
Sigma 120-300 f2.8 is an expensive pro level lens. If you want it, buy it. The cost of another camera to attach to it will be of little consequence to someone that that sort of money to spend on a lens.

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Last edited by calsan; 09-20-2012 at 10:56 PM.

[Bob from Aus]

Yes but
I used a near new Nikon D7000 in Chobe Botswana and got home to find dirt had contaminated the sensor. I have 3 K5s that are heavily used and not once have I had to clean the sensor. (not that over the nikon images either)
On Sunday a friend is coming around because she is taking totally crap photos with her canon. I will probably send her away on her wildflower expedition with my K7 and sigma 17-70.

Coming back from Africa on 5 weeks of photography my gear kicks ass. Between my sigma 500 and pentax 60-250 I nailed most of my photos. I took about 15kgs of gear. Imagine the weight of the Nikon/Canon alternative.

While it is frustrating not having the variety of gear, I find my kit which includes a collection of Ltds gives me an edge.

[MysteryOnion]

I got so excited when I saw the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8... Then my excitement quickly turned to anger and resentment as soon as I saw they don't make it for Pentax.

I said on the B&H ... not yet out?

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM AF Lens (For Pentax)

[repaap]

Wow, that isn't cheap! And yeah! There it is...

I said on the B&H ... not yet out?

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM AF Lens (For Pentax)

[Isnwm]

Yes, it's on their website, but it's not released. And every article I can find on it says that sigma has no plans to actually release it.

[Isnwm]

Point 1:
I read this and went "What's snapsort?"
I then looked it up. Seriously? You chose a camera system with that website?

Point 2:
Sigma 120-300 f2.8 is an expensive pro level lens. If you want it, buy it. The cost of another camera to attach to it will be of little consequence to someone that that sort of money to spend on a lens.

#1 , yes I used that site as a resource for finding information on dslr cameras. This was my first dslr. I had no clue what I was looking for. Snapsort breaks it down by price, categories, mechanical specs. Etc. and the K-5 blew the doors off every other camera within its class, and even some full frame pro cameras that weren't in its class. What that site didn't tell me was how much more expensive & how much harder it would be to find lenses. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't own a Pentax.
#2, no I'm not going out and spending a grand on a D7000 or a 7D just for one lens. That's crazy even by my standards. If I do it, I'm selling everything, and just biting the bullet and forking over the difference in money to change brands.

[calsan]

OK, but as this is your first dslr, I'm 99% certain you won't be needing the sigma 120-300 2.8. You know you need a tripod to just to hold it, right? Have you even used any telephoto lenses yet? You will find that a 300 f/4 lens requires a lot of skill and experience, let alone f/2.8. So: I'm certain your complaint about it not being available is more huff and puff than substance, sorry.

[selar]

Sigma probably wonder why a professional would use Pentax Dslr given that there isn't a full game model.

[markl62]

Take the sigma 70-200 f/2.8 OS Version. $1,299... Cheapest you're going to find it ANYWHERE for pentax. Trust me. I've looked EVERYWHERE. But you know who had it for $999, and $1099 ?! Nikon & Canon ! I'll get off my soap box now. I'm just frustrated & seriously getting to the point of wishing I never bought my K-5. I have snapsort to thank for that.

The good thing about having a K5 with built in IS, means you don't really need a OS version of that lens. So you should be able to pick up non OS for $6-700.

[vonBaloney]

Do you want to just buy gear or shoot photos? What kind of images are you intending to take? Depending on your aspirations, maybe you'd have been better served with another brand. But it sounds like you just need to cool off and go shoot some stuff -- let the actual limitations in real experience preventing you from getting the shot you wanted be your guide, rather than just imagining you need this or that just because it is out there. Frankly, you don't know what you are talking about simply from lack of experience, so go get some before you go selling your system to buy another one with won't satisfy you either because you actually have no idea what you need or want. You did land on an excellent camera and there are lots of lenses out there, they're really are. But for now just use what you've got so you can make an intelligent next choice.

Unless your only aspiration is just to be a gear whore -- then don't sell anything and just buy buy buy...

[Adam]

If Ricoh intends on making the Pentax lineup competitive, they're going to have to get third parties to make more lenses. My hunch is that that's what they're going to do alongside the launch of their future FF/pro bodies.

[rawr]

Sigma probably wonder why a professional would use Pentax Dslr given that there isn't a full frame model.

Lots of pros have several bodies, not all of which are FF... Some Nikon FF users I know keep an APS-C around for the extra reach in telephoto, while the FF does the wedding interiors etc.

Some other Nikon-using press pro photogs I know also use bagfuls of Sigma lenses on their APS-C D300s's. So I think Sigma knows that 'pro' is a diverse market. They probably also sell 5 times greater volume of lenses for APS-C bodies than on FF.