Originally posted by Damn Brit Thank you Marc. I wish more of the magazine reviews were as down to earth and real as yours.
Gary
Thanks Gary - I got reamed/dismissed in a post at DPR by someone who also has a 40D. I was accused of being a "fan-boy" in the initial post too! I countered his arguments and suggested he visit my other posts (with images) and/or look at my website. He admitted he was way off base and I thanked him for that reply. Good terms now. Again, I don't care what people shoot with - the end result is the ultimate decision maker for me...
I am hoping people remember it is under a very specific set of circumstances, and those results are NOT across the board. The Canon is superb in several areas, and I clearly posted those findings.
Besides, it's not too often one gets to play with $7,000 worth of camera gear at no cost for a month!! I feel that it's allowed me to give an honest review...
I did clearly state that I am really pushing it with the demands on both systems, and this gives me a real-world set of experiences of how to make them work at their best under often difficult lighting situations.
I did buy the Pelican case + padlocks, but I wanted a 1510 anyways. Truth be told, this has cemented my conviction to remain with Pentax, unless an opportunity came knocking that I could not refuse. I'll never, ever give up the macro side of Pentax (since I own the FA* 200/4 Macro), even if I switched to another system. That lens is too good, although I've not tried the Nikkor 200/4, which I hear is wonderful. I've seen many excellent results from the SIgma 180/3.5 too.
The biggest deal for me would be a higher FPS with Pentax - that would be a huge deal. A higher shutter speed would be nice, but the skill/anticipation of the moment is the critical part of of getting the shot. Even at 1/8000 sec. with the Canon, I still missed shots! Wildlife can be so unpredictable in their movements, and your anticipation of when to shoot is the key in all of it. This is especially true with birds. Camera specs are a much smaller part of the equation in that kind of situation.
Regards,
Marc