The Grass Is Greener? Some Thoughts Over Shooting With Nikon For The Last Month

Groucho · 10-10-2016, 12:30 PM

I didn't use it enough to learn it, but I briefly owned a Nikon D90 which someone gave me in trade on Craigslist for one of my Pentax bodies - it was worth quite a bit more so I took it, played with it for a week or so, then eBayed it.

Having been used to the Pentax UI, I was completely lost in the D90 - none of the menus or controls made any sense and the ergonomics were way off. I'm sure if that's all I used, I would figure it out, but it definitely didn't seem as intuitive. It just had a cheap lens but the focusing was solid and almost certainly better than my Pentax body of the era... I don't remember exactly what it was, maybe when I moved from my K20D to a K-7.

D4rknezz · 10-10-2016, 12:37 PM

Originally posted by LightBug

Yes, I'm sure your experience is real, but I'm just suggesting exploring possible calibration and SDM issue that could improve your Pentax shooting experience.

Ah right. Well, the issue is cost and accuracy. That is to say, under ideal lighting and subject distance, the accuracy of the lenses are just fine They are fine when i test them. They are fine when i chimp. Then you go for a full day of wedding in all sorts of lights and locations, and you find a lot of misfocus. The accuracy goes down under extreme lighting, and in camera calibration for each lens is a hit and miss. If the lighting swings the other way, the calibration is again off. Its easy if all i need to do is a constant micro adjustment of + or -, but at times when situations are ideal, that micro adjustment actually throws off the focus that was spot on. So i find myself micro adjusting for different locations. And in a wedding, i can be in 6 different locations in the day, throughout lighting situations.

So its really quite unpredictable. I can send it in, but i haven't because of the cost to check and timelines. I can't really be out without a lens in wedding season. I may do so come this winter.

I am being a bit harsh with pentax AF and lighting system, but i love my pentax the most because of all the other things I mentioned. But i can point my 70-200 on a D800E at anything, anyday, and it will be spot on, instantly.

Fenwoodian · 10-10-2016, 01:14 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by D4rknezz

I actually shoot 3 systems. Pentax K1/K5, Nikon D800E, and Canon 5DMark3. My K1 is currently my main camera.

. The nikon images are the ones most.....neutral. Boring. When i have a high fashion editorial shoot, i grab the nikon. For everything else, i put the nikon aside.

Feel free to view my work to see the images i have taken with these cameras : Bottling and Capturing Images – Just For You!

I too shoot Nikon and Pentax systems. I agree with you that the Pentax colors beat the "dullish" colors produced by the Nikon cameras. Also, Pentax colors get even better when you shoot in the "pixel shift" mode!

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10-10-2016, 12:30 PM	#16
Groucho Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 416	I didn't use it enough to learn it, but I briefly owned a Nikon D90 which someone gave me in trade on Craigslist for one of my Pentax bodies - it was worth quite a bit more so I took it, played with it for a week or so, then eBayed it. Having been used to the Pentax UI, I was completely lost in the D90 - none of the menus or controls made any sense and the ergonomics were way off. I'm sure if that's all I used, I would figure it out, but it definitely didn't seem as intuitive. It just had a cheap lens but the focusing was solid and almost certainly better than my Pentax body of the era... I don't remember exactly what it was, maybe when I moved from my K20D to a K-7.

10-10-2016, 12:37 PM	#17
D4rknezz Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,196	Originally posted by LightBug Yes, I'm sure your experience is real, but I'm just suggesting exploring possible calibration and SDM issue that could improve your Pentax shooting experience. Ah right. Well, the issue is cost and accuracy. That is to say, under ideal lighting and subject distance, the accuracy of the lenses are just fine They are fine when i test them. They are fine when i chimp. Then you go for a full day of wedding in all sorts of lights and locations, and you find a lot of misfocus. The accuracy goes down under extreme lighting, and in camera calibration for each lens is a hit and miss. If the lighting swings the other way, the calibration is again off. Its easy if all i need to do is a constant micro adjustment of + or -, but at times when situations are ideal, that micro adjustment actually throws off the focus that was spot on. So i find myself micro adjusting for different locations. And in a wedding, i can be in 6 different locations in the day, throughout lighting situations. So its really quite unpredictable. I can send it in, but i haven't because of the cost to check and timelines. I can't really be out without a lens in wedding season. I may do so come this winter. I am being a bit harsh with pentax AF and lighting system, but i love my pentax the most because of all the other things I mentioned. But i can point my 70-200 on a D800E at anything, anyday, and it will be spot on, instantly.

10-10-2016, 01:14 PM - 1 Like	#18
Fenwoodian Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,874	Originally posted by D4rknezz I actually shoot 3 systems. Pentax K1/K5, Nikon D800E, and Canon 5DMark3. My K1 is currently my main camera. . The nikon images are the ones most.....neutral. Boring. When i have a high fashion editorial shoot, i grab the nikon. For everything else, i put the nikon aside. Feel free to view my work to see the images i have taken with these cameras : Bottling and Capturing Images – Just For You! I too shoot Nikon and Pentax systems. I agree with you that the Pentax colors beat the "dullish" colors produced by the Nikon cameras. Also, Pentax colors get even better when you shoot in the "pixel shift" mode!