[c.a.m]

1. The rumours are started by Canon, Nikon and Sony salesmen.

Or, The Angry Photographer?

[normhead]

Norm, don't forget Nikkei journalists desperately wanting a "strong" subject

OK then, that can be #4.

[photoptimist]

Shooting with two systems means doubling your investment in lenses and bringing more weight in the field. The inability to share lenses seems like a significant disadvantage. It also means learning two different body systems in terms of button layouts, best settings, and workflow.

Both the K-3ii and KP are major upgrades from the K-10D in terms of speed, AF, resolution. Both the K-3ii and KP cost less than the Canon 7D Mark II and have higher resolution. I'd bet that a K-3ii and KP plus a DFA 150-450 would be similar in cost to Canon 7D Mark II plus a 100-400 and with Pentax you'd get to share all the lenses you already own.

To me, the "jump ship before it sinks" strategy makes no sense for photography. Even if Pentax dies the day after you get your next camera, you'll still get years of use out of it and probably the opportunity to buy a lot awesome glass at declining prices. And now that the megapixel wars are slowing down, camera bodies aren't going obsolete very quickly. There's really very little risk. And that's assuming you buy the myth that the gear really matters.

[pathdoc]

Or, The Angry Photographer?

No, he was just parroting what had already been said elsewhere. Unfortunately his only true fondness for Pentax is for 6x7, and he's on record as having lost all patience with film. The only other thing he seemingly still likes about it is 50mm Super Takumar glass, both because it IS awesome and because he gets to make clickbait videos about how incredibly radioactive the lenses are.

[LFLee]

Dear all,

It was in 2014 I had my first Pentax Camera. It was actually a gift to me by my partner who actually wanted to buy me a Canon 70D but upon research we ended up buying the Pentax K-3. Have no issues so far with the camera and now I have given the K-3 to her and I bought a second hand K10D for myself. So we are both Pentax users and are passionate about the brand too. We are very much into wildlife, bird photography especially..Over these years we have bought these lenses
1. Pentax smc DA 50mm f1.8
2. Tamron 70-200mm f2.8
3. Pentax DA* 300mm f4
4. Tamron 90mm f2.8
5. Pentax A SMC 400mm f5.6.

and now is the dilemma. I would like to upgrade to a good camera body especially for speed and resolution and the K-1 attracts me so much. But lately I have been reading rumours about Pentax dying etc etc. I know these kind of news has been in the media (rumours) for many years and Pentax is still here. But deep in my heart there is also a slight fear of buying too much into Pentax and things going obsolete.

Therefore, I am also thinking of looking into other brands especially Canon and slowly build on them too which would enable us as a couple to get best of both brands. Been eyeing on Canon 7D Mark II just for its speed and autofocus. Is there anyone here who have bought into more than one brand?

Many thanks for reading this post and kindly let me know your suggestions.

Cheers,

Navin

As a long time Pentax fans, I think as far as lens collection goes, you are not too heavily invest in Pentax lenses, so switching brand will not cost that much.

If you want to go mirrorless, change, Sony (FF) or Fuji (APSC / MF).
If you want to move to FF DSLR, and have specific lenses in mind that you wanna use and they don't come in K-mount, change, Canon / Nikon.

since you want 7D Mark II, it is still APSC, and just for the Speed --- I don't know, maybe buy it and try it out to see if AF is really that good?

[patrick9]

I had 2 systems for a short time. It made "what to take" choices much more difficult, so I went to one system only.

I have 2 systems right now that was making it hard to decide on which to take along. The Nikon system is getting ready to start looking for a new home.

[officiousbystander]

Even if Pentax dies the day after you get your next camera, you'll still get years of use out of it and probably the opportunity to buy a lot awesome glass at declining prices. And now that the megapixel wars are slowing down, camera bodies aren't going obsolete very quickly.

I have a Samsung NX300 and even though the Samsung mirrorless business is dead and buried it still takes great photos. There's a Lexar card in it, and it still works as well.

[normhead]

I have a Samsung NX300 and even though the Samsung mirrorless business is dead and buried it still takes great photos. There's a Lexar card in it, and it still works as well.

Warn me before you make any new purchases. You have a magic touch. everything you touch dies.

[biz-engineer]

What source are you using for your assumption?

I shoot wildlife at wildlife workshops and venues, and among groups of wildlife shooters, I know what they use because I see it and because they tell me why they prefer 7Ds for wildlife. Sample size between 15 and 30 shooters. Some of them do only wildlife, I see a lot of 100-400 on 7D and then 500 f4 on 7D, they all tell me that 100-400 on 5D is too short, so they have a 7D as second camera body for wildlife, that's what they tell me. Preferred equivalent focal length and burst rates aren't a brand thing. With a Pentax K1, having a crop mode with 15Mpixel with 7FPS is an advantage over a 5Dx camera, not needing a second crop camera. I now use the K1 both for landscape in full frame mode and wildlife with crop mode. If I had one of the canon 5D series, I'd still need a 7D as second camera for crop and faster burst rate, because the 5D sensors are covered with optical low pass filter which eat a bit of sharpness, and cropping 21Mpixels gives 8.75Mpixels, it's not as good as what's delivered by a K1 in crop mode.

[aleonx3]

To the OP, if you feel that Canon gear gives you the best chance of improve your results then I encourage you to go into Canon... but the fact of a Pentax going out of business rumour is not a very good reason (a lame reason) to switch gears in hope of getting better photos.

[cali92rs]

I shoot wildlife at wildlife workshops and venues, and among groups of wildlife shooters, I know what they use because I see it and because they tell me why they prefer 7Ds for wildlife. Sample size between 15 and 30 shooters. Some of them do only wildlife, I see a lot of 100-400 on 7D and then 500 f4 on 7D, they all tell me that 100-400 on 5D is too short, so they have a 7D as second camera body for wildlife, that's what they tell me. Preferred equivalent focal length and burst rates aren't a brand thing. With a Pentax K1, having a crop mode with 15Mpixel with 7FPS is an advantage over a 5Dx camera, not needing a second crop camera. I now use the K1 both for landscape in full frame mode and wildlife with crop mode. If I had one of the canon 5D series, I'd still need a 7D as second camera for crop and faster burst rate, because the 5D sensors are covered with optical low pass filter which eat a bit of sharpness, and cropping 21Mpixels gives 8.75Mpixels, it's not as good as what's delivered by a K1 in crop mode.

The 5D mark IV has 30.4MP at 7fps, which is double the resolution of the K-1 in crop mode...additionally, like I said there is the 3rd party options which go to 600mm.
Of course there are countless threads of this very discussion with folks that actully own these cameras as well as know the specs should the OP wish to do a quick Google search.

[biz-engineer]

The 5D mark IV has 30.4MP at 7fps, which is double the resolution of the K-1 in crop mode...additionally, like I said there is the 3rd party options which go to 600mm.

Ok you win.

[redpit]

I don't see the reason to invest in Canon too, unless you want to buy a contemporary 600/4 lens or something more exotic in Canon and the superb DFA 150-450 or the DA 560/5.6 are not filling that gap.

Even if Pentax gets out of business your equipment will still be functionable and will last long, so nothing to worry about.

[Alex645]

I would like to upgrade to a good camera body especially for speed and resolution and the K-1 attracts me so much. But lately I have been reading rumours about Pentax dying etc etc.

Is there anyone here who have bought into more than one brand?

Navin

Navin,
I went from Yashica (35mm and medium format) to Minolta (35mm) and Pentax (medium format). When all my Minolta gear was stolen, I switched to Nikon and currently shoot both Nikon and Pentax (film and digital).

As a pro, I could justify the expense of two systems. Now I am a teacher and do photography for personal enrichment and to stay current. If Nikon offered a medium format option, I wouldnʻt have gone into Pentax. But now beyond medium format, I appreciate the merits of Pentax DSLRs (645, FF, and APS-C) and the special qualities of their lenses (WR, limiteds, etc).

We have all been reading rumors about not just Pentax dying, but also SLRs, film, etc. Rumors are like tumors. They seem to grow and worry us with fear. Yes, the tumor could be benign or malignant, but the best course of action is to excise it, even though itʻll probably just grow back on itʻs own. This aspect of your decision to use another system should be a very low concern.

Canon has an edge in video and action photography, although at the moment, the Nikon D500 has my vote for best sports and wildlife DSLR. But overall, the K-1 is by far a better value with great features and the Sony sensor is much more forgiving than the Canon in low light and high contrast scenarios.

The grass will always seem greener, but ultimately it will come down to your skills, and then the best lens for the subject. Your camera choice should just support your favorite lens or lenses.

[pathdoc]

The 5D mark IV has 30.4MP at 7fps, which is double the resolution of the K-1 in crop mode...

It's double the MEGAPIXELS - true resolution as we experience it comes down to lens, sensor, and the image processors behind that which generate the raw files (and the out-of camera JPG if applicable). Then of course there is the question of the size at which you are viewing the image - for any given image size and viewing distance, once you get to a certain level of resolution it ceases to make a difference.