[LoudYeti]

I’d ride it out a little longer. There seems to be a new k3 ( whatever they will call it ) in Q1 2019. That will either A. be the camera you really want or B. Drive the cost of a K3 down. K20 is a great camera and if you’re still rocking yours you obv keep them for a while. Don’t jump the gun too soon then have buyers remorse.

[mikesbike]

I've been assuming, since the OP's post was whether the K-5 would be an upgrade for him, that he is interested in buying an older used model for budget reasons.

[ElwoodP]

I've been assuming, since the OP's post was whether the K-5 would be an upgrade for him, that he is interested in buying an older used model for budget reasons.

Exactly

[Igor123]

You seem to have read over the part where it says "in my experience". I understand you might have skipped these insignificant words or misread them as if they say "I think that..." or "It is my opinion that...". So please don't tell me "nono". I shot the K20D for 3 years and the K-5 after that. Feel free to share your experience of both cameras but please stop stamping on mine...

I'm sorry, I should have been more tactful in how I expressed myself! I got a bit carried away in my memories of how much of an improvement I found the new sensor to be when postprocessing (and the dxo sensor charts were "off the charts" for an aps-c at that time beating almost all full-frames) so I didn't see how someone could think the opposite, but I agree, you said in your experience, and I commented it in a bad way from my experience. No offense meant, I'll have to improve how I say that I disagree =)!

Edit: I read a couple of your other posts, and may see a reason that we see the cameras so differently: I didn't shoot much moving objects, so AF and other features was never an issue for me, but I did pp a lot in terms of being "foolish" and expose as to trying to squeeze out a little bit of lower iso than was really necessary all the time, thus pushing the envelope and using the pp to correct the exposure. While if you, as one should, exposed more "correctly" (and being able to compensate with F-stop or shutter speed) the unaltered raw files or jpegs, I agree, wouldn't have looked much different between the k20 and k5, while when starting to push things in pp, the measured differences started to show (not taking dxo numbers as gospel, especially not the "scores", but the charts I do find informative: https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Pentax-K5-versus-Pentax-K20D___676_213 (look at the meaurement-tab, DR mostly)

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Last edited by Igor123; 11-27-2018 at 04:01 AM.

[aslyfox]

I have read that the OP has a limited budget

but if the OP can find a deal on a rental

[ I use pntrs.com/t/TUJGRktHSkJHRkpISUVCRkpOSkVN?url=LensRentals.com - LensRentals.com - Rent Lenses and Cameras from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Leica, and more - with good service and results ]

perhaps renting a newer camera body [ K 1, K 1 II, K 3 II, KP, K S2 ] might save in the long run

the OP could do a " trial run " and determine if he wants to try to find a deal on a K 5 ( or K 5II or K 5 IIs ) or a more modern camera body

I enjoyed my K 5 II, it was my first modern DSLR

[ElwoodP]

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this thread.
As an update, I just purchased a K3 and it is in the mail. I feel like it is the best use of my funds right now.
Now to maybe start a new discussion....
Would you choose a Tokina 28-70/2.8 or the DA 18-135 WR?

[kypfer]

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this thread.
As an update, I just purchased a K3 and it is in the mail. I feel like it is the best use of my funds right now.
Now to maybe start a new discussion....
Would you choose a Tokina 28-70/2.8 or the DA 18-135 WR?

I think this will have to be a personal decision based on photographic requirements - do you want/need the wide aperture for low-light work and/or depth-of-field control or will the greater overall capability of the 18-135mm be of more use?

Personally, in an initial "either/or" choice, I'd take the 18-135mm to be getting on with, then in due course consider whether a partial duplication in zoom range would serve my purposes or maybe a couple of wide-aperture primes would be more useful ... fwiw I use an 18-200mm + prime(s) as required, but obviously YMMV!


Good luck and enjoy your new camera

[Alex645]

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this thread.
As an update, I just purchased a K3 and it is in the mail.
Would you choose a Tokina 28-70/2.8 or the DA 18-135 WR?

Congratulations. K3 is a great choice.

Between the 28-70 and the 18-135 WR I'd get the 18-135mm in part because of the range, but also because it's WR.

But if I were to pick one zoom, I'd go with the 16-85mm. I like that extra wideness, but long enough for a decent telephoto.

[UncleVanya]

Also don't forget the 17-70 or 16-85 options. The Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 is a nice compromise between the options you stated.

[ElwoodP]

I think this will have to be a personal decision based on photographic requirements - do you want/need the wide aperture for low-light work and/or depth-of-field control or will the greater overall capability of the 18-135mm be of more use?

Personally, in an initial "either/or" choice, I'd take the 18-135mm to be getting on with, then in due course consider whether a partial duplication in zoom range would serve my purposes or maybe a couple of wide-aperture primes would be more useful ... fwiw I use an 18-200mm + prime(s) as required, but obviously YMMV!


Good luck and enjoy your new camera

I don't know what subject matter I will focus on... I like old abandoned things. I do want to take portraits, but that will be secondary.

[pinholecam]

IMHO, the K20D still does fine for your genre of photography.

Personally, I'd say, venture into learning about how to use off camera flash with the money/time.


If you are to upgrade on a limited budget, I'd no longer recommend the K5.
K30 is cheaper and rather close to the K5 (I swapped down from K5 to K30 and did not miss anything).
Any model after K30 will give a bit more, but for the gist of it, really K20D is already fine for portraits.
I won't recommend the K3 as its more expensive (seem you are on a budget to mention just a K5) and most of the features benefit a genre like landscapes more than portraits.

[mikesbike]

Thank you to everybody that contributed to this thread.
As an update, I just purchased a K3 and it is in the mail. I feel like it is the best use of my funds right now.
Now to maybe start a new discussion....
Would you choose a Tokina 28-70/2.8 or the DA 18-135 WR?

The K-3 is a very fine camera, the next model after the K-5 IIs. An excellent choice, and I am glad you could swing a camera that good. I know the Tokina lens you speak of. It was a cheaper (but still decent) model released at a lower price, after the better- built and better-performing 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 pro II, which I have. Both of these lenses are made for 35mm film or a full-frame DSLR. On your excellent APS-C size sensor K-3 body, there will be no actual wide angle at 28mm, as it would be on a FF body. The main reason to get a shorter-range zoom lens having a constant aperture capability of f/2.8 would be for low light and/or fast action shooting to increase shutter speeds.

The Pentax DA 18-135mm lens is wonderfully versatile and is compact for such a zoom range. It presents fine imaging, especially out to 70mm, with the central area of images from it in the excellent rating throughout its zoom range. It is vey well-built with WR construction, and has fast, quiet, and accurate AF. There's a lot this lens can do well, from wide-angle scenics or group shots, to closeups and portraits. I have one of those also and it gets a lot of use when I need that versatility. I recommend it highly.

The K-3 is a very well-built camera body with WR construction, excellent features, and very fine imaging, But no camera can be truly WR unless the lens attached to it is also of WR construction.

[aslyfox]

the K 3 is a very good camera I have one and also the K 3 II

did you get the battery grip ?

Pentax Battery Grip D-BG5 for K-3 / K-3 II

https://www.pentaxforums.com/accessoryreviews/pentax-battery-grip-bg-5-k-3.html

I really like mine

regarding your suggested lenses, I can offer you no first hand knowledge ( but lack of WR isn't always a killer for a deal, IMHO, YMMV ).

but I urge you to continue to use the assets of the forums with your requests for info and help as well as checking out the reviews of various lenses -


https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/


and the possibilities in the forum's market place -

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/24-photographic-equipment-sale/

I have always had good luck dealing with other forum members when looking at " experienced " lenses