[ajuett]

I've had the Sony a58 and Tamron 18-270mm Di II PZD for 4 weeks now. Do I miss Pentax, oh yes indeed!! Why did I not get Pentax in the first place: the accountant wanted to bundle some other electronic stuff with a camera, budgeting... long story.

Not only do I miss the Pentax hardware, I miss this forum.

Here are some photos from it;

Lighthouse Park Photo Gallery by ajuett at pbase.com
Lynn Canyon Photo Gallery by ajuett at pbase.com
...and more albums on the site.

I posted some 'old' Pentax photos as well. :-)

I have my 1 month old a58 up for sale and if sold I'll be getting a K-30, hopefully in time for our road trip on Aug. 2nd!

[JinDesu]

Sorry to hear that you miss Pentax. Could you let us know what Pentax did you use before, and what did you miss from it?

And surely there must be some nice things about your A58 that you like

[ajuett]

Sorry to hear that you miss Pentax. Could you let us know what Pentax did you use before, and what did you miss from it?

And surely there must be some nice things about your A58 that you like

Hi JinDesu,

I had the K100DS, K200D, K-x and LBA that was getting pretty bad! ;-) I left photography in 2010 due to budget, job re-training for a year, etc.

What I miss about Pentax:
- the OVF.
- the amazing older glass that is more abundant and less expensive (didn't realize how much Sony/Zeiss names add to the price, which is my fault for not looking into it more)
- the color/tones
- the feel of the camera and menu structure

What I like about the a58:
- in-body IS (like Pentax)
- the sensor is excellent
- they do have an amazing DT 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lens but I really do not want to invest in Sony.

What I dislike about the a58:
- laggy EVF in low light / indoors
- button positions
- plastic mount

[JinDesu]

I can definitely agree with the laggy EVF on the A58.. I played with a few of their cameras and did not enjoy their EVF one bit..

[RyanW]

Hi JinDesu,


- the amazing older glass that is more abundant and less expensive (didn't realize how much Sony/Zeiss names add to the price, which is my fault for not looking into it more)

Check out the used Minolta glass (Sony bought Minolta if you were not aware.) It's reasonably priced.

This site might be helpful
A-mount lens database - lenses for Minolta and Sony DSLR / SLT cameras)

[ajuett]

Check out the used Minolta glass (Sony bought Minolta if you were not aware.) It's reasonably priced.

This site might be helpful
A-mount lens database - lenses for Minolta and Sony DSLR / SLT cameras)

Thanks Ryan, I know of that site already. I have looked at some Minolta and Sony lenses already and some of it is really nice stuff. However, I might have the Tamron 18-270 sold tonight, possibly with the a58 body as well! If just the lens goes then I'm buying the Sony DT 35mm f/1.8, if the body and lens goes it will just cover a new K-30 with kit lens. Also found a M 28 f/3.5 (had one before, loved it!)

[ajuett]

Just got back from a 2 week road trip with 800 photos to go through. I didn't sell the a58 as I thought I'd give it a real chance. I'm happy with the results and considering the all-in-one Tamron 18-270 the system fared very well. Some of the photos have been edited and uploaded here Road Trip 2013 Photo Gallery by ajuett at pbase.com if you are interested I'm still a Pentaxian at heart so now things have settled after the trip I'm going to try and sell the Sony.

[RyanW]

Some nice work there ajuett. I was through BC and Alaska in the early 1990's and sadly had no interest in photography. Shot one disposable camera worth of film shots during the 19 days I was there

The a58 is a nice camera. There are no bad cameras these days. Body to body, it's mostly it's ergonomics and a few features that set them apart.

I'm thinking in terms of system these days lenses, flash, accessories, and so on. I'm really looking at the body as disposable. Get a new one every few years if the advancements warrant and don't spend too much doing it. The more I think in those terms the shorter the plus column becomes for Pentax. Yet I really like the construction of their primes and certain aspects of their system. The only "Pentax" I have these days is the Ricoh GRD I won in a contest on this site. I see Sony as an up and comer and Pentax as a once well established brand that aside from putting out some decent products today is struggling to stay relevant.

[ajuett]

Ryan, while I agree that most bodies are good these days I mostly miss the Pentax glass and color. Also, the EVF is at times bugging my eyes out. Almost had the Sony sold but the buyer backed out today. Oh well, there is no rush, when it sells it sells.

[RyanW]

Ryan, while I agree that most bodies are good these days I mostly miss the Pentax glass and color. Also, the EVF is at times bugging my eyes out. Almost had the Sony sold but the buyer backed out today. Oh well, there is no rush, when it sells it sells.

Pentax does a nice job with color. Much prefer their greens to some other brands.

[buttons]

Its funny, i kinda miss my sony -- though i technically downgraded. Ive had a k200d, K-X, A580, A77, now K01 (in that order) I went with a K01 because its so much easier to carry with us and were not missing any image quality.

The sonys had some key features i miss. in camera HDR, multiframe noise reduction ( i could take iso 6400 jpeg shots that would otherwise look more like a 1600 iso shot) I really miss the tiltable LCD for those times i didnt want to crawl on the ground or stand on a ladder to get a shot. I do love the pentax forums and I really like pentax overall, but im starting to get a little bored of my K01 and im considering a cheap K5 or maybe a D7100.

[ajuett]

I looked at the K-01 but I want a built in OVF. I really like the top of the K-r, reminds me of the Super Program I use to have.

[yusuf]

I looked at the K-01 but I want a built in OVF. I really like the top of the K-r, reminds me of the Super Program I use to have.

Try nex-6 or nex-7, you likely wont miss OVF or the Pentax

[ajuett]

Try nex-6 or nex-7, you likely wont miss OVF or the Pentax

I had a NEX 3N for even a shorter time than the a58. I returned the 3N in a week. The E- mount just means more adapters for any legacy glass. Sony is fine for some, I just don't like EVFs or Sony colours. Nothing they have impressed me.