[biz-engineer]

I'd be quite happy shooting any of the higher-end bodies and lenses from any of the brands.

I'd be quite happy shooting with any of the higher end bodies and lenses from any of the brands, if they are given to me for free. If I have to pay, or even if I get a Sony A7 RIV for free, I'll find myself swearing while shooting in the field with a Sony A 7 r IV after going into the menus for 5 minutes and not finding what I'm looking for, or shooting images and realizing that the camera doesn't do what I thought it would do after I enabled something in the menus. Some people have sold cameras with only a few hundred exposures, just because they couldn't find an intuitive way to setup their camera. Handling a camera in the shop and seeing a demo from a rep who knows the camera inside out is not the same things as shooting in the field on our own. Sometimes, knowing exactly how to use the camera (whatever the camera is) without thinking, is better than having a camera with fantastic specs but miss the shot because you got lost in the menus.

[BigMackCam]

I'd be quite happy shooting with any of the higher end bodies and lenses from any of the brands, if they are given to me for free. If I have to pay, or even if I get a Sony A7 RIV for free, I'll find myself swearing while shooting in the field with a Sony A 7 r IV after going into the menus for 5 minutes and not finding what I'm looking for, or shooting images and realizing that the camera doesn't do what I thought it would do after I enabled something in the menus. Some people have sold cameras with only a few hundred exposures, just because they couldn't find an intuitive way to setup their camera. Handling a camera in the shop and seeing a demo from a rep who knows the camera inside out is not the same things as shooting in the field on our own. Sometimes, knowing exactly how to use the camera (whatever the camera is) without thinking, is better than having a camera with fantastic specs but miss the shot because you got lost in the menus.

That's one of the reasons I love shooting older equipment, biz. The Samsung GX-10 / Pentax K10D is simplicity itself, and intuitive too. There are no complicated features, just the things I need. A manual isn't required - just a quick flick through menu items and looking at the few buttons, switches and dials is enough to educate any user already familiar with the basics. Of course, the AF - whilst adequate - is laughable compared to today's cameras, bracketed and continuous shooting is pedestrian in the extreme, there's no live view, AF fine adjustments have to be "hacked" via DEBUG mode, dynamic range is lacking for single exposures, and ISO is more-or-less limited to 400 for useful images - plus, of course, it's "only" a 10MP sensor (but what a sensor!). You can't have everything, right? There are always compromises... But I enjoy shooting it, I love the quality of the raw files at low ISO settings, and since a good example costs around GBP £100, it's impossible to be disappointed with it in terms of value for money

[Cerebum]

No, that's not why. I've handled the K-1 a few times so I know exactly what it's like, plus I own the K-3II, K-3 and K-5 - all of them very, very solid cameras indeed. Years back, I spent an enjoyable hour or so playing with a 645D outside SRS Microsystems' store - so I know what that's like too, and I assume the 645Z is at least of equivalent quality. As I said, Pentax are - IMHO - amongst the most solid and robust cameras, at least at the "flagship" body level.



I held the medium format Fujfilm cameras briefly at the event, and I thought they were pretty good - but honestly, I don't have any experience with other current medium format gear of comparable technical spec and price. A few years ago I handled a first-generation Hasselblad X1D, and that felt like real quality...



I don't know about the X-A5, but the current X-A7 is GBP £599 including a 15-45mm kit lens. These days, that kind of money is the low end of entry level... so I guess it would feel cheap compared to a £1,500 - £2,000+ body and £1,000 lens. No surprise there. Personally, for the money, I thought the various brands' entry level gear was decent enough - but you get what you pay for, that's for sure.



You know, I really don't want to get into another brand comparison scenario and pointless "which one is King" debate. All I'm saying is, IMHO all of the higher-end equipment from all of the brands is of good quality. Some aspects in some brands are better or worse than others, but they're all decent when you consider the technical spec and price. Going back to my original comment, I still feel high-end Pentax gear is superbly built - but the "competition" (for want of a better term) is pretty darned good too, IMHO. I'd be quite happy shooting any of the higher-end bodies and lenses from any of the brands. You may feel differently, and that's fine...

If I had the money I would love a Canon R5 or a Nikon z7ii People get tremendous results from canon DSLRs (I would be happy with a 90D). I believe every brand has its strengths and tricks, including Pentax I think I fall into the trap of reading articles and thinking Pentax isn't advanced .... Then I look at my 5yo KP and all its options and capabilities and think "wow, what must the K3iii be capable of I doubt I will ever leave Pentax because I love the lenses and the bodies are just such a good fit. I just need to be a better photographer because there is nothing wrong with my cameras

[BigMackCam]

If I had the money I would love a Canon R5 or a Nikon z7ii

I briefly handled both at Wex, and they're really nice cameras... just as you'd expect

People get tremendous results from canon DSLRs (I would be happy with a 90D).

Right... including earlier Canon models where poor dynamic range was a perennial topic of discussion and derision for some owners of other brands. The fact is, good photographers get good results from those and pretty much any other camera.

I believe every brand has its strengths and tricks, including Pentax I think I fall into the trap of reading articles and thinking Pentax isn't advanced .... Then I look at my 5yo KP and all its options and capabilities and think "wow, what must the K3iii be capable of I doubt I will ever leave Pentax because I love the lenses and the bodies are just such a good fit. I just need to be a better photographer because there is nothing wrong with my cameras

I would love to know just how many folks use all the whizz-bang features on these latest cameras, beyond playing with them, comparing them with others and discussing them in forums. I get that there's a percentage of photographers for whom this feature or that feature, this performance metric or that one, will make their job easier and their hit-rate higher... but I strongly suspect they're in the minority. I'd bet there's a lot of folks buying the latest cameras who, once they've played with all the fancy features, actually spend most of their time in one of the PASM modes using a single AF point and AF.S, or occasionally a central cluster of focus points and AF.C. That small feature set, coupled with glass you know and like, and perhaps a tripod and flash, covers 90%+ of shooting requirements...

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 06-24-2022 at 09:07 AM.

[biz-engineer]

I think I fall into the trap of reading articles and thinking Pentax isn't advanced ....

IMO it's important to read camera settings from image exifs. I found images posted online from new mirrorless cameras to be fantastic, until I check the exif and realized I could get the same fantastic picture if I lowered the ISO and added a flash on my Pentax camera. The secret to bright images is simple: base ISO, good light and subject is in focus. Stunning photos are taken in excellent condition, using stobes, great subject and lots of post processing. Being at the right place at the right time helps a lot, it helps much more than the camera itself. The other secret , when we see stunning images online, is that they don't tell us how many shots they took and deleted before getting THE selected shot that went online.

[ChristianRock]

Thankfully, in this case being "unfaithful" to a camera system isn't a sin

If I wasn't shooting Pentax, with what I know now, I'd certainly be looking to buy a Pentax camera But if Pentax didn't exist, or hadn't been offering cameras and lenses anymore, I'm sure I'd be happily shooting something else. I don't tend to overthink these things, I do like Pentax but I'm sure I could be happy elsewhere as well.

[BarryE]

With any long term (camera) relationship, swapping often reveals the unnoticed/unappreciated features missing from the new model ;-)

[BigMackCam]

With any long term (camera) relationship, swapping often reveals the unnoticed/unappreciated features missing from the new model ;-)

Thus far, I've avoided the inconvenience and expense of switching by sticking with gear that more-or-less does what I need. When I truly think I've exhausted the capabilities of my gear with my own skills, and there's no way I can squeeze any more out of it with creative solutions to any limitations therein, then I'll switch to something that already does what I'm used to just as well, whilst addressing those limitations. Since I've not exhausted the capabilities of my gear, and there are still more creative ways for me to get around any limitations, I'd rather stick with my existing kit. Importantly (perhaps most importantly), that means I can keep using the glass I've grown to appreciate

[BarryE]

Thus far, I've avoided the inconvenience and expense of switching by sticking with gear that more-or-less does what I need. When I truly think I've exhausted the capabilities of my gear with my own skills, and there's no way I can squeeze any more out of it with creative solutions to any limitations therein, then I'll switch to something that already does what I'm used to just as well, whilst addressing those limitations. Since I've not exhausted the capabilities of my gear, and there are still more creative ways for me to get around any limitations, I'd rather stick with my existing kit. Importantly (perhaps most importantly), that means I can keep using the glass I've grown to appreciate

The "... and there are still more creative ways for me to get around any limitations ..." part is too true. All singing all dancing tech may do stuff easily, but, for me, there's lot of satisfaction solving things, be they creative or technically. This is part of it.

Re-purposing items drives my wife up the wall as it means I squirrel things away for years in a store room we have. I know what's in there and when I fix something from parts I've had lying around for ages I get a warm feeling. Solving a problem with new gear doesn't seem to work for me - at least not as a first solution. Maybe I'm just odd ...

[Eyewanders]

Funny you mention this so recently... I came to the forum just now after mentioning in a PM to another member that I keep seeing OM Systems marketing all over the place. I couldn't help but take the bait a couple of times in the past 2 or so months and have a look (not in person, just video review, the site etc.). I've become rather agnostic but the reality still lies in the investments one makes in glass and such; many are content to send all they have to KEH or post a fire-sale pricing ad... and then begin again. Sometimes multiple times. I can't do it. Too much hassle. I'd rather just be shooting.

Anyhow I figured someone around here must have mused about OM a bit in this regard...

Other than my Ricoh GRs, I just don't shoot digital hardly at all for quite some years now (since early 2014 now that I think about it) but I've been shooting a Nikon Z7 when I do - but that was prompted by a want to use my Konica glass on digital, as well as a big fat sensor for better film scans. And I've not been able to let go of my K3, for no other reason than I adore the DA*300 and it for occasional birding (I may let it go yet still, but haven't been able to so far). Anyhow, circling back to OM Systems.... It really strikes me that this is the direction Pentax should have been going for quite some time. They long ago left their compact functionality (a slot now filled by Fujifilm) and moved toward a more rugged shooter. Seems like they could have really capitalized in that vein, combining both aesthetics somehow. A rugged, weather sealed, but compact and agile utilitarian shooter along the OM lines, but full frame (obvious cannot be as compact/nimble in that case, but Sonys are tiny and there are some Ricoh design cues to draw on as well) and mirrorless. I'd be paying a lot of attention. At the end of the day that's largely what the K1 and K3III are in many ways... I just wish I could combine the two.

(And frankly, even after two months, as much as I've enjoyed the increased resolution in my scans as well using those Hexanons digitally that the Z7 allows for... I just am still pulling my hair out over the Nikon menu systems and layouts. I yell at that camera as often as I praise it.)

[BigMackCam]

circling back to OM Systems.... It really strikes me that this is the direction Pentax should have been going for quite some time. They long ago left their compact functionality (a slot now filled by Fujifilm) and moved toward a more rugged shooter. Seems like they could have really capitalized in that vein, combining both aesthetics somehow. A rugged, weather sealed, but compact and agile utilitarian shooter along the OM lines, but full frame (obvious cannot be as compact/nimble in that case, but Sonys are tiny and there are some Ricoh design cues to draw on as well) and mirrorless.

I'm not sure I'd have wanted Ricoh to take Pentax in a different direction than it has - though I think it could have beaten Olympus to the post with IP rated weather sealing. The reality is, that IP rating probably doesn't mean much since it's just an official recognition of what Pentax already offered for years - dust and moisture resistance... but it's a nice marketing tool.

Although I've stated my fondness for the OM-1, it is a mirrorless camera... with good and not-so-good aspects as a result, depending on your individual preferences. I found the EVF to be very, very good indeed... as is also the case with several other flagship models from the various brands - but, despite a couple of members here assuring me that the latest EVF viewfinders are just as good as OVF, I remain unconvinced. Even with higher resolution, faster refresh rates, vastly-reduced lag, and no blackout during shooting in some modes and settings, they still feel different in use. Olympus' simulated OVF mode sort-of replicates the experience to some extent by excluding white balance and exposure adjustments from the EVF view, but still it's not the same... and I say this as someone who has no problem with electronic viewfinders - even older examples, such as that in my Sony A7 MkII. With all the latest high end mirrorless cameras, no matter how good the EVF, it still feels electronic to me - and I still far prefer an OVF... hence, I guess, why I found FujiFilm's X-Pro3 so appealing with its hybrid viewfinder. I would love it if Ricoh could incorporate this sort of technology into a DSLR - that really would make me sit up and take notice

[3by2]

I watched a very interesting video about Olympus weather sealing, with an interview given by Olympus's Product Development Manger who talked through what they did.

You Tube

You Tube

Quite re-assuring really. I'm still not going to wash mine under the shower though!

[BigMackCam]

I watched a very interesting video about Olympus weather sealing, with an interview given by Olympus's Product Development Manger who talked through what they did.

Quite re-assuring really. I'm still not going to wash mine under the shower though!

Indeed

Oh, the other thing that impressed me... and maybe this is the same with all the various brands' high end models, I don't know... but when I was talking to the rep from OM Digital Systems, he handed me what looked like a light-grey, plastic, 3D-printed internal frame for the camera. It wasn't until I held it, and noticed how cold it was, that I realised - and he confirmed - it was an actual production magnesium alloy frame. That thing was so strong and so incredibly light - if it wasn't for the temperature and rigidity, I'd have sworn it was plastic. Holding the OM-1 afterwards, I realised that the light weight compared to my regular gear was no reflection of build quality. It's solid as a rock... Still, my K-3 feels more re-assuring. I guess it's a psychological thing - heavy weight gives an impression of good quality

[3by2]

Indeed

Oh, the other thing that impressed me... and maybe this is the same with all the various brands' high end models, I don't know... but when I was talking to the rep from OM Digital Systems, he handed me what looked like a light-grey, plastic, 3D-printed internal frame for the camera. It wasn't until I held it, and noticed how cold it was, that I realised - and he confirmed - it was an actual production magnesium alloy frame. That thing was so strong and so incredibly light - if it wasn't for the temperature and rigidity, I'd have sworn it was plastic. Holding the OM-1 afterwards, I realised that the light weight compared to my regular gear was no reflection of build quality. It's solid as a rock... Still, my K-3 feels more re-assuring. I guess it's a psychological thing - heavy weight gives an impression of good quality

I think the weight part is very personal. Weight and size are two of the main reasons I bought into OMD. It did feel very toylike at first after my K5 and KP but I've got used to it now. Olympus have also differentiated the lines somewhat and my E M5 III is now made of some plastic polycarbonate, which has drawn a lot of criticism. Personally I don't mind about this. Of course I'd prefer a metal body but ultimately it doesn't matter, unless of course you use things like capture clips and then it might. There have been some reports of body failures on Em5iii when used with a capture clip but as ever you don't really know the use scenario in that case. Anyway, I don't and won't, so it's irrelevant.

[ChristianRock]

I think I should have clarified my previous comment where I said if I wasn't shooting Pentax, I'd be looking to buy Pentax...

Our family activities and vacations usually end up at the beach or with some hiking in the woods. So having an affordable system that is WR and yields great quality images is basically what I like. Having all those legacy native lenses and the beautiful Limited primes, plus the very affordable (to me it was) DA*16-50 2.8 for birthday parties and family events, is just an icing on the cake.

Whenever I tried other systems, I wasn't really in awe. I know they are all capable of taking great pictures, but for my needs and budget, it's Pentax all the way.