Originally posted by gatorguy I have a D500 inbound so any comments I make can be based on actually using the cameras being discussed. No plans at the moment to keep it long as I'm firmly in the Pentax camp with investments in bodies and lenses, but I'm not afraid to look.
I'm getting two lenses delivered tomorrow. Should have been today buy UPS international delivery ugh :-(
The lenses I'm getting are the Nikkor 18-300mm and the Sigma 105mm Macro.
Right now I have only managed to play with my 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor from the 1970's. What a lens but I don't see how anyone can work at 75mm?? I agree with what was written on the Ken Rockwell website about focal lengths 50-100mm being quite useless unless your a portrait guy.
I did manage some night time star shots with this lens and it's amazing. Will probably post back in a few days once I had a chance to play with new lenses. My primary focus is speed and AF. Though I also grabbed the Godox MF12 and ProX control unit for both Pentax and Nikon.
Between them, they are sized quite similarly and have similar ergonomics. I prefer the K1 as everything is pretty much hands on and infront of you. With the D500 you have to setup a big array of customized menus etc... to get what you want accessible fast.
If the K1 had the speed and some of the other interesting features of the D500 there would be no need to look outside of the Pentax camp. The K1 is a beast and remains my favorite!
I just wish that Sigma and Tokina would also make their new lenses in Pentax mount too. Also I wish that Samyang would offer it's higher quality range of lenses in Pentax mount too. I love my 24mm but no weather sealing and man does that baby flare up when pointed at certain angles towards strong light.
I'll hopefully be able to post back tomorrow with some AF testing. From what I've seen in Ian's work and test shots I don't think I have anything to fear with the Nikon.
For some reason though, it doesn't feel the same as the K1 in the sense that with the K1 composing shots and thinking things through are much more needed. Probably because all my good lenses lack AF so I have to really consider things carefully.
I'm not sure if I'd ever invest in Pentax brand lenses?? Like I have said before, they're sharp but not ultra clinically sharp. Maybe it's a Korean thing as both Samyang and Irix are made in Korea.
On my list of lenses to get for the K1 still are the Irix 15mm. 30mm, 45mm and Samyang 135mm.
Would love to grab the Sigma Art 14mm for the K1 and really test it on star scapes but not available. Same for the 10mm Samyang XP (though that might be APS-C only).
The D500 does lack focus peaking which is only available on the D850 and perhaps 750 full-frame bodies. That makes MF work a little more tricky and less solid then the K1.
Another plus for the D500 is the internal intervalometer is way better then the K1. It has more functionality and there might not even be any need for my JJC. Normally when shooting astro I am using the JJC wireless controller programmed to 20 shots with a 5s interval between frames. Even with AstroTracer I have to manually move the camera after that time. It's a bit of a PITA as doing that is pretty tedious when needing around 1400 frames for a bright galaxy at 3.5 million light years distance to show up clearly :-(
In terms of low light capability, I am usually at ISO 100 or 200 max 400 with the 50mm stopped down to f/2.8 and a shutter of max 6s (no AT on D500).
I can't really say anything about the dynamic range or vibrance of the images yet. I did get some red sun sets which looked pretty good but at 75mm FoV, it's a little limitting to tell exactly how it compares to the 24mm Samyang on the K1.
Let's see what happens tomorrow!! Stay tuned :-)
---------- Post added 07-13-22 at 03:44 PM ----------
@gatorguy , this might be of use to you:
https://photographylife.com/cameras/nikon-d500/recommended-settings
Most of the contributors to that site are based in CO with the lead guy who also lectures in photography to students being based out of Denver. Yep there are pretty amazing images spread around. One guide I was following was this one:
https://photographylife.com/wildlife-photography-tutorial/2
They were also using a 600mm Sigma (I think) for the bear shots. Would not want to be shooting a bear at 50mm, I can say that for sure!!! lol
Another great read, though I find a bit contradictory at times (it might be just be my understanding or lack of) is this one:
Ken Rockwell's Camera and Lens Reviews
Unfortunately the latest Pentax camera reviewed is the K3 ii. No K1 or K3 iii
It's still a good read for someone who at least most of the time isn't biased.... though this is where I do see some contradiction at times but it might be my own misunderstanding in general :-/