Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
06-17-2011, 01:25 PM   #1
Senior Member
tjk911's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Posts: 185
Nikon D7000 as compared to Pentax K5

Stop! Pause! I'm not trolling here nor am I trying to start a brand war lol. Though to be honest, this forum has never struck me as one where people would troll or feed trolls. Still, just to be on the safe side...

So anyway, to the point. I work for a college publication that just today got a Nikon D7000.

For some reason I got my hands on it before the visuals editor, and I've been playing with it and damn it's one sexy piece of machinery.

I was wondering how the K-5 is compared to the D7000, since I've not touched the K-5 before (unfortunately).

I'm really liking the D7000's quiet shutter and the AF is super fast (screw driven lenses, comparing to my K20D ). I know the K-5 is miles ahead in both fields compared to the K20D, but how does it fare with the D7000?

Ergonomically, I've heard that the K-5 is much better compared to the K20D as well. But I've never minded the bulk or size of the K20D, it feels solid.

Now the D7000 feels "taller" or rather "bigger," even though when I compared it properly it's smaller and lighter. The K20D for some reason just feels smaller though I believe it's a tad bit heavier. Where would the K-5 stand?

Thanks!

06-17-2011, 02:01 PM   #2
Junior Member




Join Date: Feb 2011
Photos: Albums
Posts: 36
When I was considering the D7000 vs K-5, the stuff you mention here were some of the main points. However, I believe handling both cameras is essential if you wan't to know which you prefer. I have to emphasize that this is my personal, subjective view, but here's my humble (and somewhat exaggerated) opinion on the topics you've brought up;

Overall feel; Nikon went for the starship-futuristic hypermodern feel with the D7000, while K-5 is just damn nice camera. The D7000 shines up with lots of blinking lights in advanced patterns. The K-5 definately felt more sturdy. IQ-vise you can't go wrong with either, but I ended up choosing build quality, whole body magnesium and WR above shiny stuff that don't improve IQ.

Ergonomics: K5 win hands down. My hands that is.

Size: D7000 was bigger. I believe size matters, but in this case that was a con for D7000.

D7000s quiet shutter? Haha, good one! K5 wins the shutter noise subjective competition (K-5 makes less noise, and sounds a lot better)

Autofocus: this is where the D7000 supposedly shines compared to K-5. However, my brother, who's using a D90, was really impressed by the screwdrive AF speed of the K-5. D7000 is probably faster, but K-5 is definately no slouch either. Last weekend I brought my new DA 55-300 to shoot windsurfing. This lens uses screwdrive AF, but was fast enough. D7000 probably has more advanced and faster AF, but the K-5 AF is good enough for me.

Again; This review is about as objective as the jackass on youtube talking about how the D7000 trumps the K-5. However, unlike Mr. Jackass, I'm not selling either camera. I'm just really happy with my K-5. To try and balance this "review", I should probably add that the D7000 is a really nice camera. I mean really, really nice. Probably just as nice as the K-5...but I prefer the latter.
06-17-2011, 02:09 PM   #3
Senior Member
tjk911's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Posts: 185
Original Poster
Oh I understand perfectly, I'm not hoping for statistical data and mathematical formulas either. I'd just like people's impressions on it because I think that's what it usually comes down to.

I've heard that the K5 is really quiet, and hearing someone say that it's quieter than the D7000 makes my jaw drop a little since my K20D sounds like a Kalashnikov during a wedding.

I've always been wow-ed by the Nikon series and their flashy lights lol. First time I picked up a D300s I went "Woa, the viewfinder, shit!" Pardon my french.

But here's another thing I've been wondering. Nikon cameras have very sensitive shutters, and because of that they feel super responsive. A semi-light touch would fire off a shot. Depending on my mood that's either oversensitive or super-responsive, though I personally like the sensitivity.

How does the K-5 compare to that?

Also, anyone has the K-5 + BG and the D7000 + BG to compare about size and handling? My K20D was sturdy and felt right in my hand, but once I got the D-BG2 it felt like this is Sparta
06-17-2011, 09:58 PM - 1 Like   #4
Veteran Member
jaieger's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 586
I work in a store with a D7000 demo (cameras department ;D), and I've brought my K-5 to work several times.

-the D7000 is significantly taller than the K-5
-the K-5 feels infinitely better in hand with the more rubberized grip; it simply melts into your hand, whereas the D7000 feels a bit more unnatural to hold (to me, anyways)
-the ISO button is not in a damn illogical place, or the metering, as it is on the D7000
-the shutter sound is actually significantly quieter than the D7000. My co-worker and I were fooling around; he was rattling off shots with the D7000 and I with my K-5. My K-5 was only barely audible over the sound of the D7000.
-for some reason, I feel like our demo D7000 is a bit slow in AF, but it's quite lensdependant so I won't mention much on it. However, with our demo 50/1.4 (I take it out of the cage now and then when it's really slow ) I have to say - it's some damn good accuracy. The D7000 just about never missed AF wide open, even on moving subjects. I think the K-5 is a shade faster though, even with my FA43 (which is supposedly slower than most DAs)
-they both weigh approximately the same (though just going by feeling here), but due to the (very noticeably) smaller size, the K-5 feels a lot denser, a lot more solid
-the K-5 isn't quite as sensitive as the D7000's shutter button, but not sluggish either. About average, I'd say
-for the battery grip question, I wouldn't know, as I've never held a D7000 + BG. for the K-5 though, it feels quite nice in hand, and if you have larger hands and your pinky curls, it would solve the problem quite nicely while still being not too large - K-5 with BG is only a bit taller than D7000 without (which would be once again much taller if you put a BG on it).


Hope that helps! (:

06-17-2011, 11:57 PM   #5
Veteran Member
Verglace's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 468
I have a k-5, and used a friend's D7000.
My Thoughts:
1. K-5 has quieter shutter speed
2. D7000 has better autofocus
3. I feel that the K-5 is a bit small and the D7000 is better (for my big hands). (I don't like using battery grips so can't comment on those).
4. I find the K-5 quite spartan compared to the D7000 which certainly has more bling.
06-18-2011, 05:44 AM   #6
Pentaxian
nickthetasmaniac's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,360
With two bodies this capable (re: very capable) it's going to come down purely to personal preference and needs.

Both have amazing IQ.
Both are very fast.
Both a well built.
Etc etc...

What do you shoot?
What lenses do you need?
Do you use of-camera flash?
06-18-2011, 06:48 AM   #7
Veteran Member
JohnBee's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Newrfoundland
Photos: Albums
Posts: 4,667
QuoteOriginally posted by tjk911 Quote
I was wondering how the K-5 is compared to the D7000, since I've not touched the K-5 before (unfortunately).
I too had a similar experience...
Best thing to do(imo) is to find a K-5 and try it out.

Aside from this it was the RAW buffer that killed the D7K for me(couldn't use seriously).

06-18-2011, 08:09 AM   #8
Senior Member
tjk911's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Posts: 185
Original Poster
Oh I'm probably never going to jump ship. It's just that I got a fairly new and fairly high end consumer model to test with and I get excited.

Tricky part for me is that this small college town of mine doesn't seem to have any real camera shop at all. The one big shop I went to was focused primarily on making prints, any camera wanted has to be placed and ordered in. And they only deal with Canons.

I shoot most average things because I do it for the college paper. Basic studio shots, environmental portraiture once or twice, events and spot news. Occasionally sports as well, but every time I shoot that I would get my friend's D90 to use to old Nikkor 300mm f2.8 we have (fully manual lens).

I'd like to think that if I've been able to work with MF lenses and take photos with my K20D's AF, I should be fine with the K-5. Though my primary AF lens on my K20D is the 16-50, and I read that the SDM speed's still the same.

Now I remember comparing my now-sold-off K-x to my brother's old Sony a200 and thinking that the Pentax is pretty spartan as well. But I think I wouldn't mind that.

With my K20D I'm worried about professional studio lighting though. I've not had much experience doing stuff like that, most I've toyed with is 4-5 old studio strobes that were simply triggered by a flash. But from what I know, P-TTL doesn't seem as flexible as Nikon's TTL system (Pocketwizard etc).

But while I say that, I don't see myself doing studio photography much at any point in the coming 1-2 years. The basic setup the college offers right now is good enough for work lol.

Very important question:

After twiddling with both my K20 and the D7k last night, I seem to have noticed that the K20 is more easily controllable with one hand, while the D7k seems to require two hands to navigate and make changes more.

This isn't so much a pro-con thing, I just want to know if my observations are anywhere accurate. And if it's still the same with the K5.

side note: Damn, the D7k's menus and viewfinder is fancy. All the lights and whatnot. Pentax IS spartan.
06-18-2011, 08:39 AM   #9
Veteran Member
JohnBee's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Newrfoundland
Photos: Albums
Posts: 4,667
QuoteOriginally posted by tjk911 Quote
side note: Damn, the D7k's menus and viewfinder is fancy. All the lights and whatnot. Pentax IS spartan.
True, the D7K is fancy. However, in the field, its the the surface controls that make of break a system.

TBH. I've been shooting full manual for so long that I don't even notice the bells and whistles that come with a modern body. Which sort of sucks but what can you do. We are all at the mercy of marketing I guess. And this also applies to lighting(fixed and strobes) which are also run in full manual. - which required getting to know my equipment and settings. However, prior to that I was wasting all my time tinkering and adjusting crap.

So for me, my K-5 consists of a body, a 16mp sensor, RAW files and my color cards.
I don't even push ISO anymore(do it all in post)!

Anyways, on the topic of the K-5 and MF:
I can't rave enough about the advancements that the K-5 have brought to MF on the LV front. Gone are the days of adding expensive split screens, eye-cups and magnifiers! - Now everything you need is in the LV systems. Granted, its not perfect... but its a big step in the right direction for Pentax to that effect. And we can expect to see more developments in the near future as things continue to evolve on that front.
06-18-2011, 08:50 AM   #10
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
stevebrot's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Vancouver (USA)
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 42,007
QuoteOriginally posted by thorwb Quote
When I was considering the D7000 vs K-5, the stuff you mention here were some of the main points. However, I believe handling both cameras is essential if you wan't to know which you prefer. I have to emphasize that this is my personal, subjective view, but here's my humble (and somewhat exaggerated) opinion on the topics you've brought up;

Overall feel; Nikon went for the starship-futuristic hypermodern feel with the D7000, while K-5 is just damn nice camera. The D7000 shines up with lots of blinking lights in advanced patterns. The K-5 definately felt more sturdy. IQ-vise you can't go wrong with either, but I ended up choosing build quality, whole body magnesium and WR above shiny stuff that don't improve IQ.

Ergonomics: K5 win hands down. My hands that is.

Size: D7000 was bigger. I believe size matters, but in this case that was a con for D7000.

D7000s quiet shutter? Haha, good one! K5 wins the shutter noise subjective competition (K-5 makes less noise, and sounds a lot better)

Autofocus: this is where the D7000 supposedly shines compared to K-5. However, my brother, who's using a D90, was really impressed by the screwdrive AF speed of the K-5. D7000 is probably faster, but K-5 is definately no slouch either. Last weekend I brought my new DA 55-300 to shoot windsurfing. This lens uses screwdrive AF, but was fast enough. D7000 probably has more advanced and faster AF, but the K-5 AF is good enough for me...
Having handled both cameras, I concur with your assessment, particularly in regards to the "blinking lights". (I found them somewhat disturbing.) If I were shopping and had no investment in Pentax glass, the D7000 would be a very tempting option. The final decision would come down to total cost for kit (body plus lenses and accessories) and handling/usability.


Steve
06-18-2011, 09:01 AM   #11
Senior Member
tjk911's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Posts: 185
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by JohnBee Quote
True, the D7K is fancy. However, in the field, its the the surface controls that make of break a system.

TBH. I've been shooting full manual for so long that I don't even notice the bells and whistles that come with a modern body. Which sort of sucks but what can you do. We are all at the mercy of marketing I guess. And this also applies to lighting(fixed and strobes) which are also run in full manual. - which required getting to know my equipment and settings. However, prior to that I was wasting all my time tinkering and adjusting crap.

So for me, my K-5 consists of a body, a 16mp sensor, RAW files and my color cards.
I don't even push ISO anymore(do it all in post)!

Anyways, on the topic of the K-5 and MF:
I can't rave enough about the advancements that the K-5 have brought to MF on the LV front. Gone are the days of adding expensive split screens, eye-cups and magnifiers! - Now everything you need is in the LV systems. Granted, its not perfect... but its a big step in the right direction for Pentax to that effect. And we can expect to see more developments in the near future as things continue to evolve on that front.
Wait! Pause! K-5 and MF? When you say LV, and pardon my newbness, I'm assuming liveview? Could you elaborate a little on that? Most of the glass I have are all old MF lenses I got for relatively cheap.

And for the longest time I've been considering getting KatzEye for my K20. Now, chances are I'll have bought KatzEye before I even get a K-5 (est. 2 years away!)... Still I'm surprised to hear this.

I enjoy the MF aspect, or the little I know of it, but every once in awhile when I pick up a new camera with a new AF lens I can't help but to go "Ohwow." But at the end of the day I still like MF more. My 16-50 isn't used as much as my 35-105 and 50mm lol.
06-18-2011, 09:10 AM   #12
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2009
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 2,867
QuoteOriginally posted by tjk911 Quote
Oh I'm probably never going to jump ship. It's just that I got a fairly new and fairly high end consumer model to test with and I get excited.

Tricky part for me is that this small college town of mine doesn't seem to have any real camera shop at all. The one big shop I went to was focused primarily on making prints, any camera wanted has to be placed and ordered in. And they only deal with Canons.

I shoot most average things because I do it for the college paper. Basic studio shots, environmental portraiture once or twice, events and spot news. Occasionally sports as well, but every time I shoot that I would get my friend's D90 to use to old Nikkor 300mm f2.8 we have (fully manual lens).

I'd like to think that if I've been able to work with MF lenses and take photos with my K20D's AF, I should be fine with the K-5. Though my primary AF lens on my K20D is the 16-50, and I read that the SDM speed's still the same.

Now I remember comparing my now-sold-off K-x to my brother's old Sony a200 and thinking that the Pentax is pretty spartan as well. But I think I wouldn't mind that.

With my K20D I'm worried about professional studio lighting though. I've not had much experience doing stuff like that, most I've toyed with is 4-5 old studio strobes that were simply triggered by a flash. But from what I know, P-TTL doesn't seem as flexible as Nikon's TTL system (Pocketwizard etc).

But while I say that, I don't see myself doing studio photography much at any point in the coming 1-2 years. The basic setup the college offers right now is good enough for work lol.

Very important question:

After twiddling with both my K20 and the D7k last night, I seem to have noticed that the K20 is more easily controllable with one hand, while the D7k seems to require two hands to navigate and make changes more.

This isn't so much a pro-con thing, I just want to know if my observations are anywhere accurate. And if it's still the same with the K5.

side note: Damn, the D7k's menus and viewfinder is fancy. All the lights and whatnot. Pentax IS spartan.
Tjk, if you think the k20 is easier to operate 1 handed, the k5 is designed for it! Except for playback buttons on the upper left, everything else is one hand oriented on the k5. Also a has been stated, the k5 shutter is like a knife through warm butter.
06-19-2011, 01:36 PM   #13
Veteran Member




Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Durban, South Africa
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,052
One will never come to an overall conclusion which is better

For some the K5 and for some the D7000:-)

If one can't get outstanding output from either than they need to give up photography!
06-19-2011, 01:45 PM   #14
Senior Member
tjk911's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Posts: 185
Original Poster
Haha yeah I agree. I get tired of the Canon vs Nikon arguments I hear at where I work sometimes. But it's nice to have other people's impressions of the handling differences between the two.

Something I noticed but am not sure if it's just my mind playing tricks on me.

I have both the display screens of the D7k and K20D down to lowest, but it seems like the D7k is brighter and consistently "brightens" photos. When I pop it onto my computer, images tend to be fairly darker.

This question has a few parts though.

1. Is it just Nikon that images are brighter for reviewing purposes?
2. If not, is it a setting-related thing I could change?
3. If no to all the above, should I send it back?
4. If still no to all above, is it just me being used to K20D's dark-ish screen?

I know there's always a discrepancy, but this seems to be consistently about 1/2 to maybe 1 stop brighter. I'm thinking it's just brand differences, but I'd rather be safe with a brand new work-camera and make sure I'm not downplaying a problem.
06-19-2011, 07:18 PM   #15
Forum Member




Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 83
Splitting hairs. Tried them both, both are great. Kept the d7000, may replace my Kx with a k5 when prices drop (or perhaps wait for a pentax mirror less!). I liked the AF options and accuracy a little better on the Nikon. It has it's quirks too. As many have said, lenses are more important - what you have or what you think you may need.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
d7000, k-5, k20d, nikon, nikon d7000, reason
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Nikon D7000 trumps Pentax K-5.... ccd333 Pentax K-5 & K-5 II 132 10-13-2020 09:43 AM
Amazon: Nikon D7000 $1,499, Pentax K-5 $1,439.95 jogiba Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 9 04-28-2011 05:32 AM
D7000 is crippled compared to K5 philbaum Pentax News and Rumors 42 01-25-2011 07:27 PM
DXOMark Pentax K-5 vs Nikon D7000 vs Canon 7D Priyantha Bleeker Pentax K-5 & K-5 II 25 11-08-2010 06:27 PM
Pentax K-5 vs Nikon D7000 image quality seliscan Pentax K-5 & K-5 II 5 11-02-2010 01:54 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:13 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top