[Christine Tham]

Why "jump ship"?

Why not keep your Pentax collection, buy the FF if it's nice (or don't buy - it's up to you).

It's okay to own multiple systems - there is no rule that says you have to be loyal to only one.

I still own my Pentax lenses (only sold two so far). I also have a nearly complete Nikon 1 lens collection (I think I own every lens bar 1 or 2 prime or zoom), a nearly complete Sony E mount collection (except for zooms - I don't like zooms - I am pretty sure I own all the primes), a nearly complete Sony FE collection (again, all the primes and some of the zooms), and a substantial Leica Summicron collection (all bar 2) plus other Leica lenses. I did get rid of Canon because I just don't like any of their bodies - they have lost me as a customer.

They are all complementary - different situations call for different systems and different lenses.

Life is too short to deny myself anything - and I am not getting younger.

[Rupert]

I think the question is why did I bother to even read this?

You were wanting to see what the squirrels had to say? Looks like they are staying out of this one.

Regards!

[reeftool]

Every single camera I have ever owned is still around the house with the exception of the ones I gave to my kids. Yeah, a few Pentax bodies with my SP 1000 being the oldest. Also a Chinon body (M42), a Nikon and a couple of lenses. I can think of several reasons to go with something else but it would be an addition to my current collection of gear, not a replacement.

[TropicalMonkey]

Thanks for all the replies guys .. and reminding me that the person behind the camera matters more :-)

It is very possible that I don't have top notch lenses like those my friends use with their Nikon cameras. My intention is to find out the differences (even perceived differences), between these brands. Originally I was considering Canon and Nikon (if I ever wanted to switch brand), but later replaced Canon with Sony. My interest is purely to find out if there are any advantages to these two brands over Pentax or vice-versa. For example, from what I read, Nikon has more lens options (and cheaper may be?). Sony may be silent (relatively) because of lack of mirror flop etc.

Pentax is not my religion, just as any other brand! This is just business. Only because I stick with Pentax they won't send me a free FF camera!

[Canada_Rockies]

I have been tempted many times since 1961 when I bought my first Pentax, but never could convince myself to lay out XT3 dollars because <Pick an excuse> was better. I'm still using Pentax. I finally moved from the K10 to the K3 - for the high ISO performance that allows me to use my lenses in darker times of day when the birds are out doing what I want to snap them doing.

My largest print sold so far has been a 20x30" print from the K10D's 10.2 Mpx sensor. It got rave reviews while being viewed from no further than 36" because is was hanging in a real estate office. I have sold several copies of a 16x24" gallery wrap (19x27 print) to people who looked at the one I have - an early print from MPix - again from close range. Except that I can crop more to get bigger birdies, I don't expect to use the extra pixels from the K3.

I think moving from model A to model B can be very expensive, and leave you no further ahead. You are already shooting the K5, a fine camera; buy some good lenses with the money it would cost you to switch systems. use any money left over for top line courses to up your skill level.

[rawr]

I think usage cases could be a factor in deciding to either switch brands, or bring other brands to live alongside Pentax in your kit. Let the task choose the tools.

If you really need tools to shoot fast-paced sports, for example, Canon or Nikon have some cameras and lenses that Pentax can't match (yet). If you really need to shoot 4K video for a project, it might also be sensible to look at other brands. Or if you find yourself in need of tools to help you deliver better results to your clients when shooting in very low light, a full-frame from Canikon or Sony might make a lot of sense. Etc.

In the same vein, if you find yourself doing mostly studio (unless you need native Lightroom or Capture One tethering ), landscape, macro, street, and you have decent lenses for those tasks, it's hard to identify any reason why Canikon, for example, could offer more than APS-C Pentax for those jobs.

[redpit]

A hard question with so many parameters to take into account. You are responsible to answer it and not leave us to do the thinking for you! No one knows better than you what your needs and priorities are.

In any case you will miss this forum and all the talk one can provoke with literally any question he can think of... That's another credit for the forum members and their willingness to help!

[Rondec]

I think you need to be clear about what it is that you think another brand will offer that Pentax doesn't. There was a time in the past where I thought maybe Pentax's bang for the buck had slipped a bit, but right now it seems like a buyer's market. Lenses and bodies both are priced as well as they have been in years (at least in the US) . Full frame is coming, although certainly that is more of a niche product and you don't need it to take good photos.

Biggest areas where Pentax probably has fewer options than the competition are in sports photography and wildlife photography. Pentax does have some long lenses available, but they certainly aren't plenteous and third parties don't seem to make as many of their long lenses for K mount as for other mounts.

[osv]

I think the question is why did I bother to even read this?

because you are insecure with pentax

---------- Post added 11-30-15 at 08:12 AM ----------

Thanks for all the replies guys .. and reminding me that the person behind the camera matters more :-)

talent matters, but it's not relevant to a discussion about camera gear, because it applies to all cameras.

people mention talent all the time out here, as a means to rationalize why they spend less money on cameras.

you don't need talent to improve your photography with better gear... d750 af is better than k3 af, for instance; any dummy can point a camera, and have more keepers with better af.

same thing when using manual focus, evf cameras have magnification and peaking, the potential is there to get more accurate focusing than is possible with an ovf camera.

what i would do if i was you is get a used a7 body, mount up your old mf lenses with a cheap adapter, and see how you like using an evf.

if you don't like it, as in, a few people just don't get it, then you can sell the body without taking a loss.

you aren't switching systems with mirrorless, you are just adding a body to what you already have.

[Mattox]

I am in the same boat as you. I have a k5 and a range of semi pro lenses. I am a hobbiest but recently feel the need to upgrade as my photography skills and demands ask. I am going to hold on to the FF release, wait to see how it performs and then decide from there. It's worth the wait I think

[cali92rs]

There are lenses that Nikon has currently that Pentax may never have or may be released in a decade or two (such as tilt/shift lenses, a complete set of both f1.4 and f1.8 primes, a complete set of exotic telephotos). If you want or need those lenses, that is what you would be missing out on.

[dylansalt]

Amazing how times have changed when one purchased a 35mm film camera it had a damn good 50mm prime attached to it and was all that was needed, only lenses were purchased - the body/brand stayed with one until it died

I only moved to Nikon only because Pentax was no longer supported in my country. I had the K10D. The 20D nor the K7 interested me - mainly because the lens selection was terrible and the primes and SDM zoom lenses were stupidly priced compared to Nikon.

Today I have no idea what type of really good affordable lenses are available in Pentax - are the consumer ones still all screw/whirring.grinding type - that alone would be a deal breaker - for me

Nikon has some really great affordable primes which in my opinion good enough for most - in aps-c and FF

But if you have a great set of Pentax primes and a decent dslr 16mp upwards then I can't see how going to Nikon will improve anything - they generally all use Sony sensors.

The FF question is another thing - seems Pentax is looking at releasing one - someday - whether FF is important to you or not could be a deciding factor as Nikon as a lot of choices from affordable to exotic compared to Pentax

lets assume the much used Nikon 24-70 2.8 non VR - this lens will be had for a bargain soon as Nikon has released it's new VR version of it - I wonder how the Pentax version will compare price wise

Nikon has a number of FF l70-200'a to choose from and 80-400. 200-500, a killer 70-300, 24-105, 24-120, 24-85 50 1.4/1.8 85 1.4/1.8 35, 28, 24, 20, 16-35, 18-35, 14-24 - a plethora of much older lenses but still very useable with Nikon FF

Always a tough decision to change brands

[pathdoc]

The other thing too is that the sensor is now a part of the camera, rather than something you freely chose to put in it. There was one less thing (but a very important thing) separating the various brands than there is now. Film levelled the playing field in that respect, at least for the individual buyer; it all came down to who could build the best optics and the most reliable and user-friendly mechanism/interface. Pentax's quirky philosophy served it well in those days, but I'm not sure it made the electronic and digital transition as well as some of the others. We shall see what time brings - the 645Z is an indication that they can still do wonders, and if the full-frame and any APS-C successors can follow the same trail we should all be very happy.

[TropicalMonkey]

I too am still shooting with the ever so trusty K-5. 99% of my shots are with my K-5 and DA 15mm. I've been in the "market" for a couple of years looking for a replacement. I've nearly bought a K-3 several times, and did buy an A7r and a 610 and promptly returned both. I've been waiting patiently for the Pentax FF, but the new Sony RX1r ii and the A7r ii with a Batis 25mm have my attention.

I think there's two things to consider. Equipment is only part of the equation. I find technique and composition much more important than equipment. I'm in a fairly large local photography group and I have the cheapest setup, yet sell the most work and get the most positive feedback. There's people that have $5-$10k setups/gear but never learned photography. You hear things like "but I have a 36mp sensor, my lenses cost more than a car, etc." I'm not implying that you don't know what you're doing at all, but merely showcasing that equipment isn't everything. The one hang up I have is my desire for more resolution. I've found that clients typically like to print large for their homes or offices. I also carry everything when in the field and only want one lens and as light as possible system, which is why the Sony A7r ii is so appealing right now. To overcome the lack of resolution if you will, I just shoot and stitch panoramics now.

As far as gaining and losing...that's up to you.

Hey! Thanks for that.. that is exactly the kind of reply I expect from fellow members! (I missed this post earlier!)

I really like my K5 too and before buying that I did a lot of research and image comparison between various cameras. The only area where K5 lacks is its auto focus speed, but it looks like K3 should meet my requirement/expectation.

[Rondec]

Amazing how times have changed when one purchased a 35mm film camera it had a damn good 50mm prime attached to it and was all that was needed, only lenses were purchased - the body/brand stayed with one until it died

I only moved to Nikon only because Pentax was no longer supported in my country. I had the K10D. The 20D nor the K7 interested me - mainly because the lens selection was terrible and the primes and SDM zoom lenses were stupidly priced compared to Nikon.

Today I have no idea what type of really good affordable lenses are available in Pentax - are the consumer ones still all screw/whirring.grinding type - that alone would be a deal breaker - for me

Nikon has some really great affordable primes which in my opinion good enough for most - in aps-c and FF

But if you have a great set of Pentax primes and a decent dslr 16mp upwards then I can't see how going to Nikon will improve anything - they generally all use Sony sensors.

The FF question is another thing - seems Pentax is looking at releasing one - someday - whether FF is important to you or not could be a deciding factor as Nikon as a lot of choices from affordable to exotic compared to Pentax

lets assume the much used Nikon 24-70 2.8 non VR - this lens will be had for a bargain soon as Nikon has released it's new VR version of it - I wonder how the Pentax version will compare price wise

Nikon has a number of FF l70-200'a to choose from and 80-400. 200-500, a killer 70-300, 24-105, 24-120, 24-85 50 1.4/1.8 85 1.4/1.8 35, 28, 24, 20, 16-35, 18-35, 14-24 - a plethora of much older lenses but still very useable with Nikon FF

Always a tough decision to change brands

There is a big difference in South Africa and the US with regard to pricing. Currently, the Pentax DFA 24-70 is running 1300 dollars on B and H and the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 (non VR) is 1800. With regard to camera bodies, the K3 is priced at 650 and the K3 II is priced at 730 (once again B and H Photo pricing), while the D7200 is priced at 1100.

I personally like screw driven lenses. The noise doesn't bother me and the lenses have much more longevity without requiring tune ups than do lenses with in lens motors and VR.

Be all of that as it may, I think that Pentax cameras and lenses in the United States for a given price point are quite competitive with Nikon offerings. In addition, it really isn't about gear for the most part anyway, but rather about developing skill.