I'm an amateur, and not very good one at that. Although I sometimes pretend I'm a serious hobbyist, in reality I just don't have enough time & in that regard I bet I'm like most DSLR buyers. I've had close to 20 years on Canon, I've even spent several years working for a Canon subsidiary (not cameras, but sure learnt an awful lot about image quality).
Courtesy of my time with Canon, I had acquired an EOS M with all the lenses for peanuts. Fantastic image quality which really made me want to do more but the thing was killing me. I missed SO many shots due to that slow focus, LCD screen which was unusable in bright sunlight and horrid battery life. I decided to give my old 450D another go but quickly realized it was outclassed in resolution, colour & almost any other aspect by my smartphone of all things. No amount of post-processing could get it good enough. So then, off to the shop to grab the next most compact DSLR I could find (I enjoy the small size of the EOS M). This was/is the Canon SL1... until someone told me the Pentax KS-2 was within millimetres and was weather-proof to boot.
Unfortunately this was about the time the KS-2 production was winding down. Long story short, after chasing some K-3's, K-70 and even new old-stock K-50, the dealer pulled out a new old-stock KS-2 for me as I was picking up the K-50. Sure, the K-70 is better but at nearly half the price for the KS-2, it was a much cheaper way to try a Pentax and leave plenty of budget for more lenses. If it doesn't work out, well, I'm not going to be crying over it at this cost level!
From what I've read, there are 3 big reasons not to get a Pentax and why it didn't matter to me:
1) Lens Selection : Everyone says Pentax has a poor lens selection. First off, how many lenses does the typical user (not talking about professionals) need or can afford, especially at this level? Maybe 3 primes and 2 zoom? Easily obtainable for Pentax. Second, is it really true? I don't hear the same complaints the other guys so I decided to do some fact checks based on the manufacturers web sites:
- Nikon : 94 lenses
- Canon : 74 EF (not including EF-M)
- Pentax : 40 lenses (K Mount)
- Sony : 33 lenses (A Mount)
- Panasonic : 31 lenses
- Fuji : 26 X-series lenses
- Olympus : 14 Zuiko digital lenses
- Leica : 7 APS-C lenses, 26 M lenses
While Nikon and Canon are way ahead of everyone else, it does include stuff like super fish eye and tilt shift lenses which are not as commonly used. As for 3rd party lenses that doesn't change the story much either. It doesn't seem to me that lens selection is too much of a real issue for most non-pro's.
2) Focus Performance : I've rarely been let down even by my ancient EOS 450D, which is pretty basic by today's standards. Unless you're a pro sports photographer, I suspect Pentax is good enough for most. It wasn't that long ago that I saw reviews praising the K-30/K-50 for their focus performance. Well, cameras have changed but our targets have not! I will also point this video :
You Tube
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experienced Nikon user was pleasantly surprised by the K-3 II and catching a speeding downhill mountain biker he has excellent hit rate. Also this comparison test :
You Tube
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, the K-S2 was excellent compared to Canon & Nikon and was happily recommended for "sports" photographers (I assume amateur). What more can you ask for? Yes, recently other cameras have better systems on paper but it seems in real life most DSLR's have hit the point of "good enough".
3) Video Capability : It is not the best video camera, but I think the quality is good enough for most users at this level. It's not supposed to be the primary piece of video equipment. If video is your priority, maybe you should consider a dedicated video camera. (I have one and it also takes stills, which are lousy, but that's not why I bought a video camera). All things being equal, of course you take the DSLR with better video capabilities, but all things are not equal. You trade off image quality, price, weather resistance, etc. I find video & stills are 2 very different skill sets and both require vast amounts of time to do right so most of the time the one behind the camera is the biggest limit in doing both well.
Ok, so with those hang ups out of the way, how did a long time Canon user fare with the KS-2? Here's some brief notes, no particular order:
- The guy at the camera shop told me 2 year warranty for the Pentax kit. Nikon was 2 years body and 1 year lens & everyone else was 1 year only. I like a manufacturer who stands by their product!
- The camera is noticeably smaller, but also noticeably heavier, than the other DSLR's. The grip is a little small for my taste but it's not worse than anyone else. But this thing feels solid, not like the plastic-y feel from Nikon & Canon at this level. From playing with it in the shop and indoors at home is one thing, out in the field, things change. Suddenly all the little curves in the body feel just right and the camera is very comfortable and secure to hold (I prefer to shoot strapless) when I'm walking and running around. The switches and buttons are somehow all just in the right place for my fingers.
- The physical & software interface is pretty good, I didn't really have to resort to the manual too much. I could even find the buttons in the dark with very little practice. However, the sheer plethora of options & customizability can be overwhelming for some. It will take some time but I like!
- Regarding the lenses :
- The 18-50 mm kit lens is just fine. I love how compact it is. It is a little fidgety sometimes to "unlock" it, but since I don't anticipate having to do it that much during the day I'll take the trade off for the size.
- I manage to snag a Pentax-DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED WR as well on the cheap. It works and I like the light weight and size but boy is that focus motor noisy!
- Talking about lens availability, sure these aren't the best lenses in the world, but they aren't garbage and it means I got going with a couple of zooms for very little cost. I can also pick up a couple of primes for similar pricing. Meanwhile staring at the Canon or Nikon camp, it would've cost me almost twice as much to get started. (I'm talking about prices from my local authorized dealers, though the Pentax pricing here is as good or better than even on B&H)
- The low light focusing is amazing (to me anyways). In one test, the KS-2 easily & quickly locked in to a dimly lit laptop (just slight glow from the backlight) in a dark room with no other light.
- I'm a bit sad about the black body. Sure, laugh it up but my cheery red EOS M usually evokes a different response from human subjects and I find that quite useful sometimes. Plus a "toy" looking camera attracts less attention from potential thieves.
- That much touted pentaprism? Hmm... I don't know about the brightness, I'm not sure I notice a difference. But the 100% coverage? Wow, I didn't know what I was missing until now. There seems to be so much missing on the other cameras in this class, I don't think I could go back!
- Images seem a bit more grainy than I'd expected. It seems most of the time the auto ISO is choosing up to 1600-3200 even in what I think is fairly decent daylight with the widest aperture available. Gonna have to work on that...
- I like how "manual" the flash is, it was a real annoyance the "automatic" way on the Canon.
- Like like the Raw button. There are times when I'm just capturing holiday shots or the like and I have no intention of doing any post processing so I keep it in JPG mode. The quick flick to Raw is appreciated for the occasional shot in this case. On my Canon's I had to dig through the menus every time I wanted to switch or just shot RAW+JPG all the time.
Yes, I know there is always the argument that a good photographer can get the shot with even a smartphone. But the KS-2 is just that extra step above what I had before and makes it much more easy & enjoyable to get that shot.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Canon. They make fine cameras and they have served me well for many years. I'm sure I would've been happy with a new Canon DSLR too. But I think the Pentax seems just as good and a little bit better bang for the buck. I don't get the hate for Pentax I see from some channels that I don't see get directed at other brands. Me personnally, I can see myself sticking with Pentax for my next camera upgrade. I am looking forward to quieter shutter and better low light image quality as my top items for now..
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