Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-14-2013, 07:10 AM
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To all who responded, thanks for thegreat input.
I’ve used this weekend to take (alot) of new shots to see in what part my equipment and/or my technique needsupgrading in order to get better results. Both days I had quite good lightingconditions, mildly overcast and sunny, although the sun was low due to it beingwinter over here. On Saturday we tookour dog for a nice long walk and I mainly tried to get some pics of her playingwith other dogs. This was quitedifficult as she is fast, and while playing moves unpredictable. On Sunday wehad our training, which involves more controlled conditions at shorter range.
-In total I made about 600 exposures,of which I could delete about 30% right away for the dog not being in the imageat all; conclusion, the EVF combined with slow burst mode an long black-outtimes is not suitable for panning or keeping track of a running dog. -A further 30 to 50% was not focusedright; I definitely need a better AF system, mine is to slow (aim and shoot isnot possible, its more aim, wait, wait, wait, dog gone and lost the opportunityor get an OOF result). This wasespecially so with the dog playing. During the training I had better results asthe movements were more predictable and I could pre-focus on a certaindistance/place and wait for the dog to arrive.
- The remaining part was technicallyOK, but did not always yield a worthwhile result, which is no technical or userfault, just esthetics. To improve this I will need to up my skills.
Although I did manage to get somenice keepers, I’m more and more inclined to upgrade my equipment. Before doingso I still have 2 questions to be answered:
-Will the AF of the K5 or K5II bequick enough for my goals, or should Ibetter look at a Canon or Nikon?
-If I go for the K5(II), what lens touse? I would like to buy the best optics possible for my needs an based onvarious reviews at this moment have narrowed it down to either the 50-135/2.8 or 60-250/4. Both will opticallyperform well enough I guess, but have different pro’s/cons. The 50-135 islighter and offers one stop advantage, the 60-250 adds more range and seems toperform better in the AF responsiveness.
Especially the AF issue would be a (big) issuefor me, no need to upgrade the camera if the AF remains slow due to a slowperforming lens. Then, for the price ofthe 60-250 I could also get the 50-135 and the 55-300, which would also make acompelling argument. Oh, the agony of choice J.
The 50-135 vs 60-250 debate has been discussedin great length already, but I’ve not seen that much info on the AF speeds ofboth lenses compared. Would anyone have additional info on that? @ Schraubstock: the Vizsla is indeed the similar to a GermanShort Haired Pointer, both are standing hunting dogs, whereby the Vizsla is reportedto be the ‘softie’ of the two. |
Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-11-2013, 09:14 AM
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Hi,
New to this forum and I hope you can help me out with the following.
I currently use a Samsung NX 10 with 50-200 4.5-5.6 OIS zoom, which I have found to be a nice camera overall. Good IQ in a small and light package that fits inside a (largish) coat pocket, even with the 50-200 attached.
My wife and I do a lot of exercise with our dog and I regularly take pictures during our walks and trainings. As we do this all year round and mostly in forested areas, I do not always have the best weather conditions to shoot in, nor is the most favorable light available. As a result I seem to only be able to get good pictures the dog standing still. Any movement of the dog (she’s a Vizsla and quite fast) and my current set-up fails, the keeper rate is just too low:
- The High ISO capabilities of the NX are not that great, anything over ISO 400 is greatly deteriorating the IQ of the pic’s, so in the light conditions I encounter I cannot use thathigh shutter speeds:
- The AF although accurate and reasonably fast for this type of camera is no match for dogs running at speed or moving randomly:
- The EVF is not usable for panning or keeping track of a moving subject due to slow refresh rate and long black-out higher FPS speeds.
So I’m looking for a replacement/addition to this camera, which should provide me with a better viewfinder for panning/tracking and better AF capabilities. A 5DIII or D800 with a 2.8 70-200 zoom would be nice, but cost aspects aside, I simply find these types of camera and lenses to big and heavy and not suitable to take on a long walk. They would only be collecting dust on the shelf.
So after some research my eye is now set on the K5 with either the 55-300 or a (used) 60-250. Now that the K5II is out the K5 seems to be a real bargain, the upgrades of the K5II over the K5 are not that big. I watch (and PP) 90% of my pic's on my Ipad, so the gain in sharpness of the K5IIs seems a bit wasted on me.
I’ve read as much as I could find on this forum, but I would like to hear some first hand experience of shooting running dog’s (or other fast animals for that matter) with their K5 and what lens they prefer to use for that. I will need some range on the lens, so the 2.8 50-135 although very nice in aperture seems a bit
too short to me. Will the AF performance of the K5 be an improvement over my NX10 (or should I get the K5II?), and will my preferred lenses be of use for my goals?
Best to you all!
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