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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-17-2018, 03:57 AM
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OP = Original Poster. The one who started the thread.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-12-2018, 04:21 AM
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I think you are going mirrorless, which is fine.
Just as far as it goes with Pentax models, KS-1 is a tiny camera without weather sealing. The big thing it has is small size. KS-2 had weather sealing and flip screen. The K70 includes the accelerator chip which allows for better high iso shooting and has pixel shift.
The K-5 cameras have an older 16 megapixel sensor, which still holds up well today. They are a little bigger, tougher camera. The II version brought better auto focus -- mainly in tungsten lighting and the K5 IIs had no AA filter. All of them have live view, but obviously they use an optical viewfinder, which seems to be a big sticking point for you. I'm not familiar with the Olympus models, but they look like nice cameras. Good luck.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-09-2018, 04:45 AM
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With every camera you have the choice to shoot RAW or jpeg. Pentax jpegs have gotten a bad rap, probably mostly because Pentaxians are aggressive post processors. The jpegs from recent cameras (K70, K-P, K3 and K-1 series) are excellent and work well in situations where you don't have high dynamic range needs.
If you are planning to shoot really high iso (over 3200), then I do prefer RAW images as Pentax's noise reduction algorithms tend to be a bit aggressive. That said, few would notice if they don't pixel peep.
On the RAW front, every camera out there -- Olympus, Pentax, Fuji, etc -- will have better results if shot in RAW. With jpegs, you are ceding control of your image to the camera's internal developer. It is doing the post processing for you and while this is adequate for many situations, the only way to truly achieve your vision for a particular image is to spend some time with that image, do selective sharpening, bumping of shadows, dodging and burning, and whatever else you think will make the image fit with your vision. These are the sorts of things that jpeg engines can't really do because they apply every setting globally. To me, this lets snap shots move to being something more and lets you truly take ownership of your images.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-08-2018, 06:55 AM
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My point was not that you should get a K-1, it is that pixel shift significantly improves image quality and it is present on the KP. It is just the only cameras I own that have pixel shift are full frame. My K3 is a little too old to have it, but I would use it if it had it.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-08-2018, 06:08 AM
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You need to make the choice that makes you happiest and honestly, if you aren't happy with your Olympus camera and you may not be, you can always sell it and buy a different Oly camera or even move to a different brand. Once you have a full lens line up, that gets a little more involved, but people still do it all of the time.
I would make a small comment that you are trying to turn the subjective aspects of camera buying into something objective. Maybe that will lead to more satisfaction with your purchase in the long run, but most of the things you list are relatively unimportant. Menus are neither here nor there. I set things when I get a camera and as long as there are decent buttons on the body (the KP has these), you don't have to touch them again. Ergonomics need to be factored with lenses, not just the body itself and tend to vary from lens to lens.
I think you undervalue image quality in your ratings. This is far and away the most important thing and it is the thing that will lead one to dissatisfaction with his or her choice the quickest. This is particularly true if you ever get into processing RAW images. I do a lot of pixel shift on the K-1 and the tonality and detail that that offers is amazing.
 Light in the Trees by Vincent1825, on Flickr
All of this said, as I have said before, you need to make the choice that makes you happy, but I really would decide more based on lenses you think you will purchase down the road than on a particular camera body.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-07-2018, 08:15 AM
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I will say that the thing that drew me to Pentax was the lenses.
The DA 40.
 Barn at Dawn by Vincent1825, on Flickr
15 limited.
 Barn at Sunset by Vincent1825, on Flickr
31 limited.
 Leaf 1 by Vincent1825, on Flickr
77 limited.
 Panorama Wisp by Vincent1825, on Flickr
DA *55
 Amish Home at Sunrise by Vincent1825, on Flickr
The zooms are nice too. To me, the lenses from Pentax do have a different feel and look from those from other brands. It isn't to say that you can't good photos with those brands, because of course you can. But it is the glass that brings me back when certainly I could flip it for another brand pretty easily, if I wanted to.
Regardless, I have said many times before, but I will repeat it -- there are no bad cameras out there.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-05-2018, 03:27 PM
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I don't a K5 any more. I own a K3, K-1 and K-1 II. The K5 shots I have on Flickr were either done with a K5 or later with a K5 II.
The sensor in the K5 is really a good one and has wonderful dynamic range at low iso. It isn't as good at high iso as the KP, which is several years newer. Any one of them will beat the Olympus in those respects, but as I said earlier, it may be good enough for your needs. There really aren't any bad cameras on the market these days, although there are more than a few poor lenses.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-05-2018, 03:34 AM
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I think what you need to do is figure out what lenses you are going to want/need for a given system. They don't have to be lenses you buy at day 1, but things you will be able to save up for and get over time. I think things will be a bit clearer after you do that. Camera bodies come and go, but glass lasts a long time.
Fuji has some really nice glass, unfortunately, it is pretty pricey. The used prices of lenses like the DA limiteds are much more reasonable to me.
Don't worry too much about your choice either. It isn't life or death and the journey is often as much fun as the goal. As long as you have a camera, you can make images and enjoy the process of improving yourself and your skills -- and thinking about whatever your next lens will be down the road.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-04-2018, 05:51 PM
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You just have to know what you are getting with micro four thirds. You get smaller cameras with very nice in body image stabilization, but not as good high iso performance (more noise and less dynamic range) and not as good low iso performance (less dynamic range). Olympus, in particular, has a really nice jpeg engine which can help, since you said that you don't really like to do a lot of post processing.
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