|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-05-2015, 01:26 PM
|
| |
Well, 80 bucks difference makes it a tough decision... One thing that needs to be factored in is that the K5-ii is probably more stable than the K-3 as it is a upgrade which also contains all the lessons learnt from the K-5. The K-3 still has some minor glitches (mirror runaway). If you can live with that, just go for the K-3.
If you want the K-5 II, you need to be aware that ony the K-5 IIs comes without lowpass filter - so if sharpness is your thing, you should go for the K-5 IIs. For K-3 it doesn't matter, it has no lowpass filter (guess you already knew that).
To the guy that asked about the autofocus issues with the 50/1.8: This lens doesn't work very well with PDAF, it hunts a lot and sometimes refuses to catch focus. Probably lens abberations that are fooling the AF. The 35 is much much more reliable.
If you want a wide angle, don't bother with the SMC 14mm 2.8, it's not worth it. The 15mm limited is not bad, but sharpness is not its strongest point. It's main feature is the super small form factor.
The SMC DA 12-24 F4 AL is legend, however there may be a new wide angle zoom coming out towards end of this year, so you may want to wait until then.
If you don't mind manual focus (and you shouldn't, for wide angle), buy the Samyang 14mm 2.8 or 10mm 2.8. It's also rebranded as Bower / Rokinon. Unlike other brands, Pentax has an aperture lever, so you *can* use those manual lenses with auto-aperture - only the focus stays manual (just go hyperfocal and problem solved). And don't forget: pentax has IBIS - all lenses, even the manual 3rd party ones, will be fully stabilized!
It's actually a good idea to buy the plastic fantastic lenses (35mm 2.4 / 50mm 1.8) first and save your money for some decent glass. Just take your time doing some research. Pentax may not have as many lenses as Nikon, but they surely have a much broader spectrum - DA, DA*, WR, HD, SMC, SDM, DC, Limited - there are so many flavors in Pentax land.
At some point every pentaxian has to decide whether he/she goes pentax limited or not. After you bought your first pentax limited lens, you will probably want them all (at least that's what happened to me). They are the finest lenses I ever owned - look&feel like they've been machined from a solid block of metal. If you have been infected with the "limited" virus can't afford them you end up selling your other gear (also happened to me).
Oh yes and SMC is Pentax's supersonic motor. It's not a ring type and it had issues with reliability in the past (Pentax reps said they've been resolved). DC is a ring type direct current (brushless) motor which is - from a technical standpoint - superior to even the ring type USM motors of other manufacturers. However, it's fairly new and only few lenses have it.
Hoper you don't mind the wall of text, seems I got carried away a fair bit;)
In case you didn't know it already, here's a link to the Pentax lens lineup:
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/japan/products/lens/images/K_Mount_Lens.pdf |
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-05-2015, 02:40 AM
|
| |
Sure you need the K3? I have one and my wife has a K5-IIs. I'm hard pressed to tell a difference between our pics once we downsampled them to print resolution. If you can get the K5-II or K5-IIs for less, you can invest in better glass or an additional zoom along with your prime - you will at some point upgrade the body anyways (maybe even to Pentax FF).
K5-IIs also has better low ISO than K3 (at the expense of resolution).
The 35 2.4 and 50 1.8 are both excellent, but the 50mm has issues with autofocus. I would recommend the 35 since you're into landscape. What you really need to get in the long run is the 20-40mm limited, though.
Please also keep in mind that most of the cheaper pentax lenses are "screwdrive", this may be annoying at first for a Nikon user. The more expensive ones have SDM (good) or DC (even better).
|
