So with all the news do you wait and see what happens after the new owners come in in October or buy a K5 now
 |
  |
 |
Thanks useful information: 8
So with all the news do you wait and see what happens after the new owners come in in October or buy a K5 now
Nikon D600 tamron 24-70 2.8 50 1.4 K5 Da70 Da 40
Buy now.
The moment Ricoh take over isn't going to change the world, it takes some time for new leadership and direction to filter down to the available product.
same amount of whinging and crying was done by ppl on the net when Hoya took Pentax under its umbrella not long ago....wah wah wah!
p.s - I use Pentax for work too and get called a Canikon fanboy in this thread.....oh the humanity!
Don't stress, just the canikon fan-bois try'na bring ya down to their levelOriginally Posted by JM Tran
.
Geez I have copped everything on the chin that you guys have thrown at me and been told by site owner that I am baiting - all I asked was there hard solid evidence that in lens IS is superior to body IS - (it seems that at FL greater than 300mm in lens IS wins - but does that mean that a company such as Pentax or Sony or Olympus should they dare to enter this market can they not produce a lens with inbuilt IS and simply turn off the in body IS??)
As I have said I copped it all on the chin but JM Tran I would never refer to you as a Canikon Fanboy - sorry I used the term.
Not sure what Pentax future is now though was about to buy a DA70mm but am now hesitant as to whether I am better off going to canikon. The K5 is awesome (and I was hoping for a new model soon to update my K7) but will they now have the R&D to keep up with Canikon now or will Ricoh go for different market with Q type mirrorless cameras?
There are two types of people in this world -
West Perth supporters and the misguided.
Pentax K7 - Pentax DA 16-45mm F4, DA L 55-300mm, SMC M 50mm F1.7, SMC M 28mm F2.8
No I think you should buy the DA70 and stick with Pentax for its marvelous primes!
I used to own the DA70 paired with a K20D when that first came out and really really enjoyed it for studio shoots, preferred it over a 5D I had back then. I couldnt afford an FA77 and it was quite hard to find in Adelaide so I had to settle with the DA70. Also had the DA40 as well for street shooting and it was possibly the most pocketable lens and camera package back then for any DSLR.
Theres a few Canon full frame guys who have modified the 5Ds to be able to fit the FA31 - one of the best ever primes made for 35mm - and the FA77 as well. I dont believe Canon or Nikon has anything as good as those prime lenses in similar pricing. So stick with Pentax and use their strongest point - amazing primes.
I really don't understand why anyone would suddenly develop a sense of trepidation simply because the manufacturer of their camera brand suddenly developed a new case of ownership.
Who ultimately owns the brand should have no real consequence to the workings of your current gear, and if the K5 was truly an awesome camera, then it should provide this level of awesomeness for a few more years yet.
I can understand how one MAY believe that just because a new owner has entered into the fray there is a high likelyhood that new 'hybrid' product may eventuate in the near future, but I highly doubt that the current lineup of products is simply going to evaporate overnight!
I'm sure there will be both K5 and K7 successors respectively for a good while yet as the base technology is already there.
The question of whether Pentax will eventually go with a Q type mirrorless system should be of no consequence to the decision of purchasing a new K mount lens today.
History tells us that these mirrorless cameras are initially a new breed of toy for a given manufacturer and that the technology(ie. EVFs) may filter through to the SLR type camera system(as is rumoured for the Sony A700 successor).
Once again ... do as Tony(Tannin) says! ... "buy now"!
Nikon D800E, D300, D70s
{Nikon}; -> 50/1.2 : 500/8 : 105/2.8VR Micro : 180/2.8 ais : 105mm f/1.8 ais : 24mm/2 ais
{Sigma}; ->10-20/4-5.6 : 50/1.4 : 12-24/4.5-5.6II : 150-600mm|S
{Tamron}; -> 17-50/2.8 : 28-75/2.8 : 70-200/2.8 : 300/2.8 SP MF : 24-70/2.8VC
{Yongnuo}; -> YN35/2N : YN50/1.8N
God I would love a FA77mm I am in love with the pixie dust but cant justify the extra cost over the DA70.
Never really been concerned who owned Pentax before but Ricoh only paid 120 millio0n US$ for it (some houses cost more than that) and have now taken on a payroll and the marketing of a new unproven system in the Q camera as well as significant investment in R&D for a continued lens devpt of the 645D (( That is a significant camera to buy and without lenses it is a pretty expensive paper weight.) and the need to bring out a successor to the K5 not to mention new lenses. Buying a company so cheaply lends a lot of credence to the theory Pentax will be booted around as a tax loss between the Japanese companies till it no longer has a use. I siincerely hope Pentax/Ricoh release a kick ass DSLR and more of the stellar lenses itr is known for but for the first time I am a little dubious but time will tell.
You really shouldn't call people fanboys without (errr .. dare I say it?) ... hard evidence. But, with that said, I could perhaps be said to be a bit of a Pentax fanboy - although I shoot Canon because I'm a bird photographer and Canon have the best long range bodies and lenses (when I switched from Nikon to Canon in 2004, Canon was really the only option for birding, but that has changed now), I nevertheless have a huge respect for Pentax gear, to the point where I own two of them despite only having Canon bodies. (Well, they have Tokina badges, but the 10-17 and the 35mm macro are both Pentax designs, and te 10-17 in particular is a very sweet one indeed.)
Pentax have lagged in certain areas (given the huge R&D budgets Canikon have to play with, that should not surprise) and done some silly, pointless things (Q is a current example) but have nevertheless remained a genuine innovater. For example, my Canon 7D has a raw/JPG switch for one reason and one reason only - because Pentax thought of it! If I was doing more general photography (not birding and not wanting pro-standard gear) I'd quite likely be using Pentax. The brand is most certainly a viable choice for hobbyist use, and in certain fields, professional use too.
I note your concerns about the new owners, but Ricoh is at least a camera company, and they have bought Pentax specifically to get hold of the cameras (all the other stuff that Hoya wanted, Hoya has kept) - so chances are that they will reboot that camera manufacturing operation and try to get it running well again so that thy have some return on their investment.
Buy with confidence, Falcons! They are great lenses, and pretty decent bodies too. If you want to go birding, switch to Canon (or if you honestly don't care about the money, Nikon does birding well too once you get into the 5 figure price bracket), and if you need other specialist lenses then the same applies, but failing those (fairly uncommon) eventualities, I see absolutely no reason why you wouldn't want to stay with one of the greatest names in photography.
My appolagies for using the term fanboy and any hurt it may have caused. Camera brands are a funny thing, I am agonising over losing my Pentax but really had no problems going from Holden to Ford and now back to Holden.
Oh and to put to rest any other confusion I have checked again and I am definetly a He not a she - Just thought a Pic of my Girlfriend as an Avatar was a lot more attractive than my ugly mug. (And I like looking at her)
Having used both systems shake reduction extensively, ie Pentax and Nikon, I find there is little difference in Pentax's SR and Nikon's VR up to about 200mm. The problem is, there are very few readily available lenses over 300mm for Pentax but having had both the FA*300 f4.5 and the DA*300 f4, my findings are based on those lenses being the longest I had. With the shorter focal lengths under 200mm, there is basically no difference in handholdability, ie both systems regularly can give 4 stops with good technique.
With my Pentax gear, using a K-7 (and K20D), which I used up until May last year I was able to quite easily get 3 stops SR up to 200mm and generally up to 300mm. If I was really careful I might snag 4 stops at 300mm sometimes and more often at 200mm and quite regularly at anything 100mm and under. This is free standing and not braced against anything.
However, with my Nikon gear, using 200mm (70-200 f2.8 VRII) on DX (APS C) 4 stops is relatively easy and with 300mm f2.8 VRII (on DX) I can normally get 3 stops quite easily and 4 stops sometimes, so a tad better than with my Pentax gear.
The trouble is, when shooting animals/birds/people/sports, it's not so much you that is the issue, it's the subject that becomes the issue as their movement is almost as bad as camera movement. Take this shot, not braced against anyhting and free standing shot at 1/25sec 270mm on DX (APS C) which is the equivalent of 405mm on FF, so a full 4 stops of handholdability. As you can see, the bird itself is quite sharp, but there is ever the slightest movement of the birds head.
However, with this next shot at 340mm and 1/60sec, so about 3.1 stops of handholdability, there was absolutely no movement of the subject and it is tack sharp and again I was not braced against anything.
When I shoot birds/animals/sports/people, I try as best I can to shoot at 1/focal length for FF and 1/focal length x 1.5 for DX (APSC) regardless of VR/SR. Of course, this depends on what these subjects are doing and what I want to achieve. However, I will try to go a lower shutter if the light is too low, and there is high DR (so I use the lowest ISO for best DR) and subject movement is minimal and if I can I will brace against something or use a monopod.
So, to sum up and this all depends on technique and what you are abe to do, but for me up to about 200mm on DX (APS C) there is very little difference between the two systems as both can get 4 stops usually and 3 stops readily. At 300mm and 3 stops, Nikon may have a slight advantage of maybe getting 4 out of 5 keepers and Pentax maybe 3 out of 5, and over 300mm I cannot say about Pentax as they don't have readily available lenses, but based on the diminishing effectiveness of SR, I would say that it would possibly be less the further up the focal length you go, but this is purely speculation.
There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems as I see it. The in lens VR can help as it shows you that VR is working by the fact that you can see the movement stop in the VF, but in practice, the SR confirmation icon in the VF from Pentax still worked well enough. With Pentax's system every lens has SR whereas with Nikon you need to purchase specific lenses which can add cost, weight and size to the mix. I would hate to think how those pancake lenses and FA and DA Linited lenses would go if they tried to add in lens VR! So realistically speaking, if you want a compact system with small superb lenses like the FA and DA Limiteds etc, small bodies and don't shoot over 300mm, don't need FF, like the excellent ergonomics then Pentax is a superb way to go. But if you want to expand your horizons to go longer lenses, pro system flash, want FF (as well as APS C) then Nikon or Canon is probably the answer.
The fact that Ricoh has purchased Pentax may actually be a good thing, IMO.
Last edited by Lance B; 05-07-2011 at 1:12pm.
My PBase site: http://www.pbase.com/lance_b
My Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/35949907@N02/
Sorry to take this off topic again but since we are talking long Focal lengths I thought perhaps some of you may be interested to see what can be achieved with long focal length Pentax glass (it iis out there but not readily available) I think this guys work is awesome
http://www.marclangille.com/Nature/H...563452_vPcMFL4
Perhaps if Pentax do bring out more quality glass in the longer focal lengths we will see more Pentax birders perhaps.
Marc Langhille does get excellent results. Whoever the manufacturer, longer lenses do get seriously expensive, so in camera image stabilisation becomes quite useful for those of us without bottomless wallets and a predisposition to using preloved lenses for our bird photography.
Well, Hoya was expected to do wonders with Pentax with the extra cash. THey didn't so le'ts hope Ricoh have a good go at it.
Yes, Marc is a wonderful photographer and I've had many dealings with him over the net and email. This was before I switched from Pentax to Nikon. For birding, one of the lenses he uses is the 250-600 f5.6 which is no longer available from Pentax, which is a shame as it is a superb zoom range. If Nikon had one of these I might be tempted to get one!He also has the FA*300 f2.8 which is also no longer available.
I dont think pentax/hoya did so bad either.
The K5 is a superb camera and probably and argubly the best APSC size DSLR. And then there is the 645D. If you had the cash or the will, you would have it ?
They improved and made it profitable and saw in lots of little goodies that the other brand still have to dream about like the startrail gps.
Most people complain about it doesnt have full frame or long lenses, but in reality its probably never going to have FF and 300mm/F4 maybe it. But you never know and sigma make some fine lenses that fit like the 50-500mm so there are options and you can skip FF and go 645D.
Cheers Neil
A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
Pictures show that we lived!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/knumbnutz/
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/neilmorgan
So, do I go to town today and seriously look for a K5?
or
wait to see what Richo might do?
I might see what price I can bargin for
The K-5 is a superb camera. My suggestion is that you try it out to see if it is intuitive to use and that the ergonomics suit you as you need to be able to use the camera easily and intuitively which will mean that you will get the photos you want and that you will enjoy using it. If you enjoy using it, then you will take it out to take photos rather than leave it at home because it is a chore to use. As for Pentax being taken over by Ricoh, I do think this is a good thing as Ricoh is very much in the photography business and obtaining Pentax is a way for them to get into the DSLR market which I believe they needed to get into.So, do I go to town today and seriously look for a K5?
or
wait to see what Richo might do?
I might see what price I can bargin for
If you do not need a completely professional camera system, ie professional flash and professional long lenses etc, and do not use longer than 300mm (Pentax's longest lens) then the K-5 will be a fantastic camera for you.
I've owned a couple of Pentax cameras, the latest a K-x, and I have the greatest respect for them - even though I now use Canon.
I think Hoya did some very good things with Pentax, and they showed some guts too by releasing coloured K-x's at first, then bringing colour to most of their subsequent models as well as getting into medium format and making it almost affordable.
If you have seen the windows of some Japanese camera shops, with rows of multi-coloured K-x's, in so many colours that we didn't get here, they looked fantastic, and the cameras sold like hot-cakes too.
While the new K-5 is an enthusiast camera (and a very good one), the volume sellers are usually the lower grade SLR's, which don't sell anywhere near as many as the point and squirts, so as most of their SLR sales are the lower models like the K-x etc., then it really doesn't make economic sense for Pentax to try and compete with Canikon for expensive, specialist lenses.
Most of their customers set their cameras to full auto, look through the viewfinder and hope for the best.
I'm not denegrading anyone that has a K-7 or K-5, just saying that the volume models are generally the lower grade models like Canon's 1100 and Nikon's 3100, and I doubt that more than 50% of these owners would ever venture past their kit lenses, as would be the case for the majority of Pentax sales.
In marketing, you pick your market and chase it.
Using a scattergun approach can be disaster for smaller companies.
All my photos are taken with recycled pixels.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom, is knowing not to serve it in a fruit salad.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
