Anyone using a pentax K-5 after canon

[jaomul]

Decided to upgrade my 50D to a 7D as i came across a second hand one at the right price. I started reading and the Pentax K-5 looks like a viable option. I also have a canon 550d and a few lenses. I am able to get a body and weather resistant lens 18-55 new for the price of a second hand 7d and it got me thinking. Anything weather resistant with canon is very expensive and every lens I put on the pentax can be classed as stabilized due the sensor shift built into the body.

Has anyone gone this route and if so what do you think of your decision

 

[jaomul]

bump

 

[o hey tyler]

Well, I'm not. But I was looking at Pentax's lens lineup and they have some of the WEIRDEST focal length/ranges as well as maximum aperture on their lenses.

One thing you may want to consider is that Pentax's lineup for lenses is a bit smaller than Canon's, and you may pay more for lenses due to the fact that they're weather sealed (I haven't compared, this is just a guess).

I've heard that Pentax cameras are pretty nice though for the price point, though. It wouldn't be a bad move if the above concerns are not an issue to you.

FWIW, the in camera image stabilization I heard is not spectacular. I know it wasn't on my Sony A200, perhaps things have changed.

 

[jaomul]

Thanks o hey tyler. I probably should just stick with canon, it would be the sensible move but the weather has been miserable here for months and the weather sealed proposition for similar money to the 7d upgrade appealed. I'll keep in mind your advice

 

[o hey tyler]

Honestly, it would probably save you money in the long run to stick with Canon and be able to swap lenses between your bodies. I'm not trying to knock Pentax at all, I'd rather shoot Pentax than Sony.

The 7D is somewhat weather sealed as I understand it. And I've had my 5Dmk1 out in light rain, and as long as you keep an eye on it you should be fine. The 5Dmk1 is less weather sealed than the 7D too. Just dry your camera off periodically between shots.

What exactly has the weather been like over there in Ireland? Rainy? Snowy?

 

[jaomul]

It has been raining for as long as I can remember, well showery constantly. Couldn't depend on it anyday. Steering back toward the 7d, thanks again

 

[Railphotog]

When a friend of mine decided to switch to digital, he went with Pentax because he'd been using film cameras in the brand and had several lenses that could be used on a DSLR. He did think about going to Canon like I've been using for 35 years, but went with Pentax.

I wasn't until he had the Pentax 10D(?) that I learned his older lenses were older off-brand models, Sigma I think. For some reason he wasn't overly happy with the Sigmas, and he searched out and bought a few new Pentax lenses. But in the meantime, I had great luck getting almost new lenses for my Canon, at a fraction of their new costs. Some though a local online site and one on eBay. There always seems to be Canon gear available, while newer Pentax items are rare and demand. So he paid premium prices for his Pentax lenses while I got great bargains. There is just so much Canon gear out there, that finding what you want at a decent price is just a matter of searching and waiting.

 

[greybeard]

I used a Pentax K1000 for year book work back in the day. Good solid stuff. Only thing I would be concerned is the stability of the Pentax imaging division. In 2006 Pentax merged with Hoya, but 2 years later Hoya sold the imaging (camera) division to Ricoh. So the division is being bounced around a bit and I would wonder how much longer it will be around at all. I would be willing to bet that Canon and Nikon are here to stay though.

 

[jaomul]

Bought the 7d after. if i hadn't got load of lenses and other accessories would have gone with the pentax. Still looking fwd to playing with my new toy

 

[greybeard]

Congratulations!

 

[TimGilbertson]

I used a Pentax K1000 for year book work back in the day. Good solid stuff. Only thing I would be concerned is the stability of the Pentax imaging division. In 2006 Pentax merged with Hoya, but 2 years later Hoya sold the imaging (camera) division to Ricoh. So the division is being bounced around a bit and I would wonder how much longer it will be around at all. I would be willing to bet that Canon and Nikon are here to stay though.

Pentax was purchased by Ricoh late last year.

The only problem with Pentax is that they don't offer a full-frame camera. The 7D is great, and the weatherproofing is quite robust. I've been absolutely soaked shooting with it, and never even slowed down.

 

[Jeremy Z]

I have an older Pentax, a K100D. Comparing them side-by-side with Canon and Nikon of the day, Pentax was way ahead in build quality and optical quality. (for the kit lens)

I agree they make a narrower selection of lenses, and the aftermarket also makes a narrower selection of lenses. But to me, it doesn't matter. The lenses I need, they have. They even have enough of a selection that they have some that I want that I don't really need. (the pancake lenses, specifically the 21mm f/3.2 and the wide angle zoom)

The body-integral anti-shake does what it says it does; it gives this benefit to ALL of my lenses, even my 50mm f/2 manual focus.

But Tyler is right int that it doesn't work quite as well as the optical systems that Canon has. It only gives me two stops more of hand-held steadiness. (that's enough for me) The optical image stabilization gives 3 stops, from what I've read. To be honest, it matters less these days, because the sensors in today's cameras are better. They can be shot at higher ISOs without a lot of degradation. On my old K100D, it looks great up to 800 ISO and the noise starts to become noticeable at 1600. I think today's SLR bodies can be shot up to 1600 or 3200 and still be great.

In your situation, I would resist the urge to update the body, and instead spend the cash on a quality lens. Get something fast if you're going to shoot action, and if not, get something stabilized. The kit lenses are really quite good for the price. But you don't really get all you can get out of an SLR until you put some really good optics on the body. Cheap body or expensive, it doesn't matter.


Remember that just a sprinkle of rain here and there is not going to ruin anything. Just don't let it get saturated.

I love my Pentax, but I think if I already had good Canon bodies and optics, I wouldn't start over with Pentax.

 

[cathcort]

Hi
Had a canon 50d and upgraded to a Pentax k-5 with good glass. Gotta say I love it as the ergonomics are great and I'm getting better shots more often.