From Nikon to Pentax...

V

vrapan

Messages
1,033
Name
Vasilis
Edit My Images
No
Just got a D7000 and while I am very happy with it for all sorts of reasons there are two things that make it less than perfect.

1. Lack of VR, I do not have very steady hands - maybe I should reduce the coffee intake but yeah and the lenses that I want/have do not have VR. I like my collection of lenses I just wish they were stabilised.

2. I have fairly small hands and the body of the D7000 simply feels to big.

On top of that I love the implementation of the Auto ISO on the K-5 and apparently has features that help further increase its DR.

After selling my current stuff and buying a K-5 which is 900 as nobody seems to have s/h refurbed units of it I am left with 1100£ or so.

Is there any chance I can replicate the lenses below with pentax equivalent for 1100? Anywhere that you know sell s/h pentax lenses, ultimately would you move from one to the other?

Here is what I own which I recon is worth 2k give or take.
50-150 2.8 Sigma
10-24 Tamron, 12-24Nikkor (one of those has to go anyway)
35 f 1.8 AF-S, 50 f 1.8 D
Tamron 17-50 2.8
 
vrapan said:
2. I have fairly small hands and the body of the D7000 simply feels to big.
Click to expand...

How small are we talking here? My handspan is about 15cm and I use a Canon 550D quite comfortably, ie, I'm not stretching my hand out to it's maximum and straining it all the time. The buttons are quite nicely within reach of my fingers when I'm holding the camera, I'm not struggling to get to them. I've tried a 40D; it's do-able but a bit stretching, about the maximum size possible.

Of Pentax, only held my friend's K-x and it was actually a little big for me. If you've got similar sized hands to mine, have a hold of the 550D, see what you make of it.
 
The d7k is bigger than the 550d and I wouldn't go canon I don't particularly like the feel or the layout. It also does not have in body IS which is the other reason am thinking of switching. My biggest problem is finding enough reasonably priced lenses.

I recon I might just be able to do it. There is a second hand k5 plus a sigma 8-16 and pentax 16-50 for around 1700 on mifsuds / srs (thanks for the link btw). I will have a play on Saturday and see how I get along.
 
vrapan said:
Is there any chance I can replicate the lenses below with pentax equivalent for 1100? Anywhere that you know sell s/h pentax lenses, ultimately would you move from one to the other?

Here is what I own which I recon is worth 2k give or take.
50-150 2.8 Sigma
10-24 Tamron, 12-24Nikkor (one of those has to go anyway)
35 f 1.8 AF-S, 50 f 1.8 D
Tamron 17-50 2.8
Click to expand...


Sigma 50-150mm = Either a used version of this in Pentax mount or a DA* Pentax 50-135mm f2.8

10-24mm / 12-24mm = Sigma 12-24mm, DA* Pentax 12-24mm Tamron 10-24mm .. there is a good deal on atm with the Sigma 8-16mm on at SRS atm for £375 new.

35mm = Pentax DA 35mm f2.4

Tamron 17-50mm = Same lens in Pentax fit, Sigma 17-50mm or Pentax DA* 16-50mm.

You may just about do it for £1100 if you are patient and buy used.
 
BTW ... be very careful with a used K-5

I personally wouldn't touch any K-5 with a manufacture date pre January 2011. There was a faulty batch with a dodgy sensor and the stain is still showing up on previously clean cameras.

If you can, buy through SRS .. excellent company and Chris has gone more than the extra mile for Pentax forum users on many occasions.

Over all it is a cracking camera though.
 
MindofMel said:
imo I would never move from Nikon to Pentax maybe Nikon to Canon/Sony.

1) resale value
2) ease of resale
3) comparative lack of information compared to other 2 major brands
4) comparative lack of accessories and third party alternative's
Click to expand...

1. No problem there, resale value is very strong .. infact stuff holds its value too well (unfortunately for people buying used).

2. Again no problem, just hop on a Pentax forum and you can sell your gear easily (there are actually more Pentax users out there than people think) ;)

3. What information? .. just go to a Pentax forum and ask. :shrug:

4. Will give you that one .. Nikon/Canon certainly have more third party accessories.
 
Another shout for SRS, although I've been getting Nikon gear I do like their customer service and approach. Decent size shop, good stock, lots of s/h gear as well and very competitive.

Only thing I am miffed about is your size argument. The K-5, lovely as it is, is not really smaller than the D7000. Do you really think 3mm in depth is going to make the difference in handling for you?

Something like the Sony A55 you are starting to talk about size difference in cm instead of mm, although oddly enough the depth (which maybe related to grip) is actually worse. And the A580 model is bigger as well. But both of those have in camera stabilisation as well.

If size is really a factor just as important as the stabilization I'd go in a shop and try out the 'less' i.e. smaller models in the range as well. But perhaps also wait just a month or so as the a35 for example has already been announced.

PS. Yes the vultures are circling I could be interested in the 50-150 Sigma :)
 
Last edited:
It is the height that bothers me more so than the depth and the square chunkier grip fits a lot better in my hands.

I have been thinking of simply buying a Sigma OS 18-50 and a VR 70-300 (cause the new Sigma OS 50-150 is massive so I might as well go for a 70-200) but still I will be too limited on my lenses as I will have to be hunting down for OS/VR/VC.

I have played endlessly with the idea of the Sony but don't like the very plasticky feel to it and I want an OVF so that killes the SLT ones as well.

I will be going to SRS in watford on Saturday and have a play with the K-5 and a 50-135 Pentax to see how much better/shake free images I can take. If that works that would pretty much seal the deal for me.

I think the Sigma will be up for sale regardless of what I do as I cannot take shake free photos at those lengths even at 1/320 at 150mm so if I stick with Nikon I will be looking for a VR lens although I'd hate to lose the 2.8 constant aperture.
 
So what is the story with the stain? What does it appear as? How can I find out if the camera I buy has the problem?

Thanks everybody!
 
Can I ask why image stabilisation is so important? Only 1 of my lenses (now) has IS, the other 4 I get pin sharp shots without IS.

Dare I say it, do you think the absolute need for IS/VR/OS might be a bit of a placebo?

I mainly rely on it for static indoor use, but only that these days.
 
For a fact I have shaky hands. No doubt about it as I said it is probably due to too much caffeine consumption but can't do much about that. I do not have any IS/VR/OS lenses to check and this is why I am hoping to have a play with a k-5 and the 50-135 to see how it would compare to the pictures i take with the D7000 + 50-150.

You might be right and it will not help but a lot of my pictures do look close up as if they were shaken which makes them look a bit less sharp than I would have liked even looked at in smaller sizes.
 
vrapan said:
So what is the story with the stain? What does it appear as? How can I find out if the camera I buy has the problem?

Thanks everybody!
Click to expand...


Basically with a batch of the first production run Pentax had a problem with the Sony sensor and there was an oil like stain which shows up on pics from about f11. The problem was sorted around Xmas time and any K-5 built after this time should not be affected. I had one of the first batch and it was replaced by Pentax with no problem but I would be wary buying a used K-5 made before Xmas as I would doubt any warranty would be transferable.

Buy from SRS and you won't have this problem.

As for inbuilt SR .. this morning I was testing a Sigma 100-300mm f4 with a matched 2x teleconverter, thats 600mm handheld. LINK

Not bad really.
 
If you use a tripod having shaky hand won't matter, and far cheaper than swapping makes.

Realspeed
 
No not bad really, think that I was producing a bit more shake at 150 and 1/320 yesterday...
 
realspeed said:
If you use a tripod having shaky hand won't matter, and far cheaper than swapping makes.

Realspeed
Click to expand...

And a lot less convenient and I think it will be almost a straight swap really I don't expect to have to spend too much to swap.
 
I think you should go for it.
You've obviously thought through the advantages, and the swap will give you a body more suited to your hands and with anti shake that seems very important to you, with the same excellent sensor performance as your D7000.

Personally I hated the grip on the K-5, but I can see how slightly smaller fingers would fit around it perfectly.
 
I've considered it myself for some of those awesome primes, but the sync speed lets it down.
 
Mike.P that is very good handheld at 560mm :)

OP, as you are local to SRS just pop in for a chat and a look. Why not also try out a VR lens on your Nikon to see if that really make the difference and for comparison. Not all systems are the same after all.

And if you like it, I've got a 55-200VR going cheaply on avforums :D
 
Another recommend for both the DA* 50-135 (one of Pentax's best lenses) and for SRS (excellent service).
 
dejongj said:
Mike.P that is very good handheld at 560mm :)

OP, as you are local to SRS just pop in for a chat and a look. Why not also try out a VR lens on your Nikon to see if that really make the difference and for comparison. Not all systems are the same after all.

And if you like it, I've got a 55-200VR going cheaply on avforums :D
Click to expand...

I would happily buy a 70-300 but then as I said the rest of my lenses will remain without OS and also I really like the 2.8 aperture so in all I think I would be much better served by a stabilised 50-150 (135 in the case of the Pentax).

Yes I heard the 50-135 is a very good lens so I was going to get this for sure with the Pentax. Also the 8-16 sigma looks like a winner too and a couple of primes and I am set. If I feel flush at a later date I will get the 16-50 otherwise the 17-50 from Tamron has served me well on Nikon and it will do just as good on Pentax.

I am finishing work early today so I will be off to SRS to check em out!
 
Excellent! Free parking at Sainsbury underneath, go through the alley way and you are there :)
 
LOL I live practically next to the shop mate, no need for parking or car it is literally 2 minutes walk from me :)
 
:)
 
I went I saw and I left amazed. The body fits in my hands as well as my d40 the finger indentation is in the perfect place and even if it does not loOk it it feels a lot more compact than the d7000.

SR seemed to work very well the 40mm prime is amazing and makes it very compact and portable and the 50-135 was lighter and faster to focus than the sigma. My mind is made up all I need to do now is sell my Nikon gear and away I go.

Thanks a lot guys if there are any pentax specific forums I should know about please let me know :)
 
Its a camera ive always liked the looked of, its the availability of 2nd hand long lenses thats always stopped me.
 
vrapan said:
I went I saw and I left amazed. The body fits in my hands as well as my d40 the finger indentation is in the perfect place and even if it does not loOk it it feels a lot more compact than the d7000.

Thanks a lot guys if there are any pentax specific forums I should know about please let me know :)
Click to expand...

Great body to hold isn't it, I can happily carry my gripped K-5 one handed with a 300mm attached without any strap .. it feels that secure. Just a pity more people don't try using one before writing them off because they don't have the same market share as Canon and Nikon.

As for forums, Pentaxforums is the largest but Pentax User is more geared towards the UK user and a lot more friendly :)
 
Euan said:
Its a camera ive always liked the looked of, its the availability of 2nd hand long lenses thats always stopped me.
Click to expand...

It is possible to own different brands or types of camera and use them for their particular strengths or just the enjoyment. All product engineering is a compromise, even if it's abandoning any thought of the bottom line.
 
Take the people at Pentaxforums with a pinch of salt. They are prone to hysteria and complete lack of reason. Pentaxuser is much better.
 
And the hunt for the s/h lenses commenses :) I think I will be buying the camera New and the sigma from SRS and wait for a reasonably priced s/h 50-135 and 40mm to appear s/h :)
 
A manual focus 50mm lens would tide you over, and needn't lose any value. Shorter focal lengths in PK fit from other manufacturers should be about the same price, or cheaper.
 
To be honest the 40mm is 300£ new... so yes a bit pricey but not out of the question and SRS have a s/h 50-135 there as well but I think it is mispriced as it is 40£ more expensive than what they sell them new for :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top