K5 or K30

I tend to agree, but the Keltos has not said what lenses he has, I doubt he would be considering a system swap if he had a load of kit, especially with the price of Nikon lenses (with Pentax doing their best to catch up)

I imagine Archaeology can be a rather dirty job at times and the K5 weather sealing would be a distinct advantage over the D7000

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My Names Alan, and I'm a lensaholic.
My PPG link
My Flckr link

I have the kit 18-55 vr and 55-200 vr only.. but I really want the wr..

Archaeology is a dirty business !

I also read some not so good reviews about the d7000's curve in chasseur d'image July 2011. Because of that they gave 4* to the D7000 and 5* to the K5 ! I also can buy the k5 with the dual kit wr : 18-55 and 50-200 wr for 969 euros in Antwerp.. D7000 body only is 950 euros here.

As for airplanes I can do with the 200 mmm, and buy me a tamron 70-300 mm later on ?

and still : k5 or k30 (I need a good af for the warplanes..)

k30 twin kit 999 euros :
http://www.camara.net/pentax+k30+-+18-55+wr+-+50-200+wr+noir-958471.html


keltos

I wouldn't believe everything you read in reviews, the D7000 is every bit as good as the K5, better in some respects as they both have their strengths.

Can't help you with lenses for aircraft though, it's not something I've tackled yet. As for the deal with the kit lenses it may be worth chatting to your dealer and asking what they can offer as an alternative for something in excess of 200mm, you could also ask SRS what they could offer you.

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My Names Alan, and I'm a lensaholic.
My PPG link
My Flckr link

Good advice of the decade

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Bodies: 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Smeggy's Forum and Pics

You could pick up the 18-55WR for 50.00 or so (S/H or unboxed); the 50-200WR goes for about 100.00 but isn't awesome according to the - ahem - reviews ; get the Tamron or a Pentax 55-300 straight away

Don't forget the requirement for weather resistance.

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Best regards, John

I've had both the Tamron 70-300 and 55-300. The Tamron is an excellent value for money lens (almost unbeatable) and the 1:2 macro is far more than a gimmick but it does exhibit a hefty dose of PF so maybe not the best lens for birding .. or plane spotting.
The 55-300 is better in almost all respects but that is reflected in the price. The Tamron is a great starter lens to see if you like these zooms, it's almost impossible to lose more than a few £ on it !

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http://frogfish.smugmug.com/ Pentax. Pentax DA*300/4, Cosina 55/1.2, Lens Baby Composer Pro & Edge 80, AFA x1.7, Metz 50 af1.
Nikon. D800. D600. Sigma 500/4.5, Nikon 300/2.8 VRII, Sigma 120-300/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 35/2.0, Sigma 50/1.4, Nikkor 85/1.8, Nikon TC20EIII, Nikon TC14EII, Kenko x1.4, Sigma 2.0

One would assume you wouldn't be standing in the rain shooting up !

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http://frogfish.smugmug.com/ Pentax. Pentax DA*300/4, Cosina 55/1.2, Lens Baby Composer Pro & Edge 80, AFA x1.7, Metz 50 af1.
Nikon. D800. D600. Sigma 500/4.5, Nikon 300/2.8 VRII, Sigma 120-300/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 35/2.0, Sigma 50/1.4, Nikkor 85/1.8, Nikon TC20EIII, Nikon TC14EII, Kenko x1.4, Sigma 2.0

well, acually not in the rain but I have done that with my D5K last February in a snowstorm... watching the planes that came for the european summit land at EBBE Beauvechain...

I also read that the D7K has 39 focus points, 9 of which are cross type. the K5 has 11 focus points 9 of which are cross type, shouldn't they then be equals ?

I need a camera with a reliably fast AF to photograph fighterjets..

Fred

What's that got to do with weather resistance?

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Best regards, John

The AF systems of the K5 and D7000 are very different. I recently covered an air show and although the K5 was way better than my K7, it is not in the same league as the D7000 AF which is also not in the same league as my D700. You get what you pay for.

If the K30 AF is actually better than the K5, then get the K30. If fast AF and WR are a must, then you do have choices. A lot of work rounds are just a compromises at the end of the day.

What lenses do you have? The 120-300 f/2.8 Sigma is VERY good for air shows with/without matching TC but unfortunately not yet in Pentax fitting.

The above is IMO, unbiased advice. Others may disagree.

Best regards

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cameradextrous

Actually the k5 came out more expensive than the d7k, now it's reversed, here in belgium the D7k sells for 950 euros body only.

I thought that since I use AF C on my D5000 the K5 with its 9 crosstype AF sensors would be a match for the D7K which also has 9 crosstype sensors...

My D5000 has one cross type and 10 normal sensors, I manage to get decent shots with it, but I wanted to improve and since my first camera (SLR) was a Pentax I'd love to have a Pentax DSLR... if it's better than my current one that is.

The easy path for me would be, as I use Nikon daily in my job, to go to the D7k..

What I really need to know is if the K5 is a match AF wise for fast jets..

fred

If the drug problem got that bad I doubt the rain would be a hindrance!

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Bodies: 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Smeggy's Forum and Pics

I have never used a D5000 but would be prepared to say that the K5 is better in ALL aspects. My K5 can't match my D7000 in the AF area. It beats it in others including IQ. By that I don't mean fine detail or resolution as they share the same sensor.

The AF tracking on the D7000 is very good and does lock on and keep track of fast jets, even when viewfinder subject image size is small. My K5 struggles to do that. Maybe the K30 will match the D7000?


Best regards

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cameradextrous

I'll wait for the k30 then, it's not as if I haven't been looking to upgrade my camera since 2009 !

I looked it up but Nikon doesn't have that many WR lenses ! so although the d7k is weather resistant, its lenses are not. winner : pentax (if the AF matches the D7k)

but from what I see you have both Nikon and Pentax, could you elaborate as to which use you use each brand ?

did you ever take pictures of aircraft (flying of course) with the k5 ? if yes could you post some ?

thanks

Fred