Comparison of 5D and Pentax *istDS2

I am considering the purchase of either the 5D or Pentax DS or DS2. Does anyone have experience with both cameras that could objectively compare them.

My primary use would be to compliment my FZ30 in low light, or action situations. I also do some informal portrait work for my employer.

I previously had a Canon 300d and I thought I could get rid of the DSLR and stick with the FZ30 but although I love the camera it still has a few weaknesses that bother me.

I noticed that the Pentax camera uses a CMOS sensor like my Rebel had but the KM 5D has a CCD sensor. Is there an upside or downside to either sensor. Thanks.
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FUJI E550, PANASONIC FZ20, FZ30

Pentax uses a Sony CCD just like the 5D. Do some searches.
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Reality leaves a lot to the imagination-John Lennon

You are absolutely correct, I must have read that on another site. I guess that makes it a more even comparison.
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FUJI E550, PANASONIC FZ20, FZ30

However, 5D has a built in antishake, and a larger market share than Pentax.

Do you still have your 300D? It looks like D50 and 350D are also options, not to mention E500
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Mark K
7d and 7

K-M is just about the best there is for sympathetic portraiture. But if you want a viewfinder as good as on the Pentax then you should seriously look at the 7D. The 5D is smaller but nothing like as small as the Pentax or Canon 350D.
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John.

I sold all my lenses and the Rebel plus after following the 350D on the Canon SLR forum, it seems to have more problems than the 300D had.
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FUJI E550, PANASONIC FZ20, FZ30

And CMOS matrixes don't mean superior quality. Though Canon did real good job perfecting its CMOS technology.

I am dropping in from Pentax forum. I own a Pentas ist DS and a KM 7D. Both are great cameras in their own respect. I wanted to buy the 5D but I was not comfortable with the grip and the ergonomics and I decided to switch it for a 7D. But that may be just me. Also the viewfinder in 7D is quite a bit better. I strongly suggest going to a shop where you can hold and play with any camera you want to buy.

I also have a lot of Pentax lenses and I can use on KM body with an adaptor in manual mode. This is a picture when I played around with my 5D.



I am happy to be with the 2 underdog camps - Pentax and KM. They make good affordable lenses. I believe that camera is a tool and you can take good pictures with any camera as long as it is fun to use.
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Life is Pentaxtic

I've tried both cameras and taken KM5D.
Better price/quality ratio

Pentax's CCD ISO range starts from 200 and jpeg compression is stronger than KM. Probably in Raw Mode these SRL give equivalent results but the jpeg pictures are far from KM quality in my opinion.

Another low point is the poor "lenses' park".I've read about that Pentax K-mount (which had been the same for 20 years) still have some incompatibility with digital APS format across the various lenses (too many adapters).

Try both cameras you too if you can, it will help you.

I had the Pentax DL for a short time and now have the Minolta 5D. Here is why I made the switch.

While the DL felt great in my hands--it really felt like a camera, not a computer with a lens. I grew up using Pentax SLRs, so this felt like going home. And the viewfinder was really nice and bright. But...

Bottom line is image quality when I go to print them to frame or give to family or for my wife to put in scrapbooks. The DL consistantly blew out highlights and failed to bring out the details in shadows. Maybe I had a dud--I don't know. But I was a bit gun-shy about the DL after that experience. So when my local shop got in the 5D, I went and played with it at the store. At first I didn't care for the feel of it in my hands, but got used to it quickly. I bought it and have not looked back.

I had a 300D for a while, and have used the Nikon D70 and D50. Of all of these, the KM 5D is, at least for me, the hands-down winner. The metering is right on in every shot I have taken. The focus speed is outstanding. And having buttons to push rather than searching a menu is a delight to this old-time film user.

I am sure that each of these cameras will do the trick, and each person has his/her own wants/desires/needs. For me, KM 5D met mine the best.

Hope this helps.

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Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'