Pentax choices make me miserable

Well, I feel angry because Nikon prime choices is horrible and surely needs an update. Nikon cameras suck in terms of midtones and that is why I own a Fuji S5Pro. While I love The Fuli indoors and for portraits, I don´t like it that much outdoors and for candids.

So I want Pentax... but I feel lost and miserable... this time by the exact oposite feeling... so many choices!
I can´t decide myself between the K20D, K200D and K2000.
Worst I can´t decide between the FA Limited and the DA limited.
Reading about all those only confused me even more.

I just wanted a camera with better resolution and good colors outside (which all delivers) and some limited especially in the 40/50mm and 70/80mm, which between DA and FA have worldclass options... especially with the eternal DA40 VS FA43 and DA70 VS FA77 debates.

I wanted to order a few days ago but keep postponing the decising moment since I change my mind every 5 seconds.
Sometimes a particular set seems best suited to me and sometimes some other set.

Anyway... how do you guys manage to be so sure of your choices? I´m all over the place at this point and just can´t order because I´m not abble to make up my mind!!!

Sorry for this thread with no particular purpose... I guess I just wanted to release my frustration.
--
It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind.

--

the K20D is a highly capable monster and I would match it up with the DA* lenses.

OTOH, the K2000 gets the basics done right, consistently and would make a great mate for the pancakes.

Both? I bought the K2000 now and will look at the K3 or K30 later.

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

I can´t decide myself between the K20D, K200D and K2000.
Worst I can´t decide between the FA Limited and the DA limited.
Reading about all those only confused me even more.

Click to expand...

Easy. Get the K20D first, it's the best one.

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

I just wanted a camera with better resolution and good colors outside
(which all delivers) and some limited especially in the 40/50mm and
70/80mm, which between DA and FA have worldclass options...
especially with the eternal DA40 VS FA43 and DA70 VS FA77 debates.

Click to expand...

You cannot go wrong with any of them so pick whatever feels good at the time.

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Anyway... how do you guys manage to be so sure of your choices?

Click to expand...

Shoot and don't think too much about the gear. There will be always something you don't have. Even people buying very expensive cameras like D3/1D cannot have everything. Get something and explore it as much as you can, when you're done, switch to something else...

--
Manu



http://flickr.com/photos/ensh/
Visit the Pentax forums at http://tr.im/grmh

Thank you
Russell

--

'It is impossible to reason a person out of positions they have not been reasoned into'

--Walter Cunningham

Asking here will probably not help matters since you will likely get a variety of responses. If it were me I would go with the K20D, FA43 and DA70. I personally have the K10D, but was faced with the same decisions on the primes. I chose the FA43 over the DA 40 because of speed and rendering and the DA70 over the FA77 because of lower CA, better edge sharpness and cost.

I have no doubt that somebody will soon post with reasons to make the opposite decision. Like it has been previously stated, I don’t think you can really go wrong with any of the limited primes. They each have a slightly unique character, just match up your personal preference with each and see what fits.

Mark
--
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/markschneider

Get k20d + FA77 + FA43.

In case you are not satisfied you can always blame me, but trust me thats not gonna happen.

--
Thanks, Ilya.

Hi Gian Luca!

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Worst I can´t decide between the FA Limited and the DA limited.
Reading about all those only confused me even more.

Click to expand...

small and good: DA
bright and good: FA
Easy

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Anyway... how do you guys manage to be so sure of your choices? I´m
all over the place at this point and just can´t order because I´m not
abble to make up my mind!!!

Click to expand...

Just take your time.

Don't you still have the K200D? Why are you thinking of upgrading the body already?

May I remind you of the camera trouble you had just 6 months ago? Maybe approaching this purchase cautiously and slowly does not hurt now.

All the best
Jens

--

'Well, 'Zooming with your feet' is usually a stupid thing as zoom rings are designed for hands.' (Me, 2006)
My Homepage: http://www.JensRoesner.de

Usually people complain here that Pentax does not offer enough.

All of the FA limited and DA limited lenses produce excellent results. You should decide on the basis of what you need. The FA limiteds are a little faster, but larger. The DA limiteds are quite compact (if that is important to you) but a little slower.

I use the DA 21, 40, and 70 for times when I need a very compact kit for travel. But I also have the three FA limiteds, and use the FA 31 often.

Joe

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Nikon cameras suck in terms of midtones

Click to expand...

Having shot the Nikon D2X, D70, Canon 5D, Canon20D, and now the Pentax K20D, the tonal characteristics vary more on most peoples monitors than on those cameras.PP is the great equalizer here.Large sheet film optically printed in my wet darkroom still give me superior tonal characteristics over any of them however, at least in the b&w world I enjoy, but its kinda hard to take the 8x10 up the Palm Springs aerial tramway why not just stick with the Fuji you already have?
--
A few of my shots:
http://www.pbase.com/cloudswimmer/image/77798595/original
http://www.pbase.com/cloudswimmer/image/80091221/original
http://www.pbase.com/cloudswimmer/image/53748575/original

... you should not: your baseline says: "It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind"

So, you are fine.

Ok, more seriously, I always consider the lenses my "sensible" investment and this is the way you may look at your choices. That body or that one is not the main issue.

--

Shooting in JPEG is like taking your roll of film to the store to be processed, and when
you get your prints, throwing away the negatives...

Gian Luca,

I suspect that whatever you choose today, next week you will be convinced you have made the wrong decision, and be off looking at other gear again...
--
Robert
rgm-wa

Scusa Gian Luca, sei italiano?

ciao
--

Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say... no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh... depended on the breaks.

Thank you for your replies. I was not expecting gear discussion with my thread... I was just aiming to understand how do you deal with indecision. I have made a few threads in the last few days gear related and I don´t want anymore answers in that matter because now, after I got answers I was looking for, it is kind of a personal decision. I´m aware of the pluses and minus of all that gear, also because I have owned most of them sometime in the past.

I just wanted to know what is the best attitude when one has doubts since I´m usually very impulsive and buy what I think is better to later feel remorses and get something diferent, just to find later that I shouldn´t have sold that one in the first place... what a mess
--
It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind.

Having NO choice is reason to be miserable. Having lots of god choices is not.

You could arder any of these camera and lens combinations and they would all be good, so stop worrying. OK, a diferent choice will give a slightly different result but as no result is bad that's OK.

The K20 is obviously the biggest and heaviest but it is still comfortable. With the pancake lenses it is not that heavy anyway. If you later get bigger lenses it will balance them better. It also costs more. So the WORST that can happen is that you get a camera that is a bit heavier and a bit more expensive than the alternatives.
OR ...

The Km is obviously the lightest and least obtrusive, especially with the pancake lenses. It is also the cheapest. So the WORST that can happen is that you save a bit of money for something that isn't quite as good as the alternatives.

--
Gerry


First camera 1953, first Pentax 1983, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne

si, di origini italiane ma vivo in Portogallo. I miei genitori sono di Roma

Benna78 said:

Scusa Gian Luca, sei italiano?

ciao
--
Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I
do say... no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh...
depended on the breaks.

Click to expand...

--
It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind.

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Anyway... how do you guys manage to be so sure of your choices?

Click to expand...

You say an S5 is 'no good for candids'. What is it about the S5 that makes it no good for candids, and a Pentax somehow good for candids? I don't understand. They both have aperture priority setting on the dial, and you can get wide angle lenses for both if that's your style.

Now, if you'd said the S5 is 'too big for candids' that's something else entirely, and you would already have decided on a K2000 or a K200D.

IMO, the best choice in the case of indecision is to make the best use of the camera you've got, by improving every aspect of your technique. When you really need a new camera the answer will be obvious.

Mike

Except DA14 for wide angle. Pentax WILL make FF body, question not if, but when. DA are useless on FF body including film ones. As per what is better – DA70 or FA77 for example – I reckon both damn good and it is more about shooter preferences and it cannot be said that one is leap ahead of another. If you do not plan go to FF should it became available then DA is obvious choice, otherwise grab FA because they WILL be in deficit sometime after FF release.

Cheers

PS it money does not matter, then get both ))))))))

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Thank you for your replies. I was not expecting gear discussion with
my thread... I was just aiming to understand how do you deal with
indecision. I have made a few threads in the last few days gear
related and I don´t want anymore answers in that matter because now,
after I got answers I was looking for, it is kind of a personal
decision. I´m aware of the pluses and minus of all that gear, also
because I have owned most of them sometime in the past.
I just wanted to know what is the best attitude when one has doubts
since I´m usually very impulsive and buy what I think is better to
later feel remorses and get something diferent, just to find later
that I shouldn´t have sold that one in the first place... what a
mess
--

Click to expand...

Gian Luca, if you are impulsive (I am too sometimes) the best thing is to take a deep breath and do something else for a few days--something to get your mind on another topic. Don't order the gear.

Then, in a few days, think through the photos that have most pleased you. What kinds of lenses (focal length, speed) were most of those photos made with? A few years ago (in film days) I realized that my FA 20-35 F4 was giving me a higher percentage of "keepers" than any other lens. So I realized that I need wide angle lenses. Think the problem through in this way and the answer will come to you.

Do you travel a lot and need very compact lenses? No? Then maybe the FA limiteds are your best choice.

Do you shoot in low light a lot? No? Then maybe you don't need the speed of the FA limiteds and would be happy with the DA limiteds.

Joe

Model Mike said:

Model Mike said:

Anyway... how do you guys manage to be so sure of your choices?

Click to expand...

You say an S5 is 'no good for candids'. What is it about the S5 that
makes it no good for candids, and a Pentax somehow good for candids?
I don't understand. They both have aperture priority setting on the
dial, and you can get wide angle lenses for both if that's your style.

Now, if you'd said the S5 is 'too big for candids' that's something
else entirely, and you would already have decided on a K2000 or a
K200D.

IMO, the best choice in the case of indecision is to make the best
use of the camera you've got, by improving every aspect of your
technique. When you really need a new camera the answer will be
obvious.

Click to expand...

Sorry maybe I didn´t explained myself. The S5Pro has no problem at all for candids. I don´t like it colors outside and since I shoot many candids outside, that what I use a camera mainly outdoors. I want a Pentax for outdoors not candids particularly.

Model Mike said:

Mike

Click to expand...

--
It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind.

Joseph Tainter said:

Gian Luca Patriarca said:

Thank you for your replies. I was not expecting gear discussion with
my thread... I was just aiming to understand how do you deal with
indecision. I have made a few threads in the last few days gear
related and I don´t want anymore answers in that matter because now,
after I got answers I was looking for, it is kind of a personal
decision. I´m aware of the pluses and minus of all that gear, also
because I have owned most of them sometime in the past.
I just wanted to know what is the best attitude when one has doubts
since I´m usually very impulsive and buy what I think is better to
later feel remorses and get something diferent, just to find later
that I shouldn´t have sold that one in the first place... what a
mess
--

Click to expand...

Gian Luca, if you are impulsive (I am too sometimes) the best thing
is to take a deep breath and do something else for a few
days--something to get your mind on another topic. Don't order the
gear.

Then, in a few days, think through the photos that have most pleased
you. What kinds of lenses (focal length, speed) were most of those
photos made with? A few years ago (in film days) I realized that my
FA 20-35 F4 was giving me a higher percentage of "keepers" than any
other lens. So I realized that I need wide angle lenses. Think the
problem through in this way and the answer will come to you.

Do you travel a lot and need very compact lenses? No? Then maybe the
FA limiteds are your best choice.

Do you shoot in low light a lot? No? Then maybe you don't need the
speed of the FA limiteds and would be happy with the DA limiteds.

Joe

Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice joe. I did what you say and hoenstly from all the cameras and top lens I had in the last few years my best pictures (candids and portraits) were from the K20D with a silver FA 77 f/1.8

That is why the DA are more logical to me but those pictures I keep coming back tell me I should spend more and get that combination again. If it wasn´t for those pictures, I wouls already have ordered the K200D with the DA 70.

--
It is the eye that counts... not the gear. I try to shoot with my mind.