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Considering switch from 5D to K10D

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TWPhoto

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Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use? does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no more dust issue?
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap or fairly solid?
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be your choice and why?

And if there is anyone whou used both 5D and K10D your opinion will be appreciated.

Thank you all :-)

--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
 
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
Click to expand...
From my limited experience it is worthless and does not work for me at least.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
Click to expand...
I give it thumbs up. It feels solid to me. It is a lot more solid than my 30 year old manual SLR. I personally like the feel better than the N D200.
TWPhoto said:
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
Click to expand...
?? can not answer
TWPhoto said:
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
Click to expand...
Coming from 30 year old lenses, they all feel cheep to me not just Pentax. The light weight has its advantages though.
TWPhoto said:
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?
Click to expand...
D200. Nice camera
TWPhoto said:
And if there is anyone whou used both 5D and K10D your opinion will
be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Can't help here.
TWPhoto said:
Thank you all :-)

--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
Click to expand...
 
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
Click to expand...
I haven't had sensor dust on this camera yet. This could be because of the anti-dust coating on the CCD, or it could be because I haven't had any dust on the sensor yet. I have taken pictures and changed lenses in pretty dusty environments. Is it working? I don't know. But no news is good news.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
Click to expand...
You'll find it solid enough. No complaints here. It's well built, you can rest assured of that.
TWPhoto said:
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
Click to expand...
Pentax is at a crossroads right now. Their traditional AF system places a motor in the camera body that drives the AF in the lens via a slotted pin. That's known to be a little slower than AF systems that put the motor in the lens, but it results in very compact lenses.

The crossroads is that Pentax is now in the process of introducing DA* lenses, (DA Star). These lenses have a motor built into the lens, and AF speed will probably be faster (and quieter). The K10D is the first body to support both types of lenses. DA* lenses are so new I don't think any are actually on the market quite yet. Give it a month or two.

But I doubt you'll be disappointed in the AF on any of Pentax's DA-Limited lenses. I also find it very quick and effective with the Da16-45, DA50-200, and some of my older FA lenses. It's quick, but about to get better.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
Click to expand...
The DA16-45 is very good, as are some of the FA and FA* zooms. The DA50-200 is better than your average consumer zoom. But for the nicest possible zooms, Pentax is again about to introduce some DA* zooms. One is something like a 16-55/2.8, I believe. At any rate, though some of the current zooms are already excellent, the DA* zooms will exceed excellency. ;)
 
Just a few points.

The new pentax lenses with SSD (equivalent to USM) are due in the next month or 2. so its hard to compare, however its well known that the Pentax AF is a bit slower but more accurate.

Also the dust removal systems on all cameras are pretty poor right now. the Olympus is easily the best, but IMO a rocket blower does a better job anyway.

Pentax build quality is generally pretty good. even the cheaper cams have a decent sturdy feel to them.
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?

The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?

And if there is anyone whou used both 5D and K10D your opinion will
be appreciated.

Thank you all :-)

--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
Click to expand...
--
Justin
--------------------------------------------------------
The Blind Pig
http://www.jeber.com/Members/Justin/Gallery/
Photobucket
http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m313/justin-23/
 
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
Click to expand...
I'm really curious why. Is it a cost issue?
TWPhoto said:
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
Click to expand...
Ineffective.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
Click to expand...
As solid as any camera I've ever held. I'd recommend you hold any camera you're considering.
TWPhoto said:
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
Click to expand...
According to imaging resource, the Canon Xti focuses in 0.2s in good light and the K10d takes 0.25s. In low light Canon is faster--I've seen measured down around 2EV where the Canon was 1s and the Pentax was 2s to AF. I've heard it said Pentax is more accurate, but I don't know first hand. Of course I'm sure the 5d is even better than the Xti.

Doesn't the 5d have the ability for the focus motor to keep moving even after the mirror has lifted? I'm pretty sure the 1d can do this, but I'm not sure on the 5d. This would be a powerful capability for unpredictable action.
TWPhoto said:
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?
Click to expand...
That would be my 2nd choice after the k10d also simply because it's also in that $900-$1000 price range and Nikon has a semi-decent selection of digital (ie., reasonably priced) stabilized lenses. The D80 also felt good in my hand at the store.

Canon's contender for me would be the 30D, but it's really a little too expensive, fewer megapixels, and for my needs and budget, Canon has the worst selection of lenses.

K10d destroys both of them on ergonomics (again, you shouldn't take anybody's word for something like this--you should see one in a store.)
TWPhoto said:
And if there is anyone whou used both 5D and K10D your opinion will
be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I haven't used the 5d, but with the huge sensor and megapixel advantage, I'm sure the k10d IQ will be inferior to the 5d. Only question is does the advantage matter to you.

Bart
--
http://www.pbase.com/zumbari
 
I came from using Canon equipment first, although not the 5D.
  • I like Pentax' lens line more because I tend to prefer primes in the 14-70 mm range, where Canon's lens expertise IMO is in the long glass and zooms. That said, the one Pentax zoom I do use is superb and their top-line zooms for the digital SLR bodies are due out very shortly (the DA* line of 16-50, 50-135 and 60-250). I expect these lenses to be on par with state of the art zoom lenses, like the older FA* lenses from Pentax were too.
  • I prefer the Pentax smaller size and lighter weight.
  • The Pentax K10D body is more ergonomic in my hands and the controls are easier to learn and use; I have not found it to feel cheap or poorly made.
  • I've used the dust removal system twice and it worked fine both times. However, I expect to clean the sensor manually at some point or another as no one system handles all possible dust issues.
TWPhoto said:
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?
Click to expand...
If the Pentax DSLR line didn't exist, I'd have switched from Canon to the Nikon D200. Or I might have switched to the Olympus E-1 or Panasonic L1. Hard to say for sure. My needs are fairly specific and both those cameras suit me better than what I had in the Canon line due to the lens options.

Godfrey
 
Why are you replacing your 5D? The 5D will be better than any dslr on the market (apart from Canon's 1D series obviously). For me the K10D, D80 and and 30D are all on equal terms, you can't go wrong with either of them. Just pick the one with the advantages that suit you ie. K10D - SR, Weather Seals, 30D - Fps, High Iso perfomance, D80 - AF, Flash system, etc. Obviously there are more advantages/disadvantages not listed.
 
The main issue on your list is focusing.

The algorithms and sensors with which pentax uses to focus are mediocre at best compared to canons IMO. They only find large high contrast areas well, and cannot pick up on fabric textures and the such to focus on even close to as well as my old canon. Keep in mind that my old canon was a 300d!

Also, some have found that they front/back focus slightly differently depending on the color of the light.

That being said, if you know this, hit a good high contrast spot to focus on, use an external flash with a near IR focus assist lamp when it is dark, you should be ok.

Focusing speed is average to good in good light (compared to conventional motor canons, not USM lenses).

Now on to the goods.

I love the button placement, and the way the GUI is setup.

I love the quality of the lenses (primes and new DA* lenses are fairly spectacular).

The body is amazing for plastic, not on the same level as yours, but very usable.

I switched to pentax because I wanted an IS prime, but if I already had a 5d I would not have switched. The in body IS is NOT as good as in lens, IMO. Also, it lacks panning IS, so motorsports shots can be tricky.
 
FF cameras like the 5D aren't the all-round wonder solution, vignetting is a big problem that greatly reduces the number of suitable lenses. I've handled a 5D with a 85mm/f1.8 USM lens and it did focus nice and positively but I wouldn't say it's much faster than a Sigma 17-70 on my K100D in good light, it's obviously faster in low light but where it scores more is it's ability to track moving subjects effortlessly. You get what you pay for, but it still can't have IS/SR with primes like the Pentaxes.
 
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
Click to expand...
The sensor still requires cleaning, but not as frequently.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
Click to expand...
The K10 feel solid, also since it is a completely sealed body.

Even people that have put their Pentax SLRs through some rough testing, have been satisfied that it was up for the task.

Some feel that polycarbonate outer has better shock absorbing than magnesium body. (Not recommended to be tested though). The K10 has high-rigidity stainless-steel chassis.

You’re gonna love the limited series lenses that is almost a trademark of Pentax. They are hand-assembled to insure the highest quality :
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-05-02.shtml

The new DA limiteds are pancake editions, very light weight. The 40 mm weighs only 90 grams, (3.2 oz).

Here are some samples from the K10 :
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=21117333&page=1
TWPhoto said:
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
Click to expand...
Speed is fairly on par in outside photography, slower indoor.
New sonic lenses from Pentax are out within the next months.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
Click to expand...
Build quality have always been very good. Pentax is a pretty conservative company, they do not compromise and try to make the easy bucks with some cheaper made lenses. It almost put them out of business, since when they put out the *ist D camera that most users consider a little gem, the price was simply too high; no corners had been cut.

If the DA* zooms are gonna live up to the older FA*, then we’re in for a treat. FA* zooms have been praised as having quality like prime lenses.
TWPhoto said:
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?
Click to expand...
Nikon D80 is good as well. But the K10 is above that, it lies between the Nikon D80 and D200.

We’d love to have you on board. We’ve had quite a bit come over from Canon.

--
Kind regards
Sune
  • A talented photographer doesn’t miss the shots, he improves his technique
 
.............all your opinions, my own thoughts about K10D were confirmed here. I will order one today, if for some reason I will not like it I can always return it, but I hope it won't be the case.

To answer the question "why"...................I fell in love with a piece of glass called Leica Noctilux and in order to afford it I need to sell all my Canon equipment (I will surely miss my 85mm f1.2) :-). Since I'm shooting mostly film, the choice of digital camera is not as critical for me. I will be using it mostly for snapshots and occasional shoot for a customer and for this I think K10D will be more than enough. I don't shoot sports or other fast moving subjects so AF speed is not critical for me. It comes down to this..................for the 5D body alone I'll be able to get K10D, fast zoom lens and 50mm 1.4. Selling all the Canon glass and my faithfull Voigtlander Bessa will let me buy Zeiss Ikon and Leica 50mm f1.................and I will be in heaven, or at least I hope I'll be :-)

Thank you all again, you really hepled.

--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
 
I have both a K10D and a 5D, and I really enjoy them both but they are quite different. First of all, to answer your questions: The anti-dust feature is not a total solution for dust. The sensor still needs to be cleaned from time to time, although much less often than other cameras I've owned. But it seems there are some bunnies that can't be shaken off..

To date Pentax has not yet released their supersonic lenses, which is the USM-equivalent focusing system for Pentax's upcoming DA Star lenses. Canon's USM lenses focus much, much faster and quieter than anything I've tried for my K10D. But the DA* lenses are being released this year so the gap will significantly narrow at that time.

The camera's body feels nice and sturdy, and I prefer its ergonomics over my 5D. Also, Pentax's Limited prime lenses are beautiful pieces of photographic equipment. If you're a gearhead like me these things will turn you on.

So, despite the focusing issues and poor JPG performance, the features of the K10D trump anything in its class, and even trump the 5D by a significant margin. The anti-shake, weather sealing, dust removal, dedicated bracketing button, in camera RAW processing, etc, really make it a standout. It is an incredible value and highly recommended as long as you're shooting RAW and will spend some money on decent glass.
TWPhoto said:
Hello all, this is my first post on the Pentax
forum................................I I'm looking for inexpensive
DSLR to replace my Canon 5D and having K10D on my short list I
would like to ask few questions about it.
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?

The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?

And if there is anyone whou used both 5D and K10D your opinion will
be appreciated.

Thank you all :-)

--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
Click to expand...
--

Chris
http://www.imagineimagery.com
 
TWPhoto said:
It comes down
to this..................for the 5D body alone I'll be able to get
K10D, fast zoom lens and 50mm 1.4. Selling all the Canon glass and
my faithfull Voigtlander Bessa will let me buy Zeiss Ikon and Leica
50mm f1.................and I will be in heaven, or at least I hope
I'll be :-)

Thank you all again, you really hepled.
Click to expand...
Wait a couple of weeks or so for the new USM lenses to hit the streets. The 16-50 F2.8 and 50-135 F2.8 should be gems.
TWPhoto said:
--
... just another amateur who's much in love with photography...
http://www.tomwidlak.com
Click to expand...
--
Steve
Pixel peepers miss the big picture.
http://www.pbase.com/steve_jacob
 
I Have my K10D, now 7 weeks and its performance seems to get better with time, it's a unique camera,and behaves equally so. Maybe i got a very good example, but the jpegs from my camera are superbly sharp, set at natural & +2 sharpness. I have compared out of camera jpegs and Raw converted in Lightroom, and i am stumped to see any significant differences,So the poor jpegs performance is a mystery for me. The camera focus fast enough under normal conditions, and i have never an image that i missed a sharp focus, slow but sure system. I have in laws that purchased Canons 30Ds in the past few weeks and are shooting strictly Raw, as they claim the Raw images are clearly better than the jpegs from the camera.

What i do not like with the K10D is the VPN that rears it's head now and then, suspect it's a hardware problem, or it would have been fixed already.The camera's body is well built, perhaps the best in this price segment, the ergonomics is fantastic, a fun camera to use, Pentax lenses are the best lenses, and thing will get better,metering on this camera is superb, it surprises me from time to time how accurate it is, simply fantastic.

The K10D replacement when it comes i am sure will stump the competition in their tracks . Things are warming up in this segment all the better for us

Cheers !
 
Fredrick, I did a test with my K10D and 5D, to compare image quality between file types and lenses. Of course these are 100% crops so the faults of the JPGs and the cheap lenses are magnified. But, I print on a 24" printer, so 100% crops are relavent to me. If you don't print large then the difference is less significant, although I don't know why anyone would own a 10 megapixel DSLR and not print large... . Anyways, here's a link to the VERY LARGE test file. As you can see, there is quite a disparity between the quality of JPGs vs RAW files on the K10D, and much less so on the Canon 5D. But fortunately if you shoot RAW with the K10D then the quality is indescernable from the results given by the 5D. You can also see in my test that a high quality prime lens also greatly imporves image quality:

http://www.pbase.com/chris_miller/image/71966366/original
Frederick Stewart said:
I Have my K10D, now 7 weeks and its performance seems to get better
with time, it's a unique camera,and behaves equally so. Maybe i got
a very good example, but the jpegs from my camera are superbly
sharp, set at natural & +2 sharpness. I have compared out of camera
jpegs and Raw converted in Lightroom, and i am stumped to see any
significant differences,So the poor jpegs performance is a mystery
for me. The camera focus fast enough under normal conditions, and i
have never an image that i missed a sharp focus, slow but sure
system. I have in laws that purchased Canons 30Ds in the past few
weeks and are shooting strictly Raw, as they claim the Raw images
are clearly better than the jpegs from the camera.
What i do not like with the K10D is the VPN that rears it's head
now and then, suspect it's a hardware problem, or it would have
been fixed already.The camera's body is well built, perhaps the
best in this price segment, the ergonomics is fantastic, a fun
camera to use, Pentax lenses are the best lenses, and thing will
get better,metering on this camera is superb, it surprises me from
time to time how accurate it is, simply fantastic.
The K10D replacement when it comes i am sure will stump the
competition in their tracks . Things are warming up in this segment
all the better for us

Cheers !
Click to expand...
--

Chris
http://www.imagineimagery.com
 
TWPhoto said:
  • how is the anti-dust solution in this camera working in real use?
does isensor still requires cleaning after some time or there is no
more dust issue?
Click to expand...
Some dust arehandled well, while others requires manual cleaning or that is what I have heard. I have not found a dust issue with my K10D and I have been a proud owner of it since december.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've read that the body is made from plastic. does it feel cheap
or fairly solid?
Click to expand...
The outside is polycarbonete over a rigid metal chassi with side, bottom, top and front plattern of metal, viewfinder housing and sensor chamber of metal with metal lens mount bolted on the metal chassi.
TWPhoto said:
  • how fast is the focus, how does it compare with Canon's USM?
Click to expand...
In bright light the screwdriven autofocus is very speedy, but performance drops in low light. No test has yet been carried out with the K10D and the new DA Star lenses, that has supersonic direct motors. Pentax claims a clear improvement in both sensitivity, speed and accuracy.
TWPhoto said:
  • I've heard lot of superlatives about Pentax prime lenses, how the
zoom lenses perform, what's the build quality?
Click to expand...
Pentax professional zoom lenses has always been among the top of the class.

As the new DA Star lenses are just being rolled out from the factory, it does not yet exist tests of them but they are probably in the same high class as the old ones or even better. They are weather sealed with very high build quality. The standard zooms, non Star, has a solid build quality with good optical performance.

The very cheap FA J 75-300 f/4.5-5.8 zoom scored higher for sharpness than Sigma 70-300 APO, Tamron 70-300 LD Di and Canons 70-300 in a recent test by the swedish magazine Kamera & Bild, and as it was also the cheapest of them it was a clear "best buy".
TWPhoto said:
The second camera I'm thinking about is Nikon D80. What would be
your choice and why?
Click to expand...
The Nikon D80 is way overpriced.

It has no buil-tin SR and no weather sealing, the user interface is also not as flexible as the Pentax.

--
Take care
R
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaelmabo
 
Frederick Stewart said:
What i do not like with the K10D is the VPN that rears it's head
now and then, suspect it's a hardware problem, or it would have
been fixed already.
Click to expand...
That is more a problem with some users than a problem with the camera.

As common with cameras from Canon, Nikon and the others, the K10D do shows some VPN at long exposures and with images heavily brightened, like underexposed shots with the shadows brighten up. This is perfectly normal and the K10D are no worse than the competition here.

However, a few users has had VPN problems at normal lighting conditions with normal exposed shots, and because of this - everyone seems to believe that all K10D's now show up VPN in normal light conditions with normal exposed shots. It's just like this famous backfocus/front focus problems, a few users got a problem and then everyone believes that all cameras has this problem. A few cameras has had their flashes burned up, and because of this suddenly all cameras has faulty flashes and if your K10D has a flash that has not burned up yet - it will surely happen sometime...
And so on and so on...
It is an Internet thing.

My K10D has accurate focusing, accurate metering, the flash still works, and it shows no VPN in properly exposed shots that are not heavy brightened in post processing.

I feel quite sure that my K10D isn't the only K10D on the planet that is actually working...
--
Take care
R
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaelmabo
 
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