A hello and a request for guidance

Greetings all. This is my first post and I'm already going to ask for help

I currently own an Olympus E520 with 5 lenses ranging from 18mm up to 600mm (35mm equivalent), Olympus FL36 flash, Olympus remote, Giottos tripod and various Cokin filters. The lenses include standard and ED SWD (pro) spec and I intended to add further 'pro' glass in the future as these are weather sealed. I also have an Oly 2X teleconverter 'just in case' (I don't know what 'case' I'm waiting for but it was shiney and 'on offer' at the time).

Although I love photography, in its own right, my main hobby is overland travel, with my wife, in our Land Rover. I use my camera to try and capture memories as well as special images as we travel. As such my main 'focus' is landscapes and architecture. Although evening and night/star shots as well as streetlight scenes are also involved.

I chose Olympus because of my natural (and strange) aversion to following the mainstream crowd (Canikon) and the fact that I used a OM-2n for many years when I travelled as an Merchant Navy Engineer. However, apart from a Zenith B, my first 'real' camera was a Pentax K1000 (which I loved).

We have driven across the Sahara in Tunisia (where dust was a big issue). Next year (June) we are driving to the Arctic Circle in Norway and in 2015 we are hoping to drive to the Sahara again but, this time, in Morocco.

During our last trip I started to develop an interest in video and I intend to complement my photos with a videolog in the future. I have now acquired a GoPro Hero 2 (and may get another) and a Kodak Playsport specifically for 'onboard' video and only want to carry one camera when on foot.

I am not a 'must have the latest animal' and my E520 would have served me for many years but because of the dust and desire for video I was considering a camera upgrade to the Olympus E5. However, despite being on the market for 2 years, they still remain over £1200 and the rumours surrounding its replacement don't fill me with confidence.

As such I started to look around at a better way to spend my money.

Despite having a reasonably heavy investment in Oly lenses I started to compare the specs of the E5 against the K5ii. It was heavier, had lower resolution video, lower resolution sensor and was nearly twice the price!

I worked out that I could get a K5/K5ii and 2-3 lenses for the price of an E5. Taking into account the secondhand value of my current Oly kit (ebay here I come) I realised that I could jump ship and 'refresh' my entire setup for a figure which was not that far from my original predicted spend.

I would love to stay with Olympus but they do not seem to offer what I need/want.

So here is the cry for help:

I have been reading this forum, and surfing elsewhere, to try and 'gen up' on the Pentax world and whats good and not so good.

I have decided to go for a K5 and my first question is; is it worth paying the extra £250-ish for the K5ii?

I have identified that the DA* lenses seem to be the 'Pro' level and I am a great believer in getting the best equipment. That way if the photo is rubbish then I know it's my fault not the kit's. I do notice the difference between the Pro and Kit lenses.

I have identified the 16-50 and 50-135 as two key players and I was considering the, non *, 10-17 for indoor wide shots. This should cover the 15mm - 200mm focal range.

So second question, is it worth paying extra for the DA*?

If not can you suggest another set of options? I would rather stick with Pentax lenses and I am looking for the best IQ along with value for money.

My longest Oly lens is the 70-300 (140-600 35mm equiv) and, although I rarely use it, I would like to keep a 'long' lens in my kit bag. How do you rate the 18-270 at the longer end? an you suggest any better options?

Assuming I want to go 'silly-long' at some point what, if any, teleconverters do you recommend?

So, not bad for a first post.

Here's your chance to help a lost soul find the true path to Pentax joy

All advice and guidance gratefully received.

Cheers

Ralph

I would suggest starting simple, but first you could look at the reviews I did on ePHOTOzine for the E-5, K-5 and K-5 II.

Why not go for camera body plus, say 18-135mm, which gives you a nice gritty lens that is also weather-resistant. Then you will probably be looking at a wider lens, maybe the Pentax 12-24mm, but maybe the wider Sigmas looking at what you use already.

As for telephoto, the Pentax 55-300mm is excellent and not super-expensive.

If higher cost is acceptable, then there are higher cost options from the DA* lenses. However, you will not find the lenses first mentioned to be a disappointment compared to, say, the Olympus 12-60mm, which is expensive although excellent itself.

Curious why you want to stick to Pentax lenses ?

take the lens John suggests above - the 18-135, there'll be many posts after this defending it and saying all sorts and how one should try it one's self and not go off reviews and all sorts off stuff - hey this is A Pentax forum, full of Pentax fans - can you really expect no bias ?

When I was looking for something in that sort of range I read quite a lot of reviews on the pentax and also the sigma 18-125 - which I bought and love - quick and quiet to focus, decent size for it's range and just a very nice lens.

The one that sealed rejecting even entertaining the pentax was the review on Phgotozone - I do like reading their reviews as they tend to be pretty harsh judges and I like to get decent stuff.

They rated it 1.5 out of 5 and finished by saying:

"Just to mention again - we couldn't believe the rather poor performance so we asked the local Pentax service in Hamburg/Germany for an assessment of the situation. Result: the lens is within factory specifications."

I use mixtures of Pentax and sigma lenses and with my Canon 500D canon and sigma lenses. I see no reason to stick with a marque lens "just because"

My fave lenses on the pentax are:

sigma 18-125 - virtually welded to my K5 - reasons stated above and a great "walk around lens"

Pentax 55-300 - great performer, silly value for money - it's again available for £199 I believe , again a decent size for such a zoom range. Just a lovely lens all round.

The 18-55 WR kit lens is quite good as far as kit lenses go and a lot nicer than the canon equivalents which are OK optically but look and feel awful to use.

Cue defence of the pentax 18-135

I understood that because of dust the OP is looking for sealed camera and lenses?

If that is the case, that is one reason to consider the DA 18-135 over other alternatives. I, like many other owners of this lens, am very happy with it. I cannot say whether it is better than others, but it gets lots of use and some "better" Pentax lenses stay home.

A couple of comments on your lens thoughts:

- if weight is not a big issue, I would consider the DA* 60-250 over the 50-135.

- the 10-17 lens is a fish eye, if you are looking for a wide zoom, then alternatives are the DA 12-24 or one of the Sigmas (8-16 or 10-20).

Regs, Giorgio

good point re the sealing on the lens - you would not get this with the sigma

Is the K-5II worth £250 more than the K-5?

Probably not. The only difference is an improvement in focus accuracy in low light, when not using the focus-assist light.

Does the K-5II cost £250 more than the K-5?

No. It's currently only £100 more at forum sponsor SRS Microssytems, as long as you can find something to px then they'll give you at least £100 (or £100 more if it's actually worth something) against the II. But the offer is due to expire on 31/12, so you'd have to be quick.

Alternative bodies

The AA filter-less K-5 IIS is some £200 more than the straight K-5 II. As you would expect on an internet forum, opinion differs as to whether it's worth the extra. People do seem to agree you have to look very closely to see the difference though.

Or there's the K-30. Image quality is every bit as good as the K-5/II, and the autofocus is actually a bit quicker, despite it being almost half the price. Most really rate it but some, myself included, prefer the ergonomics and quality feel of the higher-spec model.

Alternatives to the DA* lenses

Maybe look at the 'Limited' primes. If the * lenses are aimed at professional use, then the limited could be aimed at enthusiasts. Where the *s are fast but big and heavy, the limiteds are small, light and beautifully tactile. Image quality is superb but they're not all fast (but not all are slow either). edit - Not sure about dust sealing on the limiteds off hand.

Thanks for the quick responses and excellent info.

I'm away from the PC at the moment and will read through properly later and give a fuller reply.

Elder, thanks for the heads up I have an old Canon Powershot A520 and so I have sent of an email to SRS. Hopefully I am in time.

Just to clarify a few points.

Weather/dust protection is a must. Hence the desire to stick to Pentax lenses.
I wouldn't say that budget doesn't matter but I am prepared to pay a bit extra for better IQ.
I liked the DA* lenses because they stretch to f2.8 which is handy for the night shots.
The Oly 12-60 is my favourite lens and gives excellent results so any comparison is brilliant, thanks John.
Giofi thanks for the heads up on the fish eye the 12-24 is now on the list.

Finally I want/need to have a full kit in place by June and want to get it right first time without any 'spare' lenses like the kit lenses I now have and don't use.

Once again thanks for your help.

Ralph

To cut to the chase, I would get the regular K5, the Sigma 8-16mm, and the Pentax 16-50mm and 60-250mm which are both sealed. I read mixed reviews of the 16-50 but it definitely should be up to the job considering your emphasis on weather sealing. If you can go without sealing on the longer zoom, you could go for the DA55-300mm instead and save some money. I would avoid the 18-270.

How weather sealed are these cameras? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo61t5fH6Qw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Ralph I've gone the same way - I bought a K-30 with 18-55 WR kit lens as I was finding my Olympus E-3 with 14-54mm and 50-200mm just too heavy and large to carry around. I've since sold all my Olympus kit - E-3/14-54/50-200/35mm/EC-14/FL36. I've now added a Pentax 50-200 WR lens and a Tamron 70-300. My camera bag is now significantly lighter but I've still managed to maintain the weather resistance ( I live in the west of Scotland) that the E-3 gave me -excluding the Tamron. Obviously dSLR technology has moved on greatly in the 4 years since the E-3 was launched and now being able to take images at iso 3200 without thinking is a significant advantage.

Jamie
How do you compare the IQ OF THE 2 systems?
I am running a similar thread on the E system user group forum and, although several people rate the K5, they claim that the Pentax lenses are no match for zuiko glass.
Cheers
Ralph

Hi Ralph,
You may have noticed my post over on the 'other' forum, having owned both systems there truly is a paradox if your favoured route is the zoom lens. Firstly there is no doubt that Pentax currently offer a superior D-SLR body, I was very fond of both my K20D and K7 bodies and I'm sure the K5 Mk2 is equally excellent from a handling point of view which much improved sensor performance.
However my experience with zooms from both systems is the reverse, Olympus are well known for the excellent zooms and in particular the 12-60 is a stunning optic. Whilst the build of the DA* zooms is compatible sadly the optical performance, particularly with the 16-50 just doesn't match Oly's wonderful 12-60.
To be brutally honest my optimum D-SLR system would be Pentax bodies with Oly 4/3rds HG and SHG glass, a pipe dream I know

Never-the-less given your system requirements, and the fact that travelling is a major ingredient, 'the' weather and dust sealed mirror-less option that I have mentioned elsewhere is my firm recommendation.

Following on from Huw's comment I have come to a similar conclusion.

IMO the Pentax wins 'hands down' when it comes to the camera.
Olympus win 'hands down' when it comes to their zoom lenses.
The m4/3 route (discussed on the other forum) is worth exploring but is probably out of my budget and doesn't quite 'feel right' yet.

IQ is a big issue for me and I am hearing various opinions on Pentax lenses. So, please, could someone post a link to a gallery which shows landscape/architecture shots using the above stated DA* lenses so that I can finally make my mind up whether to jump ship or not?

I would prefer to stick with zooms rather than primes at the moment.

Thanks again for all the comments

Ralph

Here's one for starters. On the Forum here as 'simonkit'.

link

Try also looking in the Gallery, plus over on Flickr, and also here link

Lastly, for the £100 trade-in deal SRS close at 4pm to-day, although I suppose you can order from them on-line until mid-night.