Are Pentax really that bad for sport ?

Problem is I'm wary of investing £2.3k on an outdated Sigma 300mm f2.8 when I haven't seen enough evidence to show it will deliver. When I could get a second hand Sigma 120-300 f2.8 for about £800 and a 2nd hand 7d for £600

Was also very tempted by a recent 2nd hand Sigma 500 f4 in Canon mount that was for sale for £1300. IT was HSM , not screw drive. Nearly jumped ship on that occasion

I really hope so. I was really surprised by the AF part of the review on pentaxforums.

Hasten to add, that overall they say "Based on what we've seen, we are tempted to say that the K-3 is the best APS-C DSLR currently on the market"

I look how much Sigma 100-300mm f/4 in Pentax mounts go for sale at, theres one on the other forum for €1500 and think I could get that in canon or nikon mount for around £4-500 and buy a decent body for around £1000 for the same price. Same with a 300mm 2.8 The sigma in Nikon or Canon usually go for around £8-900 used and again £1000 for a body and thats still less than the cost of a new one.

Its alright saying Pentax can compete at sports but when you get to pro level I'm sorry but Pentax just cannot compete and I mean this in a business sense. I could shoot football with my set up and I know I wouldn't sell one image from a game because the images just will not be as good as the can ikon pros for the nationals to use. I have looked at the sport examples in this thread and particularly the football shots and nearly all seem to be from when the ball is static, and when there is something happening the key moment is missed. This isn't the photographers fault but purely down to the gear and its limitations.

I have been fortunate to shoot at Old Trafford alongside the guys that shoot for the nationals and have seen first hand the standards they set and unfortunately Pentax cannot compete with its current line up, the k-3 maybe an improvement but not good enough in my opinion.

I love Pentax gear but I think a dose of reality is needed, yes years ago pros did shoot sports with manual focus but not anymore. Maybe pentax doesn't want to compete in that market and thats fine, they're not shouting their gear is for sports pro.

I agree. I was actually with my friend who has just got a 7D as an upgrade and we were both shooting waders taking off unpredictably. He was using a 500mm prime and 1.4xconverter on a gimbal head and I was using my K30 and a 300DA* on a Gimbal head. He had a better success rate on focusing than me. Perhaps my eyes are going!
I am more than happy with my K30 and my wildlife shooting K5 friend is as well but he also says the same about the focusing and he's only 30!

I have been fortunate to shoot at Old Trafford alongside the guys that shoot for the nationals and have seen first hand the standards they set and unfortunately Pentax cannot compete with its current line up, the k-3 maybe an improvement but not good enough in my opinion.

I love Pentax gear but I think a dose of reality is needed, yes years ago pros did shoot sports with manual focus but not anymore. Maybe pentax doesn't want to compete in that market and thats fine, they're not shouting their gear is for sports pro.[/quote]Gary, I agree with you above points in relation to Football and Rugby, but that type of sports photography is almost a closed shop anyway and dominated by Cannon and Nikon and not all of the images printed from weekend games in the papers are cream of the crop regardless of the brand . Plenty of other Sports where Pentax equipment has been used for commercial work with some big companies that have been happy to use images for magazines, product photography etc and include the following:

Surfing
Skiing
Snowboarding
Mountain Biking
Climbing
Mountaineering
Sailing
Equestrian

One advantage the K5 & K3 has is its compact size, build quality and weather sealing. Lugging a D4 around for any of the above soon makes you ask a few questions, but different camera tools for different photographic jobs. Some of the top sports photographers still shoot manual focus when they are after a specific image, although I have to admit they are not shooting Pentax.

Without getting into the pro support network stuff, I think the reality is Nikon & Canon dominate the sports arena photographically and always will do. but that is for lots of different reasons.

The original post question was "Are Pentax really that bad for sport"
The answer is not a simple yes or no. However, if you want to be one of the pro sports togs you will have to be very good to be accepted if you shoot Pentax and that is where you will be judged before you event take one shot.

Cameras will keep improving certain aspects for specific uses and if these are at the cutting edge so to will be the price.

Eddie The Eagle Edwards knew he could not beat the top ski jumpers, but he went out their and did his thing, had a lot of fun, won a lot of peoples hearts and made a few bob.

I guess the answer to the initial post is, if Pentax works for your sports photography great, if it does not, Canon or Nikon, will take your money and provide you with either less or more depending on how large and deep your pockets are.

So Pentax is is the "Eddie the Eagle" of Sports Photography?






.

Anyway I see no reason why Pentax can't be a brand that excels at Chess Photography

I don't understand the problem smeggy! K5 is great for snail action!


To be fair as I keep saying Pentax AF is. not that bad but not to the level of a four thousand quid body but why would anyone expect it to be? For the money, the pentaxes are great! Canon 7D doesn't match a 5D MkIII but it's plenty good enough, I hope people cut the K3 some slack but know they won't...
Bet the first full review uses the 60/250 or the 50/135 and moans about the slow autofocus but what can you do?

Well this is the point. Pentax need to release a £4,000 body that can cut it for the Pro Situations.

Gary is right that pro-level situations as he describes above require gear that can keep up and it ain't cheap.

£4,000 for a body and another £6,000 on lenses isn't much for a pro set up. A self employed plumber or electrician can spend well over £20,000 on a van and tools alone.

Pentax needs to release gear like this. OK, most of us amateur hobbiests might not be able to afford or justify affording that many thousands on our leisure pursuits, but that's the not the point. Pentax edging into this pro market is going to have spinoffs in the amateur market. Even if it's not profitable it's called a "loss leader"

True enough but they'll have to rebuild the brand over here so to speak first, which means gradually increasing but purposeful steps, probably a FF body in the spring, next stop after, a sports body, maybe? They are doing quite well on the brand awareness, I'm not used to seeing Pentaxes on the front of magazines/in newspapers and displayed at the front of Camera stores, instead of in the corner next to the door to the skip!
The Pro centres are a good idea but I'll agree with you on that word "Pro", there is a difference, Pentax is not a "Pro" system...yet.

Oh yeah and before anyone gets the idea of just chiming in with "It's not the camera that's Pro, it's the user!" Or "Any camera is a pro camera if a pro is using it!" SHUT UP!

The guys at Pentax forums are an unforgiving lot, the AF's probably no good because it isn't FF! If it was they'd say it was brilliant, positive and blazingly fast!

If you put a 2008 SDM lens on a 2013 body, it will aquire the target faster, and track better maybe thsn a 2008 body but the actual focus speed will be unchanged. It's the tracking rather thsn out and out focus speed that matters, if something travels from infinity to you in under two seconds, it'll likely kill you...

Static ? please explain

Smeggypants Extreme Chess photography only

I have sold a fair few images now of various sports to both magazines and business. I guess I am the photographic equivalent of Eddie the Eagle in the photographic sporting world as I don't own or shoot with Canon or Nikon, but I sometimes beat those guys to get paid for images, so it can be done with kit that is not seen as pro kit, you just have to work a little harder.

If anyone wants to buy me or give me a Nikon D4 or a Canon 1DX and a few pro lenses please PM me.