Back-up to a K5 : Pentax or Nex ?

Having recently sold my K7 for a good price I'm now considering a back-up camera to my K5 for an unexpected but very welcome 10 day trip to Aus in Nov. and if I like it or it does the job well then I'll keep it for my 4/5 week visit to my sister in NZ next Jan/Feb.

Those in the running (or were) at the moment (other suggestions welcome - I love this part of debating/researching options before actually buying a camera/lens !) are :

D100 super, Q (now not under consideration), D10D, Kr, Nex C3 or, if out in time (and not too expensive), the Nex 7.

I figure with any of these if I buy and resell then I'm not going to lose much (anything) except in the case of a new Kr or a new Nex and if I don't like whichever of those I buy then I'll give it to my daughter with a couple of lenses.

The Nex may seem rather strange to throw into the mix but the C3 (and later the 24MP Nex 7) has an APS-C sensor (same as the K5 but 'tweaked' in a different direction) so the 1.5 crop is the same as my K5, and has DxO figures that are the same or better than the Kr and close to those of the K5 in some areas. I can also buy lenses from virtually ANY manufacturer and they will fit with the aid of the ready available adapters (which means ALL my M42 and PK lenses will play very nicely on the Nex). I don't mind MF at all for non-sport / birding applications.

Here are some clips from my research (if the clips are not permitted here for any reason then I've given the links below them) :

The full spec comparison is here :DxOMark - Compare cameras side by side]link

Nex C3 vs. Kr vs. K5



Here's the link : http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/715%7C0/(appareil2)/672%7C0/(appareil3)/676%7C0/(onglet)/0/(brand)/Sony/(brand2)/Pentax/(brand3)/Pentax]link

Pentax Q vs Nex C3



Here's the link : http://thenewcamera.com/?p=5642]link

I know one of the big cons is that the Nex doesn't have an EVF (maybe the Nex 7 will have) but this seems like a good alternative way to view the screen: http://www.clearviewer.com/Products.html

From Amateur Photographer : With a total of ten NEX lenses available by the end of next year, a new more powerful flashgun and Sony embracing third-party lenses and adapters, NEX cameras have real potential to become a secondary system for most photographers. If only they would add a couple more buttons and an EVF. They are also reporting that the in-lens SR for the NEX lenses is easily as good as Nikon's or Canon's but at vastly lower prices ($100 - 300 per lens).

I'd love some debate on these and also on all of the cameras I'm considering as a back-up so please fell free to throw your opinion, on any aspect of these cameras, into the ring ! Thank you.

Rather then looking at the camera... how do you plan of backing up the lenses?
If you buy another Pentax you can still use your lenses if you buy a NEX that means you need to buy and carry lenses for that.
So in what way is the NEX (or any other camera for that matter) a back-up?

Sorry to fail to miss this point.

You might want to have a good scour of this review as well link, before committing...

Battery life and flash are interesting reading / viewing. Also, I didn't get a sense of whether or not the Sony product gives you the ability to manually apply exposure compensation?

Another K5. Prices are dropping and you have all the lenses.

I'd only consider another camera/system if you were thinking about moving away from Pentax in the longer term.

That said, when I had a similar situation (6 week trip to NZ) I bought an ultra-zoom bridge camera and left my Pentax at home. Gave me everything I wanted (except the Pentax IQ)but I traded that against convenience, weight and knowing I was going to be more in 'happy snappy' tourist mode than trying to make decent pictures.

As he says, K-adapters are available for the NEX and he is happy to manually focus his lenses. The NEX also makes a case for itself as a top-quality travel camera in its own right if you slap a 16mm pancake lens on it.

Although in his shoes, I'd get a used K-x as a cheap and good back up.

Do those adapters also support all the functions of the lens, so auto aperture and focusing?

Stefan - you either need to go to Specsavers or you're being wilfully difficult. They do not support AF, but HE IS HAPPY TO MANUALLY FOCUS HIS LENSES. AE - I guess you are only able to stop the lens down with the aperture ring and use them in AV mode, as you do with M42 lenses and an adapter on Pentax cameras. So DA/FAJ lenses will be out, but that leaves K, M, A, F, and FA lenses to choose from.

And with the kit lens the NEX is considerably cheaper than the K5, leaving more than enough money for a 16mm prime which would make it genuinely pocketable, an X100 substitute.

In fact, OMG - t's only 380.00 from Argos with the 16mm pancake!

Unless you're doing a pro shoot you don't need a backup camera.

Unless you want to make life difficult, a second K-5 is the logical solution for full compatibility.

But I think the question you pose is a red herring. You want to buy a new toy and have your eyes set on a NEX. No point looking to us for justification -- just do it and have fun!

(Me, I'd ignore the Sony system because the ergonomics suck. An older model MFT is the best bang for the buck.)

I agree. Most of us mere mortals take a single camera, even for a once in a lifetime trip.
The K-5 is the logical second body, but I suspect you are just after a new toy .

uhmmm i ain't asking if he is happy only if there is an adapter that support that.
I haven't looked into them so maybe someone who has done some research might have actually found some adapters that support that, who knows.

There is a NEX to EOS with aperture and focusing as an example but haven't seen them for the K-mount.

Every lens I've got and virtually every other lens out there can fit the Nex with adapters - not different to using M42s or Zeiss MM / Leica R on PK mounts.

Stefan - as I said above there is an adapter for virtually every manufacturer (EOS / Nikon / MD / PK / Ricoh / M42 / CY / Leica and so on and so on).

Pentaxophile, Robin, Gwyn : maybe you are right and it is a case of CBA However the fact remains that I do need a back-up camera (since I sold the K7 I feel quite naked !) and although the K100 Super originally caught my eye when I saw how much this Nex C3 was selling for (I don't know why but I had the impression it was more expensive than the Q) I was shocked and after checking it out it looks like a really decent option.

Does it offer something different ? Is it a good option as back-up ? Certainly it will easily fit in my pocket with a couple of primes from my sig. or a simple day backpack with 3 or 4 primes.

I would still like to hear pros / cons / opinions from posters re. Nex vs. Kr / K10D / K100 super in case there is something I have missed or some critical point(s) against the Nex. I know I am going to go and get my hands on all of them to see if ergonomically they are a fit to my hands.

Robin - I considered but eventually gave up the idea of buying another K5 because I am saving for a dual system D700 (to add to my K5) when the prices come down. Since that won't be until next year then I can squeeze something in mid-term and get rid when the time is right.

Have you considerd a bridge camera the new Sony has had some very good reveiws recently.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_cybershot_dsc_hx100v_review/

Ian

Thanks Ian but no I want the APS-C sensor and to be able to use all the lovely lenses I have