Second camera needed (Help required)

Ok heres the deal, I need honest advice and opinions as always. Please set aside the Pentax biased views.

At the moment I am working along side a pro photographer as a second shooter for weddings. I have just done a mainly candid shoot on Sunday and wiill post the images when the party have there copies and its ok to do so.

Right my question is I need a second camera as back up as I get into weddings more and more. So after my sigma E500 flash failure nothing to do with the K10D I hope I am now considering another camera.

I need a camera thats very fast at focusing, quiet enough for church shots, I also like the idea of quiet USM lens now available Pentax (DA 16-50) etc..

Yes the K10D has this except lacks the quietness needed as once again on Sunday my camera seemed far louder than my friends (Pro) camera.

So I was looking at the Nikon D80 with the 18-200 VR lens which will offer all that the k10D does and also VR like Pentax (SR) but a complete range from 18-200mm F3.5 not the fastest I admit but sufficient.

My only fear is I love the K10D so much and am concerend I wont like the D80 features. For example on sunday I used one of the K10Ds unique features sensitivity priority at ISO 500 and the shots came out great.

I could buy the Tamron 18-250mm but still have this noisy shutter/lens problem. Many wont see this as an issue so I really need so honest opinions which route to take.

Cheers Pete

Which was what, out of interest?

You've complained about sharpness more than anything else in recent times, Pete...

... what's the image quality likely to be like with lenses with enormous zoom ranges like this?

Now there is a post that seems to want the risk of starting a flame throwing match......( I know some will be tempted to substitute "you're" for "It's".... but here goes...).


IT'S JUST A TOOL! (use what works for you.)

I hope others will refrain from wasting time arguing about this post.

Surely the cost of changing system to Nikon is going to be more than the cost of buying a DA* zoom which will be much quieter in use with your K10D?

I had a chance to play with a D200 and a AF-S lens which belongs to a family member. The AF was quieter but no faster than on my K10 with 18-55 or 50-200.

Pete,

Here's my honest opinion.

You are very immature. You always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Whatever you have, you always think there is something better out there.

If you continue in your present vein, throwing money away, you soon won't be able to afford anything.

Nothing in life is perfect. We have to make do with what comes our way. In your case, by sheer luck, you have ended up with a magnificent camera. There are bound to be one or two things that other cameras do better, but, overall, you won't improve on the K10D, so STOP WORRYING about it.

If you were Don, you would have fashioned a little reflector out of whatever came to hand, or bought a cheap bracket, and you would have been able to swivel your 360.

But being you, you wasted a load of time and money by selling the 360 and buying the Sigma. Now you want a new camera.

Now, grow up, get real, and deal with the problem. There is presently an AF400T on Ebay which looks very professional. You'll have to use it on manual, but you'll soon learn how. Alternatively, get another 360 and a bracket.

G

This 'taking pictures in church' thing.

Loud AF is a non-issue. Focus manually, or if you're so incompetent you can't do that, even with such static subjects as a couple taking their vows, focus manually almost to the focus point, and let the AF finish the job - even without SDM it's virtually silent and very quick, since it has practically nothing to do.

For mirror slap to be really annoying, it has to happen during the quiet bits. Unless the photographer has a really good inconspicuous vantage point, he's going to be distracting enough just being there, fiddling about, focusing etc, let alone clicking away.

The only inconspicuous places in the church (if it has no gallery) are at the back, or at the sides at the front. What on earth is he trying to photograph from one of those places that needs more than a couple of shots during the quiet bits? No one's going to object to the official 'tog clicking once as the ring goes on, or if they kiss, and there's music of one kind or another for much of the rest of it.

So just out of curiosity, I'd like to hear a little more about the EXACT nature of the problem, rather than just 'moan, moan, too loud'. So far, I'm much more inclined to think he's doing the wrong thing.

True though this may be, especially without paying a hell of a lot more, if the specific feature he needs is a quiet mirror, he should find a camera that has one quiet enough, and use that in the church. I don't know how noisy the mirror-slap is on the Nikons and Canons (or the Sony Alpha, for that matter, which even has in-body SR), but maybe some of them are a lot quieter. (Note, Pete, that if the K10D is too loud, "a bit quieter" won't be quiet enough - it will have to be much, much quieter.)

But unless he's going to be specialising in taking pictures in churches at weddings, as you say, it's crazy to get so hung up about this single issue - he'll just end up moaning about something else he doesn't like.

I've been told that a few times in my life. Sadly though, it doesn't work

All SLRs are noisy. The only solution, if you must have a very quiet camera for the odd solemn moment, is a good P&S.

A Panasonic with a Leica lens should fit the bill.

G

Note to moderators... Please don't close this thread... it's SOOOOO much fun...

As much help as all of these comments have been....

Pete, do you really want two different brands of cameras? Two sets of lenses and two sets of flashes, etc...? I say, go out, test the competition. Maybe rent one for the weekend and give it a whirl.
Then if necessary sell the K10D and buy one or two of the one that best suits your needs and desires.

Suggestions are just that. Go out and test drive yourself and see what feels right for "you"!

Actually George, I wish you hadn't said this.

In the unlikely event he actually takes your advice, there's less chance that a nice K10D body will end up on eBay at a reasonable price...

Just because you've got two now...

That's more like...

Look the idea is not to sell the camera just get a second. I was looking at a D80 with 18-200 VR but I have just tried out the Tamrom 18-250 and the mechanical focusing rings on the lens seem a hell of a lot quieter than the 18-50 Pentax and the 50-200mm unless its my imagination. Has anyone else found the is to be the case.

I think am going to do the following

1. get the 18-250mm Tamron
2. get the DA 16-50mm when my funds become available
3. sell the DA 50-200 and 18-50mm on ebay
4. get a £300 second camera maybe the K100s or K100

So Ill be sticking around a while yet.

PS life on the forum would not be the same without me