Updating from K 20

Looking for some advice! I have had a K20 D for 3 years and have had great success with it, however I am in a position to spend some money ! I am wondering if I should update to a K 5 now or wait to see whats around the corner.. i.e a new update to the K5 or the much rumoured FF camera. Your thoughts would be appreciated

Brian

Thanks for your comments, better ISO performance and higher speed shutter is something that is of concern to me with my K 20D although other than that its great. I have 2 DA* lens and was thinking about a macro lens ...so I will give itsome thought whether I get the new body or go for the lens??!!

If you are considering full frame, then this would need serious investment as your DA* lenses would heavily vignette.

Recent FF cameras, alas not from Pentax, usually have the facility to automatically crop images from APS-C lenses to avoid that. Obviously one wouldn't get the full value of the FF sensor but the lenses will still do exactly what they do now. It seems not all ASPS-C lenses do vignette though (according to those examples that have been shown here.)
So there is a stop gap until replacement glass is obtained if and when the time comes.

John

Are you sure? I'm not. Some DA lenses may vignette too much to produce usable images, but from what I have read, most DA/DA* lenses vignette only slightly, and some not at all.

I think perhaps aperture control is of slightly more importance in that you will not be able to use lenses which have no aperture ring, other than at one extreme of its aperture range, on any camera that cannot control the aperture from the body, EG: MZ-S can not set the aperture from the body.

Just going off this .....

http://ricehigh.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/compatibility-of-da-lenses-on-full.html

BAJ has the 16-50 and the 50-135 according to his signature

Wait is my advice, which is what I am doing.

What are waitng for?

A Pentax DSLR with a vastly improved autofocus system and vastly better high ISO performance.

I think that's fantasy to be honest. Please see my shot of the Vampire in my portfolio here. That was pretty much pitch black and I wouldn't have been able to focus manually. The K-5 focused with no problem and the noise level is very, very well controlled.

With performance like I have experienced there is no need to wait, it's here already.

It is the ability of the camera to lock onto a fast moving vampire, flying through the air that is of more interest to me.

The lens hunting around for focus and then the shot being missed is a right pain in the neck.

Hyram, suggest you try and source a K-5 to try out as the AF system really is pretty fast. SRS will rent you one if that's the only way, but maybe you know someone with a K-5?

Thanks everyone for your comments

Hyram I actually have two K-5s and have compared it's focus system to that of Canon cameras. It's not fantasy. I love my K-5s but their auto focussing is substandard compared to that of the Canons in terms of low light and speed of lock on.

Pentax need to get their act together in regards to the AF system. It's a big reason pro photographers don't buy pentax cams for sports


In terms of high ISO performance the K-5 excelled when it first appeared and I got a 3 stop improvement over my k10D/k20Ds.

Whether the successor to the k-5 will show such a jump in ISO performance is debatable, but given some current models are showing ISOs of over 2 million then it's reasonable to expect that the future looks bright for shooting at night hand held.