6 replies to this topic

[vanandjuanunited]

Right first things first. I have been using Pentax for the last 5 years but now feel the need tp upgrade

Options I am considering are
1. Sell my Pentax gear and help fund an upgrade to either Canon or Nikon.

2. Upgrade my K10d to a K5 and buy a new 55-300 lens Cost £1000ish

Looking at Canon I have put a 60D as my choice of body along with EF 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM lens Cost £1200 ish - but then need some lenses to fill the gaps. Are there other bodies I should be considering? Is this lens a good choice?

Nikon throws up a few options
Push the boat out and buy a D300s and this is where it get difficult as there are 3 choices for xx-300. 55-300 ED VR @£290, 70-300 IF ED @ £430 and 28-300 G ED VR @ £700. Have no clue which lens is best for IQ or focusing etc so this is where I need help. Cost up to £1700 depending on lens.

Cheaper option then a D90 with 18-105 VR for £700 plus then what ever lens from the selection above Cost up to £1400.

SO there you go any advice greatly received.

Should add the 300mm lens will be for aircraft (static and Flying)as well as zoo use etc.

[Busdriver]

Morning! You can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. A much greater choice of system accessories will enable you to expand as you want.

I use a D700 now, but had a D200 and was happy, but wanted the full frame sensor that the D700 has. The D300 is great and the s version only has video as far as I am aware. The 28-300mm is superb and that would be my choice, have a look at Ken Rockwell's site for reviews of the Nikon Lenses.

[PHREAK]

Herr Busdriver is right on the options for the future...you can't go wrong with a Nikon or a Canon. I would say that the choice of body is somewhat subjective to the individual and also budget.

If you want the ultimate quality, then the D700 is a good choice coupled with the Nikon 28-300mm but of course that racks up the outlay to over £2K and the 300mm maximum focal length can be a bit short for ground to air shots or wilddlife photography.
Cropped sensor cameras still offer fantastic quality for those who do not want to produce massive enlargements all the time.

For most of us, cropped sensor cameras are fine with my choice being the Nikon D300s or D7000...both are exceptional cameras with the D7000 being technologically more advanced on paper. The D300s would be better for avaition stuff in my humble opinion, bult like a tank and quick frame per second rate.

As with all of these questions...it has to be a matter of personal choice though and I'd recommend going to your local dealer and getting a feel for them.

With regards to lenses, if you were not going for a full frame camera (Nikon D700), then the 28-300 will not offer you wide angle shots for the statics at airshows so you would need to add another lens to your armoury. Checked your lottery ticket yet???!!!

If I had the dosh to spend, then my set up would be :

Nikon D300s fitted with an MB-D10 battery grip
Nikon AF-S 16-85mm DX VR lens as a standard.
Nikon AF-S 70-300mm VR

If it was to be a Canon outfit, it would be :

EOS60D fitted with battery grip
EF-S 15-85mm IS
EF 70-300mm IS USM

I must stress though that this is just my own matter of opinion as will those of all others who post comments here, no one can be right or wrong so the choice is still yours.

Hope this helps a bit

But what do I know ?

Edited by PHREAK, 25 March 2012 - 03:26 PM.

[Oggy]

I have a Pentax K20D and Canon 7D and 1D mkIV. Yes, when you are trying to focus on something travelling at 400kts+ in half dark then the 1D is in a class of it's own and people tend to snigger at the Pentax, but in truth I find myself reaching for the Pentax more often than the others. The colour, contrast and lack of noise is a lesson to the Canons. The truth is that if the AF on the Pentax was better and they made longer lenses I would not have bothered with the Canons. I gather the K5 AF is no slouch.

Edited by Oggy, 22 April 2012 - 10:19 PM.

[oggy4624]

I use both a nikon D300 and 700.
For shooting airshows , the apsc sensor is better as it gives you a nice crop factor.
The only problem with the pentax system is it uses the old , slow shaft drive system, whereas the nikon D300 /700/ 7000 use the faster SWM motor.
If you weren't shooting fast moving subjects, the K5 would be a sound choice.
A used D300 will set you back about £600, a used 7000 about 8 with the 700 as rare as hens teeth.
The D300s is rare on the secondhand market , thats how good it is - I have only seen 2 D700's on websites in the last couple of years.

As far as lenses are concerned, I have a Sigma 120-400 which has done me well over the last few years.
This lens is rated as good , if not better as both Canon and Nikons 100ish to 400 efforts and is the only long range lens you will ever need.
With the crop factor you will get a 180 to 600mm lens .
Secondhand - £500 for a good example.

Canon cameras , on the other hand, are what landfill sites were invented for.

I know what bad cameras are, I used to own a bag of expensive olympus E system garbage!

[Oggy]

The Pentax does indeed retain the shaft drive to maintain compatibility with all but the oldest Pentax lenses. It does not however use it with modern lenses. It had SDM which is the Pentax version of Canon's USM and Sigma's HSM.

[oggy4624]

Good to hear .
No point in changing systems when there is a perfectly good pentax available.
As far as lenses are concerned , the sigma 120-400 is also available for pentax ( that should have been a clue as it doesnt come in shaft drive, doh!)