Hi!
Thanks for the post, Christian, it is very, how to put it, straight-to-the-point.
The reasons are many and varied and hard to describe. First, Pentax is just not "improving" their products. Let's be honest, there is no news of a *ist D replacement; something with a bigger buffer, higher frame rate, faster write speeds, and yes, more pixels. I'd also like to see an orientation sensor and better RAW performance including "lossless" compression. As we have recently seen, Pentax has no plans to produce a full-frame (24x36mm) sensor with a k-mount body. New lens releases confirm this with most only covering the current sensor size.
Well, I should say that I couldn't afford *istD (or *istDS) unless that odd opportunity of the gift came by. I also was waiting for full-frame DSLR from Pentax. In fact, I made a conscious choice *not* to buy any not-full frame glass from Pentax after I got my *istD... So here I am with you, at least in the reasoning.
Second, speaking of lenses, there seem to be more releases of consumer grade lenses while the high-end true quality glass is being discontinued. And if it's not discontinued it's back-ordered with impossible delivery times. I understand the need for Pentax to compete in the "entry-level" market with the *ist Ds but I would have liked to see a new prosumer (yes, 20D competitive; just as the D was competitive with the 10D) camera and a selection of good glass (after all we are using Pentax "for the glass").
Indeed. If one wants to buy some prosumer grade zooms, in Pentax land it would mean third party offerings... Please correct me if I am wrong. I mean prosumer however, not medium grade consumer such as 28-105/3.2-4.5...
For instance, I thought of replacing my 24, 35 primes and 28-70/4 by 24-90 zoom, but realized that this zoom is not up to the task of competing with prime lenses even such as K 24/2.8, or M 35/2.8.
Third, Pentax is lagging far behind in the technology wars. Canon and Nikon and even Sigma (Sigma!) have had implementations of USM/HSM and some kind of image stabilization for a while now.. The USM thing, I found while playing with some 10Ds, is awesome. Silent, fast, etc. The IS thing I put down to hype. After all, 90% of my photography is done on a tripod or with a flash (birds and bugs) so how could IS work for me anyway? All the Canon owners I talked to would tell me, "you'll change your mind!" or "Once you use IS you'll be hooked." Yeah right, not me, Im a purist after all. I have since learned that the Canon BIG glass has a "tripod" mode. So when I tried IS and found out it works in manual focus as well as auto I realized what a great tool it is. I've also discovered recently that my eyesight is pretty bad and degrading quickly. My manual focus shots have been out of focus more often than not and I started to rely on AF more often. So AF is becoming more important to me and the USM becomes an asset.
Very well. I held Canon cameras more than once. USM AF is impressive, mighty impressive. Not to mention for example that it is close to impossible to produce AF extension rings for Pentax for obvious mechanical reasons...
One easily gets used to good things, no doubt...
Fourth: third-party support. While many nice lenses are made by third parties are available to Pentax users, some that I am interested are not. But it's more than just lenses. Pentax is the red-headed-stepchild of the photo industry. For example: one area I wish to explore is underwater photography using a housed DSLR. How many housings are available for the *ist D? Zero. As soon as Canon anounced the digirebel there were no less than 3 housings available for it from 3 seperate manufacturers. I believe there are at least 6 seperate housings available for the 20D now, from milled aluminium to clear plastic. Some even support E-TTL2 flash. for Pentax, one manufacturer has sort of announced a housing for the Ds but their product catalog still has no entry for it and there is no mention on their website. Even the recently announced Minolta 7D has a housing on the market. The housings for the 1DsII were on the market BEFORE the camera was! (granted this is a specialized field and a single case but other examples exist)
Sorry, I don't dive :).
Fifth: The size of the *ist D was never a selling point for me. Pentax's obsession with smaller lenses and bodies was not something I really cared about. I have no problem hiking for miles with big, heavy cameras and lenses and a big, heavy tripod.
Here you loose a point. I really like the fact that all my lenses are smaller so that I can haul them rather easily. Well, here we have very hot days most of the year, so weight is important...
Though of course, I could use some good weight lifting workout :).
Sixth: The "upgrade path." What is Pentax's future as a k-mount DSLR manufacturer? We really don't know, but as stated above, we can be pretty sure that there will not be a camera with a k-mount and a 24x36mm sensor. With Canon, the future is pretty clear. DSLR bodies are being developed along three major lines: Consumer, Prosumer, and professional with new or improved bodies coming out at a very agggresive rate. The upgrade path is clear and available. If I choose I can upgrade to a full-frame sensor in the future. Pentax was just not offering me enough of a future.
There is only one upgrade path with Pentax, me so thinks. That is one of limited lenses. Body and three limited can be considered as an ultimate photo-Nirvana.
But you're talking bodies, not lenses, aren't you?
So far I'm very happy with the Camera and lenses. I'll write another email later based on a comparison of handling and features of the 20D vs. *ist D if anyone is interested.
Please do. I recently held these two cameras with respective 50 mm lens attached. I should say that 20D is good, but my hands are small and *istD is the perfect fit.
Christian, I suppose you made the right choice. But you still have some Tak glass and you definitely should come here too :).
Boris
