Comments inline... In a message dated 8/24/2011 9:45:09 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, jo...@panix.com writes: If you don't have a big investment in glass, are you sure you want to go for a DSLR system at all? The compact mirrorless system cameras (such as the NEX cameras from Sony, or the various Olympus Pen models) offer almost all the performance of a DSLR in a smaller, lighter (and cheaper) system. -------------------- I do have a fairly large investment in glass, but like I said, there is only one lens in my Canon kit that I really like and it is soft. I think it's the focal length I really like: 28-135. Possibly the weight as well, as it is a bit lighter. Canon has advantages, Pentax has advantages. Except for the long telephotos, Pentax lenses are usually significantly lighter than Canon's. Canon lenses are heavy.
Both Larry and I have K-5s, so if you are ever around the South Bay you should be able to get your hands on one to see how it feels in the hand. Larry also has a K-x, which is pretty close in size to the K-r. That's a good idea. I've got the kit 18-55 zoom, and also the (expensive, but good) DA* zooms (16-50/f2.8, 50-135/f2.8, and 60-250/f4) You might be able to get an idea of the relative sizes of the K-5 and the *ist-D and K10D in this picture (the K-5 is in the middle): http://www.jfwaf.com/Pentaxes.jpg It's a little hard to tell, especially since I have battery grips on the K-5 and K10D, but basically, the K-5 is smaller than the K10D/K20d bodies; it's quite close in size to the *ist-D. ----------------- Well, well. I always thought that the K10 would be too big for me, if the K-5 is smaller... I think my last Pentax was the DS, the DS2, in fact, if there was a DS2. Pretty sure it wasn't the first DS in the series, anyway. I didn't dislike it at all, I was just limited in lenses. You can also see the three DA* lenses (the 60-250 on the K-5, the 50-135 on the K10D, and the 16-50 standing up behind and to the left of the K-5). The lens on the *ist-D is the 18-55 kit zoom. > Or I could wait until the K-3? (someone mentioned a new camera is in the > pipeline) comes out, and get a K-5 at a reduced price. That would be a pretty long wait. That was just speculation - there's no new DSLR known to be in the pipeline. And, given the current trend in the camera marketplace (with particular reference to where Ricoh seem to be heading) I reckon we'll almost certainly see a mirrorless camera system (probably with a K-mount adapter), and a low-end DSLR, before anything at the high end. In fact I wouldn't be totally surprised if we never see a DSLR from Pentax that's significantly better than the K-5; it depends on how fast the market shifts away from DSLRs. ------------------------ Good to know. Been away too long, didn't realize everyone is shifting to mirrorless. This group kept me informed, in the past, about changes like that. > The 17-45 zoom looks good, but getting one with a longer focal length > might be a tad tricky. The 17-70 seems to be getting some pretty good reviews; I'd look at that. ----------------------- Okey dokey. Thanks, John. Maybe I can see your guys' stuff sometime. Maybe we can set up a mini-meet or a meet meet. Marnie aka Doe :-) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
