New Pentax K70 vs Canon 50D ??

How does the K70 Pentax, new model compare with the old but trusty Canon 50D ?? can some one Please,share some thoughts on this ??
Thanks Ron

Hey Ron,

The Pentax line is actually quite good, it just doesn't get a lot of love for whatever reason around here it seems. The k70 is very good camera, and in many ways better than the 50D.

The real thing to consider though is the lens line up. You won't find budget L's for the k70 like you will for a Canon. The Pentax lenses that are good are costly and not very often found used for any kind of deal.

I almost went with a Pentax K5-IIs a while back, but the main reason I didn't was the lens I wanted (the Pentax 300 F4) was over $1k and it was no where to be found used for any kind of discount, which would have pushed the system into the $1.5k territory just for the camera & lens. The only inexpensive Pentax lenses are the 18-55 and the 55-300, all of which are weather resistant, including all the bodies too. That was my main allure--weather resistance.

But again, what did the idea in for me was the inability to get really good glass for good prices. If it were not for that, I would be shooting a Pentax body right now.

Very best,

Hey Marty !
Thanks for the response !! just wadeing in new water ??don,t think i will jump in ??
Ron

That's up to you.

Ergonomics are different.

But Pentax has pretty great ISO performance, and is decent at everything really.

For me, the older K5-IIs was appealing because of it's ISO performance, lack of AA-filter, and overall AF performance & FPS for it's cost, with weather resistance, and in-body image stabilization. I was shopping for an outdoors camera when I'm on the water or in the marsh. Again the only reason I didn't move to Pentax for that was due to the lenses. I didn't want to drop $1k just to get a fast weather resistant 300 F4. Ultimately that's what I'm shooting with right now, but at half the cost (Canon 300 F4L IS). But anything longer than that, and it just gets even more costly.

The other problem for me was I knew that if I bought into the Pentax system, it would be a forever purchase, because it's really hard to resell. There's not a lot of market out there. You rarely see Pentax stuff go up for sale, or sell for that matter, on these forums, with avid camera folk. That scares me away. As good as the system is, I don't like buying anything and knowing it's essentially forever. And with lenses that costly, no way I'm buying a $1k lens that I basically cannot even resell.

Just my thoughts though.

Very best,

Keep in mind that Pentax, like Nikon, buys their sensors from Sony.

There is also a very active pentax forum, with lots of great lens reviews and a very active buy/sell forum, that gets a lot of movement outside of ebay.

I considered the K-1, as it's a fantastic price point for the D810 sensor. I just haven't decided to go back to full frame yet. In another year or two when prices come down, I'll review it again.

I've shot with a K500, K-5II and a K-3- they were all very good.

MalVeauX wrote in post #18093201
That's up to you.

Ergonomics are different.

But Pentax has pretty great ISO performance, and is decent at everything really.

For me, the older K5-IIs was appealing because of it's ISO performance, lack of AA-filter, and overall AF performance & FPS for it's cost, with weather resistance, and in-body image stabilization. I was shopping for an outdoors camera when I'm on the water or in the marsh. Again the only reason I didn't move to Pentax for that was due to the lenses. I didn't want to drop $1k just to get a fast weather resistant 300 F4. Ultimately that's what I'm shooting with right now, but at half the cost (Canon 300 F4L IS). But anything longer than that, and it just gets even more costly.

The other problem for me was I knew that if I bought into the Pentax system, it would be a forever purchase, because it's really hard to resell. There's not a lot of market out there. You rarely see Pentax stuff go up for sale, or sell for that matter, on these forums, with avid camera folk. That scares me away. As good as the system is, I don't like buying anything and knowing it's essentially forever. And with lenses that costly, no way I'm buying a $1k lens that I basically cannot even resell.

Just my thoughts though.

Very best,

I shot a Pentax for about two year. Just switched to Nikon over the last two weeks. I had the Pentax 300/4 and K-3II among others. Reselling the camera was easy, but the lens was a bit difficult and I took a hit on price as you said.

But if you can live with the Pentax lens selection, and AF limitations (which are a bit exaggerated on this forum), it is a good system. The K-70 will beat the socks off your 50D (Ive owned it too) for image quality.

Venom,,sent you a PM **Ron

I shoot with a 7D MKI, Pentax K-5IIs and a K-3II.

If I want decent AF tracking I use the Canon but basically for everything else I use my Pentax gear.

well thanks for all the info,,i have some nice canon L lens,,but pentax still has my interest?? any one else want to add to this ??
Ron

Well, older lenses work on it and are found cheaply. Any K mount will work manually, and those with an A on the aperture ring will even autofocus. Older lenses are great. The image below was taken on my 600D with a pentax 50mm f2, from the 80s, which will go straight on any body without adapter.

Colin Glover wrote in post #18148184
Well, older lenses work on it and are found cheaply. Any K mount will work manually, and those with an A on the aperture ring will even autofocus. Older lenses are great. The image below was taken on my 600D with a pentax 50mm f2, from the 80s, which will go straight on any body without adapter.

An A on the aoerture ring means it will meter normally. Some of these lenses are autofocus and some are manual focus.

I've been a bit of a lurker here because I am not really a Canon user but I find this to be one of the better Photography forums.

I've been a Pentax user over the past 10 years and chose that system because it was a bit cheaper than Canon and Nikon, especially when I considered the ability to use any Pentax lens on their bodies. At the time Canon and Nikon were limited that way. I think they were also more affordable when compared on a feature set, the obvious limitation, supposedly being their AF speed, which wasn't a factor to me.

I'd say that it wouldn't be too bad to get into Pentax. The sensors since they've been using Sony have been pretty good. They coax a bit better processing out of the sensors than Nikon does, at least at the APS-C level. That's really just a matter of processing, however.

The Pentax Forums community is a great place to buy and sell equipment, so for your concern regarding purchasing a lens like the 300 mm f/4, I'd hold out to get a used copy through a network like that. Why? because if you don't stay within the system, you'll likely be able to resell the lens at the same price-point vs. if you bought it new. You can get it used usually in a range of $700-$900, and it is one of the best $300's I've seen at that price point for any system. The pricing on Pentax lenses generally don't change much on the used market, and they do tend to stay high because people are always willing to buy them.

The only thing I'd watch out for are lens that are new but potentially going to be updated as a result of their new FF K-1. I could see some of their wider lenses being updated and modernized for that system.

Ultimately, I'd encourage you to check out their forums. Most Pentax users are pretty friendly and open about things. You might find a few who are a bit anti-Canon and Nikon, but the more professional users are often users of Pentax and one other system. Afterall, whether a hobby or business, the goal is to get the shot you want not necessarily the brand name on the equipment itself.

I'm sorry, I was mistaken. What I should have said was that any autofocus lens with A on the aperture ring will Autofocus on a digital body.