My Journey Back

[pgavalis]

<p>Hello Everyone! It's been awhile. I just thought I would stop in and share my excitement about my latest purchases! <br>

**In the past year I unloaded all of my Pentax gear: K3, 60-250, Tammy 17-50, numerous old manual gems, flashes, and I have my MX-1 on the auction site right now. It was a very solid collection. Why did I do this? Well I was in a creative funk and lost all interest in being serious about photography. In the past two weeks or so I felt the itch to get back into it...and it was a serious itch. I looked back at some old photos and realized I never really took my skills and creativity to the next level. Partially because I got caught up in volunteering my time for my daughter's track squad, going to every meet to take pics of every single athlete for the school website. Basic skills but somewhat demanding. I loved every second of it and will do it again for the next couple of years. However after sorting through several hundred shots 2-3 times/week, it was getting tedious and I felt like I was in a creative black hole. I was also a little tired of the Pentax gear so I made a clean break.<br>

**When this itch came back I thought I would see what was out there. And I discovered this mirrorless "craze". Yes, I was aware of the technology but once I dug deeper I became entranced in learning everything possible. Yip, the dreaded tornado of information, reviews, videos, ratings...and it sucked me right in, again. <em>I seriously spent 8 straight hours one day just clicking and reading and watching!!!</em> After my semester of research I was confident I was going to end up with either a Fuji XT-1, an Oly 5Mii, or a Samsung NX-1. Out comes my legal pad with columns of pros/cons, little stars, side notes, smiley faces, dollar $igns, website scores and a roadmap of arrows. I know you all have been there!! And just so I didn't limit myself to the mirrorless systems, I added a couple more columns (the 7dii and the K3ii), but they were mere underdogs.<br>

**What I wanted: a compact/light WR system that is good for travel, hiking, street photography, sports, wildlife, stills, portraits... so yeah, <em>EVERYTHING</em>, with video only as a perk/bonus. (add in several late nights, dreams, deal hunting, budget re-calculations, and reality checks here) <br>

**What I learned: <strong>Mirrorless is NOT in my budget!</strong> An average of $3k for a body and two top-notch zooms! But mirrorless is in my future, that I am sure of. I am a laggard, not an early adopter. For example, I just got my first iPhone and Macbook in this past year; I am glad I waited and I could not be happier. I could not find more than a handful of top quality posts using mirrorless for sports/fast moving wildlife. That, to me, is a red flag.<br>

Everything else mirrorless can do seems to be incredible (considering how new it is). So after counting out any of the 3 mirrorless systems I was down to the K3 and 7DII (<em>with an eyeroll and heavy sigh</em>). The 7DII auto-focusing and shutter speed...WOW! That seems right up my alley since I was rather disappointed with my K3/60-250 combo more often than not. I was getting about 50-60% hits during every event but when it hit, it hit gooooood. Back to the 7D. It had every feature I needed BUT: OIS in lens, $$ for top level lenses, and with the last Canon I owned, WR and tough or not, I was always scared to bring it out in iffy weather. It is also not very compact. And again, the $$$. <br>

**I guess by now you know where this is headed. Yup, the K3II. What I realized I loved about ALL of my Pentax bodies (from the K10-K3 with many in between), is that I could trust it to do just about everything, everywhere, every time. It was like a safety net. I was never afraid to take it anywhere. It's very compact, especially with a pancake. It's relatively light. And the K3 just felt like it belonged in my hand. I held dozens of bodies (cameras) and nothing compared to the feel of the K3. I was already familiar with the system; why learn a new DSLR system when I will eventually end up with a mirrorless? Did I mention the durability and image quality, low light ability, in body IS, awesome old manual glass that can be had for cheap, top of the line Weather Sealing, and now the pixel shift, GPS, Wifi (although I won't use it), WR HD lenses, etc?<br>

**My Christmas present: K3II ($730...<strong>$730!!!, are you kidding me?!!</strong>), 3 YongNuo IV's (LOVE them) and Transmitter ($240), 50mm/2.8 ($175), and a HD 20-40/2.8-4 ($500). <strong>Total: $1,645!!! All of that for about the price of ONE of the other bodies and ONE primo lens!! </strong>Yes I could have <em>stepped down</em> to a used K2/K5 but for $700 NEW?!! With that price I already know that I will KEEP the K3II and one or two decent lenses even when I dive into the mirrorless world. I will pick up a used 50-135/2.8 in the spring since I know it will be more than sufficient for the upcoming track season. The 60-250 just got too heavy and since I have access to the whole track, I really didn't need the extra reach. And if I decide to get more into wildlife, I may just grab the new 1.4x adapter for it. I will also eventually grab a used DA-L 18-50 and/or the new HD 55-300 for any taxing outdoor adventures. So excluding the 50-135 and flashes, that is a very compact and inexpensive system IMO. <br>

So ends my journey. I just thought I would share this adventure since I feel there might be many others out there looking to make the leap and I am VERY PUMPED with what I got for the money invested! Welcome back old friend(s). Regards, Pete.</p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>Welcome back!</p>

[PapaTango]

<p>Enjoy Pete! A pundit once said that "one often has to step away from something so that they can come back to it..." Sometimes vacations clear our eyes and priorities--and we become excited again at what we do.</p>

[Javier Gutierre]

<p>Congrats. Can't wait to see the pics.</p>

[pgavalis]

<p>Can't wait to get my hands on it tomorrow!</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Congrats, I thought about unloading my stuff on occasion until I found out what I was going to get for it and how hard it would be for me to get it back... </p>

[stemked]

<p>Quite a journey. Look forward to seeing your creative side back here.<br>

Doug</p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>I've had the DA* 50-135mm for quite some time. Got it very reasonable with a $100 rebate before the prices went up. A fine lens. Some people have had problems with SDM on that model, so far I have not, knocking on wood. The 20-40mm f/2.8-4 Limited is very nice. Pop Photography tested it and went ga-ga over it, even running a double page spread of a sample shot to show its fine quality with low distortion. If you don't absolutely need a f/2.8 for a wide range all-around lens, the new Pentax DA 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 WR has gotten great reviews, and has a silent DC AF instead of SDM. I believe the DC is a tad faster AF as well as more trouble free than SDM. It is not cheap, but much less than the DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 and in many respects actually out-performs it. Also, between 16-50mm its aperture holds to f/3.5-4.5, so only about stop off the f/2.8 model, with the extra reach when needed.</p>

<p>Not long ago, I purchased the DA 55-300mm HD WR lens and I am surprised at the good quality I've been getting. It still uses the camera's screw drive AF. If you use a protective filter, I recommend getting the Hoya HD haze filter with it. I've not found any image quality loss with it. This lens will hold its aperture to f/4.5 or less all the way to 200mm, the range in which its image quality is at its very best, and being only about a stop off a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens while having greater range.</p>

[jeff_drew4]

<p>Did the same exercise with mostly the same conclusions. . . Merry Christmas to me = a new K3II!<br>

The new tech is a bit of a learning curve, but BigWow on the first images! Also dusted off the MZs and got sentimental about film again! :-)</p>

[pgavalis]

<p>It's truly a great camera. I ended up with the Pentax 50/2.8 macro and opted for a Sigma 17-50/2.8 over the 20-40/2.8-4. I also have an old Hanimex 75-150/3.9 that is super sharp and is fairly light/compact, perfect for this body. I love them all so far but shooting has been limited due to weather and holidays. Hoping for a break here soon but Michigan weather, is, well, you know. I also have to say that the Yongnuo 560IV's and the TX controller is absolute genius. Had 3 flashes up and synced within 15 minutes. Truly an awesome system and for the money, I don't think it can be beat. </p>

<p>I am also seeking a 'dedicated' wide angle or very low profile lens for street photography or a quick grab n' go lens that is lighter than my current lenses. I <em>think </em>my best/safest choice might be the 50/1.8 for price and performance?? It's been awhile since I had one and can't remember how loud/fast the focusing was. The Sigma 17-50 is soooooo quiet and fast that I think comparing it to the 50/1.8 might be unfair. Anybody agree or disagree with this choice? I'm open to other suggestions but looking to keep it under $200/used. WR would be a bonus. </p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>The 50 is kind of long for street. Have you considered the 35/2.4? Priced similarly to the 50 but probably a better FL for your intended purpose. I have the 50/1.8 and it's not very quiet when focusing, the 35 probably isn't either. If you like to use hyperfocal focusing as many street shooters do then neither of these lenses will be very good because there are no distance scale markings. But I guess if you are concerned about AF noise then you probably aren't planning on going hyperfocal. </p>