john m flores
All-Pro
HDRed, Snapseeded, Flickrd
Found some old stuff beneath the upturned roots of an evergreen felled by Sandy.
Maybe left by Native Americans ...
But on a bit more serious note, as you shoot for publication (ala you're a professional) ... why do you not use the usual professional tools of the trade (Nikon/Canon)?
Gary
Found some old stuff beneath the upturned roots of an evergreen felled by Sandy.
Maybe left by Native Americans ...
But on a bit more serious note, as you shoot for publication (ala you're a professional) ... why do you not use the usual professional tools of the trade (Nikon/Canon)?
Gary
Yes, I do shoot for publication, but it is a side job for me, and thus I have to provide my own gear. My first dSLR was a Nikon D70, but when it came time to upgrade, I discovered that the Nikon upgrade path - to a D300 or D700 with the 12-24 and 24-70 zooms - was more expensive, bigger, and heavier than I wanted, especially since there are times when I have to carry my gear on a backpack while riding a motorcycle for days at a time.
That's when I discovered Pentax. They were smaller and less expensive than Nikon or Canon and with more than enough image quality for magazine work. I've traveled with as little as two bodies and three pancake primes (21mm, 40mm, 70mm) on some trips, and even if I've got a bike with good luggage, I often forego the zooms and use the extra space on POV video cameras and articulating arms and other tools of the trade. I know that I'm missing out on lightning fast AF, but I get by with Pentax, and bought a used Nikon V1 kit from a member here and that may do the trick in a pinch.
I tried downsizing even further to Micro Four-Thirds (Panasonic GH1 and GH2) but they didn't meet my standards of IQ. They take nice photos but their files are brittle in post, something I need since I'm often massaging available light. I still shoot video with them though. And while the OM-D looks interesting, I'm pretty well invested in Pentax at this point and don't feel compelled to switch.
Truth told if I was a full-time pro I'd be lugging around a Nikon, but I'm happy with the balance that I've struck for now. And now that the K-01 is under $400, it's one of the cheapest ways to get the very nice 16Mp Sony APS-C sensor.
Thanks for inquiring.
p.s. If you want to see how light I travel, check out my "It's in the Bag" set on Flickr
It's in the bag - a set on Flickr
Most of the newer photos have the cameras sitting on an iPad for scale.
Here's what I took on a trip last summer
It's in the Bag, Northeast Kingdom Edition. by john m flores, on Flickr
John... I have a K-5 and a Q... but have been going back and forth on whether to pick up a K-01. Intellectual and practical arguments aside, the shot above with all the gear laying atop an iPad may have just clinched it for me.
EDIT: One question... how is working with the rear LCD in bright daylight? That's the sIngle concern that has kept me from pulling the trigger.