Nikon D7000 vs Pentax K-5

[Joel]

ok Guys, first of all, is this a fair comparison?

i am a month away from buying my first camera and after immense shortlisting, and keeping in mind my budget of $1,500, it has come down to this. i am familiar with the Nikon D7000 but for some reason the K-5 has caught my attention. i have to admit that i have never touched a Pentax in my life. should i stay safe and buy the D7000? or should I be brave and buy the k-5? i would really appreciate your views on both of these cameras. (Pros and Cons, Lens and accessory limitations etc)

thx!

[Anbesol]

Looks like you're spending the entire budget on the camera. It would be much wiser to save some money for a good lens, I think most any experienced photographer would prefer a good lens on a cheap body, than a kit lens on a great body. As per which lens, that depends entirely on your use and desired focal range.

As per the D7000 vs the K5, I'd consider it 6 in 1, half a dozen in the other. Nothing significantly weighing against another. The Nikon lens selection difference is irrelevant, since both cover a wide focus range, with various high performance optics. The availability and supplies of Nikon lens will be greater, but not the selection or quality. The most substantive differences appear to be Nikons 1/250th flash sync, vs K5's 1/180th. If you need controlled strobe lighting in bright ambience, the Nikon does 1/3rd stop better ;) lol. Also the CIPA battery rating appears slightly better on the Nikon. Otherwise, you'd be damned hard pressed to notice any difference.

Personally I'd suggest you look for a slightly cheaper body, like a Canon 60D or Nikon D90. However, I know nothing about your specific needs or desires for the camera. For all I know, you may be better off with an Olympus OM-D, or a Sony NEX, or even, *gasp*, a Rebel. I just assume from your choices that you desire a pro-grade APS DSLR, but that might be in excess, or in contrary to your needs and uses. If you detail more your desires for photography, and what you want it to do for you, we can give you better ideas on how the various photographic tools can assist you in realizing that.

[Frog]

When you say "familiar with the D7000" do you mean you've used/held one or that you've read a lot about it?
Either way, I would go to a phsical camera store and hold and mess about with both to see which one feels better in your hnds and how well you feel you can find and use the controls.
Like Anbesol says, the body is only the beginning. However, you can pick up a 50mm lens pretty cheap and they are very good prime lenses and you will soon learn what more maginification or width you need by using it. I have several pretty good lenses but still like to just slap the 50 on and use it.

[Anbesol]

Definitely can't go wrong with a nifty fifty. Probably the only lens that's a universal must-have, for a variety of reasons, chief of which is cost to quality ratio. Every brand has their variety.

[volks]

Test results indicate that the two cameras perform almost identical, with a few subtle minor difference, however in many areas around the world the additional cost of the K5 is not considered worth it.

[Susheel]

Hello

Thanks for sharing this nice information
Please keep sharing more and more information.

[mattb]

I'm late to this discussion but as a K-5 owner I feel I should chime in. First of all I got mine for about $1000 through Amazon in February. That was a great price then and is a little more common now so shop around a little. Mine was body only, but I think the kit only adds another $150 or so.
I love my K-5 and wouldn't trade it up unless I was getting something amazing and even then I'd think twice. It's been super solid for me. The only issues I have had were cured by a firmware upgrade.
I love all the old lenses you can get for the Pentax system too. Tons of old Ricoh, Pentax, Pentax, Sears, Vivitar, Zeiss, and many others out there that will fit right on that K mount with no adapter. Of course with manual lenses you have to have a more manual process, but I like that level of freedom to use 50 years worth of vintage lenses so easily.
I felt a little limited by the 1/180 flash sync until I figured out FP/HSS and now I'm happily shooting away at 1/1000 or faster with my Sigma flash filling in the shadows nicely for action shots. Works great!
But in the end you should get the one that suits you the best. Good luck!