I'm Jumping Ship

[spiraleyes]

Listed on eBay! Please feel free to bid, you may get a lower price than what I have these quoted for above! Thanks!

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/spiral...pgZ50QQ_sopZ12

[A.M.D.A.]

A bit confused, how are you going to call Pentax and Olympus 'name brand', then leave out Sony? They are essentially the continuation of Minolta, and don't know how they wouldn't be 'name brand'. How is Zeiss for 'name brand'? ;)

Not that I'm saying Sony or their brand name is bad, just their reputation isn't as "long-standing" as the other four... and Minolta. Eventually, I guess Sony's name will be just as good.

Think of the following scenario:

You are going to get a pair of new shoes, and walk into the local department store. After trying out several pairs which don't fit, too bright, unattractive design, etc., a clerk comes up and says that he has 2 choices of pairs which are at huge discount price. Both are your shoe size, both are good-looking, both are priced the same, both are comfortable... but one pair is a Nike and the other is some strange name you've never heard of (not a counterfeit, though!). Which of these two pairs would be your first instinct to grab for?

The Nike of course. That brand is long-standing and has built a reputation of quality. Even though the other may be just as good or better, they aren't well-known for that. Say, 10 years later both may be as popular. It is only a matter of time.

ZEISS is name-brand, think for how many years they've been in the business. The first year they started making lenses they probably weren't as popular, the 2nd year a bit more, 3rd year much more, etc..

[Anbesol]

Well, their name essentially IS Minolta. Minolta's plants, engineering teams and intellectual property didn't just fall off the face of the earth as Sony took on their mount, Sony is simply *continuing* Minoltas long standing heritage. And doing a damned good job at it too.

[Ultra Magnus]

One brand vs. another debates are usually quite silly... but, here's my $.02...

Image quality- VERY OVERATED! I'm willing to bet that if someone posted a bunch of photos from a variety of similar cameras of differnt brands, noone would be able to tell you which camera took what shot. (someone actually did that on another forum) It's just not going to happen. I don't know about you, but I've never shot studio test scenes, and resolution charts, and posted/printed them at 100%, ever... If you do, then maybe you want the camera that has the 2501lph resolution over the 2500lph model.

What matters most I think- things like lenses, if you need a broad selection for your work, but imo, most big brands, (including sony, contrary to popular belief) have a descent selection. Canon's probably the biggest, sony/minolta/ziess stuff generally is reputed as being sharper w/ better bokeh characteristics... But aside from that, I'd consider stuff like AF speed and accuracy, exposure consistency and accuracy, is what I'd think should bethe most important to you as a photographer, especially if you shoot fast paced events. If you can't get a 2nd shot, the 1st better damn well have turned out right.

But what I think is the most important, underrated feature in any system is ergonomics. For some reason, I've never been able to cope w/ the Nikon button layout / menu system. I've tried, and I just can't find a fluid method of working the camera. If I had to, given enough time, maybe I would get used to it. Canon isn't bad, but as soon as I picked up the Sony A700, I was right at home. Actually, I was alittle dissappointed that I didn't have to spend time in the manual and searching out how to do different things w/ it... On top of that, with the Sony system (basically Minotla under the Sony name to those who think Sony should stick to making TV's), Sony users get a wide ragne of stabilized glass. 20yr old Minolta glass- stabilized. Fast primes- yeah, also stabilized... that's one big selling point right there.

BM

[PeteE]

To me brand name doesn't mean squat. Quality counts. That's up to the customer to decide. If you have a good tool it's up to you to learn how to use it. When it comes to a point when you can't get any more out of that tool get a different one. Another forum a lot of Canonites are switching to Nikon. Nikon evidently has gone a step ahead. Does make Canon bad, No Just those people want a better tool. I am not a fan boy of any brand. Pentax is a tool and for the bang for the buck is hard to beat. By the way watch advertisement, I follow stocks carefully. A lot of times when a company is in trouble they advertise heavy.

[Snapac]

Unless Pentax offers a body comparable to the Nikon D3 or even Canon's 5D Mark II, within the year; I jumping ship also. I am beginning to see the need for faster fps and a full frame would be nice. Pentax needs to step up.

[ken1953]

Spiral City...Beautiful pictures!!! You definitely have super control of your equipment. Please keep posting.

[spiralcity]

Spiral City...Beautiful pictures!!! You definitely have super control of your equipment. Please keep posting.

Hi Ken,
Thanks for the complement.

I only posted the pics so others would understand that although autofocus is nice, it definetly isnt the only approach to using your digital camera.

Having complete control of your camera and understanding exposure is the sure fire way to take a decent photo.

I hope others understand that many MF lenses perform EXCELLENT, at a fraction of the cost of a new autofocus lens.

In any case, Im just trying to be helpful.

My suggestion is to get your cameras in full manual and shoot. :thumbsup:

[ken1953]

I've been reading many of your recent posts and have appreciated your knowledge and experience with MF. These are a great asset and one I am enjoying as I have a few MF lenses that I have been wanting to use (as soon as I get my Pentax's fixed!!) I'll probably never shoot Film as it is just too expensive for me, but with the digital Pentax's what few times I've used my MF lenses, I've been pleased!
My only other thing now is to get a Light meter...and of course...Learn and practice!!!!
hehehe
Keep posting your knowledge, and please keep posting your wonderful photographs.