K20D...any users care to give realtime opinions?

[Reportage]

How is the K20D in night shots, sports shooting, high iso noise?

For night sports or night walkaround, what setups would be ideal?

Best Denki offers K20D + 18-55 + 75-300 $2299

buy online is $878 for body alone or is there cheaper?

How much would a K20D ($878) setup for night sports cost overall?

 

[night86mare]

k20d is clean up to 1600

3200 is iffy

i suggest you get a f/2.8 lens to help with exposure

 

[Reportage]

k20d is clean up to 1600

3200 is iffy

i suggest you get a f/2.8 lens to help with exposure

problem is lots of them and compared to the other camera brands...incredibly cheap for an F/2.8 lens.

 

[night86mare]

for the primes? i am not sure, i have never been acquainted with telephotos much. prefer wide angle lenses.

but yes, pentax should be cheaper when it comes to primes and fast. in terms of quality for buck.

best to wait for people like fengwei and istDeS to reply.

 

[flowerpot]

Ya wait for them to advice... ;p

 

[flowerpot]

ok no need to wait... :bsmilie:

1 big kaypo is here...

night shot - there is the advantage of SR so u dun need a fast lens to shoot night. High iso as mention 1600 ok... but be sure u down under expose...

night sport will be a problem, with SR u can shoot night no problem, but sport at night, the AF will have a problem tracking and its not as fast as others... unless ur sport is chess :bsmilie:, else its tough...

 

[ftang]

Can you tell us what sort of night sports you will be shooting and how far or close you will be to the action? We may be able to help you better with this info.

 

[Reportage]

Can you tell us what sort of night sports you will be shooting and how far or close you will be to the action? We may be able to help you better with this info.

okay...

late night sepak takraw session to possible soccer matches that go on till night. Not really particular on the sharpness as long the images are useable. More then often need to work without flash in low light conditions as well. How far depends on the organiser so take it as the usual places like in front of spectator area and so on.

have not used Pentax before so planning to get cheaper lens first to see how they do for what i do so that i know what to look for before splurging. eg, the following are based off price, still checking out the reviews.

Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8-4 DG

or/and

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Aspherical (IF)

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Macro

Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro

Pentax SMCP-FA J 75-300mm f/4.5-5.8 AL

 

[ftang]

For night or indoor sepak takraw, if you are able to get right next to the court when you shoot, you might not need long focal lengths. IMO, the versatile and value for money 50mm f/1.4 may be sufficient. This prime lens is one of the fastest around and cost only around $350 brand new. Of course, there are other good and inexpensive constant f/2.8 zooms around. But f/1.4 will provide more shooting options than f/2.8. For soccer, its a different thing. You will need need longer and fast telephotos which will likely cost > 4 figures. But in your case, something like a 70-200mm f/2.8 (Tamron or Sigma) might cover both sports. It really depends on your preference. Hope this helps.

okay...

late night sepak takraw session to possible soccer matches that go on till night. Not really particular on the sharpness as long the images are useable. More then often need to work without flash in low light conditions as well. How far depends on the organiser so take it as the usual places like in front of spectator area and so on.

have not used Pentax before so planning to get cheaper lens first to see how they do for what i do so that i know what to look for before splurging. eg,

Pentax SMCP-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8-4 DG

or/and

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Aspherical (IF)

Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Macro

Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro

Pentax SMCP-FA J 75-300mm f/4.5-5.8 AL

 

[skypacker]

K20D is an excellent camera except for fast sports, whether it be daylight or night. The main (and possibly, only) weakness of the K20D is the AF-C tracking. Tracking along a predictable trajectory is not a great problem as long as you put in some effort, but rapid, random motion...well forget it.

For most other types of shooting, the K20D offers much more for the buck than its competitors.

buy online is $878 for body alone or is there cheaper?

Where are you able to get a K20D for $878?:bigeyes:

 

[Reportage]

For night or indoor sepak takraw, if you are able to get right next to the court when you shoot, you might not need long focal lengths. IMO, the versatile and value for money 50mm f/1.4 may be sufficient. This prime lens is one of the fastest around and cost only around $350 brand new. Of course, there are other good and inexpensive constant f/2.8 zooms around. But f/1.4 will provide more shooting options than f/2.8. For soccer, its a different thing. You will need need longer and fast telephotos which will likely cost > 4 figures. But in your case, something like a 70-200mm f/2.8 (Tamron or Sigma) might cover both sports. It really depends on your preference. Hope this helps.

thanks..

from the reviews i went thru, more or less

Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8 would be around $916.
50mm f/1.4 would be around $290.

should cover almost 90% of my usage.

 

[Reportage]

K20D is an excellent camera except for fast sports, whether it be daylight or night. The main (and possibly, only) weakness of the K20D is the AF-C tracking. Tracking along a predictable trajectory is not a great problem as long as you put in some effort, but rapid, random motion...well forget it.

For most other types of shooting, the K20D offers much more for the buck than its competitors.

Where are you able to get a K20D for $878?:bigeyes:

I have actually considered the Nikon D300 but for all intents and purposes, the K20D does fit my usage and got extra cash leftover for glass and so on. For the rapid, random motion guess will have to depend on the continuous shooting of the k20d. I was actually surprised when there were actually comparisons of the K20D against the D300 rather then D90, A350 and so on.

Thinking to ask my friend buy US and then send over. see how lah, today planning to go around asking cathay and alan the K20D is how much as passing by Cityhall in the afternoon. Just to ask are there shops selling grey set k20d with shop warranty?

 

[art2d2]

For the sepak takraw match, it also depends on how brightly lit is the court. I have taken a few indoor sports events and so far the Singapore Indoor Stadium provides the best lighting. In other courts like those in the community centres, the lights are just not bright enough and the K20D's focusing will struggle (most cameras would too). I'm using DA*50-135mm which is the best option if you are standing court side. If you are shooting from the stand, a 70-200mm or longer would be ideal.

Here are some photos taken at the indoor stadium. http://art2d2.clubsnap.org/gallery/sba08

Since you can't use flash, using iso1600-2000 should be not much of a problem with noise, freezing the action should get the shutter speed 1/640 and above.
For soccer, 70-200mm, 300mm and longer is a minimum if you are shooting from the sideline. Shooting night football is more challenging, and you really need a F4 or F2.8 long zoom lens.

 

[ishou80]

I think the Pentax FAJ 75-300mm cannot perform to the camera body lvl so think you should consider getting the body alone and get 1-2 lenses that really suits your need.

OP sell grey set with shop warranty so you might wanna consider tat.

 

[ftang]

Longer lenses are tiring to lug around. Easier to have camera shake even with shake reduction, may need monopod/tripod.

 

[Reportage]

Longer lenses are tiring to lug around. Easier to have camera shake even with shake reduction, may need monopod/tripod.

already have one tripod...http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=450021

 

[Reportage]

have gone around asking...Alan Photo no stock. Cathay Photo not selling at US SRP, Orient Photo need to order but Samsung GX20 is available for around same price.

K20D body SRP is US$999 which is roughly converted becomes SG$1457.

 

[flowerpot]

Hong Kong is the cheapest... i think ~1200 to 1300...

i would still suggest u look at other brands for ur needs, true buying the K20D will save some cash which allow for more options for buying lens... i love my K20D, it gives me the dynamic range, SR and resolution i need, i dun shoot events/wedding or sport so often, maybe 3 or 4 time a yr thats all, not to pour cold water but i came from using N, and i have shoot a wedding b4 using K20D, i have missed plenty of shots, i have shoot trade shoots, jousting with others, i also missed plenty of good shots as well, maybe im lousy at using the K20D...
but seriously, pentax AF still lacks behind, its not about accuracy, its just a bit slower, events/sport ppl dun hold still and let u shoot, they moved, by the time the AF locks and the mirror slaps, the mili secs is enough to miss it...

I definitely welcome u to our camp , but i dun want to have an unhappy customer...

best is to try it out urself, we have a outing coming up, im sure many will let u play with it and have a feel... then go to the shops and try out other brands then decide...

 

[Reportage]

Hong Kong is the cheapest... i think ~1200 to 1300...

i would still suggest u look at other brands for ur needs, true buying the K20D will save some cash which allow for more options for buying lens... i love my K20D, it gives me the dynamic range, SR and resolution i need, i dun shoot events/wedding or sport so often, maybe 3 or 4 time a yr thats all, not to pour cold water but i came from using N, and i have shoot a wedding b4 using K20D, i have missed plenty of shots, i have shoot trade shoots, jousting with others, i also missed plenty of good shots as well, maybe im lousy at using the K20D...
but seriously, pentax AF still lacks behind, its not about accuracy, its just a bit slower, events/sport ppl dun hold still and let u shoot, they moved, by the time the AF locks and the mirror slaps, the mili secs is enough to miss it...

I definitely welcome u to our camp , but i dun want to have an unhappy customer...

best is to try it out urself, we have a outing coming up, im sure many will let u play with it and have a feel... then go to the shops and try out other brands then decide...

matches quotations i received from my preferred overseas merchants. with shipping + free gifts the average price quoted is SG$1.2k for k20d body alone and $1.9k for the D300 alone.

just to ask, if you had known earlier got chance of missed shots due to slower speed...would you have paid $700 more for the D300 6fps (22 raw) compared to K20D (14 raw)?

To me lowlight is most important as i that the most frequent condition where i do most of my shooting.

One of the features i like to use other then for lowlight sports is the time lapse.

 

[flowerpot]

matches quotations i received from my preferred overseas merchants. with shipping + free gifts the average price quoted is SG$1.2k for k20d body alone and $1.9k for the D300 alone.

just to ask, if you had known earlier got chance of missed shots due to slower speed...would you have paid $700 more for the D300 6fps (22 raw) compared to K20D (14 raw)?

To me lowlight is most important as i that the most frequent condition where i do most of my shooting.

One of the features i like to use other then for lowlight sports is the time lapse.

huh ? if i know earlier would i spend 700 more ? of course... :bsmilie: but its not straight answer...

choosing a system depends on what u need, ur budget and what the system can provide u...

i dun shoot wedding, maybe not yet, i dun shoot events so often, maybe for the odd occasion where then are plenty of XMM...:bsmilie: i dun shoot sporting events, maybe for the once a year thingie, low light i can live with the slower AF... u will learn to deal with it...
so do i need a D300? simple answer is a NO... K20D satisfy what i need... but if 1 day happen that i will shoot events more than usual, i do freelance wedding, will i go for D300/D700 over K20D, of course the answer is a straight yes...it goes back to what i already mention earlier... buy what u need and what u can afford...

so what do u need and how much u can afford, its a simple question really...