Should I sell my Contax G system for A K10d?

[flipflop]

Hi.
I have been looking at this Pentax K10d and it seems like a great camera. Here is dilemma, I would have to sell my Contax G gear. I have a G1 green label + 21mm, 35mm, 90mm, TLA 140 Flash and the Contax G leather system bag.

Just wondering what you guys think. I love the G but I hate scanning negs I have a Epson 4490 that does a great job and is super versitile but it is TIME CONSUMING. The other thing is I notice I have lots of negs and scanned images but very few printed.

The other thing is I dont shoot as much as I would like because of the cost of development and film.

How large do you think I could print with the Pentax K10d?
Also, if anyone has the K10d please comment. The kit zoom it comes with is it any good or would I be better off saving the 100 bucks and putting it toward a 50mm?

The G system is awsome and I would hate to have buyers remorse again and have to buy this system over. I have never owned a digital SLR and have been a hardcore film shooter, shunning digital...but because of the time and money it takes to shoot film I think a nice digital would be a welcome change.

Then again the if the results are not going to be even close...im not interested in a change and I will wait till I can afford a full frame sensor.

Help me out
Thanks!

 

[kevin m]

It's a tempting camera, isn't it? Pentax makes a line of compact prime lenses for their DSLR bodies which are nearly rangefinder small. A 21, 40 and a 70, I believe. Their "limited" line of lenses is well-regarded, too, and includes a 31, 43 and a 77. All the lenses I named take 49mm filters with the exception of the 31, which takes 58's.

One thing I haven't figured out from reading available reviews is does the 'anti-shake' technology really work, or not.

 

[flipflop]

Kevin,
From what I have read is the shake reduction does work, but not 4 stops compensation like advertised, I have heard 2.5-3 stops is more realistic and in my opinion still quite good based on the price of the camera and that you wont have to buy special lenses with anti shake...like nikon etc

 

[ChrisN]

This might be better asked on DSLRExchange!

Is the G-system your primary kit? I'd keep at least the core of a decent 35mm system if I could, but I certainly agree with you about the film-handling issues.

I love my K10D; it is excellent to use (ergonomics, features, controls), some excellent lenses are available for it, and it is capable of producing excellent images.

For print size, just take the image resolution and divide by 240 or 300 (high quality print resolution).

A 3872 x 2592 image file will give you a print 13 x 9 inches at 300dpi, or 16 x 11 at 240dpi. That's without any interpolation to produce a bigger image (which is possible to some extent).

In practice, maybe up to 20 x 30.

 

[flipflop]

wowzers,
Sounds like the camera fits the bill...I have enjoyed reading your post on DSLREXCHANGE. I would join but for some reason I cannot join the forum some problem with my email, so I have been lurking for the last couple weeks.

How is the zoom that comes with the camera. Also, say I have 50mm K mount from my K1000 can I use all the features on the camera or is it some what handicapped using the older K mount lenses. I know I will not have AF, which is fine. But what about metering modes, etc.
Thanks for the post!

 

[jan normandale]

Hi.
I have been looking at this Pentax K10d and it seems like a great camera. Here is dilemma, I would have to sell my Contax G gear. I have a G1 green label + 21mm, 35mm, 90mm, TLA 140 Flash and the Contax G leather system bag.

Just wondering what you guys think. I love the G but I hate scanning negs I have a Epson 4490 that does a great job and is super versitile but it is TIME CONSUMING. The other thing is I notice I have lots of negs and scanned images but very few printed.

The other thing is I dont shoot as much as I would like because of the cost of development and film.

How large do you think I could print with the Pentax K10d?
Also, if anyone has the K10d please comment. The kit zoom it comes with is it any good or would I be better off saving the 100 bucks and putting it toward a 50mm?

The G system is awsome and I would hate to have buyers remorse again and have to buy this system over. I have never owned a digital SLR and have been a hardcore film shooter, shunning digital...but because of the time and money it takes to shoot film I think a nice digital would be a welcome change.

Then again the if the results are not going to be even close...im not interested in a change and I will wait till I can afford a full frame sensor.

Help me out
Thanks!

Buyers remorse? Probably.

you have a camera with three of the best lenses made by one of the best optics firms worldwide. What are you going to get that will equal that? What will it cost to truly equal that?

Chris notes that you could get a 20x30 image with interpolation. Take one of your negs, and get a drumscan. The 25 mb image will be totally different in favour of film.

If you are looking for convenience then a digital camera is definitely more convenient for uploading images. But if you ever want an archival quality print.. I sure wouldn't go to digital, yet. In the end you will choose what suits your uses for a camera. That should be key in your decision process.

My 2 cents, and yes I own a G1.

 

[flipflop]

Yeah, the 21mm is "SICK"
The 90mm is nice but takes a bit to focus and the 35mm is my most used lens.
Its a great system but, being on a budget the K10d just seems to be the way to go. I think if I am going to shoot film I would like to shoot a larger format than 35mm as digital is pretty darn close to matching it 95% of the time.

I will probably buy a 6x6 folder to shoot film with + I have a Nikonos III a Yashica FX-3 and a Pentax K1000...so I will still be shooting 35mm. I would really love to have a leica m6 and some lenses but my wallet wont permit it.

The other thing is the G system is a dead system and that scares me...but then again the sharpness of these lenses does as well.

 

[flipflop]

Bump Bump Bump

 

[dazedgonebye]

Sounds like a question of digital vs. film for your personal needs.
Sounds like you've already answered that you'd like to go to digital.
I have both and would not give up either one for the other.
Given that you want a digital SLR, I think the K10D is a fine candidate. The only negatives I've read is that its jpeg output lacks. That would be a non-issue for me because I always shoot raw.
Great feature set on that camera, better than Canon's offerings in the same range. On the other hand, Canon puts out a better jpeg and has at least slightly better high iso performance.
Also, even though pentax has what may be a better AF system, until it offers Ultrasonic technology (or something similar) in its lenses, Canon will likely focus faster.

Were I starting DSLR from scratch, it would be a tough choice.

 

[Issy]

Bump Bump Bump

... oh, sorry, we were all just waiting for the For Sale ad to go up. Dibs on the 35! 🙂

Seriously, tough choice... I think there's a lot of us who straddle the fence between film and digital, and would like to go one way or another because our budgets won't allow us to do both. (me too!) Then you have to weigh the pros and cons of each (costs for film, scanning time, no immediate feedback but archival storage, versus costs of software and hard drives and archival CD-R, scratches and dust versus noise and CA, and sensor bleed, and dust again... ) In the end, it's a personal preference, and no right answer... maybe that's why it's difficult to guide someone else in their choice.

Issy (right now shooting film, getting my 1 hour place to upload low density jpeg scans, and hi-density scans of the good ones at home, but also has a Canon G6... talk about being on the fence)

 

[kshapero]

Whoa! Wait a minute, I have spent 4 days with a Pentax K10d and the kit lens and the 43mm fixed. yes this is a very nice camera, yes it is convenient, but it will not take the place of your G1. No way.
My reasons are:
My wife says when I shoot the K10d I tend to lunge at the subject. It startles the subject. With my rangefinder, she notices that I seem to be more a part of the scenery, less itimadating to the subject.
Two, call me old fashion but my 6 meg scans just look more robust thatn the Pentax. It is a great camera but it is not "mystical" Think twice. The anti shake thing gets you almost to where you would be with a rangefinder. I can go slower with my RF that with the K10d.

 

[motosacto]

Buyers remorse? Probably.

you have a camera with three of the best lenses made by one of the best optics firms worldwide. What are you going to get that will equal that? What will it cost to truly equal that?

Chris notes that you could get a 20x30 image with interpolation. Take one of your negs, and get a drumscan. The 25 mb image will be totally different in favour of film.

If you are looking for convenience then a digital camera is definitely more convenient for uploading images. But if you ever want an archival quality print.. I sure wouldn't go to digital, yet. In the end you will choose what suits your uses for a camera. That should be key in your decision process.

My 2 cents, and yes I own a G1.

I own an earlier generation Pentax DSLR (*ist-Ds) and 21mm, 31mm, 43mm, and 77mm limited lenses. I also own and shoot with a variety of vintage film cameras with truly superb optics. The Pentax limited lenses are jewels--compact, full-metal barrels, and very sharp. Compared to a Contax G1 or G2, all DSLRS are plastic blobs in feel (except maybe the Leica/Panasonic 4/3 body). I would not recommend that you bother comparing the kit lens to your G series optics. If you can, find a camera store that will let you put a limited lens or two onto a K10D body and see how it feels.

Based on my experience with an Epson 4870 and 35mm and 120 film, I expect that you'll be really happy with the digital output you get with the K10D. Just make sure that you shoot RAW rather than JPEG and seriously consider getting and learning a full version of Photoshop if you don't already have one.

If you want a classic metal camera feel and optics with lots of snob-appeal, you might consider the Panasonic DMC-L1 and its associated Leica zoom. Reviews that I have seen praise the quality of the lens and the body has the metal-slab look and feel.

On a side note, the image source (e.g., DSLR vs film negative) has nothing to do with the archival nature of the final print. It's all about printing process and materials. According to Henry Wilhelm, the latest printers from Epson and HP seem to be about as archival as it gets.

Finally, if you want to print big (e.g., 20x30 or larger), ditch your puny G system and go large format (or get a Rolleiflex).

Here are a few links:

Cameraquest praise for Pentax Limited Lenses

Luminous Landscape review of the Panasonic DMC-L1

Wilhelm Imaging Research (archival print information)

Hope this helps....

 

[kevin m]

My wife says when I shoot the K10d I tend to lunge at the subject.

That's a side-effect of the anti-shake system at work, but Pentax has a firmware upgrade coming to fix it. 🙄 😱 😀

So can anyone comment on the lens quality of the Pentax lenses, in particular the "Limited" series? It's tough to find alot of information about anything other than Canon or Nikon these days.

 

[flipflop]

Where do you guys get your images scanned to disk? Also how much do they charge...
Damn, this is seriously making me reconsider. I just looked at my kit...it would be hard to sell it. Especially since I wouldnt be able have comparable lenses because of the price.
Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Matching your lenses would be the tough part. Not that they're not out there I guess, but it sure is going to add to the cost of the transition.
On the other hand, you save the cost of film/processing.

 

[35mmdelux]

You're talking 2 diff worlds of cam gear. One is AF/RF, the other digi/SLR. If film costs hits you that hard, then by all means swap it out.

We all get buyers/sellers remorse, but the truth be told its all (except for some Leica gear) production items. You'll just have to go and hunt it down again.

 

[aad]

My big sticking point-

If I buy a new DSLR, I get a fairly expensive camera that shares my attention with the rest of my gear-maybe it gives me better esults, maybe not.

If I upgrade one of my scanners, ALL my existing gear becomes better.

 

[Dougg]

As to lens quality, having a G2 system and Pentax Limited lenses, I'd say they're in the same quality class... Zeiss seems very dedicated to minimizing curvilinear distortion.

 

[Issy]

Where do you guys get your images scanned to disk? Also how much do they charge...

Kodak will put 1-2MB jpg scans on disk, but they usually want $8-$10 bucks for it, but my local 1-hour place (a really nice guy who really takes pride in his work) is affiliated with these guys:

http://www.lifepics.com/

I drop off a roll of C-41, he develops the negatives, gives me 1 index print, and uploads 1-2MB jpeg scans of each negative from his machine to these guys (for about $3.50 US -- I go back in about an hour and get the negatives and the one index print). I can go online and download them, or order prints from them online that go to his machine, local. They also have the specialty products (mugs, mousepads with images, etc) that Lifepics can drop ship.

These work perfectly well for most common needs (prints for relatives, web images, snapshots, email). Anything I want to do more with, or plan to manipulate, I have a Nikon 4000ED scanner (might be one or two frames a roll). He can do the same with B&W, but the C-41 seems to give me the best of both worlds (I'll convert to B&W in Picasa or Photoshop if I want it)

 

[ChrisN]

So can anyone comment on the lens quality of the Pentax lenses, in particular the "Limited" series? It's tough to find alot of information about anything other than Canon or Nikon these days.

This article is a little dated, but Mike Johnson had some very favorable things to say about the LTD lenses, putting them and the Contax G lenses at the top of the list, where auto-focus lenses are concerned.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-05-02.shtml