Upgrade body or lenses for faster autofocus and better image quality?
Asked 12/11/2010
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2 answers
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I currently use a Pentax K100D with the 18-55mm kit lens and a couple of manual-focus 50mm primes. I’m getting back into photography, but the slow or inconsistent focusing is frustrating.
I mainly shoot landscapes and portraits, and my top priorities are autofocus performance and image quality. I don’t have a big investment in Pentax lenses, so I’m open to switching systems.
I’m considering either upgrading to a newer Pentax body or moving to another brand with more autofocus lens options. Since budget matters, I’m trying to decide whether it makes more sense to spend more on a better body now, or put more of the money into lenses and upgrade the body later.
Given those priorities, is it better to stay with Pentax and buy a stronger body only, or switch systems and prioritize autofocus lenses first?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
4
Invest in glass. As you have found, old Pentax glass is cheap, built strongly, but usually lacks AF. Any prime lens is dear, some of the Pentax ones can make your eyes water - but so can the Canon-Nikon ones too. Once you pick the lenses you want, the body will follow. Conventional wisdom usually says 70-105 for portraits and as wide as you can for landscapes. So check the lens offerings in all the major players, decide, choose, buy. Or Stick with the Pentax body and invest in some nice Pentax glass now, and save up for whatever comes after the K-5 - that way you get to use the nice glass now, and can anticipate the "next big thing" from Pentax.
Don't know if that helped, but I hope so :-)
Originally by Shane Kelly. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Shane Kelly
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For landscapes and portraits, the community consensus is: prioritize lenses, but in your case a newer Pentax body still makes sense if autofocus is what’s holding you back.
A good middle path is to keep Pentax, buy the body only, and keep using your existing 18-55mm for now. The K-5 is widely praised in the answers for much better autofocus, image quality, and overall shooting experience than older Pentax bodies. That addresses your main frustration immediately.
Then add autofocus primes as budget allows, including used Pentax AF lenses. Several answers also highlight Pentax’s stronger lenses—especially the Limited primes—as one of the system’s biggest advantages.
Switching systems just to get a cheaper older body is less compelling unless you’ve already decided the other system has the lenses you want long-term. In general, bodies come and go, but lenses shape both image quality and your system choice.
So: choose the lens ecosystem you want first. If you still like Pentax, a K-5 body-only upgrade plus later lens upgrades is the most balanced path.
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