UKH

I've currently got a Pentax K5 and a range of lenses.  I've been very happy with it, but 2 of the lenses have got fungus in.  This is triggering a serious look at my set up

1. Stick with Pentax and replace the fungussy lenses.  Upgrade body at some point in the future.  Pro is that I like Pentax handling and weather sealing, biggest con is that less and less lens/body options are available
2. Move to a different brand of SLR.  Hopefully find something that matches what I like about Pentax but with a wider support base from 3rd party lens manufacturers e.g. Sigma
3. Go mirrorless.  Seems to be the modern way, but I do like an optical viewfinder so am a little wary.

My photography is mostly either landscapes or family stuff.  I'm definitely an amateur but like to think I have some idea what I'm doing and do notice the benefit of good quality lenses.  Current favourite is my Pentax 50-135 which I now use about 80% of the time.  If I'm going to jump systems would like access to a similar lens.

Thoughts of the UKC photography collective?

In reply to Sam W:

Mirrorless is lighter / more compact but this advantage is only beneficial if you are using smaller zooms. Sounds as if you are bored Is fungus impossible to treat once instated ??

In reply to LeeWood:

It requires lens disassembly which is either expensive (if you get someone else to do it) or risky (DIY).  Apparently there's also a risk of fungus spreading from one lens to another, spores get through gaps in seals.

In reply to Sam W: I’m in a similar position having been a Pentax user since my first MX over 40 years ago. I recently upgraded from a K-S2 to a pre owned KP which I’m very pleased with. I have a range of good lenses including some Pentax Limiteds bought secondhand from Wex etc which are great for landscape. The main selling points of mirrorless seem to include better auto focus (I don’t shoot fast action sports), more compact (not much more compact than my KP) and video capability (not for me). Also I really value the emotional connection through an optical viewfinder

If you have a reasonable investment in Pentax (or compatible ) lenses I would consider staying with Pentax, if you want to spend a bit more than a used KP the K3-III is considered by many to be the best APS-C body ever made. If starting afresh then mirrorless has a lot to offer

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/used-pentax-k-mount/?p=categoryPath%3A%22used...

In reply to Sam W:

I am increasingly hard nosed about this. If for instance a camera costs £1000 and the lenses £2000 (I have no idea about your stuff) and you are taking 10000 pictures a year for 5 years that's 6p a picture, but if you only take a 500 per annum then that's a lot more at £1.20. When it comes to counting how many keepers you end up with it can be a depressing thing.

So I have cut back to the system that I need for work (ring flash, macro lens and high MP body) and a couple of others for other uses (as although I did occasionally use other lenses it was really quite rarely and for one lens it was probably about £10 a shot). These type of calculations stop me getting the latest and greatest and save me from decadence.  - how I would love a Z8 And I have a D850!

So I would, unless there is a great reason, stick with what you have and only replace the lenses if they are used enough. When we had film cameras and we bought the sensor in the form of film they lasted decades. Electronic wizardry has us on a purchasing treadmill.

Also consider making some prints for the walls, an album or two to get more out of your photography. So many stick their photos away on their computers!

If you can't resist, look at selling your old stuff - somewhere like Park Cameras may give you a trade-in deal. 

In reply to kevin stephens:

I rarely shoot fast action but I've found my hit rate of slow moving and still subjects has increased massively since moving to a Canon R5, so improved AF isn't just for sports & birds. That said, Not all mirrorless system are equal. My old Canon 5Ds (and previously 5Dmk3) were much better in the AF dept than any of the various Fuji X series I've used. 

I agree entirely with your final sentence above, and viewfinder aside, I also prefer the handling of the bigger and heavier 5-series bodies to the R-series, though not so much carrying them.

OP: While your Pentax is still a great camera (a friend has one and loves it) it's old in body tech terms and you will notice a jump in quality if you move to a more recent system. Despite what I said above, I'd look at Fujifilm X series. Lovely tactile controls and the lenses are exquisite. Or stick with what you know and get some used lenses.

In reply to Sam W:

It's personal and complex. I have both (DSLR and mirrorless) and each has its pros and cons - I wouldn't want to lose either. The mirrorless G9 & GX8 are great for small/distant wildlife and portability (respectively) and the 6d DSLR is better for low light, landscapes and astro. Subjectively the mirrorless cameras feel like computers-which-take-pictures which can be good or bad. Note that the mirrorless G9 is actually bigger and heavier than my old 550d (APS-C) - it gains mainly on the size of the zoom lens that's usually attached (100-400mm). Bottom line is that that I prefer the 6d, but end up using the G9/GX8 more often (if that makes any sense).

In reply to Sam W:

Don't fret over this too much; the current digital viewfinders (on the mirrorless cameras that have them) are really good and you can essentially use them to do the metering;  I now shoot everything in manual mode and used the viewfinder to sort the exposure by-eye, with a little bit of help from the in-viewfinder histogram.  [Shooting RAW, so I know I can sort minor stuff out easily in Post.] 

... on Fuji-X system which is nicely set up with aperture ring on (most) of the lenses and proper shutter & ISo dials on (most) of the camera bodies.

And is the lens fungus actually noticeably degrading image quality? 

In reply to Sam W:

If there's fungus in the lenses, do you like the Pentax weather sealing more than you should?

The lenses with fungus in are Tamron and Sigma, the Pentax ones currently seem to be ok.  So I guess that's a point in favour of the weather sealing.

I can see it on pics taken with the Sigma.  Haven't actually tested the Tamron for a while, but it wasn't too bad last time I checked.

There's definitely an element of the fungus kicking me to make a decision.  I've been thinking I should get myself sorted for a while.  I like the look of the Fuji X-series but think I would miss the flexibility of interchangeable lenses.  In an ideal world I'd have both, but that's lots of £s.

I like the look of a Canon 6d, second hand price seems reasonable.  Pentax K3 iii would also be great, but they don't seem to come up used very often and new price is out of current budget.

In reply to Sam W:

??? ... You can change the lenses on Fuji Series X (not to be confused with the Fuji X100 compact series with fixed lens)

In reply to ChrisJD:

Ah, that's exactly what confused me.  Thanks for clarifying.

In reply to Marek:

What Marek said.  I have a different mirrorless but the same DSLR.  It's telling that when I'm off out, despite the many advantages of a full-frame DSLR for landscape over an APS-C mirrorless, it's the latter that I take with me.

Lighter and smaller (not by much, but enough) wins when I have to carry the camera any distance.

T.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Yes, they are. Especially in low light when they are in effect an image intensifier. But in full bright daylight the optical viewfinder (6d) is still better than the EVF (G9/GX8). Funny dichotomy really since the sensors effectiveness is the other way round.

In reply to Sam W:

I replaced a D3200 with a used X-T1 last year, and the major advantage for me is that I'm now actually likely to take a camera with me because of the size and awkwardness decrease. Which has, in turn, fully revived my passion for photography.

I can recommend the Fuji X series - even a 9 year old X-T1 body is a very capable camera, and they can be had for sensible amounts of money quite easily on eBay. 

In reply to Sam W:

OK, I'm now down to keep the Pentax or get a Fuji X-Tx.  I'll keep an eye on ebay and see what comes up.  If I keep the Pentax I think I'll upgrade my 'little' camera, currently a Panasonic LX7 so I've got an easy carry option.  

In reply to ChrisJD:

I used to judge exposure from the viewfinder (the get what you see approach) on my Fuji, but then realised that in low ambient light, the viewfinder looked bright and I was "compensating" by underexposing. And vice versa in bright ambient light. I now don't trust what I see (as Marek said it is effectively an image intensifier) and go far more by the histogram.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Yes, you have to some use judgement, combined with the histogram as a quick check of the - expose to the right etc., but without blowing tons of the highlights..

The Fuji RAWs are pretty robust in Post, so exposure its not 'that' critical (for me), as long as you haven't  blown loads of highlights. Note: this is for the stuff I want shoot, which is also rarely in really low light, and often involves people doing stuff, so speed is key and I don't want the metering system to be doing its own thing and messing it up.

In reply to Sam W:

I added a cheapish 2nd hand (£130) 15-45mm kit zoom lens to my Fuji set up; the thing is tiny and great for travelling.  Makes the Xt-3 footprint not 'that' much bigger than my X100.  Also surprised by the image quality as well.  No aperture ring though.

In reply to ChrisJD:

Same here (on my X-T1), though it's not weather sealed.

In reply to galpinos:

It's a little cracker for size & cost and it's got image stabilisation to boot; was really pleasantly surprised how good the kit lens turned out to be for travelling.

In reply to Sam W:

I’ve finally moved from my Canon EOS 60d dSLR with EF and EF-S lenses to the EOS R mirrorless.  

The EVF is finally good enough to not annoy me - a long standing problem with mirrorless for me.  I think some of the time the EVF is a benefit as it can crank up contrast at night, for example.

This system also gives access to the F/11 800 mm prime which is about a 10x reduction in price from previous 800 mm primes with good image quality and a light weight, enabled by the better image stabilisation a modern lens/camera comms protocol allows.  I still get blown away that I can read a clock tower 5 miles away with a sub £1k lens.  Only problem is it’s broken and always reads the same time…

In reply to kevin stephens:

Having written all that I’m conscious that my kit spends more time at home then out with me on my travels. One factor is that I have too many lenses to cover the range I need, whilst most of these are excellent from an image quality point of view they add up to a lot of bulk, especially my Sigma EX 100-300 f4 which is a full frame lens. I’m struck by possibilities of a Sony A6400 or A6700 with the 16-70 and 70-350 lenses.

In reply to kevin stephens:

I have an A6400 with the Sigma trio (16, 30 and 56) and Sony 18-135 and 70-350. I can’t offer any comparisons, but I find it ideal for taking good photos whilst limiting weight when on the hill.

Arthur123 does some good reviews on YouTube.

In reply to Graeme G:

Thanks Graeme, have you had any problems or concerns using the gear in the wet?

In reply to kevin stephens:

TBH I tend to avoid using it in the wet. If it gets used it's back in the bag as soon as possible. I also carry silicon pouches in my camera bag and leave it drying in the house before I switch it back on. I've recently bought a cover, although haven't really used it in anger. Can you tell I'm paranoid of getting it wet?

Apologies, if that's not helpful. Apart from the menu, which is pretty much unloved by every reviewer/user I love it. Really sharp images, small enough to carry around and bargain price when I bought it from e-infinity (£630 for the body as opposed to £900 in the UK). I think the review of the A6400 is still available on DPReview.

In reply to Graeme G:

Thanks, yes the menus do get slated. The A6700 is meant to be a lot better and I may go that way depending on the PEx deal I am offered for my DSLR kit, also tempted by the Fujifilm alternatives which seem to have better weather proofing but a lot bulkier

In reply to kevin stephens:

So, I took my Pentax gear including original boxes etc to the shop to see what it would be worth PEx. I looked at the Sony A6700, nice and dinky but it and its lenses seemed rather fragile for my intended use. I ended up making good use of my PEx deal to get a M4/3 OM-1 and 12-100 (24-200 35mm equiv) f4 pro lens. Very impressed so far, also with IP53 dust and weather sealing and that the one lens can meet all my requirements, and with M4/3 the lens is not too bulky

In reply to kevin stephens:

Interesting. I’ve always assumed all camera gear to be ‘fragile’.

In reply to Graeme G:

I could have belayed off my old 1980’s Pentax MX if i’d hammered it into a crack, and still used it afterwards. I think the new OM-1 feels like a small step back in that direction, but I certainly won’t be belaying off it

In reply to kevin stephens:

LOL