Canon EOS 7D vs Pentax K5

Kido

I'm looking at buying a Dslr camera. Probably one or other of the above. I enjoy taking photos and want to exten my abilities. Normally I take photos of the dog or my brother when he's doing track days on his motorbike, but I also want to take it travelling. At the moment I've just got a decent Canon point and shoot and I've used my brothers Nikon D5000, but I find it slow when I'm trying to photograph him on the track days. By the time the autofocus has kicked in I've missed the shot. I'm not bothered about the video capabilities, I've got a camcorder for that. It's all about the picture quality.

Does anyone have any advise or prefer one over the other, or should I just head to Jessops and try them?

tberry6686

I would suggest some reading of reviews online. The problem with asking opinions online is that everyone has there own viewpoint and preferences.

eg I wouldn't buy a canon cause I dislike their menu system, doesn't mean they make bad cameras though, just my opinion

redped

According to http://camerapricebuster.co.uk/, you can get the 7D for £1089, and the K7 for £742, so they're not exactly evenly matched.

The 7D is a good camera (a work colleague has one), but I wouldn't necessarily say it would be best-suited as someone's first DSLR. For the same price as a K5, you could have a Canon 60D instead, leaving you more money for some decent lenses.

Your suggestion about Jessops is good - a camera can be the best spec & price on paper, but until you hold it in your hands you won't know if it feels too heavy, too light, is awkward to use, etc.

tberry6686

Trying out the cameras is a good idea but might I suggest taking a look at the Sony A77 - difficult to beat for action at 12fps while continually focusing

WhiteChristmas

Trying to use autofocus at track days suggests you'd be better off buying a lower spec camera (the Canon 600D is a good entry-level dSLR) and booking yourself a lesson or two with a pro to learn about stuff like pre-focusing.

Without the right technique, it doesn't matter how much you spend on kit.

Shimrod

The 7d is ideally suited to sports and wildlife photography, as it has a fast autofocus system. As others have advised though, it is worth checking the camera out in a shop, as it is heavy. The 60d mentioned in another post is a similar weight, the 600d is much lighter, but also physically much smaller.

You mention you also want to take it travelling, depending on the sort of travel (backpacking or example), the ligher camera may be a better choice.

You will also want to consider what sort of lens you want - for sports you would probably want an F2.8 lens for fast action shots, which again can be heavy and costly - the caveat on this is that it is possibly to get much better quality photos these days with higher ISO settings so an F4 lens may be suitable.

Don't rule out Nikon either - you mention the D5000 seems slow, but you don't mention in what way - it isn't a bad camera, and of course there have been several new Nikon models since then that would fit into your budget.

Have a look at the reviews and forums on these boards for more info:
http://www.cameralabs.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/

sparvar

Any canon will do - they have superfast autofocus. The 7D shoots around 8fps, it is fantastic for sports etc, you could also try the 60D which shoots around 5fps although the autofocus system isn't quite as good (it uses a simple 9 point system which I prefer). To be honest you're better off spending your money on a lens.

InsideInsurance

Focusing speed is a combination of both the camera and the lens that is on it so dont consider each in isolation.

Personally I think the 7D is a great camera but are you leaving enough budget for a lens? How close are you going to be getting to the track?

I'd imagine at a minimum you're going to be wanting 200mm on a cropped body and so your looking at £1000 for the 70-200mm 2.8L or £1850 for the 70-200mm 2.8L IS (v II). The larger aperture gives you faster focusing and the ability to create a shallower depth of field.

Add the lens to the £1550 for the camera + kit lens and you've spent the best part of £3500. Is this really what you want to spend on your first dSLR? Have to say I have spent much more over the years but even I started with a more consumer level body at least

Kido

Thanks for all the advice. I went to look at different cameras at the weekend and I've discounted the Canon 7D, it's just too heavy. I did like the Pentax a lot, but I'm going to check out a couple of Nikons as well as the Canon 60D and then go back and try the Pentax again. See which is most comfortable.

Looking at mine vs my brothers schedule I won't be doing any track days with him for the next few months, so I'm thinking maybe getting the Pentax with an 18-135 lens. Reasonable zoom for photographing the dog on the beach and playing in the fields, and taking it on holiday. I can then save up for a longer range zoom lens.

sparvar

Don't rule out a prime lens, they are much cheaper and better quality than any zoom lens. I have plenty of expensive Canon L range zooms but my cheaper prime lenses are better. If you're on a tight budget you can pick up one from £85 however you really need to spent £300+ for a quality prime lens.