Pentax K-5 Mark II Coming

Basically it's all true.

"So should I pull the trigger on a vanilla K-5 on Amazon before this hits? I still feel weird about this rumor myself. I dont see how I would spend north of $1000 on the MarkII if I can get an almost the same K-5 for ~$800. Anyone else?"

You mean ~$900. Yes if I still had the option, and the mkII proved be at least equal IQ to the K5 with rumored improvements. I'd buy it, if it stayed under $1100.

SAFOX-X is comparable to 7D/D300's even at air show. The X & the newly developed 16MP w/o LPF(AA) with new processor for incredible IQ in both low/high ISO make it unrivaled in APS-C segment. No K-3 at this time.

Ok now some people are claiming that the pictures are indeed fake, that they have handled prototypes, and that the s version will lack an AA filter.

Take from that what you will, but this is been rumored for a long time so it seems very likely.

I for one would support this. I am currently trying to decide between buying the K5 and a K30. This would make my decision easy. As many posts on this site have noted, Pentax may not be able to release a camera with the 24 MP sensor for six more months. The updates rumored in this post could be implemented and the cameras on the shelves immediately, as the improved parts and/or firmware would most likely already be completed, and probably already with the factory for inclusion. Further, at the (likely/hopeful?) price point of $1000 to $1100, I would definitely be interested, while the I would not be in the market to buy a $2000+ FF.

Let's hope its a fake. What a wasted effort by Pentax this would be.

I wonder what the diff is between the II and IIs?

FYI: rice high is now claiming this is fake

@dmytty

By far the most useful post I've read in the forums. I'd be very interested in your article.

I have no idea whether thisis a crappy rumour or not, but there doesn't seem to me to be anything lame about calling it mark II, and neither would I see it as a copy of Canon. Rather, it just seems the logical option if it is essentially the same camera, with some tweaks, rather than a properly new product.

I am assuming the Mark II name is not what Pentax would use. That would be lame.

Agreed

Do you really think Pentax could use the same denomination as Canon? Crappy rumour

Do you really think Pentax could use the same denomination as Canon? Crappy rumour

So is it:
K-30 = $600-700
K-5 MkII ~ $1000 or where ever
K-3 = North of $1500?

So should I pull the trigger on a vanilla K-5 on Amazon before this hits? I still feel weird about this rumor myself. I dont see how I would spend north of $1000 on the MarkII if I can get an almost the same K-5 for ~$800. Anyone else?

Well, if this is simply an update to the K-5, I guess there's nothing to complain about. The old something is better than nothing logic, I guess. I do believe however, that if they are going to introduce an update to the K-5, it would either have to have WAY better AF, or other enhancements not listed here. My biggest hope is that their flagship DSLR has vastly improved AF-C, manual video ability, and flash system improvements, whatever they call it, K-5II, K-3, whatever. These are the items that I think are legitimate things that allow Canikon people to scoff at Pentax. Especially AF and flash.

How do we get Retina Printing?

The formula is simple. Mpixel = max print size.

The K30/K5 @ 16 Mpixel will yield A1 size gallery quality printing. A1 is ~23" x 33" and will look very sharp at 150 ppi from 2' (4928 pixels / 33 = 150 ppi). At $2k for a 24" wide printer, sounds like a nice match right? It is.

However, Canon is now selling 44" wide roll/sheet printers for $2-3k, and at that price large format printing is accessible to serious hobbyists. However, at double the print size, only 36 Mpixel (ie Nikon d800) will do justice to this print (ie maintain 150 ppi).

The underlying process and qualities of the sensor aside, a full frame camera is required to maintain equivalent imaging quality at 36 Mpixel. Hence, I do not understand the release of a 24 Mpixel camera - especially full frame. Far better to match the sensor to a printer.

Remember that Ricoh is a printer company as well...one with a long partnership with Epson (maker of premium photo printers).

If there's more interest in this subject, I will post an article.

Plainly speaking...I demand focus peaking! :^P

No I meant the article was from here all along not the K5 Mark 2. I found the link at another site but didnt realise it was from here right from the very start so I posted it in Rumours Forum. I do hope the RUMOUR is true though. It will give people a choice between a 16mp sensor and 24mp sensor in the latest premium body. Have fun peoples thats what rumours are for.

I can post tomorrow on the forum, anonymously and say the uncle of my friends girlfriend is the main head of Pentax. And he told me they will announce a FF camera at photokina.

And it would be posted here also??

No focus peaking :(

I dont really understand why this RUMOR should be on the front page. Seems false to me.

K-5N look like the mockery and insult under K-5's users...

May I remind and warn an occasional reader that this article is stated to be JUST A RUMOR ? Beats me why this one in particular made it to the front page.
Have fun now...

Oh ok cool. It was already here all along. I do hope its true because it makes so much sense to take the improvements from the K30 and add them to what already is a classic. Ok it will not be for K5 owners but for a lot of other people it will be very enticing indeed especially if they are low light shooters and not big printers or heavy croppers.

flomat: Probably chinese dealers read pentaxforums April 1st. this year..

Well maybe that's exactly what Pentax wants to achieve GhoSStrider?
People will see also Pentax and not only Canon when searching on "Mark I, II, III and
that gives some "free" exposure and maybe new pentaxians? :)

Well done Pentax, K5 is so good and MKII will be even better! No reason to desing good camera again and again better just develop existing great ones

K-5 II doesn't make sense to me, too much overlap with K-30 and existing stock of K-5, I sure wouldn't shell out $300 more just for these minor updates.

This must be a hoax! Why fooling around an overhauled K-5, a type/name burdened with many flaws in the past, while Chinese dealers already start listening a K-3 with 24MP?

"I told you so!" 8D

hmmm, maybe those some of that that new firmware can make it back into the original K-5!!

"with better accuracy and EV range than the previous generation"

...does this mean it can go from -5 to 25 now? :D

The increased EV range isn't necessarily a new sensor, they are referring to the fact that the new AF system doesn't get blinded by the light or so easily lost in the dark anymore, it works over a larger EV range. That likely involved hardware changes that weren't possible with the original K5. And the nifty greater accuracy too.

K3 in early 2013. An upgraded K5 will appeal to those who cannot afford FF (like me). Leaves door open for a FF K3 around $2500 level IMHO.....

I doubt these are all the improved specs. Don't jump the gun people. it seems logical to me that they will probably upgraded the back LCD to the same used in the K30 (that K30 screen is beautiful!) they will probably also give us the tilting screen that many are hoping for (i for one could care less for that feature)

I think we will still get our K3. I think this will be Pentax's $999-1199 camera and we will still see a 24mp come in around $1500-1700

Perhaps it is going to use the Fuji X-Trans sensor and no AA filter.

I see the article has been updated to now say AF is improved "with better accuracy and EV range" rather than better DR. In any case, I hope that new hardware is a part of this solution. The Canon 7D already had superior AF hardware to start with, as do most Canon models.

It's highly likely the Pentax engineers have already reached the near-maximum potential of the K-5's AF hardware, considering AF performance was a major complaint which became the primary focus of some previous firmware releases.

Not much Pentax could have done to upgrade the sensor since Sony is their supplier. They would have had to make the (downward in image quality) move to the 24mp sensor that Sony is now using or choose to stick with the 16mp processor. The current sensor is still at the top of the APS-C class.

So maybe this is the indication on that the possible K3 actually is a FF body then...

Smart! And reasonable, imagine, Ricoh took over Pentax not THAT long ago, and assuming the K-01 project was just a heritage from Hoya that Ricoh re-designed and packed up to be stylish in order to get any of those sold at all. Now they may have been busy with K-30 and K-5 MkII since then, to keep the market warm, meanwhile a new project is started, the upcoming K-3, that we probably wont see this year!

Time will tell.

I thought they were going to upgrade the SENSOR too... well let's see how great the AF improvement is... until then, I'm waiting for a K-3.

The upgrades on the 7D actually came to match a lot of the features the k-5 (and even the K20D had long time ago), so they just made it a little more like the K-5. (7D doesn't support the GPS thru the hot shoe!! K5 does!, RAW developing...K20D had that!, file naming..K-r has it.) A new K5 hopefully will include hardware upgrades (faster, better AF, etc) to make it worth it.

I'm not clear on how DR is a property of an AF system. Anyway I'm calling BS on the anonymous post, although I do agree with an earlier poster here, I want a FFF too! Lol.

I like the MK1/2/3/4/5..N designations. It makes it easier to follow through generations. I mean, whats going to happen when they run out of *lower* numbers after they release k-3, k-2, k-1, k-0? k--1 (negative 1?)

Well, all of these so called unofficial leaks have done one thing, no one seems to really know what Pentax is going to announce next week. Guess we have to wait for the next leak and hopefully that one will have a photo of a new camera with it.

I'm sorry, how would improving autofocus also improve dynamic range from the same sensor and same image processor?

I can think of very few camera updates that have added so little. I would expect this sort of update in the form of a firmware update, not a hardware revision.

I'm calling B.S.

No focus peaking? Please don't say it's so!

Combining @Biro and other comments about firmware: While I imagine the sensor isn't EXACTLY the same, I think the better dynamic range is related to the AF system and requires some new hardware. So I don't think a firmware update would do it. Pentax needed to replace the K-5 about now anyway, so why not make significant improvements at the same time? Hopefully they've included more or better (e.g. cross-type) AF points as well.

I'll bet it'll be called the K-5 Super. Not having the same guts as the K-30 is actually a promising sign, as it means they have to have SOMETHING in the works to replace the K-5/K-5 Super, and I'm kind of happy if they deign to wait a while to release something good rther then rush out a halfbaked camera. If anything, this looks promising for the FF crowd - if they wanted a K-5 replacement with an APS-C sensor, they'd of used the K-30's guts. Since they're apparently NOT, it means that they're using this to buy time for something better.

Some of the features described by the source don't sound right. Example: It's listed that the new camera has the same image processor as the K-5 but also says it has more dynamic range and lists that under auto focus. If the camera has improved dynamic range then it's possible the image processor isn't the same - or that there's a solid firmware update involved. Meanwhile, some Pentaxians are calling for a firmware update to improve auto-focus on the K-5. If the AF hardware in the new camera is the same, that may be possible. But what if the MK II has many more focus points?

Please tell me they haven't taken the lazy route Canon has followed.

No PRIME M indicates no focus peaking. Not interested if that's the case.

That'll make a very interesting wait even more interesting.
Can't quite figure out what this will really be.

and, to the poster down here(quoted your text):

hongzhibin1987 Sep 5th, 2012 2:04PM
Finally Pentax made a move, however a move to stupidness but not Pentaxian.
Please give us a FUCKING FF

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE.
jp

So instead of upgrading the firmware on the K-5, they will release a K-5 MK II? OK I hope my K-5 still gets support from Pentax. Other than this, a K-5 MK II? That's STUPID. Make a K-3 with more bells and whistles.

If that is the case, Pentaxians were being ripped off....
Firmware updates? Obviously can be done for current K5 instead of having them buying another one, like Canon did with their 7D (7D firmware update improves the camera tremendously).

Would be really disappointed if this is true.

No PRIME M engine? Strange...

Finally Pentax made a move, however a move to stupidness but not Pentaxian.
Please give us a FUCKING FF.

If we get lens lineup like CaNikons, I wont mind a bit :)

Well. Everyone wants Pentax to be like CaNikon. This is the first step :)

Couldn't some of these tweaks be firmware implemented in the current K-5's if it is using the same hardware?

Good point LaurenOE! :)

Very interesting. However, I think the K5 Mark II is called the K30.I have 2 K5s and a new K30. If the K30 had a grip it would be the "K5 MkII/update".

Dear Pentax,

Please don't start the Mark I, II, III nonsense that Canon does. It makes internet searches needlessly difficult...

Thank you.