K20D to K-5 or “I am in love all over again”

jrforman · 10-16-2010, 10:40 AM

Probably like a lot of users, I went from a K20D to a K-5, skipping the K-7. So a lot of my experience with the new camera is the different body and I’m not even sure of what controls are the same but have to say I am in love with the K-5. Remember my perspective is from the K20D so your results and mileage may vary.

But first is the control/information screens. I love being able to change most settings via the info screen and the front and rear dials. It makes it so simple to access and change on the fly. Great user interface.

The body, especially with the battery grip, is just so much more friendly. I know this has been talked about a lot, but the K20D just feels so clunky now. [K20D, I still love you but just in a different way]. I had never handled a K-7 before (see lack of retail stores), so it was a new experience.

The focus is faaaaaast. There are probably some issues with moving object tracking (I don’t know enough yet) but its such an improvement over what was there in the 20D, its like night and day to me.

The metering is better. Spot, center weighted seem to work so much better. Also much more responsive when shooting continuous. Exposures are definitely better.

Picture quality is higher in my perspective. Colors and pictures are more realistic. I showed my wife a few of the pictures I shot today (and she is forced to look at a lot of my stuff) and she commented on how much better the colors seemed (without being prompted). This was at iso 100.

Enough things have been said about iso and low light capability but it was a kick taking pictures of my wife last night just from the light of the television. I couldn’t imagine doing this.

I am (obviously) real taken with the new camera. I will continue to use the K20D as my backup but am glad I made the upgrade. I know this isn’t a “technical” review but I suspect will be a typical experience of a K20D to K-5 upgrade.

raz · 10-16-2010, 11:03 AM

Would be great if you could make some comparative shots at different ISO and same camera settings (camera on manual mode, same shutter/aperture, same NR settings) with the K20D and K5 and post them here.

adonishong · 10-16-2010, 11:11 AM

I am a k20d user too, with an extra k-x. Most of time, I like K20D much more, especially in hiking events.

I am still waiting a pro body from pentax with tracking af.

legacyb4 · 10-16-2010, 11:14 AM

Crud, that's exactly what I did NOT want to be reading.... :-(

The wait is on...

Inspector 17 · 10-16-2010, 11:54 AM

I will wait until more data is in BUT...

This first trickle of photos by K-5 coming in are stunning - not just excellent, but stunning. The potential for top class IQ is HUGE

The flickr examples are looking as good as FF - seriously.

I keep my flickr search on "Pentax k-5" and sorted by recent to see the latest - and - WOW! I am updating all day long to see more

With some good glass this camera should be simply killer based on the handful of photos I see

Add in the DR, the AF improvement, and high ISO performance and the price is looking more and more justified - and believe me, I truly hate to say that...

Steelski · 10-16-2010, 12:11 PM

I am a K20D owner, waiting for the K-5 price to fall.
It seems like it has the following attributes.
The color accuracy + AA filter of the K10D at lower ISO.
The joy of using the K-7
ISO of D700

If it were a man, it would be Bruce Lee...... And we know Bruce kicked Chuck Norris's ass (D7000)
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

johnmflores · 10-16-2010, 12:15 PM

Thanks for sharing. I've got a K20d as well and use my wife's red K-x as a backup when needed. As much as I love the K20d, even the entry K-x walks it with respect to low light and AF speed. I also skipped the K-7 - my bank account is much happier when I skip generations of technology - and am very excited about the K-5. I'm really hoping that the AF.C is top notch so that I can take photos of moving motorcycles.

I invite everyone to join the group I started on Flickr - Pentax K-5 dSLR Fan Club. We're quickly building a collection of real-world samples to ogle and drool over!

sweetpapa · 10-16-2010, 12:16 PM

I'm shooting with a K10D. Pentax has finally given me enough reason to upgrade. Can't wait for the price to fall a bit.

Col · 10-16-2010, 12:18 PM

Originally posted by sweetpapa

I'm shooting with a K10D. Pentax has finally given me enough reason to upgrade. Can't wait for the price to fall a bit.

Ah so not quite enough of a reason then...

Duh_Vinci · 10-16-2010, 12:25 PM

Glad to hear from K20D user that focusing is much better on K5. Owner of K10D and K20D myself, metering and focus issues after 4 years of owning Pentax is getting to me by now, specially that I have some important side jobs...

Speed is important indeed, but accuracy associated with this new body is the feedback I'm eagerly looking for...

Glad you enjoying your new body!

Regards,
D

**mike.hiran** · 10-16-2010, 12:28 PM

thanks much for your impressions! It's very encouraging to know that Pentax still has the MOJO! Looks like I'll need to a lot of patience to hold off getting one of these.

Have you tried shooting a burst of RAW photos in manual focus to see how many RAW images it can store in the buffer before slowing down?

jrforman · 10-16-2010, 12:46 PM

Originally posted by vagrant10

Have you tried shooting a burst of RAW photos in manual focus to see how many RAW images it can store in the buffer before slowing down?

I haven't kept track yet as to exact count. I have been shooting in continuous with "in focus" as an option so sometimes it slows because of that. I also am finding that the fastest speed is more than what I want most times (although I sure can see times I would want to use it). For example, I was shooting a couple kids roller skate down the sidewalk - I found that the slower continuous was what I needed there. What startles me is how fast the fast is. I did try it in JPG and I got bored and stopped before it filled.

Zubati Kit · 10-16-2010, 12:49 PM

great news, I am also K20D user, wating for K5 price to fall a bit... and if it all works out, am planning to make the jump...

what we have seen so far the new camera is great.

jrforman · 10-16-2010, 01:12 PM - **1 Like**

K-5

K20D

Same settings, same lens, same iso, etc.

The K20D had trouble with reds in my experience - K-5 more realistic colors IMHO.

Steelski · 10-16-2010, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by jrforman

K-5

K20D

Same settings, same lens, same iso, etc.

The K20D had trouble with reds in my experience - K-5 more realistic colors IMHO.

I am unsure that these images are as helpful as you might see them, we do not know if its more pink or red?
A great comparison would be face portrait. Perhaps one from your color conscious wife? The human brain has a great capacity for knowing what looks right on a face.

EDIT: I forgot to add that you are very kind for helping us aged K20D owners

10-16-2010, 10:40 AM	#1
jrforman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 202	K20D to K-5 or “I am in love all over again” Probably like a lot of users, I went from a K20D to a K-5, skipping the K-7. So a lot of my experience with the new camera is the different body and I’m not even sure of what controls are the same but have to say I am in love with the K-5. Remember my perspective is from the K20D so your results and mileage may vary. But first is the control/information screens. I love being able to change most settings via the info screen and the front and rear dials. It makes it so simple to access and change on the fly. Great user interface. The body, especially with the battery grip, is just so much more friendly. I know this has been talked about a lot, but the K20D just feels so clunky now. [K20D, I still love you but just in a different way]. I had never handled a K-7 before (see lack of retail stores), so it was a new experience. The focus is faaaaaast. There are probably some issues with moving object tracking (I don’t know enough yet) but its such an improvement over what was there in the 20D, its like night and day to me. The metering is better. Spot, center weighted seem to work so much better. Also much more responsive when shooting continuous. Exposures are definitely better. Picture quality is higher in my perspective. Colors and pictures are more realistic. I showed my wife a few of the pictures I shot today (and she is forced to look at a lot of my stuff) and she commented on how much better the colors seemed (without being prompted). This was at iso 100. Enough things have been said about iso and low light capability but it was a kick taking pictures of my wife last night just from the light of the television. I couldn’t imagine doing this. I am (obviously) real taken with the new camera. I will continue to use the K20D as my backup but am glad I made the upgrade. I know this isn’t a “technical” review but I suspect will be a typical experience of a K20D to K-5 upgrade.

10-16-2010, 01:12 PM - 1 Like	#14
jrforman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 202 Original Poster	Color Rendition Comparison K-5 K20D Same settings, same lens, same iso, etc. The K20D had trouble with reds in my experience - K-5 more realistic colors IMHO.

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10-16-2010, 11:03 AM	#2
raz Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Timisoara, Romania Posts: 248	Would be great if you could make some comparative shots at different ISO and same camera settings (camera on manual mode, same shutter/aperture, same NR settings) with the K20D and K5 and post them here.

10-16-2010, 11:11 AM	#3
adonishong Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 21	I am a k20d user too, with an extra k-x. Most of time, I like K20D much more, especially in hiking events. I am still waiting a pro body from pentax with tracking af.

10-16-2010, 11:14 AM	#4
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784	Crud, that's exactly what I did NOT want to be reading.... :-( The wait is on...

10-16-2010, 11:54 AM	#5
Inspector 17 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 75	I will wait until more data is in BUT... This first trickle of photos by K-5 coming in are stunning - not just excellent, but stunning. The potential for top class IQ is HUGE The flickr examples are looking as good as FF - seriously. I keep my flickr search on "Pentax k-5" and sorted by recent to see the latest - and - WOW! I am updating all day long to see more With some good glass this camera should be simply killer based on the handful of photos I see Add in the DR, the AF improvement, and high ISO performance and the price is looking more and more justified - and believe me, I truly hate to say that...

10-16-2010, 12:11 PM	#6
Steelski Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Varna Posts: 470	I am a K20D owner, waiting for the K-5 price to fall. It seems like it has the following attributes. The color accuracy + AA filter of the K10D at lower ISO. The joy of using the K-7 ISO of D700 If it were a man, it would be Bruce Lee...... And we know Bruce kicked Chuck Norris's ass (D7000) HAAAAAAAAAAAAA YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

10-16-2010, 12:15 PM	#7
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	Thanks for sharing. I've got a K20d as well and use my wife's red K-x as a backup when needed. As much as I love the K20d, even the entry K-x walks it with respect to low light and AF speed. I also skipped the K-7 - my bank account is much happier when I skip generations of technology - and am very excited about the K-5. I'm really hoping that the AF.C is top notch so that I can take photos of moving motorcycles. I invite everyone to join the group I started on Flickr - Pentax K-5 dSLR Fan Club. We're quickly building a collection of real-world samples to ogle and drool over!

10-16-2010, 12:16 PM	#8
sweetpapa Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 64	I'm shooting with a K10D. Pentax has finally given me enough reason to upgrade. Can't wait for the price to fall a bit.

10-16-2010, 12:18 PM	#9
Col Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Stansted Essex Photos: Gallery Posts: 614	Originally posted by sweetpapa I'm shooting with a K10D. Pentax has finally given me enough reason to upgrade. Can't wait for the price to fall a bit. Ah so not quite enough of a reason then...

10-16-2010, 12:25 PM	#10
Duh_Vinci Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,300	Glad to hear from K20D user that focusing is much better on K5. Owner of K10D and K20D myself, metering and focus issues after 4 years of owning Pentax is getting to me by now, specially that I have some important side jobs... Speed is important indeed, but accuracy associated with this new body is the feedback I'm eagerly looking for... Glad you enjoying your new body! Regards, D

10-16-2010, 12:28 PM	#11
mike.hiran Site Supporter Join Date: May 2007 Location: portland Photos: Albums Posts: 1,491	thanks much for your impressions! It's very encouraging to know that Pentax still has the MOJO! Looks like I'll need to a lot of patience to hold off getting one of these. Have you tried shooting a burst of RAW photos in manual focus to see how many RAW images it can store in the buffer before slowing down?

10-16-2010, 12:46 PM	#12
jrforman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 202 Original Poster	Originally posted by vagrant10 Have you tried shooting a burst of RAW photos in manual focus to see how many RAW images it can store in the buffer before slowing down? I haven't kept track yet as to exact count. I have been shooting in continuous with "in focus" as an option so sometimes it slows because of that. I also am finding that the fastest speed is more than what I want most times (although I sure can see times I would want to use it). For example, I was shooting a couple kids roller skate down the sidewalk - I found that the slower continuous was what I needed there. What startles me is how fast the fast is. I did try it in JPG and I got bored and stopped before it filled.

10-16-2010, 12:49 PM	#13
Zubati Kit Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: UK Posts: 113	great news, I am also K20D user, wating for K5 price to fall a bit... and if it all works out, am planning to make the jump... what we have seen so far the new camera is great.

10-16-2010, 01:20 PM	#15
Steelski Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Varna Posts: 470	Originally posted by jrforman K-5 K20D Same settings, same lens, same iso, etc. The K20D had trouble with reds in my experience - K-5 more realistic colors IMHO. I am unsure that these images are as helpful as you might see them, we do not know if its more pink or red? A great comparison would be face portrait. Perhaps one from your color conscious wife? The human brain has a great capacity for knowing what looks right on a face. EDIT: I forgot to add that you are very kind for helping us aged K20D owners