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02-18-2011, 02:05 PM   #1
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K5 thoughts after 1 week

Here are some comments after moving form a Nikon D50 to K5:

1: K5 may have 100% coverage pentaprism viewfinder, not a pentamirror, but the K5 viewfinder seems dullerl. Maybe the screen is just a bit more matte?

2: I find it hard to see all four corners of the K5 viewfinder - need to get my eye really close. Not so on D50.

3: D50 auto iso could be set to come on at a predetermined shutter speed, which helped to enable more hand holdable shots when needed. K5 auto iso is either on or off.

4: In av mode the D50 would indicate when flash is needed. When flash is enabled then is a small exposure meter showed correct exposure or not. If not then slow synch flash would be better. On K5 I have no indication that using flash @ 1/60 is enough or not. Need to take the shot first to see if slow synch flash would have been better.

Not knocking the K5, just highlighting what i'm missing.
The D50 only did iso 200 - 1600, so the K5 is miles ahead in that respect.
I'm also loving the other features on the K5 - big screen, multi exposure, interval timer etc etc.
I have some lenses in bound to play with - 90mm F2.5 A 1:1 macro - non Pentax, and a 55mm 'K' Pentax.

Comments welcome

mand


Last edited by mand; 02-18-2011 at 02:20 PM.
02-18-2011, 02:14 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by mand Quote
3: D50 auto iso could be set to come on at a predetermined shutter speed, which helped to enable more hand holdable shots when needed. K5 auto iso is either on or off.
The K-5 gives you some control over auto-ISO with the choice of "slow", "normal", and "fast" auto-ISO modes. You can change this from the same menu screen where you set the upper and lower limits of the auto-ISO range.
02-18-2011, 02:46 PM   #3
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Hi mand.

What you say is typical of most product comparisons: there are things to like about each that the other doesn't have or doesn't do so well (or maybe just does differently), so it's really a matter of deciding what suits your needs best.

Mind you, sometimes using a particular product leads you to adapt what you do or how you do it, and if that feels comfortable, it can cease to be a negative.

Without wishing to extend the argument, this is at the heart of competing computer systems - there's a lot of heat and unnecessary argument about the relative merits of each, but you can't fairly compare unless you've used both extensively.

Glad to see that you've risen above the hype and tried both camera systems, and can now judge a little more objectively. I'm too heavily invested in Pentax to do that, but I was happy to try a friend's D300s recently, which is a slightly different kettle of fish to my K-5, and allow myself to wonder if I'd own one (I wouldn't, as it turned out, because I think the D7000 would suit my needs better, if I'd invested in Nikon lenses etc.)

Thanks for your thoughts - I hope your enjoyment of your K-5 continues to grow. If I might be so bold, a few more of the better Pentax lenses might help your considerations further.
Rob
02-19-2011, 02:22 AM   #4
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Hi,
The viewfinder is duller and have more grain, but it's a technical choice, you'll have a better perception of the DOF with that.

02-19-2011, 02:40 AM   #5
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when i upgraded to a F2.8 lens from a F4 , the viewfinder was considerably brighter
02-19-2011, 05:14 AM   #6
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Hi Mand,

Would you have been chaning from Pentax to Nikon, you would have missed a lot of features instead: TAv, Sv modes, bracketing modes, multi exposure, HDR etc.
My best friend has a D50, we make photo's side by side. I think I know some of the D50 capabilities and shortcomings as well.
Perhaps you'll need to learn the camera better, a K-5 is having many more options and flexibility than your D50 before comparing the two.

Cheers, Bert
02-19-2011, 07:53 AM   #7
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Handling the D7000 in a store, I was struck by how much clearer the viewfinder seemed than on the K7. And Nikons always seem easier to focus manually for me than Pentax. I'm probably imagining things; haven't tried them side by side.

Nikon's placement of the iso button sucks, I'll say that.

02-19-2011, 08:30 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by mand Quote
1: K5 may have 100% coverage pentaprism viewfinder, not a pentamirror, but the K5 viewfinder seems dullerl. Maybe the screen is just a bit more matte?

mand
The K-5's focus screen is deliberately grainier to help manual focusing. It actually helps to make the transition from Out-of-focus to In-focus more visible. Pentax probably has a higher proportion of manual focus users compared to other dSLR brands, and the camera has a number of features which specifically caters to their MF user base.
02-19-2011, 03:05 PM   #9
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Thanks for the comments.
Interesting about the focusing screen being more grainy on purpose to help manual focus - as I have a used manual focus lens and a 90mm, f2.5 incoming.
It had not yet crossed my mind that I could have had a D7000 for what the K5 combo cost me - I'm more than happy with the Pentax.

Mand
02-19-2011, 03:14 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by bymy141 Quote
Hi Mand,

Would you have been chaning from Pentax to Nikon, you would have missed a lot of features instead: TAv, Sv modes, bracketing modes, multi exposure, HDR etc.
My best friend has a D50, we make photo's side by side. I think I know some of the D50 capabilities and shortcomings as well.
Perhaps you'll need to learn the camera better, a K-5 is having many more options and flexibility than your D50 before comparing the two.
You omitted one of the greatest advantages of Pentax over Nikon--in-camera shake reduction. Every lens that you will ever mount on the K-5 will be stabilized. In my book, that is a very big deal.

Rob
02-19-2011, 08:37 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgo2 Quote
Every lens that you will ever mount on the K-5 will be stabilized. In my book, that is a very big deal.
Yes, including some Nikon lensesthat won't even meter on anything but the most expensive Nikon bodies! Nikon really screws people in regard to lens compatibility, imo.
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