[GrantMeThePower]

Hi guys,

I just today got a new K-5 to replace my aging K10D. I got the K10D when it was very first released to replace my first dslr, a canon rebel. The original one.

I don't think I was quite ready for what a drastic change there is in some of the useability features. I'm hoping you guys can talk me out of returning it.

One of the biggest things that surprised me is that they took away the bracketing button. Now you have to go into the shutter release menu to turn it on or off.

What is with the little lock button to change shooting modes?

Why does it shoot a green light out to focus?

The little metal pieces to hold the neckstrap are really loud as they bang together when you move.

Finally, i really wasn't prepared for how much smaller the body is overall. It is just small enough that I have to tuck my pinky under the camera. It doesn't really fit comfortably if i try to squeeze all of my fingers on the grip.

I'm imagining that these all sound pretty nit-picky; granted, they truly are. But I'm trying to be picky as I decide whether or not to keep the camera. I know that the end result is the quality of the images, but the body itself feels more "downmarket" if you will. The K10D stood next to a friend's 7D and looked in place. This looks more like a Nikon d3100.

I'm truly hoping to find peace with some of these issues, see the brighter side or the reasons for these changes and start playing with my new toy.

Thanks, and I'm sorry if this seems like tinder for flames, that isn't my intention at all. I have a lot of Pentax gear from glass to flashes and don't relish the thought of changing systems.

[twitch]

The size issue can be overcome with a battery grip. The bracketting issue by assigning the function button to bracketing. The other issues I don't know as I'm not yet a K-5 owner. One thing I do find though is the mode dial on my K-x often gets turned by accident getting out of the bag or cover and I find myself shooting in the wrong mode, so for me I'm looking forward to having a mode lock.

[GrantMeThePower]

Using the Fn button for bracketing is a good idea. I think that will work fine for me.

Still, though, I wonder why they felt the need to change it.

Another thing that I just realized is that they took the Shake Reduction off of the back from being a switch to being a digital setting. Thats a pain for me because I do a lot of hiking and depending on the shot I may or may not, from one shot to the next, want the tripod out. It was super easy just flipping that switch whenever i put it on the tripod to turn off the shake reduction.

I suppose the battery grip is worth a thought. I hadn't considered it before because I hadn't had a need, but if could make it significantly more comfortable to hold.

I'm sure parts of this is just a guy having been with one camera for five years straight and adjusting. But there are a couple things that I still find curious about the changes.

[GrantMeThePower]

Strange...I just typed a longer reply and it didnt post. Is there an auto-moderation that happens for new users?

I'll give it another (shorter) go-

Good ideas. I especially like the assigning the bracketing to the Fn button.

Very strange, this posted.

What else I had said in my unposted reply is that I'm sure a lot of this can be credited to having been with one camera for 5 years now. Its sort of a shock when things are different. It was one of the reasons i decided to stick with Pentax. I felt like it was laid out really well.

[sebberry]

Hi guys,

I just today got a new K-5 to replace my aging K10D. I got the K10D when it was very first released to replace my first dslr, a canon rebel. The original one.

I don't think I was quite ready for what a drastic change there is in some of the useability features. I'm hoping you guys can talk me out of returning it.

One of the biggest things that surprised me is that they took away the bracketing button. Now you have to go into the shutter release menu to turn it on or off.

As stated in the post above, you can assign the RAW/Fx button to bring up the bracketing menu. I too preferred the bracketing button, but this will do.

What is with the little lock button to change shooting modes?

Bugs me a bit too. Seems odd.

Why does it shoot a green light out to focus?

The focus assist lamp can be turned off if you don't like it. The K10D used to use the flash to provide low-light AF assist. I think the green light is less intrusive and doesn't require the flash to be up.

The little metal pieces to hold the neckstrap are really loud as they bang together when you move.

Yes, I agree, a bit fiddly. Could have been made better. I preferred the K10D's strap fastening points. The smaller body on the K-5 made it harder to integrate them as nicely as the K10D.

Finally, i really wasn't prepared for how much smaller the body is overall. It is just small enough that I have to tuck my pinky under the camera. It doesn't really fit comfortably if i try to squeeze all of my fingers on the grip.

I hear you there too. I have larger hands and find the buttons a bit crowded to use. Everyone says "Get a grip" but that just makes the camera taller, not wider. The ergonomics of the K10D is what got me into Pentax. If the K10D was the same size as the K-5, I'd probably be shooting something else right now. Not because they're better to hold, but because it was the feel of the K10D that made me even think about a Pentax DSLR.

I'm imagining that these all sound pretty nit-picky; granted, they truly are. But I'm trying to be picky as I decide whether or not to keep the camera. I know that the end result is the quality of the images, but the body itself feels more "downmarket" if you will. The K10D stood next to a friend's 7D and looked in place. This looks more like a Nikon d3100.

Again, I too feel that the K-5 feels a lieele more like a toy than the K10D. I preferred the size and solid feel of the K10D over the K-5. I also liked the lift-and-turn latch for the SD door and I can't stand the cheap rubber filler for the media connectors on the left. My nose hits the pop-up flash when I have the camera in portrait mode, my forehead hits the AF540 flash when I have it mounted and did I say I find the buttons cramped?

The K-5 is a great camera and takes wonderful shots. Low-light performance blows the K10D out of the water, the shutter is nice and quiet and the faster FPS is a nice feature. Overall the K-5 is a much better camera as far as cameras go.

[pop4]

I don't think I was quite ready for what a drastic change there is in some of the useability features. I'm hoping you guys can talk me out of returning it.

I went from the K10D to K-7 to K-5, and found a very big jump and improvement in usability of the K-7/K-5 cameras to the K10D.

One of the biggest things that surprised me is that they took away the bracketing button. Now you have to go into the shutter release menu to turn it on or off.

How often do you use bracketing? Bracketing is something that I very very rarely do, so I didn't find it an issue (in fact, it was like a waste of a button on the K10D for me); if you do a lot of bracketed shooting, then I guess you'll have to get used to going into the menu.

What is with the little lock button to change shooting modes?

It prevents you accidentally changing the exposure mode. I've had the K10D exposure dial get knocked around to another exposure mode without my knowing more than a few times, so the lock button is a welcome feature for me. Definitely and improvement in usability. Plus, did you know that Canon actually offers a locking button on the mode dial of their 5D2/7D cameras as an upgrade, for extra cost? There must be demand from Canon users if they are doing that...

Why does it shoot a green light out to focus?

It's the AF assist light, and turns on in AF-S mode to help assist with AF when the conditions are dark. Suggested reading: p123 of the K-5 user manual. You can disable it if you want. The K10D didn't have the AF assist light, and if you wanted AF assist, you had to pop the onboard flash up, and it would then strobe the subject for a few seconds, which in my opinion is more distracting than the green AF assist light, and more of a hassle. Guess what, other cameras, such as the Nikon D90, D300, have the AF assist light too, and so do most compact cameras.

Finally, i really wasn't prepared for how much smaller the body is overall. It is just small enough that I have to tuck my pinky under the camera. It doesn't really fit comfortably if i try to squeeze all of my fingers on the grip.

It is a smaller body, and you're not the first to encounter the issue; some people get the battery grip, and that helps with the ergonomics, but then again, it increases the size of the camera, and not by an insignificant margin, and is an extra cost. It seems as if you didn't actually get to try out the camera in person before you got it. That's one reason why if people ask me for camera suggestions, I recommend going to a store and trying out the different cameras and seeing which ones feel right in the hands; if you don't feel comfortable holding and using the camera, it can put you off from using the camera.

I'm imagining that these all sound pretty nit-picky; granted, they truly are. But I'm trying to be picky as I decide whether or not to keep the camera. I know that the end result is the quality of the images, but the body itself feels more "downmarket" if you will. The K10D stood next to a friend's 7D and looked in place. This looks more like a Nikon d3100.

Sizewise, it does "look" more like a Nikon D3100, but have you held/shot with the D3100? To me, the Pentax K-5 feels more solid, and is comparable to the Nikon D300/D700 cameras in feeling, and slightly better than the Canon 5D2/7D cameras, while the lower end cameras such as the D3100 and Canon Rebels, to me, feels too light, plasticy, and toy like. Ergonomics is a personal thing though.
And if the look of your camera gear is important, I would suggest something like the Canon EOS 1D series, or the Nikon D3 series; put the 7D next to them, and you'll see what I mean. As for image quality, having had the K10D myself, the K-5 blows it out of the water.

I'm truly hoping to find peace with some of these issues, see the brighter side or the reasons for these changes and start playing with my new toy.

I have a feeling that you're just used to the K10D, and with the K-5, things feels unfamiliar and out of place. Stick it out, and from my experience, after using the K-5 for a while, once you go back to the K10D, the K10D will feel like quite a big step backwards.

[Rude]

This is a great thread, having just picked up a K-5 (moving up from K-20) the size was definitely a surprise. I'm feeling pretty confident that all of the other elements are going to make this an amazing camera for me . . . and I keep thinking, slap on a limited lens, with that quiet/fast shutter and boy is this thing going to be nice for street photography and candid shooting.

[psychdoc]

K5 size: some of us bought into Pentax b.c it started making small bodies which along with the limited lenses makes for a nice and compact package... Thanks Pentax!!

Having said that I noticed that there are some people who are buying a grip b.c among other things they need/want a bigger camera.

[mrrifleman]

i have a k-7, and just got my k-5 today. i actually really like the smaller size of the camera compared to others i've handled. the only time the size really becomes any issue is when i'm shooting with my sigma 70-200/2.8 for extended periods of time. it tends to make my fingers feel like they're cramped up. but like others have said, the grip really helps this.

you certainly can't find any fault in the build quality. there aren't too many ways to make a camera sturdier than building the shell out of magnesium alloy.

[mrrifleman]

also, the slightly taller shooting mode dial on the k-5 makes it much easier to turn than the shorter one on the k-7!

[Smeggypants]

Hi guys,

I just today got a new K-5 to replace my aging K10D. I got the K10D when it was very first released to replace my first dslr, a canon rebel. The original one.

I don't think I was quite ready for what a drastic change there is in some of the useability features. I'm hoping you guys can talk me out of returning it.

One of the biggest things that surprised me is that they took away the bracketing button. Now you have to go into the shutter release menu to turn it on or off.

What is with the little lock button to change shooting modes?

It's to avoid accidentally changing modes. I used fall foul of this with my K10D and K20D

Why does it shoot a green light out to focus?

it only does this in lower light levels. You can disable it. I have disabled it

The little metal pieces to hold the neckstrap are really loud as they bang together when you move.

never noticed this.

Finally, i really wasn't prepared for how much smaller the body is overall. It is just small enough that I have to tuck my pinky under the camera. It doesn't really fit comfortably if i try to squeeze all of my fingers on the grip.

I prefer the smaller body

I'm imagining that these all sound pretty nit-picky; granted, they truly are. But I'm trying to be picky as I decide whether or not to keep the camera. I know that the end result is the quality of the images, but the body itself feels more "downmarket" if you will. The K10D stood next to a friend's 7D and looked in place. This looks more like a Nikon d3100.

Even though the body is smaller I don't think it feels more downmarket at all. I acutally find the feel of the K-5 more quality than the K10/K20

I'm truly hoping to find peace with some of these issues, see the brighter side or the reasons for these changes and start playing with my new toy.

Thanks, and I'm sorry if this seems like tinder for flames, that isn't my intention at all. I have a lot of Pentax gear from glass to flashes and don't relish the thought of changing systems.

It would be truly sad if you changed systems simply becuase of the small list of little issues you mention above. it always takes time to adjust.

Go and take loads of pics and you'll soon adjust. the IQ of the K-5 is so much better than the K10D

[mikeSF]

Hi guys,

I just today got a new K-5 to replace my aging K10D. I got the K10D when it was very first released to replace my first dslr, a canon rebel. The original one.

I don't think I was quite ready for what a drastic change there is in some of the useability features. I'm hoping you guys can talk me out of returning it.

One of the biggest things that surprised me is that they took away the bracketing button. Now you have to go into the shutter release menu to turn it on or off.

What is with the little lock button to change shooting modes?

Why does it shoot a green light out to focus?

The little metal pieces to hold the neckstrap are really loud as they bang together when you move.

Finally, i really wasn't prepared for how much smaller the body is overall. It is just small enough that I have to tuck my pinky under the camera. It doesn't really fit comfortably if i try to squeeze all of my fingers on the grip.

I'm imagining that these all sound pretty nit-picky; granted, they truly are. But I'm trying to be picky as I decide whether or not to keep the camera. I know that the end result is the quality of the images, but the body itself feels more "downmarket" if you will. The K10D stood next to a friend's 7D and looked in place. This looks more like a Nikon d3100.

I'm truly hoping to find peace with some of these issues, see the brighter side or the reasons for these changes and start playing with my new toy.

Thanks, and I'm sorry if this seems like tinder for flames, that isn't my intention at all. I have a lot of Pentax gear from glass to flashes and don't relish the thought of changing systems.

I'm a recent convert from the K20 so i'll throw in my comments to your post as well...

1) bracketing - i assinged the Fx button for this and it works great.
2)lock button - with my K20 i was wishing for this because the dial kept getting caught on my sleeve or shirt and changing mode.
3) green focus assist - me like!
4) those jangly stap rings - are you using a strap or not? mine were covered with leather pads and when the strap attached they do not bang against anything at all. if you dont use a strap, just take them off and problem solved.
5) i didnt like the pinky thing either myself, so i put on a $45 knockoff grip and it feels great now. try that maybe?

welcome and good luck...i am SURE you will love the improvements!

[AOShep]

I also upgraded from the K10D to the K5. standing side by side there is not much difference but when you pick up the K5 the size is noticeable.
If the strap rings are clanging, check that you have the strap threaded correctly. There should be leather tabs protecting the rings from touching any other part of the body.
I discovered a useful feature that I have not heard anyone else mention. Press the info button twice gives you access to a bunch of settings like bracketing, JPG/RAW, shake reduction, and more. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be customizable.

[ozlizard]

Another thing that I just realized is that they took the Shake Reduction off of the back from being a switch to being a digital setting

If you using a tripod then you should also be using either the timing release or a cable or remote. If using any of these modes then the camera automatically turns off SR.

As to size, this really had me worried, coming from a K20 so I got a after market grip right away. Now the size is just about perfect!
Once you see the results from this marvel these issues will fade into obscurity. Give it some time though. It took me quite a while to get use to this camera, which surprised me. Can't really explain it. But now I am producing some great images and for PP the headroom will blow your socks off!

[dreamfoto]

Welcome to the forum!

None of the concerns you have with the K-5 has been an issue for me. For example the little button that locks the exposure is only good for me, I am quite tough to the camera and I don't want to have it totally out of sync when I put it in the bag and after when I pick it out.

You see, Pentax the same dial on the 645d for example, so when you upgrade you can have your Pentax-approach to your camera and JUST SHOOT.

K-5 is great camera that does a bit of everything, if you are after something more precise you have to go to higher sensor size, or lower eventually.

The K-5 offers the BEST cropped sensor (aps-c) coupled with ergonomics second to none. Is this what you are looking for?