[Rupert]

Seems that this has become a posting ground for problems and complaints on the K5. I am not against anyone with a problem posting it...they should....and there are plenty of places to post them here, no doubt.

Still, there are many of us without problems that are very well satisfied and the continual negative posts are depressing to a degree.....

How about telling us your true story about your K5 and what it has meant to your particular shooting needs and general attitude towards your K5 and its abilities.

Just the positive here! Negatives have plenty of threads for you...post all you want, but not here. Just well satisfied K5 users here, let's get some representation for us in this thread.

My True Story......After a questionable entry, I was slow to purchase the K5, not wanting to suffer problems and returns. When the clouds cleared and firmware improved some deficiencies well enough for my needs, I gave it a shot. What a shock it was! Although very happy with my previous Pentax cameras, from the DS to the K20D, I was not prepared for the striking difference in the K5. For the first time I could get shots I had only previously dreamed of by using the high ISO abilities of the K5. The much (it is real!) faster focus allows me to get shots with my Bigma that I was constantly missing with the K20d as the Bigma hunted and hunted even in medium light conditions. Now I can use the Bigma with ease on those Squirrels in shady spots without going to MF. ...and the DR...isn't that fantastic! Never expected such an improvement!

The Menu layout suits me perfectly, and with only a little use can be maneuvered with the greatest of ease. The control locations are superb and the ease of use is a real advantage in any type of shooting condition. Options galore, many still unexplored by me, will give me plenty of opportunity for new exploration in the coming months. I just used the HDR function today and and was quite impressed...it will have its uses, no doubt. The size and "feel" are superb...it has a weighty and solid body, no "plastic" feel whatsoever. I like that...I want to feel a real camera in my hands, no toy-like machine, and the K5 delivers that feel. Quiet shutter action.....gotta love it.....Squirrels never even know you are snapping away!

Lastly, although I could go on for pages and pages, the K5 has a psychological value that is not often mentioned. It has received some very excellent Reviews. and with good reason, and has given Pentax shooters a legitimate reason to walk tall and be proud of what they are shooting with. No one wants to admit that this is important...but it is, we are after all humans too, no matter what the other brands might think of us. Hard to deny the results from the K5...it stacks up very nicely with any competition, and gives a little psychological boost to know that your K5 will "run well with the big dogs". When I pick up my K5, I have full confidence that it will deliver for my needs...and it does! Beyond my wildest expectations.

That is my True Story...now let's hear yours !

Best Regards
Rupert

[AOShep]

Thanks Rupert for starting this thread. It’s about time we started bragging about the K5.
I’ve wanted the K5 sense it was only a rumor a year ago. I got the K10D back in 2007. Great camera, but was lacking in high ISO performance and pour AF. The K20D and K7 improved on this but not enough on my budget to justify an upgrade.
All winter I kept talking about my desire to upgrade. My kids kept telling my I didn’t need a new camera. What I had was good enough. Then, one day, my wife went out with me shopping for a new hot-shoe flash. Couldn’t find what I really wanted. By the way, we live in Taiwan and Pentax gear is either hard to come by or over priced. I happened to ask at a camera shop what their price was on the K5. They had a Kr on the shelf but would have to order the K5. I also checked the internet for web sales. I needed to order a light meter for my studio work so after ordering a Sekonic light meter my wife said to go ahead and order the camera if I really wanted it. We have the money now so go ahead. I wasted no time finding the best deal. We talked about ordering from B&H and have someone carry it back for us but decided that wasn’t going to work out.
The on-line deal I found here in Taiwan ended up being a little cheaper than even B&H’s price. So the order went ahead. When I received the K5 two days later I expected the manual to be in Chinese, but it was in Japanese which probably accounts for the much lower price.
The K5 was been superb in all aspects. AF is vastly improved. I can comfortably shoot at ISO 6400 with less grain then the K10D at 1600. I shoot a lot of basketball, night soccer, and high school plays. The real work is yet to come but I did shoot some summer basketball and a concert event in our school auditorium and feel very confident that my images will be vastly improved.
Image quality on my K10D was pretty good, but the K5 leaves me in complete awe. The dynamic range and resolution is so much better than I thought possible without going to the 645D.
The slightly smaller body size took a little time getting used to, but after a couple of days of heaving shooting I hardly notice.. Most of the changes in button and menu layout will take getting used to as well. But overall it is well worth the upgrade.
I still need to get a second battery, Katz Eye split image focusing screen, and maybe a battery grip.

Andy

[Bob from Aus]

Thanks for your story.

I am very delighted with my second pentax K5 and was not that fussed with my first K5 having a single flaw in the sensor. I must have got one of the first K5s in Australia. I had it open for about 10 minutes and recognised an issue and was down to the distributer within the hour - CR Kennedy. it was obviously the first camera anyone there had a need to check out and came back to me in 10 minutes and said they would replace the camera as soon as they had stock. That didn't surprise me they didn't have a single camera inhouse. I could live with the small problem as it was no worse than a speck of dust. It went with me to Africa where I took about 20,000 shots. When I got back I got the replacement.

The only problem I have with the K5 from day one is which lens to put on the K7 as I usually operate with 2 bodies. The K5 is so much better than anything else I have used. If I didn't have 4 bodies already I would buy another K5. I think I have almost the ultimate camera. I look forward to the K3 that has tracking focus and maybe 2 card slots.

[thorwb]

Nice idea! I was actually looking for my first dSLR, and landed on the K-5 partly because of the good reviews, but mainly because of the WR (I like shooting outdoors without having to worry), low weight and size. Oh, did I mention how good it feels to hold and use? The grip, button placement, solid feel and shutter sound come together and to give that distinctive feeling of using something special. This is one serious camera...and I'm a not that seriously good photographer. After 2000 images, the great DR has saved several keepers through pp already. I'm also happy about the high-ISO capabilities. Friends of mine have one generation older dSLRs, and they aren't all too happy about not being able to shoot comfortably indoors in low light (which I do, even with the kit-lens).

The K-5 forum is full of complaints. This is not because it is a bad camera, it's the opposite; it's because it is a great camera. It's so great that I almost forgot about these forums. I only started reading again a couple of days ago to learn more about post-processing. With which I'm approximately 1000 images behind. True story

[Ash]

Thanks Rupert - my story's not far from your version (apart from Otis's part in it).
Got mine from a fellow Aussie who got it refurbished from Japan - probably due to sensor stain.
Bought after considering what more it could do for me above the K20D, it quickly showed its worth with kit lenses in some tough shooting conditions. Low light was much easier to shoot in and high ISO? What a dream.

It's the dSLR I can rest for a while with. It's just about all I'd need for any shooting condition and any event. Metering is very accurate - love that. The capabilities of the K-5 with fast lenses is simply amazing and a pleasure to shoot with.

No hitches to date, robust and stalwart, it performed to perfection in some tough conditions - heavy seaspray, close-range 50cal and 5in gun firing and being knocked around in a rocking ship. Can hardly wait to have a crack at my next wedding with it...

[Clavius]

Nice thread. Thanks for starting it!

I upgraded from the K20d to the K5. The K20d had performed extremely good for over 2 years. The quality build, ease of use and pain-free operation bound me to the Pentax brand. Also, the fact that I could use very old Pentax lenses, that I 'inherited', attracted me.

If I had the money, I would have kept the K20d as a second body. Sadly, I've got LBA, so I'll never have any money.

Anyway, before buying I had searched these forums for reviews and opinions of the K5. This almost convinced me NOT to buy one at all. There's so many complaints! It felt like buying this machine wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Luckily, my wife convinced me to buy the K5. (Yes, I'm very lucky!) Other brands have the same issues. And the quantity of issues is even higher, in some aspects. Besides that, our camera's are becomming more and more like computers. Which only makes it natural that they will behave more and more like them. Bugs will be more common. In 5 years time, we'll probably have anti-virus software for them! My telephone runs such software, and if someone would have predicted that to me 5 years ago, I wouldn't have believed it.

Anyway, I probably have a very good copy of the K5, because it only froze up twice in the six months that I own it. And low light AF can be troublesome yes, but only with my FA 50 1.4. All other lenses that I own perform very well, even under low light. Strange enough, all those other lenses are much slower.

So, whithout a doubt, I am very happy with the K5.

Just a pity of all the whining on the internet. All those complaints are actually damaging Pentax's reputation and killing their sales.

[jcp5]

"Just a pity of all the whining on the internet. All those complaints are actually damaging Pentax's reputation and killing their sales."

Heard the above statement or similar lots of times on this form. I really don't get it. People report problems to get advice and form members here do an outstanding job helping and providing answers that often get the user back taking pictures. That's part of what a form is all about.

Problems that are QC related or K5 product problems have either been addressed by Pentax or still need to be addressed. They are real problems! The fact that some percentage of K5 users have never had a problem is great but it doesn't change the fact that if Pentax doesn't get more intense about their QC and quicker on the draw addressing their technical problems will earn them their just rewards same as any other business. That is how it should be. Earn it or loss it!

Saying Pentax is no worse then the competition when it comes to camera problems is a very false argument. Size matters in any competitive market and Pentax is so tiny compared to it's competition it cannot withstand equal QC problems.

How many problems do you think would get fixed if users did not post their problems and express their dissatisfaction even if they do it by buying another brand?

The K5 is my first DSLR and I spent far less time making the decision to buy it then I did for a tripod, ball head or a camera bag. It just made sense for what I wanted. I am very happy with my camera decision. The fact that I have to send it in for repair for a missing lens release button and I need them to replace my shutter release switch is a bit frustrating but hardly a "life crisis" My bigger concern is a lack of available parts at Pentax Service center.

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Last edited by jcp5; 07-13-2011 at 05:55 AM.

[Rupert]

Nice stories....let's hear more...there are many more I am convinced.

For those that want to complain here, please read my entry to this thread......and also consider that your main problem with your K5 may be that you can't read and follow the instructions?

Best Regards!

[Clavius]

"Just a pity of all the whining on the internet. All those complaints are actually damaging Pentax's reputation and killing their sales."

Heard the above statement or similar lots of times on this form. I really don't get it. People report problems to get advice and form members here do an outstanding job helping and providing answers that often get the user back taking pictures. That's part of what a form is all about.

Problems that are QC related or K5 product problems have either been addressed by Pentax or still need to be addressed. They are real problems! The fact that some percentage of K5 users have never had a problem is great but it doesn't change the fact that if Pentax doesn't get more intense about their QC and quicker on the draw addressing their technical problems will earn them their just rewards same as any other business. That is how it should be. Earn it or loss it!

Saying Pentax is no worse then the competition when it comes to camera problems is a very false argument. Size matters in any competitive market and Pentax is so tiny compared to it's competition it cannot withstand equal QC problems.

How many problems do you think would get fixed if users did not post their problems and express their dissatisfaction even if they do it by buying another brand?

And in my turn, I don't understand the above. The logic eludes me completely for the following reason:

The K5 is a very new product. Most units out there should still be covered by warrantee. Publicly pinning a tiny company (as you say) like Pentax to the cross, and thus giving them lots of negative exposure, a) will not fix the issues with the cameras. b) It won't even speed up the process. c) Moreover, venting on internet doesn't let Pentax know what's going on.

However, getting it repaired under warrantee will!

And if lots and lots of units are comming back, it will cost Pentax money. And that means that QC will automatically become more important to them.

And no, venting on the internet about these issues, will not help users. If your lens release button fell off, there's nothing anybody on this forum can say, that will help you, other then: "Use your warrantee en bring it in for repair."

[garyk]

Actually I doubt it makes much difference at all, about the negative posts and sales. I see the same at Canon sites as well. I have had problems with the K-5, but really like the camera. And will be with Pentax until the end now for sure.

[Rupert]

Well Clavius, I think you need some lessons in reading or reading comprehension. This thread is about happy K5 users...and as noted there are plenty of open threads here for those with problems or complaints...just not this one.

Maybe you are one of those guys that doesn't pay much attention to the guidelines.....goes roaring off down the highway at 90 MPH and slams the gearshift into "R" for racing? Then gets on the internet and squeals about your defective new auto?

Read it.......it was perfectly clear.

Now, I know that there are more than a few that are thrilled with their K5...let's hear your True Story!

Best Regards!

[Clavius]

Well Clavius, I think you need some lessons in reading or reading comprehension. This thread is about happy K5 users...and as noted there are plenty of open threads here for those with problems or complaints...just not this one.

Maybe you are one of those guys that doesn't pay much attention to the guidelines.....goes roaring off down the highway at 90 MPH and slams the gearshift into "R" for racing? Then gets on the internet and squeals about your defective new auto?

Read it.......it was perfectly clear.

Now, I know that there are more than a few that are thrilled with their K5...let's hear your True Story!

Best Regards!

Speak for yourself, Rupert. I think it's YOU who needs to read better.

I've posted two replies in this thread: One in which I boast about how perfectly well my K5 operates. And how delighted I am with owning it. And a second reply in which I complain about all the other people who are complaining!!!

Wouldn't want to run in to you on the highway!

[RonHendriks1966]

O my, am I really part of this? I bought K-5 in november as soon it was availeble, I had it on pre-order. My thought was to keep the K-7 as a second body, since this would be my first oppertunity to use two camerabody's. So that idea kept true for about a weekend or so until I descidet to sell the K-7 and buy a second K-5. That was a real long wait for me but it came to a real perfect match when my K-5 Silver arrived. So that would valid me in to the fanboy section


There is no doubt about how much better imagequality is when you compare K-5 to K-7. That is absolutly stunning. So much more detail and sharpness is possible to get out of the images.

It's focus is much faster and accurate then with K-7/K20D and with the right lens you can catch some descent action.


I even love all those ways to work on your images and with a nice shot to start with you can actually make something amazing, coming just direct out of the K-5:


Having the possiblillity to take shots with iso6400 that really look amazing is absolutly stunning, since I used up to iso3200 sometimes on my K-7, but for real just iso1250 was the top one coult use.


For me K-5 is number one!

Little bunny can't read, she has the number upsidedown

[garyk]

Man that is a beautiful set up. A silver with the Mic...
Great thread Rupert.

[Ahab]

That silver makes me shiver. I waited a bit B4 springing for the K5 just like I did with the K10, K20, and K7. I never had a problem with any of them and was always happy with the improvements. The K5 has shown the most improvement to date and I am astounded with the low light performance and quick focus. I'm now taking shots I wouldn't consider before. I especially enjoy showing my friend (with a D300) some of my work and hearing him begrudgingly admit He'd be hard pressed to do the same.