[pentaxmz]

Greetings all,

I am back from my Pacific Rim vacation and my first extensive test of my new K-5.

I don't have a lot of time now but I just wanted to report some of my concerns about this camera and find out if others have experienced these issues (and a solution).

1. White balance seems screwy. This problem really concerns me b/c about 85% of my daytime images have a hard blue hue. What is troubling is that some photos of the same subject and taken a few seconds later are properly exposed.
I attached sample thumbnails from File Explorer. As you can see, most have a blue hue and it doesn't matter if I am in RAW or JPG mode.

2. I tested my 720nm IR filter and every image has disturbing horizontal "lines" (all images are under 20 seconds). I encountered a similar problem with my K20D.

More issues to report later.

Attached Images

   

[enoeske]

The blue hue is probably from having the wrong white balance selected. I can't tell what because you haven't provided any exif data, but the camera was probably set to Tungsten wb and you shot in daylight.

The lines are from light bouncing around in the camera. It came through the viewfinder that you didn't cover with your eye or the provided viewfinder cover

[Docrwm]

It's good that you shot in JPG+RAW because the DNGs can be edited easily for white balance in a program like LightRoom. The horizontal line looks like light leakage to me but its been a LONG time since I did any IR work (like 25+ years).

[pentaxmz]

The blue hue is probably from having the wrong white balance selected. I can't tell what because you haven't provided any exif data, but the camera was probably set to Tungsten wb and you shot in daylight.

The lines are from light bouncing around in the camera. It came through the viewfinder that you didn't cover with your eye or the provided viewfinder cover

I was going to argue that the camera was set for AWB... but I just checked and it was set in USER MODE 1... WHAT??? Obviously I did something wrong. Darn... fortunately that horrible hue is correctable. I have found a bit of a learner curve transitioning from the K20D (which I knew very well) to the K-5. Better RTFM! LOL

In regards to IR... yep, that is it... backlight! It was a problem back in the film days so why wouldn't it be a problem now! Doh!! Live and learn!

Thank you for the tips!

[pentaxmz]

It's good that you shot in JPG+RAW because the DNGs can be edited easily for white balance in a program like LightRoom. The horizontal line looks like light leakage to me but its been a LONG time since I did any IR work (like 25+ years).

I almost always shoot in RAW... it seems rather silly to shoot jpg with a camera like this. I only shoot JPG when I am shooting photos that I consider "snap shots" - only b/c I don't want to go through the "trouble" of converting them from RAW to JPG later.

[pentaxmz]

I have a bit more time now, so here are my other concerns about the K-5. Because the previous ones were clearly my fault, I am restarting the count!

1. HDR mode doesn't save individual images (and it only works in JPG mode) and in-camera processing is forced. The K-5 HDR feature is annoying for three reasons:
a) I will likely want to post-process those three images in a better tool (i.e. Photomatix).
b) I don't want to have a non-functional camera for about 20 seconds (while camera processes each HDR image).
c) If shooting in RAW, you must first configure camera for JPG mode. If the firmware insists on JPG why can't it automatically switch to JPG when selecting HDR? Seems like an unnecessary step.

2. Interval shooting (greatly improved over the K20D thank goodness!) but I found a bug..
BTW, if you are in HDR mode - you must turn this off BEFORE Interval shooting becomes available! Again, too many unnecessary steps. The firmware should just de-select HDR automatically if it is not allowed.

Set up a 3 second interval and then try interrupting the shooting. BTW, there is no pause!
If you hit Menu/Menu to Exit the shooting... it is nearly impossible to act quick enough before the next shot clears that screen! Grrr... Yes, I know that the alternative is to just turn the camera off but IMHO, this is an oversight or bug.
BTW, there should be a PAUSE function!

3. Video mode needs a lot of improvement! I understood that video capture was weak on the K-5 but in this class, I expect better from Pentax and I believe some of my suggestions are possible in a firmware update.
a) No recording pause!
b) 5 min. max recording in HD (okay, I can live with that - just give me a pause!)
c) Huge battery drain!
d) No auto focus during recording. Also, inexplicably the INFO zoom function (focus assist) doesn't function during a recording; why???
e) No active/real-time viewing of audio level.

That's it for now. Still love the camera... AND 12800 ISO is actually usable! :-)

[Anvh]

1. HDR mode doesn't save individual images (and it only works in JPG mode) and in-camera processing is forced. The K-5 HDR feature is annoying for three reasons:
a) I will likely want to post-process those three images in a better tool (i.e. Photomatix).
b) I don't want to have a non-functional camera for about 20 seconds (while camera processes each HDR image).
c) If shooting in RAW, you must first configure camera for JPG mode. If the firmware insists on JPG why can't it automatically switch to JPG when selecting HDR? Seems like an unnecessary step.

c) it does not do that because you don't want to accidental shoot in JPEG. So if you put the camera in RAW the options for JPEG are greyed out, logical right.
One way around this is to make a USER mode for HDR, simple or not

2. Interval shooting (greatly improved over the K20D thank goodness!) but I found a bug..
BTW, if you are in HDR mode - you must turn this off BEFORE Interval shooting becomes available! Again, too many unnecessary steps. The firmware should just de-select HDR automatically if it is not allowed.

Same reason, you don't want the camera to automaticly change settings you've turned on, it will become a nightmare if you need to think with each setting if it will change something or not.
Also do you expect the camera to return to the previous setting if you turn off a setting? The way it is now is the most clear way, there is no guess work involved.

3. Video mode needs a lot of improvement! I understood that video capture was weak on the K-5 but in this class, I expect better from Pentax and I believe some of my suggestions are possible in a firmware update.
a) No recording pause!
b) 5 min. max recording in HD (okay, I can live with that - just give me a pause!)
c) Huge battery drain!
d) No auto focus during recording. Also, inexplicably the INFO zoom function (focus assist) doesn't function during a recording; why???
e) No active/real-time viewing of audio level.

a) Why not simply stop recording and resume again when you want to film?
d) have you seen how good the AF is.... the only DSLR like camera that does it well is Sony for the rest they all hunt like crazy.

You Tube

You Tube

e) just this year a few camera has that option.

The K5 is not meant to be a "camcorder" for family videos, no DSLR is that really.
When you know you way around it you can make some stunning stuff though.


this with K7

You Tube

You Tube

K5

You Tube

You Tube

[Ole]

1. HDR mode doesn't save individual images (and it only works in JPG mode) and in-camera processing is forced. The K-5 HDR feature is annoying for three reasons:
a) I will likely want to post-process those three images in a better tool (i.e. Photomatix).
b) I don't want to have a non-functional camera for about 20 seconds (while camera processes each HDR image).
c) If shooting in RAW, you must first configure camera for JPG mode. If the firmware insists on JPG why can't it automatically switch to JPG when selecting HDR? Seems like an unnecessary step.

Since you want to create HDR in postprocessing you could forego the camera's JPG based HDR mode altogether and use autobracketing instead. Use Av mode so as to keep the depth of field constant and bracket 5 images. You now have the originals and can create your HDR image in post. Moreover you decide the exposure step you want between the shots. As a bonus you won't have to wait for the camera to process the images and this method works with RAW.

[Rondec]

The HDR mode is an interesting feature, but not something that I have ever used. I have a User Mode set for "HDR," but it is just set to take multiple exposures, that way I can do my own processing in Photomatix after the fact. I just get results that please me better that way. But, the User modes are definitely ways that you can set the camera up ahead of time for specific shooting situations.