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JRMax · 11-10-2012, 02:23 PM - **1 Like**

I belong to a couple of watch forums and we are always posting pictures of our watches. I just got my K-5 IIs and my first shots with the new camera was of one of my Citizen Eco-Drives. This was shot my D FA 2.8 100mm macro lens at f5.6 and ISO 800. I'm very impressed with the sharpness of this combination. With my K-7 I never was able to get the fine detail such as the grain in the leather strap. Now if the weather would only improve so I can get outside for some shots.

Na Horuk · 11-10-2012, 02:33 PM

Thats a very professional shot. I guess Pentax did good with the "s"

**Eric Auer** · 11-10-2012, 04:29 PM

Nice image, Ring Flash?

The K-5 IIs is fun for shure.

JRMax · 11-10-2012, 04:58 PM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

Thats a very professional shot. I guess Pentax did good with the "s"

Thanks Na Horuk, I'm a believer.

JRMax · 11-10-2012, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by Corto-PA

Nice image, Ring Flash?

The K-5 IIs is fun for shure.

No flash ring, just my home made light box illuminated with two 65W floods in reflectors.

I like your shot of those two well worn watches. Are you planning on refurbishing them?

**Eric Auer** · 11-10-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by JRMax

No flash ring, just my home made light box illuminated with two 65W floods in reflectors.

I like your shot of those two well worn watches. Are you planning on refurbishing them?

The Elgin on the right is WW1 vintage so I might have someone make it run again but thats it.

I collect antique firearms and really like them as original as possible. So I'm not a restorer.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 11-10-2012, 07:17 PM

Originally posted by JRMax

With my K-7 I never was able to get the fine detail such as the grain in the leather strap.

Some side by side shots would be interesting to see. I don't expect to see much difference in scaled down images like those posted here. I am sure that the K-5 IIs can capture sharper images when examined at 100%, but once you scale them down, that extra detail is lost.

oxidized · 11-10-2012, 07:40 PM

Wow. Fantastic shot.

sam-joseph · 11-10-2012, 07:45 PM

Here's a shot of my Eco-Drive. Taken with the K7 and Sigma 17-70. The only PP is a square crop.
I reckon the result isn't bad, when compared to the newest generation camera with a dedicated macro lens.

Regards

JRMax · 11-11-2012, 10:27 AM

Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor

Some side by side shots would be interesting to see. I don't expect to see much difference in scaled down images like those posted here. I am sure that the K-5 IIs can capture sharper images when examined at 100%, but once you scale them down, that extra detail is lost.

I can't show an apples to apples comparisons because with my K-7 I shot in RAW and did PP in Lightroom 3. Unfortunately LR3 doesn't support the RAW files from the K-5 IIs so I'm shooting in jpeg right now. I'm thinking that the sharpness that I am seeing could also be a result of the better low light IQ that the K-5 offers. With shots from the K-7 I usually had to use noise reduction in LR3 and that would reduce sharpness in the image. With the K-5's jpegs I haven't needed to do any sharpening or noise reduction. After developing in LR3 I use PShop to clean up the dust specks and I am seeing a lot more detail in my K-5 IIs shots. Here are two shots of the same watch, one taken with the K-7 and the other with the K-5 IIs. In the shot taken with the K-5 IIs I see textures in the bezel and dial that I never saw with the K-7 shots. I recognize that the lighting is slightly different in each shot, I'm just trying to support my opinion that the K-5 IIs is giving me crisper shots.

K-7

K-5 IIs

JRMax · 11-11-2012, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by oxidized

Wow. Fantastic shot.

Thanks oxidized.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 11-11-2012, 01:31 PM

Originally posted by JRMax

I can't show an apples to apples comparisons because with my K-7 I shot in RAW and did PP in Lightroom 3. Unfortunately LR3 doesn't support the RAW files from the K-5 IIs so I'm shooting in jpeg right now.

You could use the Pentax software to process files from both K-5IIs and K-7 with similar settings.

Originally posted by JRMax

I recognize that the lighting is slightly different in each shot, I'm just trying to support my opinion that the K-5 IIs is giving me crisper shots.

Lighting is different and colors came out differently too. Could it be that on the K-5IIs you are getting a curve applied on the image? That would impact the perception of sharpness too. Could also be that Lightroom is not as good on K-7 files as the Pentax software is.

Also, the K-7 shooting info is stripped - can you add it? For the K-5IIs I see: 100mm f/5.6 ISO 400 1/3.

BTW, are you shooting this on a tripod or handheld? If you're shooting this handheld (I imagine that is why you bumped the ISO), then maybe you are just seeing a difference of SR performance/handholding.

Here are some of my shots with a similar setup/scene. I used the K-7 with the Sigma 105 macro to shoot some of my film cameras. I used a tripod in these shots, so ISO is set to 100.

@f/4:

@f/5.6:

JRMax · 11-11-2012, 11:28 PM

Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor

You could use the Pentax software to process files from both K-5IIs and K-7 with similar settings.

Lighting is different and colors came out differently too. Could it be that on the K-5IIs you are getting a curve applied on the image? That would impact the perception of sharpness too. Could also be that Lightroom is not as good on K-7 files as the Pentax software is.

Also, the K-7 shooting info is stripped - can you add it? For the K-5IIs I see: 100mm f/5.6 ISO 400 1/3.

BTW, are you shooting this on a tripod or handheld? If you're shooting this handheld (I imagine that is why you bumped the ISO), then maybe you are just seeing a difference of SR performance/handholding.

Here are some of my shots with a similar setup/scene. I used the K-7 with the Sigma 105 macro to shoot some of my film cameras. I used a tripod in these shots, so ISO is set to 100.

@f/4:

@f/5.6:

Those are good suggestions. When I get some time I will get some new shots posted to better compare the two cameras.

JRMax · 11-16-2012, 04:59 PM - **1 Like**

I would like to start by saying that I'm not K-7 bashing. I like my K-7 and will be keeping it as a second body. I feel that my new K-5 IIs is giving me sharper images than the K-7 and I took some shots today to try to get an apples to apples comparison between the two cameras. Here are crops of two shots of the same watch taken under the same conditions with the same lens. Both were shot in raw. the only PP was the conversion to jpeg which was done in Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4. The image was re-sized and cropped in CS5.1.

K-7

K-5 IIs

What do you think? IMO the K-5 IIs is marginally sharper than the K-7.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 11-16-2012, 11:33 PM

Originally posted by JRMax

What do you think? IMO the K-5 IIs is marginally sharper than the K-5.

You mean "than the K-7", right?

Yes, it is a bit sharper, but do you notice that sharpness anymore after scaling down? Even now, I see it only because I am looking for it, in the texture on the face of the watch. Once you would scale the images down to the size you originally posted, it would be very hard to see any difference.

BTW, out of curiosity, can you add a similar crop after processing the K-7 shot with CS? It would be interesting to see if there are significant processing differences. PDCU is pretty decent and well worth keeping around.

Thanks for taking the time to do this comparison.

11-10-2012, 02:23 PM - 1 Like	#1
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56	Impressed with the sharpness of the K-5 IIs I belong to a couple of watch forums and we are always posting pictures of our watches. I just got my K-5 IIs and my first shots with the new camera was of one of my Citizen Eco-Drives. This was shot my D FA 2.8 100mm macro lens at f5.6 and ISO 800. I'm very impressed with the sharpness of this combination. With my K-7 I never was able to get the fine detail such as the grain in the leather strap. Now if the weather would only improve so I can get outside for some shots.

11-16-2012, 04:59 PM - 1 Like	#14
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	I would like to start by saying that I'm not K-7 bashing. I like my K-7 and will be keeping it as a second body. I feel that my new K-5 IIs is giving me sharper images than the K-7 and I took some shots today to try to get an apples to apples comparison between the two cameras. Here are crops of two shots of the same watch taken under the same conditions with the same lens. Both were shot in raw. the only PP was the conversion to jpeg which was done in Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4. The image was re-sized and cropped in CS5.1. K-7 K-5 IIs What do you think? IMO the K-5 IIs is marginally sharper than the K-7. Last edited by JRMax; 11-17-2012 at 09:21 AM. Reason: corrected typo

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11-10-2012, 02:33 PM	#2
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Thats a very professional shot. I guess Pentax did good with the "s"

11-10-2012, 04:29 PM	#3
Eric Auer Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,211	Nice image, Ring Flash? The K-5 IIs is fun for shure.

11-10-2012, 04:58 PM	#4
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	Originally posted by Na Horuk Thats a very professional shot. I guess Pentax did good with the "s" Thanks Na Horuk, I'm a believer.

11-10-2012, 05:02 PM	#5
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	Originally posted by Corto-PA Nice image, Ring Flash? The K-5 IIs is fun for shure. No flash ring, just my home made light box illuminated with two 65W floods in reflectors. I like your shot of those two well worn watches. Are you planning on refurbishing them?

11-10-2012, 05:11 PM	#6
Eric Auer Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,211	Originally posted by JRMax No flash ring, just my home made light box illuminated with two 65W floods in reflectors. I like your shot of those two well worn watches. Are you planning on refurbishing them? The Elgin on the right is WW1 vintage so I might have someone make it run again but thats it. I collect antique firearms and really like them as original as possible. So I'm not a restorer.

11-10-2012, 07:17 PM	#7
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	Originally posted by JRMax With my K-7 I never was able to get the fine detail such as the grain in the leather strap. Some side by side shots would be interesting to see. I don't expect to see much difference in scaled down images like those posted here. I am sure that the K-5 IIs can capture sharper images when examined at 100%, but once you scale them down, that extra detail is lost.

11-10-2012, 07:40 PM	#8
oxidized Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: USA - Delaware Photos: Albums Posts: 435	Wow. Fantastic shot.

11-10-2012, 07:45 PM	#9
sam-joseph Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,086	Here's a shot of my Eco-Drive. Taken with the K7 and Sigma 17-70. The only PP is a square crop. I reckon the result isn't bad, when compared to the newest generation camera with a dedicated macro lens. Regards

11-11-2012, 10:27 AM	#10
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor Some side by side shots would be interesting to see. I don't expect to see much difference in scaled down images like those posted here. I am sure that the K-5 IIs can capture sharper images when examined at 100%, but once you scale them down, that extra detail is lost. I can't show an apples to apples comparisons because with my K-7 I shot in RAW and did PP in Lightroom 3. Unfortunately LR3 doesn't support the RAW files from the K-5 IIs so I'm shooting in jpeg right now. I'm thinking that the sharpness that I am seeing could also be a result of the better low light IQ that the K-5 offers. With shots from the K-7 I usually had to use noise reduction in LR3 and that would reduce sharpness in the image. With the K-5's jpegs I haven't needed to do any sharpening or noise reduction. After developing in LR3 I use PShop to clean up the dust specks and I am seeing a lot more detail in my K-5 IIs shots. Here are two shots of the same watch, one taken with the K-7 and the other with the K-5 IIs. In the shot taken with the K-5 IIs I see textures in the bezel and dial that I never saw with the K-7 shots. I recognize that the lighting is slightly different in each shot, I'm just trying to support my opinion that the K-5 IIs is giving me crisper shots. K-7 K-5 IIs

11-11-2012, 10:28 AM	#11
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	Originally posted by oxidized Wow. Fantastic shot. Thanks oxidized.

11-11-2012, 01:31 PM	#12
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	Originally posted by JRMax I can't show an apples to apples comparisons because with my K-7 I shot in RAW and did PP in Lightroom 3. Unfortunately LR3 doesn't support the RAW files from the K-5 IIs so I'm shooting in jpeg right now. You could use the Pentax software to process files from both K-5IIs and K-7 with similar settings. Originally posted by JRMax I recognize that the lighting is slightly different in each shot, I'm just trying to support my opinion that the K-5 IIs is giving me crisper shots. Lighting is different and colors came out differently too. Could it be that on the K-5IIs you are getting a curve applied on the image? That would impact the perception of sharpness too. Could also be that Lightroom is not as good on K-7 files as the Pentax software is. Also, the K-7 shooting info is stripped - can you add it? For the K-5IIs I see: 100mm f/5.6 ISO 400 1/3. BTW, are you shooting this on a tripod or handheld? If you're shooting this handheld (I imagine that is why you bumped the ISO), then maybe you are just seeing a difference of SR performance/handholding. Here are some of my shots with a similar setup/scene. I used the K-7 with the Sigma 105 macro to shoot some of my film cameras. I used a tripod in these shots, so ISO is set to 100. @f/4: @f/5.6:

11-11-2012, 11:28 PM	#13
JRMax Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 56 Original Poster	Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor You could use the Pentax software to process files from both K-5IIs and K-7 with similar settings. Lighting is different and colors came out differently too. Could it be that on the K-5IIs you are getting a curve applied on the image? That would impact the perception of sharpness too. Could also be that Lightroom is not as good on K-7 files as the Pentax software is. Also, the K-7 shooting info is stripped - can you add it? For the K-5IIs I see: 100mm f/5.6 ISO 400 1/3. BTW, are you shooting this on a tripod or handheld? If you're shooting this handheld (I imagine that is why you bumped the ISO), then maybe you are just seeing a difference of SR performance/handholding. Here are some of my shots with a similar setup/scene. I used the K-7 with the Sigma 105 macro to shoot some of my film cameras. I used a tripod in these shots, so ISO is set to 100. @f/4: @f/5.6: Those are good suggestions. When I get some time I will get some new shots posted to better compare the two cameras.

11-16-2012, 11:33 PM	#15
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	Originally posted by JRMax What do you think? IMO the K-5 IIs is marginally sharper than the K-5. You mean "than the K-7", right? Yes, it is a bit sharper, but do you notice that sharpness anymore after scaling down? Even now, I see it only because I am looking for it, in the texture on the face of the watch. Once you would scale the images down to the size you originally posted, it would be very hard to see any difference. BTW, out of curiosity, can you add a similar crop after processing the K-7 shot with CS? It would be interesting to see if there are significant processing differences. PDCU is pretty decent and well worth keeping around. Thanks for taking the time to do this comparison.

Impressed with the sharpness of the K-5 IIs

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