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01-15-2013, 08:45 PM   #1
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I am thinking of upgrading my K20D to a K5 of K5II and have a question regarding AF

In the reviews I have been reading I am seeing it say that the K5II AF works to -3EV but I am unsure what what that means in real world lighting. For example under a thick forest canopy on a sunny day where would that fall on the EV scale?

I am almost positive I am going for the K5 over the K5II mainly I am tryng to figure out if the improved AF is worth it.

01-15-2013, 08:50 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by BPT Quote
In the reviews I have been reading I am seeing it say that the K5II AF works to -3EV but I am unsure what what that means in real world lighting. For example under a thick forest canopy on a sunny day where would that fall on the EV scale?

I am almost positive I am going for the K5 over the K5II mainly I am tryng to figure out if the improved AF is worth it.
Outdoors during the day you're almost never going to see -3EV, even in a forest. Unless you shoot indoors or at night, then the K-5 is going to seem just as good as the K-5 II. A poorly-lit room is about EV 3, so I would expect your rainforest to be around there, at worst.

This page sums up the K-5 II's AF fairly well:
Pentax K-5 II / IIs Review - Autofocus - PentaxForums.com

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01-15-2013, 08:54 PM   #3
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To be fair, many users of the k-5II who have had the k-5 claim that the AF of the k-5II seems more decisive and accurate than the k-5, especially in low-light.
01-15-2013, 09:40 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Outdoors during the day you're almost never going to see -3EV, even in a forest. Unless you shoot indoors or at night, then the K-5 is going to seem just as good as the K-5 II. A poorly-lit room is about EV 3, so I would expect your rainforest to be around there, at worst.
Thank you that gives me a point of reference, I will also have a good read through the article

QuoteOriginally posted by JinDesu Quote
To be fair, many users of the k-5II who have had the k-5 claim that the AF of the k-5II seems more decisive and accurate than the k-5, especially in low-light.
That is a good point of note. The chart on the page Adam linked to does show a good improvement in focus speed of the K5II over the K5. I keep reading about focus issues of the K5 with fine adjustment of the lenses as well. I have to assess whether this is wide spread. Unfortunately I havent been keeping up on the literature online like I used to

01-15-2013, 09:50 PM   #5
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-3ev is same as shooting under moonlight, apparently.
Exposure Value and Exposure Compensation
What it translates to in the "real world", using the chart on the above page, is that with a f/2.8 lens, the camera could auto focus in a situation where you need a 60s long exposure at ISO100. Obviously, you can bump up the ISO speed also...
01-15-2013, 10:38 PM   #6
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Awesome link, apparently my googlefu was lacking. Thank you
01-15-2013, 10:56 PM   #7
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Don't know the technical details but the K-5 is much better than the K-X or K-10 focusing in low light

01-15-2013, 11:29 PM   #8
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Since AF is a weak point of Pentax cameras, I like to have all the help I can get. And while the K-5 II/IIs may still not be the ideal camera for action photography, it's interesting to note that according to the specs, in this respect (low light AF) Pentax actually exceeds the other brands now.

But I appreciate the difference in daylight AF performance I get from my K-5 IIs over my K-5. It's good the K-5 is being phased out for the K-5 II, so soon every new buyer will get the benefit of the updates. But it may take a while for the K-5 II price to come down a few hundred dollars.

I'm guessing you're not planning on augmenting your lens collection any time soon. Perhaps someone else can tell you whether the II makes much difference on your Sigma 50-500?
01-16-2013, 12:35 AM   #9
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I have lenses I want but it will be a while before I actually acquire them. I want something a bit wider (10mm range) as well as a 100mm Macro. There were a couple K5II and Sigma 50-500 shots in the sample photos. Looks like the combo plays nice. I was shocked you knew about my lenses until I remembered it is in my profile.
01-16-2013, 07:49 AM   #10
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I have a K7, K5, K5IIs - no contest: the IIs is better under all conditions, and I would pay for it again.

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01-16-2013, 11:23 AM   #11
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I have a K5 and tend to shoot long. My 170-500 6.3 (?) would not focus on a summer overcast day shooting into the trees. My DA*300 won't focus on an overcast winter day shooting into the trees. In both these instances, some sun or thinning of the cloud makes it work. There is ample light to focus manually with an EE-S screen in these situations. If the K5 II is better than this it would be worthwhile. I haven't tried it.
01-16-2013, 12:29 PM   #12
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Holy cow a pentax person in my area, I about fell out of my chair when I saw Nelson BC

I think I might have to wait and see what my tax return is before making the final decision as well as talk to my wife about it but it seems there is a lot pointing to the K5II (I would love the IIs but the extra hundred on top of the extra 3 or 4 hundred would break the camels back)
01-17-2013, 09:14 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by BPT Quote
Holy cow a pentax person in my area, I about fell out of my chair when I saw Nelson BC

I think I might have to wait and see what my tax return is before making the final decision as well as talk to my wife about it but it seems there is a lot pointing to the K5II (I would love the IIs but the extra hundred on top of the extra 3 or 4 hundred would break the camels back)
Holy cow, I have only met 1 person ever who comes from Nelson BC and his name is Brad! Brad Carlson. Used to work at Geotech back in the day.
01-18-2013, 01:47 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by BPT Quote
I would love the IIs but the extra hundred on top of the extra 3 or 4 hundred would break the camels back)
The camel's a pretty tough beast! Besides, who knows what prices changes may appear in the near future?

I think it'd be better to base the decision on which model you really think is the better one for you.
01-18-2013, 09:53 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Franky2step Quote
Holy cow, I have only met 1 person ever who comes from Nelson BC and his name is Brad! Brad Carlson. Used to work at Geotech back in the day.
I think I have heard of him, if he is the guy I am thinking of. I was originally working towards being a geotech until I ended up taking a turn and becoming a structural engineer. The community is small for both those occupations in this area.

QuoteOriginally posted by DSims Quote
The camel's a pretty tough beast! Besides, who knows what prices changes may appear in the near future?

I think it'd be better to base the decision on which model you really think is the better one for you.
What makes me like the IIs is I am beginning to get hooked on shooting stars, if the IIs has a little more resolution it could be nice. I wont be buying anything until my tax return comes in, which wont be for a while as I dont have everything I need to file yet. So maybe prices will shift by then
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