My K-5 came in this morning, and I just got back from my first shoot with it! Here are some of my initial remarks:
Exposure is much more accurate, dynamic range is larger
I did some cityscape shooting, and not once did I have to use exposure compensation when shooting the sky. All the photos were clear, correctly exposed, and very true-to-life. My conclusion is that the K-5's image quality is quite a ways above that of the K-7.
High-ISO performance is impressive
In an indoor test shot using flash, an ISO 1600 shot from the K-5 was less grainy than one from the K-7 at ISO 200. In addition, the colors were more accurate.
Lots of software improvements!
Instant RAW conversion from the buffer, dedicated electronic horizon display on the back LCD, AF point selection (5 or 11), AF priorities, and extensive bracketing controls are just a few of the features that immediately stood out. I found the electronic horizon especially useful- when I had my 300mm mounted on a tripod, I went by the horizon rather than the viewfinder to make sure that my photo was level!
Continuous Buffer
Through some tests I did, it seems that 30 JPGs, on average, can go in the buffer when shooting on Hi mode using AFS or MF. This is because as the camera writes to the card, it frees up buffer space and makes it ready for the next photo. Also, after the buffer has been filled and the camera starts writing, the camera doesn't freeze up, and you can still continue taking photos as buffer memory is freed. The only thing I'm disappointed with is the 2FPS lo mode- it should be 3FPS.
Mirror Slap Prevention
The K-5 shutter sounds different than the K-7 shutter when shooting in single-frame mode. It seems to me that it's not moving at full speed, in order to keep mirror slap to a minimum. I haven't done any tests to confirm this, but there are three distinct audible sounds in each shutter actuation, rather than the K-7's short and elegant single noise.
As a side note, we will be doing a professional review of both the K-5 and the K-r later down the road- hopefully as soon as possible, as time permits. My best guess of when the K-5 review will be up is the week of November 22. I'll also be posting some basic comparison shots and sample photos later today.
Adam
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