K-5 opinions from former D700 owner

designinme_1976 · 11-17-2010, 10:51 AM

Just go the K-5 yesterday. Really enjoying the camera so far, though have not had time to really hammer out a full day worth of shooting. So far my opinions are mostly limited to general function/feel/performance... not image quality as of yet.

My previous experience with Pentax was with the K-20 that I owned for a short while before jumping to Nikon for a D300 and D700. I enjoyed the Nikon, but realized I am a prime guy, and my lens selection with the D700 was rather heavy. I took my camera to less places because of the weight and attention , and once the K-5 was announced, I was excited for a small compact camera with great prime selection that won't break the bank...

Body/Build - I find the K-5 fantastic. The viewfinder is nice and bright. In my opinion, it feels brighter than my D700. I don't have the D700 anymore to do a side by side comparison, but it sure feels that way to me.

Not really a fan of the locking botton on the top. I feel it gets in the way and forces me to take my face away from the camera to see what I am doing. Something I am sure to grow accustomed to the longer I work with the camera.

SD Slot - I was a bit concerned about this, after reading others complain about having issues getting the card out. Seems a bit overblown to me. I have pretty big hands and have no issue getting the card out, but if you have on gloves, it won't be easy.

Autofocus - Again, purely subjective. I find the AF to be quick with very little hunting. The K20D would hunt like crazy and was rather slow. That was one reason I gave up on Pentax at the time because I felt like it couldn't lock in low light. The K-5 is a huge improvement.

Grip - The grip of the K-5 is awesome. Fits my hand like a glove. The camera feels solid, but not too heavy.

Front/Back control dials - This is a really nice improvement over my D700. I felt the control dials on the D700 were recessed too much, and didn't make a firm "lock" into each turn. The K-5 has a confident feeling of a click.. no mushy feeling. Solid.

Image review - I noticed when I zoom into an image on the LCD, that it is a bit slow. Coming from the D700, I can "feel" the difference. The K-5 Feels slow in comparison.

Pentax 50mm 1.4 - I purchased this along with the camera. Compact, built nice. Did notice that it is front focussing. I will have to adjust this weekend.

Pentax 100mm Macro - What a sweet lens! I can tell I am going to love it. Coming from the Zeiss 100mm Makro Planar, this thing is TINY in comparison. I don't know if I am right, but the filter threads looks plastic. I hope that is NOT the case for a $600 lens. The rest of it is built so well.

Again, only have had the camera for a little over 24 hours, so I am very new to it. I will report back to this post with more opinions after I have more time with it. So far, I am very impressed.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT
I FORGOT THE SHUTTER! The shutter is so quiet and smooth. A real pleasure. I was shocked when I heard it for the first time. Pentax did a great job on this.

Last edited by designinme_1976; 11-17-2010 at 11:23 AM. Reason: Additional thought

deadwolfbones · 11-17-2010, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by designinme_1976

Image review - I noticed when I zoom into an image on the LCD, that it is a bit slow. Coming from the D700, I can "feel" the difference. The K-5 Feels slow in comparison.

First: nice writeup!

Second: don't know if you saw this, but in one of the menus you can set the default zoom level for the first zoom-in action. I've set it so that it mimics the center button 100% zoom function of my D700 and I'm quite enjoying it.

jeffrey r · 11-17-2010, 11:18 AM

Good post. I got my K-5 last night, and only had about an hour or two to do a basic setup and take a few shots. In my case, I am coming from a Pentax K200D. I'll basically just echo most of what you said. The K-5 is the real deal. Such a beautiful camera, with features and customization up the wazoo, fast and accurate AF, big bright viewfinder, quiet shutter, and much more. It may sound corny, but I had become a bit disillusioned with my K200D, and I see the K-5 will remedy that and get me excited about photography again as a hobby.

designinme_1976 · 11-17-2010, 11:24 AM

Thanks DWB for the tip. I am going to check that out asap.

Eagle_Friends · 11-17-2010, 12:11 PM

Yea, the 100mm WR is one of the great current Pentax lens. Even on my lowly K-x =[, the pictures are razor sharp, and the built quality felt so good.

pefoto01 · 11-17-2010, 12:29 PM

Благодаря на колегите за споделянето на отзивите за К-5!
Желая успешни кадри с новата машинка!
Поздрав!

Jonson PL · 11-17-2010, 03:35 PM

Good hearing your thoughts on it, looking forward to some pictures

Tringle WP · 11-18-2010, 05:20 AM

Just ordering mine now, after almost defecting to FF Canon. DxO was what swayed me

Got to get it in the UK (I'm in France) on account of much better UK pricing. So won't have it to play with for a number of days yet. Also ordering one of the f2.4 35mms to play with.

11-17-2010, 10:51 AM	#1
designinme_1976 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 132	K-5 opinions from former D700 owner Just go the K-5 yesterday. Really enjoying the camera so far, though have not had time to really hammer out a full day worth of shooting. So far my opinions are mostly limited to general function/feel/performance... not image quality as of yet. My previous experience with Pentax was with the K-20 that I owned for a short while before jumping to Nikon for a D300 and D700. I enjoyed the Nikon, but realized I am a prime guy, and my lens selection with the D700 was rather heavy. I took my camera to less places because of the weight and attention , and once the K-5 was announced, I was excited for a small compact camera with great prime selection that won't break the bank... Body/Build - I find the K-5 fantastic. The viewfinder is nice and bright. In my opinion, it feels brighter than my D700. I don't have the D700 anymore to do a side by side comparison, but it sure feels that way to me. Not really a fan of the locking botton on the top. I feel it gets in the way and forces me to take my face away from the camera to see what I am doing. Something I am sure to grow accustomed to the longer I work with the camera. SD Slot - I was a bit concerned about this, after reading others complain about having issues getting the card out. Seems a bit overblown to me. I have pretty big hands and have no issue getting the card out, but if you have on gloves, it won't be easy. Autofocus - Again, purely subjective. I find the AF to be quick with very little hunting. The K20D would hunt like crazy and was rather slow. That was one reason I gave up on Pentax at the time because I felt like it couldn't lock in low light. The K-5 is a huge improvement. Grip - The grip of the K-5 is awesome. Fits my hand like a glove. The camera feels solid, but not too heavy. Front/Back control dials - This is a really nice improvement over my D700. I felt the control dials on the D700 were recessed too much, and didn't make a firm "lock" into each turn. The K-5 has a confident feeling of a click.. no mushy feeling. Solid. Image review - I noticed when I zoom into an image on the LCD, that it is a bit slow. Coming from the D700, I can "feel" the difference. The K-5 Feels slow in comparison. Pentax 50mm 1.4 - I purchased this along with the camera. Compact, built nice. Did notice that it is front focussing. I will have to adjust this weekend. Pentax 100mm Macro - What a sweet lens! I can tell I am going to love it. Coming from the Zeiss 100mm Makro Planar, this thing is TINY in comparison. I don't know if I am right, but the filter threads looks plastic. I hope that is NOT the case for a $600 lens. The rest of it is built so well. Again, only have had the camera for a little over 24 hours, so I am very new to it. I will report back to this post with more opinions after I have more time with it. So far, I am very impressed. ADDITIONAL THOUGHT I FORGOT THE SHUTTER! The shutter is so quiet and smooth. A real pleasure. I was shocked when I heard it for the first time. Pentax did a great job on this. Last edited by designinme_1976; 11-17-2010 at 11:23 AM. Reason: Additional thought

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11-17-2010, 11:10 AM	#2
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Originally posted by designinme_1976 Image review - I noticed when I zoom into an image on the LCD, that it is a bit slow. Coming from the D700, I can "feel" the difference. The K-5 Feels slow in comparison. First: nice writeup! Second: don't know if you saw this, but in one of the menus you can set the default zoom level for the first zoom-in action. I've set it so that it mimics the center button 100% zoom function of my D700 and I'm quite enjoying it.

11-17-2010, 11:18 AM	#3
jeffrey r Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 337	Good post. I got my K-5 last night, and only had about an hour or two to do a basic setup and take a few shots. In my case, I am coming from a Pentax K200D. I'll basically just echo most of what you said. The K-5 is the real deal. Such a beautiful camera, with features and customization up the wazoo, fast and accurate AF, big bright viewfinder, quiet shutter, and much more. It may sound corny, but I had become a bit disillusioned with my K200D, and I see the K-5 will remedy that and get me excited about photography again as a hobby.

11-17-2010, 11:24 AM	#4
designinme_1976 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 132 Original Poster	Thanks DWB for the tip. I am going to check that out asap.

11-17-2010, 12:11 PM	#5
Eagle_Friends Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 971	Yea, the 100mm WR is one of the great current Pentax lens. Even on my lowly K-x =[, the pictures are razor sharp, and the built quality felt so good.

11-17-2010, 12:29 PM	#6
pefoto01 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Sofia,Bulgaria. Posts: 56	Благодаря на колегите за споделянето на отзивите за К-5! Желая успешни кадри с новата машинка! Поздрав!

11-17-2010, 03:35 PM	#7
Jonson PL Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Copenhagen Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,842	Good hearing your thoughts on it, looking forward to some pictures

11-18-2010, 05:20 AM	#8
Tringle WP Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bergerac, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 65	Just ordering mine now, after almost defecting to FF Canon. DxO was what swayed me Got to get it in the UK (I'm in France) on account of much better UK pricing. So won't have it to play with for a number of days yet. Also ordering one of the f2.4 35mms to play with.