[Rite]

Excellent review - THANK YOU !!

[falconeye]

Adam, I congratulate you for a very good review. Well done and all the work was worth it

While I see that you emphasized the review more than the test aspect, there's nothing wrong with this approach. On the contrary, you provide a perfect source to be referred to in more test-oriented reviews. I'll certainly do so in my own forthcoming K-5 articles and I am glad I don't have to go through all the work you've already done now.

Maybe, I should comment on two things:

The long exposure NR of course is the dark frame subtraction aka DFS. It's not subtracting a 100% darkframe which is why it only takes about 2/3 of the time. It's not processing time but the time needed to do an exposure with the shutter closed. Reading your test, one get's the impression you don't understand this. Which of course is wrong. But it compromises your expert level to readers not knowing you. So, I would alter this paragraph. Also, that it now can always be switched off is a new feature for the K-5 which is crucial to some.

Second, IMHO your appraisal for AF.C is a bit too strong. According to my own tests, AF.C can be fooled by factors difficult to understand by novices. You create the false impression that the K-5 shoots sharp bursts from moving targets in a point and shoot manner. This may disappoint novice users. The K-5 can do this and is a big step up from its predecessor. But it requires quite a learning curve to master. A bit more actually than some competitors like D300 with their 3D tracking. You should somehow take this into account and praise AF.C in a way not creating unrealistic expectations.

Other than that, I think your article is excellent. Thank You


One more thing
At least for me, calling a review "professional review" makes it appear unprofessional. Real pro's never mention they are.

[F-Stop]

I'm left wondering why you're suggesting to set the EV Steps to 1/2 instead of 1/3? I personally like 1/3 much better as it allows for more fine tuning. It took me almost 2 years to discover that on my K100D.

Also, I can't see what's appealing about setting +2 for saturation and contrast, and +1 for sharpness based on the image comparison used for the review. The second with no adjustments looks more 'real' although still flat, lacking warmth that I feel I can rarely capture myself. Perhaps it's a Pentax Firmware thing or that my WB is never dead on. That said, the DR doesn't seem that great either. Maybe all cameras struggle in lighting like this, I don't know.

+2 Saturation/Contrast, +1 sharpness


No adjustments

[johnmflores]

Jesse, you make an interesting point - it would have been nice to read and see comparisons to other brands. But this is a Pentax site, so even if they included comparisons to Canon and Nikon, et. al., I'd assume that there was some brand bias. I'll leave those comparisons to other sites that have more experience with other brands and have a stronger claim to objectivity.

I think that Adam and team made a wise decision to limit their comparisons to other Pentax products, namely the K-7. It takes away any possibility of brand bias and focuses the reviewers on what they know best and what forum users come to the site for - Pentax products.

I do wish that they had also compared the K-5 to older models - the K20d, K10d, K-x, etc... - so that owners of those cameras had a better understanding of how big a step up the K-5 is. But that would have been a lot more work, so it's understandable. Besides, my wallet is safer without a direct comparison to the K20d


Adam and team - thumbs up! The side-by-side scrollable images and videos are great!

[dexmus]

It is a thorough review. Good job there. Although I don't think that a pixel peeping comparison with the other competing DSLRs is required, but it would be better if some comments are made on how k-5 stacks up against competition.

It is a very useful review for someone who owns a Pentax. But someone who wants to buy his first Pentax may find it lacking. He may not understand why a Nikon D7000 is 400$ less or why a Canon 60D costs less.

cheers

[Mark Taylor]

As a member who is new to Pentax and seriously considering buying a Pentax K-5 (albeit after Christmas when I expect prices to come down somewhat!) I'd like to say I think the review was great. Personally I don't think one should expect the same standard of detached objectivity and comparison to other brands from a review on a brand-specific website. For me the review struck the appropriate tone for this source and in fact the inclusion of features such as recommended accessories made it if anything more useful to me than it possibly could be otherwise.

The web will soon be flooded with 'professional reviews' from independent sites taking a more objective standpoint and comparing with other brands. Another such review from a pentax-specific source would not really be giving us anything we can't get elsewhere. Whilst the term 'review' does evoke certain expectations it is actually quite loosely defined and I think one must take the source into account. I don't think it was used inappropriately to refer to this article.

I'm making a point of posting my opinion because I think it would be a shame if future reviews on this site took the direction of objective evaluations and direct comparisons to other brands. Like I said, we can get that information from any number of other sources. A review on this site can't be expected to tell us what's on offer from Canon, Nikon or Sony and so ought to provide the information people need to know once they've already made the decision to choose the Pentax brand. I think it achieved that admirably.

[audiobomber]

I'm left wondering why you're suggesting to set the EV Steps to 1/2 instead of 1/3? I personally like 1/3 much better as it allows for more fine tuning. It took me almost 2 years to discover that on my K100D.

I was using 1/3 steps for sensitivity and Ev, but I've changed to 0.5 because it corresponds with the aperture stops on manual lenses.

I can't see what's appealing about setting +2 for saturation and contrast, and +1 for sharpness based on the image comparison used for the review.

I agree, the jazzed up version has a Nikon-like ugliness to it that I would never want for my photos.

Regarding the K-5 review, super description of the features and settings, but I thought there was too much cheerleading for the K-5 and too much slamming of previous Pentaxes, especially the K-7.

---

Last edited by audiobomber; 11-21-2010 at 09:52 AM.

[jeffrey r]

I find the conclusion on the JPEG settings interesting as well. I've generally used one of two modes and settings going back to my K100D Super, then with my K200D and now with my K-5. Natural mode with a +1 or +2 in sharpness, saturation and contrast. Or Bright mode with a -1 saturation, and +1 in sharpness and contrast. To take the Vibrant mode, and jack it up +2 in saturation seems odd to me. I'll have to do a bit more testing with my K-5 though.

[Rickster]

I'm left wondering why you're suggesting to set the EV Steps to 1/2 instead of 1/3? I personally like 1/3 much better as it allows for more fine tuning. It took me almost 2 years to discover that on my K100D.

Also, I can't see what's appealing about setting +2 for saturation and contrast, and +1 for sharpness based on the image comparison used for the review. The second with no adjustments looks more 'real' although still flat, lacking warmth that I feel I can rarely capture myself. Perhaps it's a Pentax Firmware thing or that my WB is never dead on. That said, the DR doesn't seem that great either. Maybe all cameras struggle in lighting like this, I don't know.

+2 Saturation/Contrast, +1 sharpness


No adjustments

Actually, the picture on top may well be the more accurate rendering. While living in Southern California for 20 years I remember many sunsets like this with a deep yellow-red glow. The lighting could get rather lurid!

[Ash]

For a hands-on review, this is excellent and comprehensive work. I expect that even 'pro' reviews will be somewhat biased reports, so any kind of 'Pentax fan' spin to the review is warranted here.

It's still informative and relatively objective, and seeing it is basically comparing the K-5 to the K-7 only under the same conditions, there's not going to be significant uncontrollable variables to the tests. Well done Adam.

One aspect of performance I haven't yet seen (or that perhaps I cannot find yet) is the K-5 AF speed when engaging the spotbeam AF assist of the AF540FGZ or AF360FGZ flashes. I'm interested to know if anyone has tested its accuracy, speed and low-light requirement for engaging with the K-5 compared to the K-7 or K20D. Including this data on the review may be handy as well.

[osv]

thanks for the review, i thought that it was a decent intro to the camera.

the pics with the arrows indicating the controls could be helpful for those who are new to pentax.

i didn't watch the videos, but criticizing their use indicates a fundamental lack of knowledge of how the internet operates... youtube is the second biggest search engine, this forum needs to have content up there, and you need to have the proper links to the videos for search engine purposes.

btw, there is a bad link or a mis-spelling: SMC Pentax-FA* 24mm AL [IF] is linked to the 85mm f1.4, not the 24mm lense in the text.

[johnmb]

A really excellent review for anyone interested in buying the Pentax K-5. I was particularly pleased to read the suggested settings for different features, and the analysis of the improvements in image quality and focussing. A special thanks also for getting out this review so quickly!

[sjtryon]

I have to agree with member Mark Taylor: I really do expect more of a cheerleading type of review here than I would elsewhere and the extra stuff (accessories, advice, etc), was very good. I would even go so far as to suggest adding some more Pentax-centric details. For example in the early part of the review you speak about some of the capabilities of the camera but don't define them. I've since figured them out, but as a K200D shooter for some time, I was looking for those definitions because I don't have some of those features on my rig!

I did compare other brands of cameras and really wanted the Nikon D3s. However, my wallet had a stroke when I hit Amazon.com for the Nikon, plus I didn't want to backtrack on my already sizable investment in Pentax quality glass.

So the bottom line on this for me is that I really appreciated the review and I didn't mind some of the cheerleading. Now that I've compared lots of other options, the positive perspective was just what I needed to help solidify what will certainly be my next purchase.

Thanks!

Steven

--
sjt | The photography, rants, and musings of Steven J. Tryon

[Adam]

The long exposure NR of course is the dark frame subtraction aka DFS. It's not subtracting a 100% darkframe which is why it only takes about 2/3 of the time. It's not processing time but the time needed to do an exposure with the shutter closed. Reading your test, one get's the impression you don't understand this. Which of course is wrong. But it compromises your expert level to readers not knowing you. So, I would alter this paragraph. Also, that it now can always be switched off is a new feature for the K-5 which is crucial to some. Second, IMHO your appraisal for AF.C is a bit too strong. According to my own tests, AF.C can be fooled by factors difficult to understand by novices. You create the false impression that the K-5 shoots sharp bursts from moving targets in a point and shoot manner. This may disappoint novice users. The K-5 can do this and is a big step up from its predecessor. But it requires quite a learning curve to master. A bit more actually than some competitors like D300 with their 3D tracking. You should somehow take this into account and praise AF.C in a way not creating unrealistic expectations.

Thanks for the comments, Falk! Going into the review, I had tested AF.C indoors by just moving the camera around, and was disappointed to see that it didn't react nearly as fast as I wanted it to. However, outside, even with the poor lens it was tested with, it didn't seem to hunt. As we mentioned in the review, it was tested at spot and 11-point (5 point was pretty much useless), by both of us, and it was never off by enough to the point where you start tapping your foot. If it made a mistake initially, it quickly would recover and you'd still be able to take your shot as intended, when intended.

How we haven't tried moving back and forth between subjects, as you're hinting at, but that would be a great idea for a user test, I'd say!

[Adam]

btw, there is a bad link or a mis-spelling: SMC Pentax-FA* 24mm AL [IF] is linked to the 85mm f1.4, not the 24mm lense in the text.

Thanks for the catch, it's been fixed.