Manual focus is a key issue and a key skill with the K-5 and probably any dslr. I find that repeated practice pays off and I sometimes get better MF results than AF. The win for the K-5 is the ergonomics allowing comfortable shooting, adjustment of exposure with the right hand, and efficient focusing with the left hand on the lens focus ring. With practice it becomes a smooth flow.
I have a FSB focusing screen installed on my K-5, under $60 from focusingscreens.com, but it is only good for medium to well lit subjects - for dim light, it is harder. The challenge is use of a MF lens in dim room light when you intend to use a flash - in those cases, only careful practice will pay off, especially in using the focus-verify beep or icon to gauge your focus. Switching to single-focus point mode with focus verify gives pretty good results with MF and flash, and practice will tell you how to time your shutter release with the turning of your focus ring and the beep/flash of the focus verify, whether you need to anticipate it or add a delay, which of course depends on which direction you are turning your focus ring. As I said, practice. If you are available-light-only and intend to not use flash of course it is a different situation, since in dim light you have the option of using your own makeshift focus-bracketing by twisting the focus ring past the focus verify signal and then using the fast-continuous shooting mode to squeeze off three or more shots as you back up the focus ring over the indication point. This is a particularly powerful technique and the K-5's great handling makes it pretty easy. Below is an example of results from such "focus bracketing" in dim indoor light without flash. With the TAv mode pushing the ISO up to 3200 on this shot, it still looks clean and as if it were in a strongly lit room.
K-5 plus Zeiss Planar T* 50mm F/1.4 lens at F/4, 1/40th sec, handheld.
Last edited by Skymist; 05-30-2011 at 09:17 PM.