[Wheatfield]

Again, what would a K-5 owner looking for problems -- if such a person exists -- find that say a Nikon D7000 owner would not?

Ask Tony3D in a month.

[Class A]

Ask Tony3D in a month.

So you personally don't know?

Do you think Tony3D is a reliable source of information?

Are you referring to his "freeze" problem that he could apparently solve by upgrading to the latest firmware?

Are you trying to be helpful?

[JeffJS]

Been thinking to get one K-5 camera, and some lenses (Pentax Lens 60-250mm f/4 DA* ED (IF) SDM,Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lensand pentax 18-135). I spend a lot of time to make my mind, gliding between canon nikon and sony....finally a saw a beautiful pictures from K-5 and impressed with ability. But reading forum I find there are some issues with this camera.....freeze, stain etc. I do understand people writing because need some help, but I don't wanna buy a lemon.....I have old canon d20 which is still in good shape and make no too bad pictures. I accidentally drop the camera two times and have no problem. Right now is time to improve camera and pentax is my choice but .......please somebody bring back my confidence about K-5

You pay your money you take your chances with any electronic product. You can read about the 3 (that I know of) issues that have come up with the K5 since it was released, they have been addressed. You can read until your eyes bleed and with all the posts, it may seem as if the camera is plagued with problems but, it isn't. If you happen to end up with a 'lemon', exchange it. Just buy from a reputable place so you Can do that. In the meantime, Enjoy your new camera.

Pentax K5 - a set on Flickr

[Franky2step]

I've had the K5 for a month now and can honestly say I love it. Previously I had a Nikon D300 which was too Big & heavy to carry with lenses, and Canon 5D MKII which was too big and build was flimsy IMHO. While I miss the full frame viewfinder, the K5 is very robust in its build, 100% viewfinder, weather sealed, and small enough that I want to carry it all the time.

[Wheatfield]

So you personally don't know?

Do you think Tony3D is a reliable source of information?

Are you referring to his "freeze" problem that he could apparently solve by upgrading to the latest firmware?

Are you trying to be helpful?

When the K5 came out, some guy had spots on his sensor that couldn't be removed.
I was not very nice to him about it, and it turned out to be sensor stains, and I was wrong.
And then the focusing in tungsten light issue cam along, and I wasn't very nice about it.
And it turned out I was wrong again, the camera was flakey in low tungsten light situations.
Now we are getting all sorts of reports of niggling problems.
People report buttons falling off.
People report that the mirror cycles on it's own.
People report that various button pushings will lock up their camera.
Did I miss anything?
It seems Pentax gets one thing fixed and another bug shows up almost immediately.

While you may not like it, I think I am being a lot more helpful than the people who, at this point, are blindly saying that it's a great camera, just go and buy one without cautioning the potential buyer that this is a camera that has been fraught with design issues, hardware issues, and quality control issues.
If, and this is a big if, you get a good one out of the box, the K5 is a nice little camera, but if you don't like playing the odds, then the K5 is not the right camera simply because it has so many potential issues.
Now, it's easy to like the K5, just go out and take pictures with it in relatively normal conditions, don't spin too many control wheels at once, and don't go looking for problems with the camera and the OP will be a happy owner, at least until something falls off or packs up internally.
Frankly though, anyone who recommends a K5 with no caveats is an even bigger fool than I was when the thing came out and I was peeing on everyone who was finding something wrong with the thing.
I think the term is "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".
I don't intend to be fooled again.
Every camera is potentially going to have some problems, but I have never seen a camera that has had as many different problems as the K5.

[Rupert]

When the K5 came out, some guy had spots on his sensor that couldn't be removed.
I was not very nice to him about it, and it turned out to be sensor stains, and I was wrong.
And then the focusing in tungsten light issue cam along, and I wasn't very nice about it.
And it turned out I was wrong again, the camera was flakey in low tungsten light situations.
Now we are getting all sorts of reports of niggling problems.
People report buttons falling off.
People report that the mirror cycles on it's own.
People report that various button pushings will lock up their camera.
Did I miss anything?
It seems Pentax gets one thing fixed and another bug shows up almost immediately.

While you may not like it, I think I am being a lot more helpful than the people who, at this point, are blindly saying that it's a great camera, just go and buy one without cautioning the potential buyer that this is a camera that has been fraught with design issues, hardware issues, and quality control issues.
If, and this is a big if, you get a good one out of the box, the K5 is a nice little camera, but if you don't like playing the odds, then the K5 is not the right camera simply because it has so many potential issues.
Now, it's easy to like the K5, just go out and take pictures with it in relatively normal conditions, don't spin too many control wheels at once, and don't go looking for problems with the camera and the OP will be a happy owner, at least until something falls off or packs up internally.
Frankly though, anyone who recommends a K5 with no caveats is an even bigger fool than I was when the thing came out and I was peeing on everyone who was finding something wrong with the thing.
I think the term is "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".
I don't intend to be fooled again.
Every camera is potentially going to have some problems, but I have never seen a camera that has had as many different problems as the K5.

You gotta know you will hear from Otis, don't you?
Regards!

[Class A]

... and I was wrong.
... And it turned out I was wrong again...

Your list is by no means complete but I give you that you are often wrong.

You are wrong again when you discourage someone from buying one of the best APS-C cameras available just because there have been QC issues.

While you may not like it, I think I am being a lot more helpful than the people who, at this point, are blindly saying that it's a great camera, ...

If you want to be helpful, try harder.

Your first post is

"If you are the type of buyer who gets a new camera and then "tests" it until you find something wrong, you will find something wrong with the K5."

This is strange code for stating that you believe that the K-5 is riddled with problems. Apart from that, it is nonsense (if there is a problem, you don't have to look for it) and wrong (most K-5 are fine and no amount of looking will turn up something fundamentally wrong with it).

Your second post is

"Ask Tony3D in a month."

I didn't know who the heck Tony3D was. I had to look him up in the forum. BTW, he is a happy K-5 shooter now, after his initial trouble.

Note that recommending a K-5 does not mean that one is "blindly saying that it's a great camera. I personally am very aware of the QC issues that have been surrounding the K-5 and I really don't like them. I have been compiling the same "QC issues" issues list as you in other threads. However, I did so in order to argue that QC should be improved. Compiling such a list to argue that one shouldn't get a K-5 is wrong, IMHO. I'd be a fool if QC issues deterred me to get the best Pentax APS-C ever.

I'd rather send a camera back once or twice rather than depriving myself of all the goodness it has to offer when it works. All of the nasty problems (lens release button falling off, etc.) have a known solution. It's not like there is a fundamental systematic problem, e.g., hot pixels that Pentax does not know how to fix.

If, and this is a big if, you get a good one out of the box, the K5 is a nice little camera, but if you don't like playing the odds, then the K5 is not the right camera simply because it has so many potential issues.

What is the risk? If someone cannot stand to send a camera in for a warranty repair, yes, perhaps at the current time the likelihood of not having to do that is higher with another camera. But should that really influence which camera one is buying?

[starstuff]

...and keep in mind that people who have a problem with the camera are more likely to post in the forums for advice and help than someone for whom the camera is working perfectly. What a dull post that would be!! "Just got my K5 and there isn't a thing wrong with it." (which would, btw, be *my* post)

[Biro]

I've had my K-5 for a couple of weeks now. What made me pull the trigger was all of the current K-5 owners who told me how much of a game-changer the camera is. Even those owners who have experienced some problems said they would buy the K-5 again - even if they knew about the problems ahead of time. It's that good. What's more, most of the problems have now been worked out. My advice: Get the K-5 and get the extended warranty. Pentax's own two-year extension (for a total of three years) is only $19.95 and includes a free inspection/ tune-up. That's value.

[Wheatfield]

Your list is by no means complete but I give you that you are often wrong.

Yeah, the peril of a bad memory.
I remember being wrong about the first couple or more problems that harried the K5 was not something fundamentally wrong with the camera.

So you are telling me that in addition to my list, there are even more potential problems awaiting an unsuspecting K5 buyer?
You aren't doing very well at making your case.
Why don't you help your case more and list every problem that the camera has had since it's introduction a year ago.

You are wrong again when you discourage someone from buying one of the best APS-C cameras available just because there have been QC issues.

Remind users that it's the best while they wait for it to come back for repair.....
But seriously, I am only discouraging people from buying one if they can't afford to play roulette with whether their camera gear will work or not.

IE: "if you don't like playing the odds, then the K5 is not the right camera simply because it has so many potential issues."

If you want to be helpful, try harder.

Ah, another internet nanny.
We needed a few more.

However, I did so in order to argue that QC should be improved. Compiling such a list to argue that one shouldn't get a K-5 is wrong, IMHO. I'd be a fool if QC issues deterred me to get the best Pentax APS-C ever.

You would perhaps, ans actually, so would I.
But you and I are not necessarily the best sample. I'm so invested in Pentax lenses that they could put a turd with a sensor on the market and I'd probably buy it.
But at this point, I'd not be trying to tell people that it wasn't a turd.

I'd rather send a camera back once or twice rather than depriving myself of all the goodness it has to offer when it works. All of the nasty problems (lens release button falling off, etc.) have a known solution. It's not like there is a fundamental systematic problem, e.g., hot pixels that Pentax does not know how to fix.

Sure, you would. I would to.
But if you had no investment in Pentax and just wanted a camera, would you?

BTW, when a button falls of does it get replaced with a new and improved button that won't fall off again?
When a circuit board goes flakey, does it get a new and improved board that for sure isn't going to have the same problem again?

What is the risk? If someone cannot stand to send a camera in for a warranty repair, yes, perhaps at the current time the likelihood of having to do that is higher with the K5. But should that really influence which camera one is buying?

I fixed your sentence so that it would parse.
In the case of Tony3D, the risk is having a brick rather than a camera while he is on what, for all you and I know, is a once in a lifetime trip to Italy.
For anyone who, for whatever reason, doesn't want to deal with repairs, whether warranted or not, it might matter to them.
For anyone who wants some assurance that their camera isn't going to turn into a paperweight while they are using it, it might matter.

BTW, the cure for Tony's camera was, apparently, sending it back for replacement. There is no guarantee that there won't be something wrong with the next one, is there.

I find it amazing, you dump on me when I start a positive thread about the K5 by saying I am mocking the people who are having difficulties with faulty cameras, and then you dump on me for being practical about all the problems that this camera seems to be generating.
Is this what you call playing Devil's Advocate?

...and keep in mind that people who have a problem with the camera are more likely to post in the forums for advice and help than someone for whom the camera is working perfectly. What a dull post that would be!! "Just got my K5 and there isn't a thing wrong with it." (which would, btw, be *my* post)

Yeah, I started a thread with a post much like that. I got piled on for taunting people with problems, and several people used it as an excuse to insult me.
Be positive about the K5 at your own risk, for you might insult one of the many, many people who got a dud camera; but don't dare say anything negative either, you might scare someone into playing a safer hand.

The irony is that the same people who were at my throat for being positive are the same ones at my throat for being negative.
It's actually pretty funny.

[Rupert]

The irony is that the same people who were at my throat for being positive are the same ones at my throat for being negative.
It's actually pretty funny.

You know Wheatfield, you are right to an extent.....I know you don't have much use for me (or Otis) and that is OK, you don't have to, I understand, but not because we are so different but because we are not. I have some bad tendencies, and have to work hard to overcome them....I can be as rabid as a bad coyote, and it has not always served me well. Sometimes it is best to walk down the middle of the road, not for lack of guts, but because that is the right place to be. In the case of the K5, it is certainly disappointing that some have been so let down...to deny that would be unfair and unkind to people we often know and admire. On the other hand, we also can't deny that many have no problems and are thrilled with their K5.....it is also unfair to temper their enthusiasm with negative posts that would make them question displaying their enthusiasm. So that is why I say the middle of the road is not only safer, it is right.

I know you didn't ask for my opinion, and it may be worthless to you, but like I said, I am trying hard to make friends, not lose them. I am still the same old guy from P&R.....and some liked him and some didn't.......it just turned out that the one that mattered most didn't....me.
Best Regards!

[jerryleejr]

Well I for one will gladly volunteer to take any potentially riddled with problems K5 off anyones hands just PM me for the mailing address.

JJ

[cats_five]

Been thinking to get one K-5 camera, and some lenses (Pentax Lens 60-250mm f/4 DA* ED (IF) SDM,Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens and pentax 18-135). I spend a lot of time to make my mind, gliding between canon nikon and sony....finally a saw a beautiful pictures from K-5 and impressed with ability. But reading forum I find there are some issues with this camera.....freeze, stain etc.

All cameras have their problems. I don't think there's any evidence that Pentax is worse than Canon / Nikon / Sony / Olympus though we do have an open forum where you can easily find. Suggest you look for Canon and Nikon forums to see what people are saying there...

Remember that it's the photographer that make the photos not the camera, though undoubtedly some cameras are better in some areas.

Go to the shops, handle all the cameras, they can all take great photos, think about how your existing kit is limiting your creative mind, and remember that if you don't really like the handling you'll never really get into using the camera.

[Class A]

...please somebody bring back my confidence about K-5.

I hope the many positive posts made in this thread have convinced you that going for the K-5 will be worthwhile.

I hope Wheatfield didn't succeed in detracting you from buying a K-5. He might argue that creating a thread where he sarcastically proclaims "OMG, something is wrong with my K-5: it doesn't have a fault" is a positive thread and that he was genuinely trying to be helpful in this thread, but I hope you see through his latest hat trick of victimising himself. Anyhow, that's not important.

Just get your K-5 from a place where you can expect a smooth handling of warranty cases just to make sure. Adorama, for instance, is a place offering a good price and you'll find that Helen Oster (who visits this forum) will make sure you'll have nothing short of an excellent customer experience. Buying at one of the site partners (Adorama is one of them) will get you some forum benefits.

You'll most likely have no issues and no one on this forum can tell you whether it is more likely to have a warranty issue with a K-5 compared to a Nikon D7000, for example, but just to be on the safe side it would be sensible to allow for a warranty service to occur. Believe me, it will be totally worth it going through dealing with a warranty case. The K-5 is that good.

[9057Polarbear]

Well, here's my K-5 story : Some days ago we were going on a trip by car. When we reached our destination I couldn't find my K-5 in the car at all so I missed it for 4 days. Returning home I found the camera on the stairs in front of the house !! :-( The camera was compleatley wet all over and I feared the worst. Took it inside and wiped it dry on the outside and fired it up. No problem at all. It worked as is did right out of the box. Lesson learned, but the Pentax impressed me greatly. The weather protection is definately something you'll consider against other brands.