[Monobod]

No, the camera was tripod mounted and the graduations in the viewfinder aligned with a 40cm long spirit level placed on a kitchen worktop. The worktop is level!

Thus the image in the viewfinder was correctly level, but the resulting image shows the whole frame rotated by about 2 degrees. left hand side down, just as shown above.

I cannot imagine why Pentax can consider this to be acceptable quality control. We all moan that they do not get the praise they deserve for making good cameras, but perhaps this is why. I have absolutely no concerns about image quality, speed of autofocus or accuracy of the exposure, finally this all seems to have been sorted, but it is these niggly things that just frustrate.
Do Nikon users have issues i wonder? Or are we just mugs for sticking to Pentax? In my case it is the appalling cost of jumping ship as much as anything. But I do like the 2 wheel control and the.........etc. Smiles.

[dekao]

K5JSPano_DetRiver1_m35105_SiJ_July25_2011 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!



It's most useful to me when I'm doing something like this. A 14 shot Panorama. Having each shot level helps in putting them together. A Tripod or Monopod (as with the above Pano) are the only times I use the level. For most regular shots, I rely on the lines on the focus screen in the viewfinder. When I get it wrong, there's always room to crop.

Nice one, what do you use to stitch them together?

[Wheatfield]

No, the camera was tripod mounted and the graduations in the viewfinder aligned with a 40cm long spirit level placed on a kitchen worktop. The worktop is level!

A better way of checking is to put the camera on a surface, whether level or not, and see what the reading is, and then rotate the camera 180º.
If the level is spot on, the deflection between the two directions will be the same amount.

[JeffJS]

Nice one, what do you use to stitch them together?

Thank you. Photoshop CS5.

[mccook]

Agreed with Wheatfield. The proper way to check any level is to compare reading from 180 degrees apart. It is nothing esoteric at all. I must say I would be bothered somewhat by having my ability to perceive that it is off questioned by those who should have gotten it right in the first place.

[al_undy]

I just received my k5 and the level is stuck @ -5 regardless. Send it back or wait a while and repair under warranty?

Ok, I feel silly. Electronic level was turned off, lens cap was on. The camera was correct,it needed a lot more light. Turned on level and seems to be ok.