[audiobomber]

just feel the current sony 16mp sensor is so good.

that why I think only thing left for desire for me is the video aspect..there are many thing can be improved here..

I'm the opposite. I can use more pixels for wildlife shooting. I don't care if my dslr even has video capability. In fact I wish video had never been added. I'd rather have pure photographic design.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

What are other peoples opinions on the matter?

I don't need another DSLR, but I would be interested in a high end mirrorless design with great LiveView performance and a great EVF accompanied by a K mount adapter that can maintain all functionality of modern Pentax lenses (i.e. as good as they would work on a current DSLR).

[reeftool]

Well, I just sprang for the K5 and I still am happy with my K10D too, it's going nowhere. My next camera will likely be a mirrorless. Small, light, the ability to mount nearly any lens. I'm giving it another year or so. I expect to hang on to the K5 for a few years. I had planned on keeping the K10D for 5 years before upgrading. The combination of coming into some extra cash and a good price on cyber Monday got me to buy a year early. A mirrorless camera body with the K5's sensor that would accept DA lenses would be irresistable. I know putting an AF motor in a tiny body would probably be impossible but one can dream.

[Geoff H]

Now, please don't jump down my throat... I LOVE my K-5, but if they would just fix the reliability and QC issues and back it by a standard 3-year unlimited warranty... If they fixed its build quality I would switch in a heart beat.

I'll say it again, I LOVE my K-5, but I don't trust it to work all the time... I trust my K-x. I trust my Olympus cameras, Nikon... my 50 year-old Voigtländer Bessa II folder... but not this magical camera, which for me, is in so many ways the most brilliant camera I have ever used.

After that, FF would be nice...

As a new K5 owner (but 35 year Pentax user) I must admit I'm dismayed to hear the reputation the K5 has garnered for unreliability. Is this reality? Are they that worse than Canikons? Or as a Pentax forum do such things get flagged up to an unrepresentative extent? Of course any unreliability is a problem, but sometimes these things just happen, the sensor problem being a sony issue surely (and which would apply to the Nikons and Sonys using the same sensor?)

My old MX never missed a beat in 35 years despite hideous missuse (frontbag of a bike for a start), I don't expect the K5 to be quite that good, but I do need something I can trust...

[eddie1960]

As a new K5 owner (but 35 year Pentax user) I must admit I'm dismayed to hear the reputation the K5 has garnered for unreliability. Is this reality? Are they that worse than Canikons? Or as a Pentax forum do such things get flagged up to an unrepresentative extent? Of course any unreliability is a problem, but sometimes these things just happen, the sensor problem being a sony issue surely (and which would apply to the Nikons and Sonys using the same sensor?)

My old MX never missed a beat in 35 years despite hideous missuse (frontbag of a bike for a start), I don't expect the K5 to be quite that good, but I do need something I can trust...

Forums always amplify any issues. When it was released there was an issue with stained sensors that was widespread. that has been dealt with and I haven't heard of an issue in a long time. BUT I think because of that every issue is being reported. IMO most of the issues fall in the norm for failure rates. they've sold a lot of K5. Electronics failure rate in year 1 is about 4-5% and it seems to be within those parameters. Doubt any camera will ever again be as reliable as the old film cameras like the K/M/LX cameras for instance. Mostly given we've all been trained by the computer industry to upgrade frequently I think the average person will find a reason to upgrade their body within 5 -6 years at the outside. I have 4 Digital going back to the DS from the first week it came out in Canada, All of them still work perfectly (and in reality all of them would meet most of my need even the most primitive (DS). It is nice to have the newer features though. My latest is a K7, I would buy a K5 but the K7 meets most of my needs with the same form and function so personally i will wait and see what the next body is. before being too tempted

[kenyee]

Are they that worse than Canikons?

You should go check out Nikon forums. Rampant posts about backfocus problems w/ their new D7000 (same sensor as the K-5) and oil flying off the shutter and landing everywhere.

It's a combination of the Internet being a place to talk to others, how much more complicated these toys are nowadays compared w/ a lowly MX or K10D even, and how good/bad a company's QC system is. The QC is having a hard time w/ the complicated systems testing, so it's no surprise there are more issues.

On the other hand, I bought a Panasonic LX-5 to replace my drowned P&S and have had to return it twice so far for stuck pixels on the sensor...no pixel mapping. That's just plain bad QC/design and makes me glad Pentax had the foresight to include pixel mapping on our cameras (Nikon hasn't even bothered with it on the D7000 )

[RioRico]

The question of returns was raised to a rep for one of the major retailers, who answered

1) We won't give brand/model breakdowns,
2) Failure/return rates are about the same for all brands/models, and
3) Failure/return rates are very low.

So yes, it's a matter of forum amplification.

[montman]

My first Canon 5D Mark II had a problem with the shutter upon arrival, they sent me another one which has a problem with the selective focusing light, it diffracts strangely but I kept it because it’s not that big of a deal and I needed it for shoot. Bought another Canon 5D Mark II for my wife and it came with a dead pixel on the LCD. I have never had a problem with my Pentax cameras.

[audiobomber]

Forums always amplify any issues. When it was released there was an issue with stained sensors that was widespread. that has been dealt with and I haven't heard of an issue in a long time.

The sensor stain problem seems to have been addressed. The more common complaint is missed focus in low light and/or tungsten light. The K-5 I owned for acouple of weeks consistently front-focussed in tungsten lighting. Here's the evidence;
https://picasaweb.google.com/100586096103361553535/TungstenLightTest?authkey...Lf74sWxotSUfA#
(Note: AF tests using the K-5 and DA 40 in daylight were spot on)

Is the K-5 is more unreliable in general than other cameras? It is certainly a chancier purchase than the K20D was, and that has nothing to do with internet buzz. The forums haven't changed much in three years since the K20D was current.

[GeneV]

Having just purchased the K5 a few months ago, I'd say it would take a major miracle to get me to "upgrade" to another APS-C body.

[dmort]

I love my k5 and for the first time, I feel like I've really connected with my camera and lenses. The Pentax gear feels like a true partnership. So, it will take a lot to get me to upgrade. I'm not sure of the technical term, but it would make me happy to have a larger buffer and an ability to write to the new faster memory cards made by sandisk.

I had an articulated screen (side mounted) on my Panasonic g2 and I liked it, particularly for low level macro work. Also, I found it helpful for video as I felt I could very effectively steady and pan the camera when held at the waist. But I don't actually have any interest in using my k5 for video. That's what my flip and canon vixia are for.

[hoanpham]

Next crop sensor? nop. may be sony nex7.
Give me a good FF body with a decent price. I buy it, pre order it, pre-paid it...