K5 - couple of questions...

LukeOB · 07-22-2012, 09:16 PM

Greetings all,

I am new to the forum (but not new to Pentax - currently using the K20 and have pretty much decided now to go K5) but just thought I'd run a couple of things by you good people first

I like to shoot long exposure, either pre dawn or the night sky/star trails as well as general daytime landscapes, including high-contrast scenes. I shoot with the aim of printing (potentially large) therefore as low an ISO as possible (I am quite looking forward to having ISO 80 in the tool kit!). The K20 suffers pretty badly at high ISO, isnt too bad at long exposure (30 sec~few mins at 100 ISO) but I thought I might just ask how happy current K5 users are when shooting these types of images? Any negative experiences anyone can think of - all reviews I read sound very positive!

Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model...

And I am thinking of buying through B&H, but live in Australia (Tasmania to be precise) - just wondering if any Aussie B&H shoppers have had any trouble with either warranty or returning faulty goods? Is it better to buy from Oz for warranty purposes?

Ta very muchly!

Luke

Bramela · 07-22-2012, 10:31 PM

I have purchased from B&H more than once and never had a problem. Excellent to deal with from Australia.
One complaint, no Paypal, which is a bit of a pain,. Maybe that has changed, but I doubt it.

vonBaloney · 07-22-2012, 10:50 PM

Originally posted by LukeOB

Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model...

The processing lag is intentional -- it is a noise reduction algorithm called "Dark Frame Subtraction" (google that). The lag always equals the exposure time. It can be turned off on the K5 -- couldn't with some of the earlier models.

Ole · 07-22-2012, 11:01 PM

I found the K-5 a big step up from the K-7/K-20 (which shares the sensor) in term of much less noise and smoother images also at low ISO. With the K-7 I used to mask out the sky to avoid it becoming too grainy when sharprening the image - that is never necessary with the K-5. I typically also use less sharpening with the K-5 so all in all the images come out better.

The high dynamic range of the K-5 sensor comes in handy when shooting landscape, it is possible to get a lot of detail out in the shadow areas.

Hope this helps your decision process!

pentaxmz · 07-23-2012, 12:01 AM

Originally posted by LukeOB

Greetings all,

I am new to the forum (but not new to Pentax - currently using the K20 and have pretty much decided now to go K5) but just thought I'd run a couple of things by you good people first

I like to shoot long exposure, either pre dawn or the night sky/star trails as well as general daytime landscapes, including high-contrast scenes. I shoot with the aim of printing (potentially large) therefore as low an ISO as possible (I am quite looking forward to having ISO 80 in the tool kit!). The K20 suffers pretty badly at high ISO, isnt too bad at long exposure (30 sec~few mins at 100 ISO) but I thought I might just ask how happy current K5 users are when shooting these types of images? Any negative experiences anyone can think of - all reviews I read sound very positive!

Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model...

And I am thinking of buying through B&H, but live in Australia (Tasmania to be precise) - just wondering if any Aussie B&H shoppers have had any trouble with either warranty or returning faulty goods? Is it better to buy from Oz for warranty purposes?

Ta very muchly!

Luke

Hello Luke,

I just upgraded to the K5 (from the K20D) and so far, I am quite pleased with it.

If you search the Pentax forum, you will see that I was very outspoken about the K20D failure as a low light camera. If the DFS didn't piss you off enough, the shear amount of sensor noise was enough to make you dislike the camera. I actually compensated by purchasing a Canon 50D because my Pentax 20D was useless for anything but day time photos. If it weren't for the number of K mount lenses I own (and some of the great Pentax advantages such as in-body SR), I would have switched to Canon years ago.

Anyhow, the K5 changed everything for me... um... I hope actually. I have not done any low light testing yet but I will in two weeks. I will post an update in two - three weeks.

In the meantime, check these excellent resources:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/167500-k5-o-gps1-astrophotogra...s-namibia.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/143409-k-5-astrophotography.html
You should consider the o-GPS-1 as well: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/150881-pentax-o-gps1.html#post1586795
Some additional information about the o-GPS-1: New Pentax Astrotracer O-GPS1 on K-5 & K-4 DSLR

And here is a thread on shooting astrophotography at ISO 80 with the K5: Pentax K-5 at iso 80 is changing AstroPhotography ! [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Astrophotography with Pentax K-5

LukeOB · 08-17-2012, 06:41 PM

Thanks for all the advice - I am now the proud over of the Mighty K5 (and now I read it is being discontinued) and first impressions are very good. I am turning long exposure noise reduction on/off and very happy to be able to review long exposure images straight away - that was always a point of jealousy when shooting with Canikon compadres. Shot some rainforest scenes last week where there is always dark and shadowy areas within the scene and was very impressed with the detail in the dark spots - the K20 is looking very old very fast... High ISO is also very impressive. Now all I need is some aurora action here in Tassie! I feel ready to tackle some late night skies now

Thanks again everyone, and isnt it going to be interesting to see what Pentax come up with to replace the K5?

Luke

lensbaby · 08-18-2012, 01:19 AM

Hi im new to k5. i also encountered processing slow and garbage on top lcd when shooting long exposure hdr mode. However, it will still process finished. Thought that my issue could be the same as yours. Anyway im using 8gb 30mbs sd card.

07-22-2012, 09:16 PM	#1
LukeOB Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tasmania Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 76	K5 - couple of questions... Greetings all, I am new to the forum (but not new to Pentax - currently using the K20 and have pretty much decided now to go K5) but just thought I'd run a couple of things by you good people first I like to shoot long exposure, either pre dawn or the night sky/star trails as well as general daytime landscapes, including high-contrast scenes. I shoot with the aim of printing (potentially large) therefore as low an ISO as possible (I am quite looking forward to having ISO 80 in the tool kit!). The K20 suffers pretty badly at high ISO, isnt too bad at long exposure (30 sec~few mins at 100 ISO) but I thought I might just ask how happy current K5 users are when shooting these types of images? Any negative experiences anyone can think of - all reviews I read sound very positive! Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model... And I am thinking of buying through B&H, but live in Australia (Tasmania to be precise) - just wondering if any Aussie B&H shoppers have had any trouble with either warranty or returning faulty goods? Is it better to buy from Oz for warranty purposes? Ta very muchly! Luke

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
A couple questions	Tokm	Photographic Technique	19	05-03-2012 07:49 AM
Couple of K-x Questions?	magkelly	Pentax DSLR Discussion	23	05-29-2011 11:36 AM
a couple of questions	newtoallthis	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	5	12-15-2010 05:19 PM
Couple of questions	jbander	Pentax Medium Format	5	10-26-2010 06:28 AM

07-22-2012, 10:31 PM	#2
Bramela Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Newcastle Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,284	I have purchased from B&H more than once and never had a problem. Excellent to deal with from Australia. One complaint, no Paypal, which is a bit of a pain,. Maybe that has changed, but I doubt it.

07-22-2012, 10:50 PM	#3
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Originally posted by LukeOB Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model... The processing lag is intentional -- it is a noise reduction algorithm called "Dark Frame Subtraction" (google that). The lag always equals the exposure time. It can be turned off on the K5 -- couldn't with some of the earlier models.

07-22-2012, 11:01 PM	#4
Ole Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,408	I found the K-5 a big step up from the K-7/K-20 (which shares the sensor) in term of much less noise and smoother images also at low ISO. With the K-7 I used to mask out the sky to avoid it becoming too grainy when sharprening the image - that is never necessary with the K-5. I typically also use less sharpening with the K-5 so all in all the images come out better. The high dynamic range of the K-5 sensor comes in handy when shooting landscape, it is possible to get a lot of detail out in the shadow areas. Hope this helps your decision process!

07-23-2012, 12:01 AM	#5
pentaxmz Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Seattle Posts: 659	Originally posted by LukeOB Greetings all, I am new to the forum (but not new to Pentax - currently using the K20 and have pretty much decided now to go K5) but just thought I'd run a couple of things by you good people first I like to shoot long exposure, either pre dawn or the night sky/star trails as well as general daytime landscapes, including high-contrast scenes. I shoot with the aim of printing (potentially large) therefore as low an ISO as possible (I am quite looking forward to having ISO 80 in the tool kit!). The K20 suffers pretty badly at high ISO, isnt too bad at long exposure (30 sec~few mins at 100 ISO) but I thought I might just ask how happy current K5 users are when shooting these types of images? Any negative experiences anyone can think of - all reviews I read sound very positive! Also, does the processing lag still ocurr on the K5 after a long exposure? Is this a Memory Card issue or something unavoidable? If its still an issue I hope its something that can be fixed on a future model... And I am thinking of buying through B&H, but live in Australia (Tasmania to be precise) - just wondering if any Aussie B&H shoppers have had any trouble with either warranty or returning faulty goods? Is it better to buy from Oz for warranty purposes? Ta very muchly! Luke Hello Luke, I just upgraded to the K5 (from the K20D) and so far, I am quite pleased with it. If you search the Pentax forum, you will see that I was very outspoken about the K20D failure as a low light camera. If the DFS didn't piss you off enough, the shear amount of sensor noise was enough to make you dislike the camera. I actually compensated by purchasing a Canon 50D because my Pentax 20D was useless for anything but day time photos. If it weren't for the number of K mount lenses I own (and some of the great Pentax advantages such as in-body SR), I would have switched to Canon years ago. Anyhow, the K5 changed everything for me... um... I hope actually. I have not done any low light testing yet but I will in two weeks. I will post an update in two - three weeks. In the meantime, check these excellent resources: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/167500-k5-o-gps1-astrophotogra...s-namibia.html https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/143409-k-5-astrophotography.html You should consider the o-GPS-1 as well: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5/150881-pentax-o-gps1.html#post1586795 Some additional information about the o-GPS-1: New Pentax Astrotracer O-GPS1 on K-5 & K-4 DSLR And here is a thread on shooting astrophotography at ISO 80 with the K5: Pentax K-5 at iso 80 is changing AstroPhotography ! [Page 1]: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review Astrophotography with Pentax K-5

08-17-2012, 06:41 PM	#6
LukeOB Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tasmania Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 76 Original Poster	Thanks for all the advice - I am now the proud over of the Mighty K5 (and now I read it is being discontinued) and first impressions are very good. I am turning long exposure noise reduction on/off and very happy to be able to review long exposure images straight away - that was always a point of jealousy when shooting with Canikon compadres. Shot some rainforest scenes last week where there is always dark and shadowy areas within the scene and was very impressed with the detail in the dark spots - the K20 is looking very old very fast... High ISO is also very impressive. Now all I need is some aurora action here in Tassie! I feel ready to tackle some late night skies now Thanks again everyone, and isnt it going to be interesting to see what Pentax come up with to replace the K5? Luke

08-18-2012, 01:19 AM	#7
lensbaby New Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 1	Hi im new to k5. i also encountered processing slow and garbage on top lcd when shooting long exposure hdr mode. However, it will still process finished. Thought that my issue could be the same as yours. Anyway im using 8gb 30mbs sd card.