[Hannican]

Hi All,

I've been a Pentaxian (and a dedicated one at that) since 2007, when I purchased my first K10D (and my first DSLR!). I've loved Pentax ever since, I picked up a few 35mm film cameras along with a medium format film along the way, then bought another gently used K10D just about 2 years ago to keep my budget allocated toward lens acquisition.

I am ready to upgrade bodies, and I have about $1,500 available due to a scholarship I won in High School, but it has to be used in 2013 (expires the day I turn 30 - about a year from now). I'd buy the K5 IIs immediately if it did everything it claims to do, plus had good video capabilities, but this stuff I read in the Pentax Forums review about a clicking sound throughout recorded videos is pretty unnerving.

Does anyone have any experience with the camera? I don't want to get it if I won't be able to take decent videos that aren't interrupted by obnoxious clicking sounds. I'd really hate to leave the Pentax line up, especially since I'm so familiar with it, really trust the direction they're going, and have so much already invested in it... but this might be a deal breaker for me if things are really bad in video mode.

Any input you all might have would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to get one body that can shoot both stills and record film in HD quality. I don't want to carry a ton of crap around, and I need to make the move soon. Any suggestions?

[Adam]

If you're interested in video, why not get a K-30 with some nice lenses? That will fit nicely in your budget and still blow your K10 out of the water. I wouldn't switch systems unless you shoot sports or want to step up to FF.

The clicking noise is still there, but it can be eliminated by various file conversion programs. Since Premiere Elements (my favorite video editor) can't open the K-5's AVI files, though, I've basically given up on using it as a video camera.

[Hannican]

Hi Adam,

So the K-30 doesn't suffer from that same issue in video mode?

I guess I need to do some more research here - I'm not really understanding the differences between the K30 and the K5 IIs. Back to the reviews!

[boriscleto]

The clicking noise is a transcoding issue when you upload to YouTube or similar site. This works to fix that...

Audio/Video issues with .MOV and .MP4 - YouTube Help

[civiletti]

If you're interested in video, why not get a K-30 with some nice lenses? That will fit nicely in your budget and still blow your K10 out of the water. I wouldn't switch systems unless you shoot sports or want to step up to FF.

The clicking noise is still there, but it can be eliminated by various file conversion programs. Since Premiere Elements (my favorite video editor) can't open the K-5's AVI files, though, I've basically given up on using it as a video camera.

IMO Adam has it right. Since you care about video, unless you are ready to spend more than $1500, K-30 is the way to go for someone with Pentax lenses.

[JeffP3456]

My helpful answer to your question is "yes".

[Dr_who]

if your really into video and plan on using a external mic, then I don't think you'd want to get the K30

[sb in ak]

How important is video to you? Seems to me that Pentax is not terribly strong in that department. You might want to check out a Canon 7D or something along those lines.

[Class A]

The "clicking sound" problem is not an issue of the K-5. It is an issue of several players that do not correctly interpret the correct format the K-5 is producing. If you do the transcoding to a different format yourself (the original is good for editing but not good for uploading/distribution anyhow) then you won't have a problem with clicking sounds.

Don't be too quick to jump on a K-30. I understand it uses relatively low bitrates for video. The K-5 format, on the other hand preserves detail very well. The K-5 also has an external microphone input, much more effective sensor cleaning, better still photo quality, more sensitive AF (K-5 II !) and many more pluses over the K-30.

[Fontan]

I would switch if I were you. Sony comes to mind.

[Adam]

The external mic issue is a valid one- again, it really depends on what your needs are.

[Ex Finn.]

If you are serious about video, then a DSLR might not be the way to go. I hear the Canon Vixia is pretty good, so are Sony cam-corders.

[rawr]

It is worth thinking about what proportion of your camera shooting time you want to spend shooting video. 10% 50% 100%?

If it's only 10%, then get a body that has the best IQ for stills, and works OK for video - eg K-5, K-30, K-01. If it's 50%, get a body that's as good at video as it is at stills - eg K-5. If it's 100%, get a camera designed mainly for video - like a Panasonic GH2, a 60D, or a dedicated video camera from Sony or Canon.

Also note that if shooting video is a priority, serious video is very different from shooting stills. Post-production requirements are different, shooting setup needs to be different, gear setup needs to be different, even storage requirements are different. It's not just about the body.

[Class A]

I would switch if I were you.

He has a number of K-mount lenses, two of which are very nice (DA* 16-50mm f/2.8, DA* 50-135mm f/2.8), he loves Pentax, and his only concern is a clicking sound in K-5 videos (which is a non-issue, if you properly transcode K-5 videos).

So why switch?

[southlander]

Sounds like you are happy with Pentax for stills. So the question is whether video is to become a serious endeavour or merely casual use. As rawr commented, if its to be a serious endeavour, think dedicated video gear. Horses for courses.

If a casual use focus, bear in mind that digital video is something of a black art with discussion around file formats (eg .avi, .mov) vs the codecs inside those file formats (MPEG4, H264 etc) very poorly understood by many. It will pay you to do some careful reading on video formats and codecs to understand the theory which will then allow you to better understand what people are saying about digital video (and filter out the advice from those who don't really understand). If all you want to do is dump a video from a K-5 straight to You-tube without touching it, then the reported incompatibility issue is real and needs to be thought about. If you plan to spend time on a pc editing video before uploading to You-Tube or distributing through other means, then a transcode along the way is no major issue and there are good free utilities to do this. If you are making an editing effort on the pc, then audio quality is probably something that concerns you, and the K-5 with its external mic input is a significant advantage over the K-30. With run-out pricing available on the K-5, there's not much of a gap over the K-30.