Dpreview K5ii/s review up

bhairavp · 06-03-2013, 06:26 PM

Just Posted: Pentax K-5 II / K-5 IIS Review: Digital Photography Review <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://1.static.img-dpreview.com/resources/Styles/CommonLegacy.min.css?v=2193">

kenafein · 06-03-2013, 07:03 PM

A gold star, nice.

usmcxm35 · 06-03-2013, 07:15 PM

Pentax still can't track moving subjects.
If only every shot was of inanimate objects...

SyncGuy · 06-03-2013, 08:19 PM - **2 Likes**

3 things i find a little bit annoying listed under the cons, which if you remove, leaves the DSLR with much lesser Cons:

No dedicated movie shooting button
No AF during movie shooting
No 'live' aperture control during movie shooting

I mean, c'mon... It's a camera, not a video-camera. :/

DSims · 06-03-2013, 08:21 PM

Originally posted by usmcxm35

Pentax still can't track moving subjects.

This is largely true. I must track moving subjects myself.

However, I'm a bit perplexed by this "problem." I usually want my subject in a certain part of the frame, so I have to track him manually anyway. And if I don't know who my subject is, I usually have no business clicking the shutter.

So I suppose this feature is more useful for those who shoot extra wide and crop later.

DSims · 06-03-2013, 08:50 PM

Originally posted by SyncGuy

3 things i find a little bit annoying listed under the cons, which if you remove, leaves the DSLR with much lesser Cons:

No dedicated movie shooting button
No AF during movie shooting
No 'live' aperture control during movie shooting

I mean, c'mon... It's a camera, not a video-camera. :/

This is true; it's not one of the stronger video DSLRs. The irony is that the K-5 IIs actually takes very good quality video with less compression than most; it just lacks the controls.

I'm glad Shawn (the reviewer) was able to verify that the SR on the K-5 II is just as good as on the IIs. I'd noticed my IIs SR is effective 1 full additional stop compared to my K-5 or any previous bodies, but I'd always wondered if the II was just as good, so I asked him about it. I imagine he didn't have an older K-5 handy to test against, so he could only compare them to each other. I'm glad he referred to me as "some on the internet," since my initial speculation was wrong.

But I'm surprised Pentax has never advertised this improvement. I think it's a significant upgrade, along with the AF. I'm sure if Shawn had compared it to a K-5 he would have listed it as one of the "Pros" as well.

**geomez** · 06-03-2013, 09:58 PM

"Interestingly, the viewfinder of the K-5 II is some way off being completely neutral in color - it has a distinctly warm color rendition. This is far from unpleasant, and might in fact go completely unnoticed in normal shooting, but it does make the scene in front of the camera look slightly warmer than it actually is. This is worth remembering when shooting on particularly dull days."

Funny I just noticed this yesterday with my K-5 IIs. I was taking pics of my baby in the bath and it was quite apparent. My bathroom is white and the lighting is neutral, and through the viewfinder everything looked way too warm.

**geomez** · 06-03-2013, 10:04 PM

Also, notice that on page "5.Operation and Controls", this picture accompanying the "Rear Controls" section...

That's a K-5, not a K-5 II.
I'm sure they just used the pics from the K-5 review, but still, it's a bit sloppy.

Partagas · 06-03-2013, 10:50 PM

Hi

Finally, too late for me I bought two weeks ago...

Despite their focus on moire, I dont seem that as a problem for me

Class A · 06-04-2013, 06:04 AM

Well, they appreciate some of the features of the K-5 II, but how on earth can the Nikon D7100 score better in "build quality" and "ergonomics"?

How on earth can in-body image stabilisation be not be one of the "Pros" in the conclusion?

How on earth can they miss to mention the f/2.8 AF area of the AF system and the fact that it at last cures all the low-light front-focusing issues that lesser designs are plagued with?

One explanation is that -- whether justifiable or not -- the Nikon D7100 must come out with 5% ahead in the overall score.

I've presented my viewpoint in a post to the review discussion thread.

In the past DPReview staff have partially acknowledged shortcomings of their reviews but only corrected spelling mistakes, not factual mistakes. They also have a history of simply ignoring valid arguments.

It is sad, that a site as important as DPreview is not the reliable, impartial source of information it could be.

Pentax is already disadvantaged in terms of exposure. They don't really need unfair reviewing on top of it.

P.S.: I just noticed that the DPreview staff honestly appear to believe that their SD card door troubles can be generalized. They write as part of the "Body & Design" description:

The battery door has a tendency to open during normal operation. Taping it shut when working in wet conditions might be prudent.

What a joke!

Note that while DPreview showed an image of the SD card door, they wrote about the "battery door" opening on its own. I copied the above quoted text from their page without even realizing the mismatch. This prooves that they do edit reviews to correct mistakes like this, but apparently have no intention to correct unfair assessment or respond to questions regarding the latter. Disappointing.

EDIT: I'm delighted to being able to report that -- based on my suggestion -- Shawn Barnett has added the following bullet point to the "Pros" of the K-5 II review Conclusions:

"Built-in sensor-shift shake reduction effectively stabilizes all mountable lenses"

Kudos to Shawn! If he could respond to the other points I've raised, I'll be floored.

pinholecam · 06-04-2013, 06:19 AM - **2 Likes**

The long delay to this review for a site as 'important' and big as DPR is a bit of a joke.
If the K5iis was reviewed with a month or two of launched, it would have been the best in class as there would be aging competing models.
Clearly DPR protected Canikony interests to delay the review so that when its done now, all things will be in 'context' to newer models.

Class A · 06-04-2013, 06:54 AM

DPReview's new "Gearshop" does not sell Pentax products (just some lenses that are also in available in Pentax mount)...

**hyyz** · 06-04-2013, 07:09 AM

So true. When they posted D7100 review, the exactly same thought came to my mind. Which one was released early? That site is a joke.

Originally posted by pinholecam

The long delay to this review for a site as 'important' and big as DPR is a bit of a joke.
If the K5iis was reviewed with a month or two of launched, it would have been the best in class as there would be aging competing models.
Clearly DPR protected Canikony interests to delay the review so that when its done now, all things will be in 'context' to newer models.

stormtech · 06-04-2013, 07:11 AM

Originally posted by Class A

DPReview's new "Gearshop" does not sell Pentax products (just some lenses that are also in available in Pentax mount)...

That's because Amazon doesn't sell Pentax gear directly - but they do with Nikon. No surprise that their review would indirectly reflect this.

The battery door deal is a joke - a bad joke.

**Aristophanes** · 06-04-2013, 07:59 AM

Pentax MUST work on its video implementation.

Making a better histogram solution should be readily doable and issued via firmware.

06-03-2013, 06:26 PM	#1
bhairavp Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 399	Dpreview K5ii/s review up Just Posted: Pentax K-5 II / K-5 IIS Review: Digital Photography Review <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://1.static.img-dpreview.com/resources/Styles/CommonLegacy.min.css?v=2193">

06-03-2013, 08:21 PM	#5
DSims Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,236	Originally posted by usmcxm35 Pentax still can't track moving subjects. This is largely true. I must track moving subjects myself. However, I'm a bit perplexed by this "problem." I usually want my subject in a certain part of the frame, so I have to track him manually anyway. And if I don't know who my subject is, I usually have no business clicking the shutter. So I suppose this feature is more useful for those who shoot extra wide and crop later. Last edited by DSims; 06-03-2013 at 08:52 PM.

06-03-2013, 10:50 PM	#9
Partagas New Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 23	Pentax K5ii and K5iis finally reviewed on Dpreview Hi Finally, too late for me I bought two weeks ago... Despite their focus on moire, I dont seem that as a problem for me

06-04-2013, 06:04 AM	#10
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Unfortunately, unfair reviewing again Well, they appreciate some of the features of the K-5 II, but how on earth can the Nikon D7100 score better in "build quality" and "ergonomics"? How on earth can in-body image stabilisation be not be one of the "Pros" in the conclusion? How on earth can they miss to mention the f/2.8 AF area of the AF system and the fact that it at last cures all the low-light front-focusing issues that lesser designs are plagued with? One explanation is that -- whether justifiable or not -- the Nikon D7100 must come out with 5% ahead in the overall score. I've presented my viewpoint in a post to the review discussion thread. In the past DPReview staff have partially acknowledged shortcomings of their reviews but only corrected spelling mistakes, not factual mistakes. They also have a history of simply ignoring valid arguments. It is sad, that a site as important as DPreview is not the reliable, impartial source of information it could be. Pentax is already disadvantaged in terms of exposure. They don't really need unfair reviewing on top of it. P.S.: I just noticed that the DPreview staff honestly appear to believe that their SD card door troubles can be generalized. They write as part of the "Body & Design" description: The battery door has a tendency to open during normal operation. Taping it shut when working in wet conditions might be prudent. What a joke! Note that while DPreview showed an image of the SD card door, they wrote about the "battery door" opening on its own. I copied the above quoted text from their page without even realizing the mismatch. This prooves that they do edit reviews to correct mistakes like this, but apparently have no intention to correct unfair assessment or respond to questions regarding the latter. Disappointing. EDIT: I'm delighted to being able to report that -- based on my suggestion -- Shawn Barnett has added the following bullet point to the "Pros" of the K-5 II review Conclusions: "Built-in sensor-shift shake reduction effectively stabilizes all mountable lenses" Kudos to Shawn! If he could respond to the other points I've raised, I'll be floored. Last edited by Class A; 06-06-2013 at 10:40 PM.

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06-03-2013, 07:03 PM	#2
kenafein Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Southern California Photos: Albums Posts: 4,082	A gold star, nice.

06-03-2013, 07:15 PM	#3
usmcxm35 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New York, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 215	Pentax still can't track moving subjects. If only every shot was of inanimate objects...

06-03-2013, 08:19 PM - 2 Likes	#4
SyncGuy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 821	3 things i find a little bit annoying listed under the cons, which if you remove, leaves the DSLR with much lesser Cons: No dedicated movie shooting button No AF during movie shooting No 'live' aperture control during movie shooting I mean, c'mon... It's a camera, not a video-camera. :/

06-03-2013, 08:50 PM	#6
DSims Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,236	Originally posted by SyncGuy 3 things i find a little bit annoying listed under the cons, which if you remove, leaves the DSLR with much lesser Cons: No dedicated movie shooting button No AF during movie shooting No 'live' aperture control during movie shooting I mean, c'mon... It's a camera, not a video-camera. :/ This is true; it's not one of the stronger video DSLRs. The irony is that the K-5 IIs actually takes very good quality video with less compression than most; it just lacks the controls. I'm glad Shawn (the reviewer) was able to verify that the SR on the K-5 II is just as good as on the IIs. I'd noticed my IIs SR is effective 1 full additional stop compared to my K-5 or any previous bodies, but I'd always wondered if the II was just as good, so I asked him about it. I imagine he didn't have an older K-5 handy to test against, so he could only compare them to each other. I'm glad he referred to me as "some on the internet," since my initial speculation was wrong. But I'm surprised Pentax has never advertised this improvement. I think it's a significant upgrade, along with the AF. I'm sure if Shawn had compared it to a K-5 he would have listed it as one of the "Pros" as well.

06-03-2013, 09:58 PM	#7
geomez Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Roanoke, Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,760	"Interestingly, the viewfinder of the K-5 II is some way off being completely neutral in color - it has a distinctly warm color rendition. This is far from unpleasant, and might in fact go completely unnoticed in normal shooting, but it does make the scene in front of the camera look slightly warmer than it actually is. This is worth remembering when shooting on particularly dull days." Funny I just noticed this yesterday with my K-5 IIs. I was taking pics of my baby in the bath and it was quite apparent. My bathroom is white and the lighting is neutral, and through the viewfinder everything looked way too warm.

06-03-2013, 10:04 PM	#8
geomez Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Roanoke, Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,760	Also, notice that on page "5.Operation and Controls", this picture accompanying the "Rear Controls" section... That's a K-5, not a K-5 II. I'm sure they just used the pics from the K-5 review, but still, it's a bit sloppy.

06-04-2013, 06:19 AM - 2 Likes	#11
pinholecam Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: North Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,706	The long delay to this review for a site as 'important' and big as DPR is a bit of a joke. If the K5iis was reviewed with a month or two of launched, it would have been the best in class as there would be aging competing models. Clearly DPR protected Canikony interests to delay the review so that when its done now, all things will be in 'context' to newer models.

06-04-2013, 06:54 AM	#12
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	DPReview's new "Gearshop" does not sell Pentax products (just some lenses that are also in available in Pentax mount)...

06-04-2013, 07:09 AM	#13
hyyz Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 478	So true. When they posted D7100 review, the exactly same thought came to my mind. Which one was released early? That site is a joke. Originally posted by pinholecam The long delay to this review for a site as 'important' and big as DPR is a bit of a joke. If the K5iis was reviewed with a month or two of launched, it would have been the best in class as there would be aging competing models. Clearly DPR protected Canikony interests to delay the review so that when its done now, all things will be in 'context' to newer models.

06-04-2013, 07:11 AM	#14
stormtech Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: In the boonies (NW Penna) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,744	Originally posted by Class A DPReview's new "Gearshop" does not sell Pentax products (just some lenses that are also in available in Pentax mount)... That's because Amazon doesn't sell Pentax gear directly - but they do with Nikon. No surprise that their review would indirectly reflect this. The battery door deal is a joke - a bad joke.

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06-04-2013, 07:59 AM	#15
Aristophanes Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Photos: Albums Posts: 3,948	Pentax MUST work on its video implementation. Making a better histogram solution should be readily doable and issued via firmware.