[pentaxian_tmb]

Took delivery of my K5ii yesterday. Had just enough time before bed to charge the battery, skim the manual, and play around with the settings a little bit. Initial impressions are WOW!. JPEGS OOC are fantastic. Resolution is beyond what I had hoped for. Shutter is silky smooth. I am a little overwhelmed by all of the options however. Can't seem to figure out auto-focus in liveview (keeps zooming in 2 then 6 times,then not locking focus).

Body feels lighter than my K20d...BUT.....I am not a big fan of the huge protruding grip on the k5ii. Also kinda miss the shake reduction button on the body. But, the body just feels "nicer"....makes my K20 feel "clunky" and my k100ds feel "cheap" by comparison.

Lots of stuff to learn. Looking forwad to a lot of excellent images from this fine peice of equipment.

[jezza323]

The SR switch is the only thing i miss from my K200D

Everything else is nicer/more switches/buttons etc

[Racer X 69]

After many late nights, reading countless reviews, watching too many youtube videos, pouring over forums, and pixel peeping, etc., I decided to get one of the K-5ii from Amazon @ $639. So, like everyone else that just made a huge purchase, I have to post about it to make myself feel better.


I had considered getting a K-5 or k30 used, but that price was too good to pass up. I also considered the Fuji x-e1 and, while I very much liked the styling and feel of the body, the K-5ii seemed like a better deal and I thought it best to "stay in the family" so to speak. The wife prob wont be happy I just bought myself a expensive gift around valentines day. I just hope that this is not "too much camera" for me and that I will enjoy a noticable improvement from the K-20d. Hoping to be posting some wonderful photos of my 4 mo old soon.

Congratulations!

A k5IIs landed at my door today. It is a lateral step from a K10 for me. Better in some features and sensor size, but from what I have read here the K10 has areas that perform as well (and by some opinions better!).

Like you I feel that since there is always a "bigger better faster" just around the corner, snagging last years model as it is being phased out feels like the better strategy.

Just like when I changed from the *istDL to the K10, the change to the K5IIs will be a period of adjustment. Getting used to the slight differences will likely be the biggest challenge.

As for your wife's lack of enthusiasm, see if you can get her interested in getting dressed up a bit and try your hand at some glamor shots of her. I have found that women always like it when you can show them how beautiful they are.

Best of luck with your latest Pentax!

Just pulling out the camera for me is like pulling out a 10mm Desert Eagle for me. You get used to stares.

Those are nice. Especially with the longer barrel!

[pentaxian_tmb]

Continuing to experiment and learn the new K5ii. In light, the IQ is just fantastic. Love it.

Unfortunately, most of my shooting has been limited to indoors after work, so I have been doing a lot of lowlight stuff (kid/cats/wife/food/dishes) in the house. I have to say, I am not at all impressed with ISO 1600... Looks every bit as grainy and splotchy as my older bodies.

Starting to wonder if I made a mistake getting this. Seems like "too much camera" for me. I am having a hard time with all of the different features. I am not a stupid individual....but I truly cannot figure out a lot of the menus and features. Read the manual cover to cover 3 times. It is incomprehensible in places.

1. For instance, I can't seem to get catch-in focus to work. I followed the instructions in the manual, and it takes a pictures as soon as I hit the shutter...doesn't matter what it is focused on. Tried it with both DA and older MF lenses. I thought it was suppose to auomatically take the photo once the subject comes into the prefocused area? Nope, shutter trips as soon as the button is depressed.
2. Maybe I am dense, but I do not understand the USER settings. I saved a couple of profiles (sports, night shooting, etc.), but the settings revert back as soon as I change the dial mode. Am I missing something? Shouldn't I be able to select "USER"; User 1 profile, and then be able to swap back and forth between Manual and AV mode with all the other settings remaining the same?
3. Auto-focus in live view: Why does the autofocus literally keep zooming in 2x6x8 times on the subject like a cam on a cruise missile before it locks? I find it very disorientating, dizzying and the "zoomed in" lock misses more than not.
4. I am simply not comprehending the e-dial assignment feature for the different shooting modes. The menu makes no sense.
5. The ISO and EVA comp buttons. The manual says you can either push the button and then spin the wheel or push the button and spin the wheel at the same time. Why would you use one over the other?

Sorry for the rant. It is a very nice camera. I am just having such a hard time figuring it out. In comparison, I figured out the k20d and k-01 very quickly.

Is there anything on here with a "recommended settings" or "user guide for moron amateurs"?

[jerryleejr]

Guess I know where I stand I read all that and went wow it can do all that... Lol

JJ

[Racer X 69]

1. For instance, I can't seem to get catch-in focus to work. I followed the instructions in the manual, and it takes a pictures as soon as I hit the shutter...doesn't matter what it is focused on. Tried it with both DA and older MF lenses. I thought it was suppose to auomatically take the photo once the subject comes into the prefocused area? Nope, shutter trips as soon as the button is depressed.

Perhaps if you only press the button halfway?

2. Maybe I am dense, but I do not understand the USER settings. I saved a couple of profiles (sports, night shooting, etc.), but the settings revert back as soon as I change the dial mode. Am I missing something? Shouldn't I be able to select "USER"; User 1 profile, and then be able to swap back and forth between Manual and AV mode with all the other settings remaining the same?

Perhaps you may be missing a step in the process of saving the profile.

3. Auto-focus in live view: Why does the autofocus literally keep zooming in 2x6x8 times on the subject like a cam on a cruise missile before it locks? I find it very disorientating, dizzying and the "zoomed in" lock misses more than not.

I think it is supposed to behave that way, showing you what it is focusing on.

4. I am simply not comprehending the e-dial assignment feature for the different shooting modes. The menu makes no sense.

With some patience you should be able to master this. Although I have not gotten into that feature myself yet, there have been a few other features that tripped me up a time or two before I got it down.

5. The ISO and EVA comp buttons. The manual says you can either push the button and then spin the wheel or push the button and spin the wheel at the same time. Why would you use one over the other?

Is it that one sequence accomplishes a given task, and the other does something completely different?

Is there anything on here with a "recommended settings" or "user guide for moron amateurs"?

Don't be so hard on yourself. The K5IIs is my third DSLR. Each one has presented challenges for me, and given some time, patience and practice I got where I wanted with the first two. There are some features I never even delved into as they were things I was not interested in.

For instance, with the K5IIs I am sure I may never bother with the video side, as it does not interest me in the slightest.

Be patient, and spend time trying different functions and settings.

One thing I have found already is that available functions and features vary depending on the shooting mode selected. For me, I prefer to shoot primarily in Manual mode, and only have RAW file output. From what I have learned so far, it looks as though I will not be taking advantage of the HDR and Selective Color features, since they are not available with RAW file output only.

Meh.

I can always achieve the same end result with Photoshop.

[ChristianRock]

I'm very interested in the part where you said 1600 is very noisy. I thought it was supposed to excel at high ISOs, and 1600 isn't really that high anymore?

[Racer X 69]

This was shot at 6400.

That is snow, not noise.

[Piscator]

1. For instance, I can't seem to get catch-in focus to work. I followed the instructions in the manual, and it takes a pictures as soon as I hit the shutter...doesn't matter what it is focused on. Tried it with both DA and older MF lenses. I thought it was suppose to auomatically take the photo once the subject comes into the prefocused area? Nope, shutter trips as soon as the button is depressed.

Come to think of it--I never got that feature to work satisfactorily either, when I tried it on my K-7. Haven't tried it on my K-5iis, but it sounds like the same experience. What I was hoping for was something like the "snap focus" I've heard discussed with respect to the Ricoh GRs--Maybe my expectations were wrong? Has anyone posted a tutorial? Hang on...going on a search here...


Here's a guy who explains how to use it on a K20D--but it's a very specialized usage, with a remote trigger, etc. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/53-pentax-dslr-camera-articles/51036-how-...tch-focus.html


Maybe that's really the way it's meant to be used?

---------- Post added 02-24-2014 at 11:34 PM ----------

Okay, just went and followed the instructions from page 117 of the manual to the letter using an old M42 manual lens and, just as p_tmb said, the thing just happily snaps off out-of-focus pictures. No "catch" to it. I wish I had a k-mount manual lens to try. Well, I do have a Vivitar. Hang on...

[jezza323]

According to the guide you linked to....

You need: an AF Pentax reflex camera (a DSRL is preferable), a KA mount manual lens, an electrical cable release with lock and a tripod or similar camera support (pic 1).
Camera must be set on AF-S (pic 2), continuous shooting (pic 3), exposure mode on AV (pic 4). Aperture priority allows the use of a large aperture, with shallow DOF and fast shutter time to freeze movements.

[Piscator]

Well, Eureka! but...Dang! Something in the distinction between an adapted M42 and a no-kidding K-mount made the difference. Just worked like a charm with an old Sears-brand 135/2.8. But I LIKE my old M42s! How to make the feature work with them, I wonder? Must investigate...

[jezza323]

Its probably related to shorting the contacts on the body, try some foil

[pentaxian_tmb]

I'm very interested in the part where you said 1600 is very noisy. I thought it was supposed to excel at high ISOs, and 1600 isn't really that high anymore?

Here are some iso 1600 and 6400s

1600s







6400s

[Racer X 69]

Here are some iso 1600 and 6400s

1600s







6400s

Holy cow! Do you think you can post them any larger?

I can see every pixel!

[pentaxian_tmb]

I "think" I figured out catch in focusing with an old manual focus lens.

1. Turn catch-in focusing on.
2. Select "AF.S" on camera
3. Hold "AF Button" and depress shutter release. (assuming you have assigned the "AF" button to autofocus)
4 Focus with manual focus ring
5. Shutter fires when subject is in focus.

Still can't figure out how to do it with a DA lens.