[Steve.Ledger]

Here is one that appears to be pretty good quality:

https://flic.kr/p/gPmXo6

Indeed it is ( and no clicking). Superior to anything the newer Pentax DSLRs can record. I'm always abysmally disappointed with the Video IQ from the K-01 and the K-50. I keep trying to like it, but I'm never satisfied with it.

[ZombieArmy]

Here is one that appears to be pretty good quality:

https://flic.kr/p/gPmXo6

Holy moly, what a good find!

More than good enough for what I need it for I'm sure.

[Giklab]

Don't expect to ever see hacked firmware for Pentax - it's not big enough in the market (not enough cameras out there to justify the work unless it were a video-recording powerhouse to begin with).

Umm... It's being done right now. I expect to see it sometime next year.

[Deedee]

Kai from DigitalRev is to be taken with a large grain of salt. Most of his videos are about being a smartass, and there is little valuable technical info. I do find him entertaining, though.

^^ Agreed 110%

Here is a youtube channel that belongs to one of our forum member and you should check out his time lapses all done in Pentax!

pentaxguyz - YouTube

But here is the deal Pentaxians are primarily Photographers (I am speaking very broadly here and extreme generalization)

Have said what I said above K-3 has put a lid on this topic as the video is great.

If you want great picture quality, weather sealing and tons of other features, Pentax offers best bang for the buck.

If you want video well there are options like Panasonic GH4 with 4 K video mode. (I wouldn't go near it personally, but it is a choice).

Cheers!

[OregonJim]

But here is the deal Pentaxians are primarily Photographers (I am speaking very broadly here and extreme generalization)

Yes. There are a lot of gearheads, posers, and wannabe's in the Canon world. Somewhat less in Nikon, significantly less in Pentax. But, there are great photographers in all.

This seems to be true in most categories of product. The popular brands attract all sorts of people, while those who are serious about their (work, play) tend to choose the best tools for the job, regardless of popularity.

[DSims]

Umm... It's being done right now. I expect to see it sometime next year.

Oh, good. That's a long time off - I appreciate that it's being done, but there's a time value involved here as the cameras get older.

What model(s), and what's the primary purpose? (e.g. Video or something else?)

---------- Post added 06-24-14 at 12:39 PM ----------

Have said what I said above K-3 has put a lid on this topic as the video is great.

Other than SR, which has been a disappointment to many in the K-3. But otherwise they did a good job of finally getting most of the desired video features in!

[Na Horuk]

I'd just like to say that those great Canon videos you see are a result of a lot of work. They carefully plan scenes, create good lighting, use rails, follow focus, do post production.. I've seen amazing videos taken with the K-01, but it wasn't some guy handholding the camera while running around. It took a crew.

That being said, Canon is definitely better in the video department than Pentax. Features, accessories, Cine lenses.. But it will cost you. The K-3 has had some improvements compared to previous generations, though, so maybe the gap isn't as big anymore.

I almost never take videos, so for me its not really a priority, and what Pentax provides is enough for those few times when I want to use it.

[Giklab]

Oh, good. That's a long time off - I appreciate that it's being done, but there's a time value involved here as the cameras get older.

What model(s), and what's the primary purpose? (e.g. Video or something else?)

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/250555-resurrect...e-hacking.html

Might even be this year, might have been done already, depending on what you consider 'hacked'. Next year was a guess for Magic Lantern levels of hackery, forgot to add.

[Steve.Ledger]

But otherwise they did a good job of finally getting most of the desired video features in!

But they didn't get clean HDMI out, a must have for serious amatures. Or did they make higher enough bitrates available.
Frankly I've not seen an decent quality video footage from the K-3 from a regular user.
I'm always amazed that there are people who even consider the K-01 video is good. I think it's appalling.
Can you show me a decent K-3 video shot by a regular user, not a professional crew?

[stevebrot]

Other than SR, which has been a disappointment to many in the K-3.

I assume you are referring to the video mode SR only?


Steve

---------- Post added 06-24-14 at 06:57 PM ----------

I've not seen an decent quality video footage from the K-3 from a regular user.

Well, I guess that might bolster Deedee's point. It would seem that those people who are capable of shooting quality video are using other cameras. Conversely, it may be that those same people who purchased the K-3 are not using it for video. It is not a feature I use, but I am only a little interested in using it for video.

So...what does all this K-3 discussion have to do with the OP's interest in the K-5IIs?


Steve

[Steve.Ledger]

So...what does all this K-3 discussion have to do with the OP's interest in the K-5IIs?

It's organic.. Naturally comments are going to bounce back and forth with opinions about and comparing Pentax DSLR models and features when the opening post might be about just one model. It's not a sin is it?

[DSims]

I assume you are referring to the video mode SR only?

Yes, since video is the topic here. Otherwise SR is fine.

So...what does all this K-3 discussion have to do with the OP's interest in the K-5IIs?

It makes sense since the OP is already researching cameras up to $900 or so, and the K-3 can come close to that (especially if you consider the bonus bundles they've been having lately). Pentax cameras are close enough to each other in price anyway that someone who's "serious" should at least give the other models some thought, even if they have to wait a little longer to afford the better one. And the K-3 has some significant video differences (although again, I argue the K-5 IIs may be their 2nd best video camera, and it's better when it comes to SR).

---------- Post added 06-24-14 at 07:57 PM ----------

But they didn't get clean HDMI out, a must have for serious amatures. Or did they make higher enough bitrates available.
Frankly I've not seen an decent quality video footage from the K-3 from a regular user.

I still consider it like the K-5 IIs, which as I stated at the begining probably isn't the camera to get if video is your main thing. I didn't mean to suggest it's a video powerhouse, just that Ricoh actually finally gave it most of the ports and features which allow it a fighting chance as a video machine.

[kadajawi]

Hello everyone!

My name is Brian and I've been researching for a camera in the 600-900 dollar price range that can act as a very good first camera jam packed with all the features a beginner could ever need. For the longest time I've actually been looking at the Canon 60D and the Nikon D7000 as the top contenders for me. However after seeing a video on Digital Rev that compared the Nikon D7100 and the Pentax K-5 IIS, I've been extremely interested in the camera. I've spent hours looking through flickr pools of all the cameras that I've been considering, and the Pentax in my opinion has outshined them all, and so I thought "this is the camera I'm going to get!"

But then I looked at the video quality on Youtube. I don't know if it was because of amateur use or what, but the video quality on this Pentax is simply awful, worse than an old iphone practically (maybe a bit of an exaggeration ) The rolling shutter effect is noticeable with just normal handling from what I've seen in demonstrations on youtube. Of course there are only like 3-4 videos compared to the hundreds on the 60D (which also have proper tests dealing with ISO, FPS and noise). I mean I don't need the cinematic quality of the 60D, but I want something decent for videos on trips and maybe some reviews on Youtube.

I mainly came here to ask you guys what your experiences are with the video mode on this camera, and that maybe it was just bad settings or someone having a seizure while filming on these youtube videos since this is really the make it or break it for me on this camera.

Actually the K-5 has by far the best video quality of any Pentax, as long as you don't shoot for too long (especially when it's warm). The compression is not noticeable, while all the other cameras, Canon and Nikon, K-3 etc. will show you compression artefacts you'll have to push really f***ing hard to see them on the K-5. At 2 star quality (3 is the maximum) I can pan around the ocean, with all the waves and everything, without seeing compression artefacts. Good luck trying that with the other cameras. Unless you go for Magic Lantern on Canon and push up the bitrate or even shoot RAW you'll be in trouble.


Rolling shutter? If you activate the SR there is basically none, unless you pan fast. Most Canon videos show bad rolling shutter, but the K-5 SR does a great job at reducing it. The K-3 SR however increases it badly, so don't take that camera as an example. Besides the K-5 stabilizes video very well, if you want it any better than that you'll be looking at the Olympus OM-D E-M1, or at steadicam rigs, MoVi, ...


In fact, the K-5 is my favourite camera for video (for what I do), unless you intend to go for a RAW workflow with Canon (good luck stacking up really fast, really big and expensive CF cards...), or look at the E-M1 or GH3/GH4.


You can look at my YouTube channel (kadajawi) if you want to see some samples from the K-5. I only shoot completely handheld, no glidecam, steadicam, or anything else like that.
Some examples:

You Tube

You Tube

(50mm DA 1.8)

You Tube

You Tube

(18-55 kit lens at 18mm)

You Tube

You Tube

(200mm Tokina lens, it's not exactly the sharpest)

You Tube

You Tube

(again the 200mm)
Blame compression artefacts on YouTube, the 1080p files that I uploaded to YouTube are flawless (and smaller than the 1080 video on YouTube).


The reason why cameras like the 60D do great videos is because they are being used by professional users, in planned shoots. Give them a K-5 and they'll do great stuff too, perhaps even greater if they work handheld.


@MadMathMind: The h264 compression other cameras use absolutely sucks (except for dedicated video cameras and maybe the latest and greatest from Sony and Panasonic). h264 is good. It's great actually. But it needs shitloads of processing power (for really good quality and compression my 4x4.5 GHz Intel i5 does less than 1 fps, and consumes around 3 GB of RAM). If you don't give it a lot of power, all the stuff that actually makes files small while retaining good quality get kicked out of the window. And at the bitrates those cameras use that means bad quality. MJPEG is a godsend, it would just be nice to have a h264 OPTION for when I'm running out of space. I recompress my files into 10 bit h264 on my computer, giving me bitrates between 2 (not much motion, no noise, and shallow DoF) and 15 Mbit (basically the ocean example, or walking through a forest, ...) (instead of 60 or 80). That's significantly lower than the 20-24 Mbit most DSLRs use, but the quality is flawless.


The K-5 can btw. produce a very cinematic looking picture. Sony DSLTs usually produce a rather video like look. You are limited in terms of control (you can only set the aperture and exposure compensation. Shutter speed and ISO is done by the camera), and in terms of frame rates (at 1080p it's only 25 fps, at 720 you can pick between 30 and 25. No 24 fps option).


@Na Horuk: Actually the K-5 allows for a guy running around to create great video, unlike Canon cameras. It's just that most of the talented people are not using Pentax.


@stevebrot: Who would buy a K-3 if he is interested in video? It sucks. There are better, cheaper options out there. Everything that's decent about the K-3 video is done better by other brands, and there is nothing the K-3 does that can surpass others (except for audio perhaps). The K-5 on the other hand was better in some areas, not so good in others, but it had compelling plus points that other brands could not offer.


More examples how capable the K-5 is:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/75-video-pentax-hdslrs/257897-pentax-comm...e-surfing.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/75-video-pentax-hdslrs/220315-music-cover-shot-using-k5.html
(Must watch)






And maybe my favourite video shot with a K-5, a must watch:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/75-video-pentax-hdslrs/201728-love-metaphor.html
The guy has more videos that are great, not sure what he shot them on though (at least the newer ones, the older ones are K-5).


Btw., the E-M1:

[eddaytona]

How did he great rid of that infernal clicking???

[fuent104]

The reason why cameras like the 60D do great videos is because they are being used by professional users, in planned shoots. Give them a K-5 and they'll do great stuff too, perhaps even greater if they work handheld.

This a huge part of it. However, I don't think any Pentax camera can match the dynamic range in video mode of a Canon dslr equipped with Technicolor Cinestyle, and the additional features provided by Magic Lantern provide a superior shooting experience.