Got my K-5 II

**Tony Belding** · 10-04-2014, 07:07 PM

Thanks to the magic of fleaBay, this morning I received a clean, "barely used" K-5 II. Until now I've already had an old K100D and a K-01. So... This should take the place of the K100D (though I'm not throwing it out!) and make a good a companion to the K-01. I feel like the K-5 II and the K-01 have feature sets that are different but complementary, so they should serve well together. Also, this K-5 II came with two OEM batteries, which are the same as the one I already had for the K-01. Now I have three batteries to share between them, and they're quite a bit more convenient than AAs.

This camera is heavier than I expected. It noticeably out-masses the K100D, and it looks like a behemoth next to an Olympus OM-D E-M5.

One reason I went for this was the pentaprism viewfinder. It's bigger and brighter than the pentamirror of the K100D, but I think not quite as large as the viewfinder in my Pentax ZX-5n, and rather sad next to the huge-and-bright viewfinder of my old Ricoh XR-7. The live view is cumbersome compared with the K-01, but that's just an example of complimentary feature sets. There have been times when I sorely missed having some kind of viewfinder on the K-01.

The controls on the K-5 II are more complicated than I expected. All the recent Pentax cameras that I've fiddled with had a very straightforward interface, and I thought the K-5 II would be like that. With the E-M5 I can set almost any of my shooting parameters in a couple of seconds using the control dials. With the K-5 II, some of those parameters have their own dedicated buttons and switches, some are accessed through the back panel when in shooting mode, and some others are accessed through the "info" panel. I found myself scratching my head over how to switch between auto and manual ISO, for example. Well, I've only been poking at it for a day. I'll get used to it. (It took weeks to figure out the E-M5's labyrinth of configuration menus!)

Up to now my only weather-sealed camera has been the E-M5 with its kit lens, which I've had out in the rain briefly a couple of times. I don't have any sealed Pentax lenses. I have a hodgepodge of mostly outdated lenses, so it's probably time to do some lens shopping.

Arrvon · 10-04-2014, 11:32 PM

Hi Tony,

Congrats on finding a K5II! I still have the "old" K5, however I find it to be a great camera to shoot with. I have the "Info" screen turned off and have rarely ever had to make use of it to change any settings. I am sure you will find it very intuitive after a little while. One tip for the Manual to Auto ISO: Press the "ISO" button on the top of the camera and use the rear scroll wheel to manually select ISO. When you want to go back to Auto, just press the "ISO" button again and then the "Green" button on the rear of the camera.

Good luck!

jimr-pdx · 10-05-2014, 12:20 PM

Barely-used is a great way to go, my white K-50 arrived last week with 200 shots on it

enjoy!

10-04-2014, 07:07 PM	#1
Tony Belding Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Hamilton, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 787	Got my K-5 II Thanks to the magic of fleaBay, this morning I received a clean, "barely used" K-5 II. Until now I've already had an old K100D and a K-01. So... This should take the place of the K100D (though I'm not throwing it out!) and make a good a companion to the K-01. I feel like the K-5 II and the K-01 have feature sets that are different but complementary, so they should serve well together. Also, this K-5 II came with two OEM batteries, which are the same as the one I already had for the K-01. Now I have three batteries to share between them, and they're quite a bit more convenient than AAs. This camera is heavier than I expected. It noticeably out-masses the K100D, and it looks like a behemoth next to an Olympus OM-D E-M5. One reason I went for this was the pentaprism viewfinder. It's bigger and brighter than the pentamirror of the K100D, but I think not quite as large as the viewfinder in my Pentax ZX-5n, and rather sad next to the huge-and-bright viewfinder of my old Ricoh XR-7. The live view is cumbersome compared with the K-01, but that's just an example of complimentary feature sets. There have been times when I sorely missed having some kind of viewfinder on the K-01. The controls on the K-5 II are more complicated than I expected. All the recent Pentax cameras that I've fiddled with had a very straightforward interface, and I thought the K-5 II would be like that. With the E-M5 I can set almost any of my shooting parameters in a couple of seconds using the control dials. With the K-5 II, some of those parameters have their own dedicated buttons and switches, some are accessed through the back panel when in shooting mode, and some others are accessed through the "info" panel. I found myself scratching my head over how to switch between auto and manual ISO, for example. Well, I've only been poking at it for a day. I'll get used to it. (It took weeks to figure out the E-M5's labyrinth of configuration menus!) Up to now my only weather-sealed camera has been the E-M5 with its kit lens, which I've had out in the rain briefly a couple of times. I don't have any sealed Pentax lenses. I have a hodgepodge of mostly outdated lenses, so it's probably time to do some lens shopping.

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10-04-2014, 11:32 PM	#2
Arrvon Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 242	Hi Tony, Congrats on finding a K5II! I still have the "old" K5, however I find it to be a great camera to shoot with. I have the "Info" screen turned off and have rarely ever had to make use of it to change any settings. I am sure you will find it very intuitive after a little while. One tip for the Manual to Auto ISO: Press the "ISO" button on the top of the camera and use the rear scroll wheel to manually select ISO. When you want to go back to Auto, just press the "ISO" button again and then the "Green" button on the rear of the camera. Good luck!

10-05-2014, 12:20 PM	#3
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	Barely-used is a great way to go, my white K-50 arrived last week with 200 shots on it enjoy!