Just ordered my K-r...

bwDraco · 11-02-2010, 07:09 PM

I just ordered my PENTAX K-r from Newegg with the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, plus a remote control F. I can't wait to see how much better the pictures will be...

--DragonLord

Eagle_Friends · 11-02-2010, 07:36 PM

what will you be comparing it to?

bwDraco · 11-02-2010, 07:39 PM

Originally posted by Eagle_Friends

what will you be comparing it to?

A Fujifilm bridge camera. While the 18x zoom is very useful, the camera just doesn't produce acceptable results above ISO 400.

Besides, this is not just a matter of image quality - the greater flexibility of a DSLR system makes a big difference.

--DragonLord

Adam · 11-02-2010, 08:01 PM

Congrats on the purchase!

Adam
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chadci · 11-03-2010, 03:40 AM

Originally posted by DragonLord

A Fujifilm bridge camera. --DragonLord

Which one? I had the S1000FD before moving to the Canon SX20 is which was a light year better. Nearly a year later I wish I would have gone SLR instead of the Canon. K-r is one of my contenders so I'll watch for your review with interest.

bwDraco · 11-03-2010, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by chadci

Originally posted by DragonLord

A Fujifilm bridge camera. --DragonLord

Which one? I had the S1000FD before moving to the Canon SX20 is which was a light year better. Nearly a year later I wish I would have gone SLR instead of the Canon. K-r is one of my contenders so I'll watch for your review with interest.

Fujifilm FinePix S1800

--DragonLord

bwDraco · 11-05-2010, 08:24 AM

I just received my K-r yesterday. I'll post a review when I get a chance.

--DragonLord

Last edited by bwDraco; 11-05-2010 at 08:58 AM. Reason: Clarified post

rt22306 · 11-05-2010, 03:17 PM

Originally posted by DragonLord

I just received my K-r yesterday. I'll post a review when I get a chance.

--DragonLord

Looking forward to seeing some reviews from real people of the K-r. I'm considering the K-r, in lieu of the K-5 (budget..the folks back home have needed
some help of late, so it's getting tight here too...).

**Deimos** · 11-05-2010, 03:37 PM

mine is great. its a lot of camera!

I posted a "Quick K-r Review" somewhere...

**jackassp** · 11-05-2010, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by DragonLord

I just ordered my PENTAX K-r from Newegg with the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, plus a remote control F. I can't wait to see how much better the pictures will be...

--DragonLord

It will take about 1 year before the smile fades from your face!

**kwar** · 11-05-2010, 03:56 PM

I couldn't stop myself....

peter25 · 11-09-2010, 12:42 AM

I just got my K-r from the newegg.com sale. It's an upgrade from my non-working DS2.

First impressions... it feels small. I could swear it's got smaller dimensions than my DS2.. but I looked up the specs and it's actually slightly bigger. I guess they redesigned the layout a bit and I have to get used to it. But it does feel a little too small in my hands (I guess I have big hands). I wonder if the K5 would fit better in my hands....

I will say that I do miss the top LCD screen.. but I'm sure I will get used to it. The video mode is pretty cool. Some really great looking video. I wish they had 30 and 24 frame mode. But without auto-focus, it will be hard to use it in normal cases (or I'll just have to use a wide angle lens).

I've taken a few quick shots with it, and so far I'm a little disappointed. But I need to do further testing. So far it seems that the dynamic range is not improved from my old camera. I took a picture of a flower and the shadow area was losing a little detail and the highlights were also a bit blown out. I might need to play with the metering a bit. The other thing, was that the images looked a little soft. I was using the 55-300 lens. I tried to take images around the 200mm area in full sun. I also tried to stay around f8. Guess I have to increase the jpeg sharpening and/or do more sharpening in Lightroom.

I guess I was hoping for images that were much improved from the DS2.. but I'm not sure if I see it yet.

-Peter

goodpics · 11-09-2010, 04:02 PM

Originally posted by DragonLord

I just ordered my PENTAX K-r from Newegg with the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, plus a remote control F. I can't wait to see how much better the pictures will be...

--DragonLord

Have Fun with it, its a great cam! Here is my first Video test:

You Tube

8mm Wallimex Fish Eye & 18-55mm DA

Larsenio · 11-09-2010, 06:23 PM

Hi.
I see some people are a little disappointed of the K-r. Have had the chance to play around and do some testing with my wife`s newly arrived K-r and must agree on this.
I was wondering why she didn`t get sharper pictures and why they all seemed underexposed...

My concerne was right, I have now learned that I need to overexpose 1 to 2 steps to get correct histogram and exposures. In ALL shooting conditions!

The camera also needs to be stopped down much more than with my K10d to get sharp pictures.

For example the kit lens and my kit lens are quite sharp on my camera @3.5 but this is impossible in order to achieve the same sharp pictures on her camera.
Have to be around 5.6 and beyond on this camera.

I had great difficulties to have the focus area actually in-focus, but it seems that when I adjust the exposure to overexpose in every program as well as full M(anually) by 1 to 2 steps this actually is "fixed"

I guess the expectations were a bit high, going from the excellent low-ISO qualities of my K10d`s pentaprism contra my wife`s pentamirror K-r, but the viewfinder is SO much better/brighter on my camera...

However, now that I`ve figured out these "obstacles" I hope she`s going to re-discover her camera and get much brighter,correct and lovely HIGH-ISO pictures

All testing has been done in both RAW (NDG / PEF) and JPG...

ovim · 11-10-2010, 02:14 AM

I'm not disappointed coming from K200D (same sensor as K10D?), but I don't own the kit lens so I can't fully compare my results with yours. Could you post some pics?

Originally posted by Larsenio

My concerne was right, I have now learned that I need to overexpose 1 to 2 steps to get correct histogram and exposures. In ALL shooting conditions!

I've noticed a little underexposure too, but not as severe. If I shoot a uniform neutral grey surface the histogram is just slightly to the left. And in normal conditions (not shooting snow etc) depending on the scene I have to dial in max +1EV.

Originally posted by Larsenio

The camera also needs to be stopped down much more than with my K10d to get sharp pictures.

For example the kit lens and my kit lens are quite sharp on my camera @3.5 but this is impossible in order to achieve the same sharp pictures on her camera.
Have to be around 5.6 and beyond on this camera.

I have no issues with sharpness. My SMC-A 1.7/50mm is just as sharp wide open as usual. Are you comparing at 100%? Maybe your hitting the maximum resolution of the kit lens at f3.5 and it shows because of increased resolution? Or maybe your autofocus is off, have you tried the auto focus fine tuning? Also shooting under tungsten light might cause autofocus error?

11-02-2010, 07:09 PM	#1
bwDraco Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,071	Just ordered my K-r... I just ordered my PENTAX K-r from Newegg with the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, plus a remote control F. I can't wait to see how much better the pictures will be... --DragonLord

11-03-2010, 08:27 AM	#6
bwDraco Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,071 Original Poster	Originally posted by chadci Originally posted by DragonLord A Fujifilm bridge camera. --DragonLord Which one? I had the S1000FD before moving to the Canon SX20 is which was a light year better. Nearly a year later I wish I would have gone SLR instead of the Canon. K-r is one of my contenders so I'll watch for your review with interest. Fujifilm FinePix S1800 --DragonLord Last edited by bwDraco; 11-03-2010 at 10:05 AM. Reason: Added link

11-05-2010, 03:56 PM	#11
kwar Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sterling Heights, Mi Posts: 87	Just ordered a K-5 with the newegg 15% I couldn't stop myself....

11-09-2010, 06:23 PM	#14
Larsenio Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Andenes Photos: Gallery Posts: 361	Hi. I see some people are a little disappointed of the K-r. Have had the chance to play around and do some testing with my wife`s newly arrived K-r and must agree on this. I was wondering why she didn`t get sharper pictures and why they all seemed underexposed... My concerne was right, I have now learned that I need to overexpose 1 to 2 steps to get correct histogram and exposures. In ALL shooting conditions! The camera also needs to be stopped down much more than with my K10d to get sharp pictures. For example the kit lens and my kit lens are quite sharp on my camera @3.5 but this is impossible in order to achieve the same sharp pictures on her camera. Have to be around 5.6 and beyond on this camera. I had great difficulties to have the focus area actually in-focus, but it seems that when I adjust the exposure to overexpose in every program as well as full M(anually) by 1 to 2 steps this actually is "fixed" I guess the expectations were a bit high, going from the excellent low-ISO qualities of my K10d`s pentaprism contra my wife`s pentamirror K-r, but the viewfinder is SO much better/brighter on my camera... However, now that I`ve figured out these "obstacles" I hope she`s going to re-discover her camera and get much brighter,correct and lovely HIGH-ISO pictures All testing has been done in both RAW (NDG / PEF) and JPG... Last edited by Larsenio; 11-09-2010 at 06:31 PM. Reason: Thorough explanation

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11-02-2010, 07:36 PM	#2
Eagle_Friends Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 971	what will you be comparing it to?

11-02-2010, 07:39 PM	#3
bwDraco Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,071 Original Poster	Originally posted by Eagle_Friends what will you be comparing it to? A Fujifilm bridge camera. While the 18x zoom is very useful, the camera just doesn't produce acceptable results above ISO 400. Besides, this is not just a matter of image quality - the greater flexibility of a DSLR system makes a big difference. --DragonLord

11-02-2010, 08:01 PM	#4
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Congrats on the purchase! Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

11-03-2010, 03:40 AM	#5
chadci Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: 46107 Posts: 54	Originally posted by DragonLord A Fujifilm bridge camera. --DragonLord Which one? I had the S1000FD before moving to the Canon SX20 is which was a light year better. Nearly a year later I wish I would have gone SLR instead of the Canon. K-r is one of my contenders so I'll watch for your review with interest.

11-05-2010, 08:24 AM	#7
bwDraco Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,071 Original Poster	I just received my K-r yesterday. I'll post a review when I get a chance. --DragonLord Last edited by bwDraco; 11-05-2010 at 08:58 AM. Reason: Clarified post

11-05-2010, 03:17 PM	#8
rt22306 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 164	Originally posted by DragonLord I just received my K-r yesterday. I'll post a review when I get a chance. --DragonLord Looking forward to seeing some reviews from real people of the K-r. I'm considering the K-r, in lieu of the K-5 (budget..the folks back home have needed some help of late, so it's getting tight here too...).

11-05-2010, 03:37 PM	#9
Deimos Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Kingdom of Wonder Posts: 1,777	mine is great. its a lot of camera! I posted a "Quick K-r Review" somewhere...

11-05-2010, 03:39 PM	#10
jackassp Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 813	Originally posted by DragonLord I just ordered my PENTAX K-r from Newegg with the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses, plus a remote control F. I can't wait to see how much better the pictures will be... --DragonLord It will take about 1 year before the smile fades from your face!

11-09-2010, 12:42 AM	#12
peter25 Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 16	I just got my K-r from the newegg.com sale. It's an upgrade from my non-working DS2. First impressions... it feels small. I could swear it's got smaller dimensions than my DS2.. but I looked up the specs and it's actually slightly bigger. I guess they redesigned the layout a bit and I have to get used to it. But it does feel a little too small in my hands (I guess I have big hands). I wonder if the K5 would fit better in my hands.... I will say that I do miss the top LCD screen.. but I'm sure I will get used to it. The video mode is pretty cool. Some really great looking video. I wish they had 30 and 24 frame mode. But without auto-focus, it will be hard to use it in normal cases (or I'll just have to use a wide angle lens). I've taken a few quick shots with it, and so far I'm a little disappointed. But I need to do further testing. So far it seems that the dynamic range is not improved from my old camera. I took a picture of a flower and the shadow area was losing a little detail and the highlights were also a bit blown out. I might need to play with the metering a bit. The other thing, was that the images looked a little soft. I was using the 55-300 lens. I tried to take images around the 200mm area in full sun. I also tried to stay around f8. Guess I have to increase the jpeg sharpening and/or do more sharpening in Lightroom. I guess I was hoping for images that were much improved from the DS2.. but I'm not sure if I see it yet. -Peter

11-10-2010, 02:14 AM	#15
ovim Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tre, Finland Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,229	I'm not disappointed coming from K200D (same sensor as K10D?), but I don't own the kit lens so I can't fully compare my results with yours. Could you post some pics? Originally posted by Larsenio My concerne was right, I have now learned that I need to overexpose 1 to 2 steps to get correct histogram and exposures. In ALL shooting conditions! I've noticed a little underexposure too, but not as severe. If I shoot a uniform neutral grey surface the histogram is just slightly to the left. And in normal conditions (not shooting snow etc) depending on the scene I have to dial in max +1EV. Originally posted by Larsenio The camera also needs to be stopped down much more than with my K10d to get sharp pictures. For example the kit lens and my kit lens are quite sharp on my camera @3.5 but this is impossible in order to achieve the same sharp pictures on her camera. Have to be around 5.6 and beyond on this camera. I have no issues with sharpness. My SMC-A 1.7/50mm is just as sharp wide open as usual. Are you comparing at 100%? Maybe your hitting the maximum resolution of the kit lens at f3.5 and it shows because of increased resolution? Or maybe your autofocus is off, have you tried the auto focus fine tuning? Also shooting under tungsten light might cause autofocus error?