DPreview K-30

audiobomber · 11-06-2012, 05:21 AM

Originally posted by JinDesu

He could be referring to the button like on the NEX5N where once you press it, it starts to record. But I don't know if that feature exists on a dslr.

If they put one on my DSLR, they better damned well include a way to disable it.

Last edited by audiobomber; 11-06-2012 at 05:40 AM.

JinDesu · 11-06-2012, 05:40 AM

Probably there's a way to disable it - but it was humorous because my friend bought a NEX5N and was complaining to me about it. I said I couldn't help because I don't have one myself and I told her to consult the manual. Dunno if she turned it off yet, or is able to

Macario · 11-14-2012, 02:08 AM

I just read the Dpreview review of the D600. And opened another tab with the one from the K30 so i could compare them. And for the light of the day, I do not get why the K30 gets a silver award and the D600 a gold award.

audiobomber · 11-14-2012, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by Macario

I just read the Dpreview review of the D600. And opened another tab with the one from the K30 so i could compare them. And for the light of the day, I do not get why the K30 gets a silver award and the D600 a gold award.

Clear bias. What would the rating have been if the D600 had one control wheel, no WR seals and a pentamirror like the K30 competition? They would have moaned loudly about how the body was crippled. Yet these features are not recogized as outstanding on an $800 body, a price range where no one else has them. The dual wheels didn't even rate a mention in the Pros, but I would not buy a DSLR without them.

**Rondec** · 11-14-2012, 07:08 AM

I think it has to do with the cameras that they are being compared to. There are a lot more APS-C cameras out there than "mid-level" full frame cameras. Tougher to make an impact in that market, particularly since Pentax doesn't do so well in the video department.

That said, since I buy an SLR camera for still photography, I would be satisfied with a K30, but not with any of the other cameras in the K30 range -- lack of 2 control wheels, lack of sealing, lack of 100 percent pentaprism viewfinder, lack of green button makes them lacking.

audiobomber · 11-14-2012, 07:35 AM

Originally posted by Rondec

That said, since I buy an SLR camera for still photography, I would be satisfied with a K30, but not with any of the other cameras in the K30 range -- lack of 2 control wheels, lack of sealing, lack of 100 percent pentaprism viewfinder, lack of green button makes them lacking.

My feelings exactly!

The K-30 blows the competition away in its category (mid-level DSLR), that's why it should have had Gold. It received a Con for no video button, but no Pro for dual wheels. Pathetic!

SteveB · 11-14-2012, 12:26 PM

I've just compared the DPR RAW images for the D600, A99 and 5DmkIII FF cameras against the lowly K-30, and there's not a whole lot of difference at any ISO. They're better yes, but nowhere near what I would expect for the huge jump in price.

hamdala · 11-15-2012, 12:31 AM

I think we are taking just a little bit too much notice of DPR's "score". Their LONG awaited review is, as usual, very detailed and relatively unbiased.
I found it gave me all the information I needed to decide whether the K30 would be a good camera for me.
DPReview's conclusions, while interesting, did not really influence my decision to buy one 2 days later.
I could see from their review that it ticked all the boxes to be a very capable backup for my K5.

SyncGuy · 11-15-2012, 07:57 PM

Originally posted by SteveB

I've just compared the DPR RAW images for the D600, A99 and 5DmkIII FF cameras against the lowly K-30, and there's not a whole lot of difference at any ISO. They're better yes, but nowhere near what I would expect for the huge jump in price.

Hi Steve, no offense here.. But i am thinking that perhaps to them, a FF is ultimately a FF, and an APSC is an APSC. The comparison between the 2 system is already biased to begin with and therefore, "technically" the default winner should be the FF; D600.

Another thing that i see in comparing the difference between sensor sizes are, sometimes, not about the hgher ISO, larger viewfinder, or more "bokeh". Some people, unexplainably, seems to want the flexibility that a FF gives. ie, perspective (subject to background relative size, which i believe should not be confused with FoV).

Just saying..

audiobomber · 11-15-2012, 08:28 PM

Originally posted by SyncGuy

Hi Steve, no offense here.. But i am thinking that perhaps to them, a FF is ultimately a FF, and an APSC is an APSC. The comparison between the 2 system is already biased to begin with and therefore, "technically" the default winner should be the FF; D600.

DPR compares cameras within their class. They did not evaluate the K-30 against a D600, nor even against the D7000 or K-5. From the DPR site: "Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category."
Pentax K-30
Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR

The comparators were the Canon 650D, Sony A65 and Nikon D5100. It smokes all these for features and is at least the equal in IQ. A Nikon or Canon at this price, with these photographically relevant features would have had a Gold award.

SyncGuy · 11-15-2012, 08:49 PM

Originally posted by audiobomber

DPR compares cameras within their class. They did not evaluate the K-30 against a D600, nor even against the D7000 or K-5. From the DPR site: "Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category."
Pentax K-30
Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR

The comparators were the Canon 650D, Sony A65 and Nikon D5100. Its smokes all these for features and is at least the equal in IQ. A Nikon or Canon at this price, with these photographically relevant features would have had a Gold award.

Oh! I missed that part..

My bad on that one..

Well, since it's stated as such, i figured out why the K-30 has not a Gold award..
I believe it all has got to do with market shares then.. LOL! That's the hidden deciding factor! :P

Mr Spocko · 11-16-2012, 02:46 AM

DPR place high rankings on "video stuff" which I disagree with myself esp the silly comments about a "video button". Don't get me wrong I appreciate some do consider video important, but I think most do not place much on that side of things. Also if you look at recent Nikon bodies they have a video button which is useless for stills shooting (ie it does nothing else nor can it)
On the other hand Pentax need to get the message about NR on raw the higher ISO images are quite soft and look like they have details smeared away. This is not acceptable for raw shooting. Jpeg engine does not look as good as previous models either but maybe NR off will help there.

Have to give credit to Pentax for one thing, the penta prism VF and ultra low price which is amazing really for a glass prism VF camera to be so cheap.

kadajawi · 11-16-2012, 11:25 PM

Well, I do consider the lack of a video button as the single most annoying thing on my K-5. Especially with the lock on the mode dial. I'm afraid it won't last long. Always having to switch back and forth is _annoying_ and takes time --> missed opportunities. I'd love to see a firmware update where I can set the Raw FX button as video button. That would be perfect.

NR on RAW on higher ISO images... I think it could be done in the sensor itself, I've read a Sony tech press release or so for the sensor of the K-5, and I believe they mentioned something like that. Being on the sensor itself it should work better than purely by software. So maybe they could tweak it a bit, but look at the ridiculously high ISOs we can shoot today. A bit less sharpness... I can live with that. Though I'd rather have the camera save at a lower resolution then.

Macario · 11-18-2012, 06:55 AM

Originally posted by hamdala

I think we are taking just a little bit too much notice of DPR's "score". Their LONG awaited review is, as usual, very detailed and relatively unbiased.
I found it gave me all the information I needed to decide whether the K30 would be a good camera for me.
DPReview's conclusions, while interesting, did not really influence my decision to buy one 2 days later.
I could see from their review that it ticked all the boxes to be a very capable backup for my K5.

It did not influence you, but the score will influence many others. They see, hey the nikon has a gold award, so I will buy that.

And when I was comparing the two, the only thing that I was comparing was what DPR was writing, on strong points weak points etc. Not the two systems themselfs. And I do believe they gave the D600 way too much credit

simbon4o · 11-19-2012, 01:12 PM

I think that most of you look only on the good sides of the K30 so you don't get the whole picture.
Some of the negative stuff about K30 are bad enough compared to the other competitors so that's why it gets silver. And about video - these days video is so important in low or mid level DSLRs as taking photos.

About image quality - are you 100% sure that the K30 can stand against FF cameras? Because I'm sure that it can't, It can't stand against APS-C cameras with the same sensor so what about FFs... I'm talking about High ISO performance - from 100 to 1600iso - ok it is great(a little noise reduction and other filters in RAW and voalla), but when the ISO is raised up the noise reduction makes the photos worse and there is no turning off. Even the Sony SLTs have better high iso. Dynamic range is lower than other cameras with this sensor... It is not that great camera let's be honest.

About video quality - the worst video. No antialiasing, moire, pixelization, compression is high, software image stabilization, ... A, M, T video modes are not finished because for example you can't change the speed or aperture during video, noisy AF.

Yes is has many good qualities but... let's face it it is not that perfect

.
The fact that Pentax has advertising banner in dpreview is enough to say that the silver award is because pentax doesn't pay for gold ...

.

11-15-2012, 12:31 AM	#53
hamdala New Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Christchurch NZ Posts: 12	DPR scores I think we are taking just a little bit too much notice of DPR's "score". Their LONG awaited review is, as usual, very detailed and relatively unbiased. I found it gave me all the information I needed to decide whether the K30 would be a good camera for me. DPReview's conclusions, while interesting, did not really influence my decision to buy one 2 days later. I could see from their review that it ticked all the boxes to be a very capable backup for my K5.

11-15-2012, 08:28 PM	#55
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by SyncGuy Hi Steve, no offense here.. But i am thinking that perhaps to them, a FF is ultimately a FF, and an APSC is an APSC. The comparison between the 2 system is already biased to begin with and therefore, "technically" the default winner should be the FF; D600. DPR compares cameras within their class. They did not evaluate the K-30 against a D600, nor even against the D7000 or K-5. From the DPR site: "Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category." Pentax K-30 Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR The comparators were the Canon 650D, Sony A65 and Nikon D5100. It smokes all these for features and is at least the equal in IQ. A Nikon or Canon at this price, with these photographically relevant features would have had a Gold award. Last edited by audiobomber; 11-15-2012 at 09:30 PM.

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11-06-2012, 05:21 AM	#46
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by JinDesu He could be referring to the button like on the NEX5N where once you press it, it starts to record. But I don't know if that feature exists on a dslr. If they put one on my DSLR, they better damned well include a way to disable it. Last edited by audiobomber; 11-06-2012 at 05:40 AM.

11-06-2012, 05:40 AM	#47
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Probably there's a way to disable it - but it was humorous because my friend bought a NEX5N and was complaining to me about it. I said I couldn't help because I don't have one myself and I told her to consult the manual. Dunno if she turned it off yet, or is able to

11-14-2012, 02:08 AM	#48
Macario Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hoek van Holland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,393	I just read the Dpreview review of the D600. And opened another tab with the one from the K30 so i could compare them. And for the light of the day, I do not get why the K30 gets a silver award and the D600 a gold award.

11-14-2012, 06:19 AM	#49
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by Macario I just read the Dpreview review of the D600. And opened another tab with the one from the K30 so i could compare them. And for the light of the day, I do not get why the K30 gets a silver award and the D600 a gold award. Clear bias. What would the rating have been if the D600 had one control wheel, no WR seals and a pentamirror like the K30 competition? They would have moaned loudly about how the body was crippled. Yet these features are not recogized as outstanding on an $800 body, a price range where no one else has them. The dual wheels didn't even rate a mention in the Pros, but I would not buy a DSLR without them.

11-14-2012, 07:08 AM	#50
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	I think it has to do with the cameras that they are being compared to. There are a lot more APS-C cameras out there than "mid-level" full frame cameras. Tougher to make an impact in that market, particularly since Pentax doesn't do so well in the video department. That said, since I buy an SLR camera for still photography, I would be satisfied with a K30, but not with any of the other cameras in the K30 range -- lack of 2 control wheels, lack of sealing, lack of 100 percent pentaprism viewfinder, lack of green button makes them lacking.

11-14-2012, 07:35 AM	#51
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by Rondec That said, since I buy an SLR camera for still photography, I would be satisfied with a K30, but not with any of the other cameras in the K30 range -- lack of 2 control wheels, lack of sealing, lack of 100 percent pentaprism viewfinder, lack of green button makes them lacking. My feelings exactly! The K-30 blows the competition away in its category (mid-level DSLR), that's why it should have had Gold. It received a Con for no video button, but no Pro for dual wheels. Pathetic!

11-14-2012, 12:26 PM	#52
SteveB Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: U.K. Posts: 685	I've just compared the DPR RAW images for the D600, A99 and 5DmkIII FF cameras against the lowly K-30, and there's not a whole lot of difference at any ISO. They're better yes, but nowhere near what I would expect for the huge jump in price.

11-15-2012, 07:57 PM	#54
SyncGuy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 821	Originally posted by SteveB I've just compared the DPR RAW images for the D600, A99 and 5DmkIII FF cameras against the lowly K-30, and there's not a whole lot of difference at any ISO. They're better yes, but nowhere near what I would expect for the huge jump in price. Hi Steve, no offense here.. But i am thinking that perhaps to them, a FF is ultimately a FF, and an APSC is an APSC. The comparison between the 2 system is already biased to begin with and therefore, "technically" the default winner should be the FF; D600. Another thing that i see in comparing the difference between sensor sizes are, sometimes, not about the hgher ISO, larger viewfinder, or more "bokeh". Some people, unexplainably, seems to want the flexibility that a FF gives. ie, perspective (subject to background relative size, which i believe should not be confused with FoV). Just saying..

11-15-2012, 08:49 PM	#56
SyncGuy Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 821	Originally posted by audiobomber DPR compares cameras within their class. They did not evaluate the K-30 against a D600, nor even against the D7000 or K-5. From the DPR site: "Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category." Pentax K-30 Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR The comparators were the Canon 650D, Sony A65 and Nikon D5100. Its smokes all these for features and is at least the equal in IQ. A Nikon or Canon at this price, with these photographically relevant features would have had a Gold award. Oh! I missed that part.. My bad on that one.. Well, since it's stated as such, i figured out why the K-30 has not a Gold award.. I believe it all has got to do with market shares then.. LOL! That's the hidden deciding factor! :P

11-16-2012, 02:46 AM	#57
Mr Spocko Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 254	DPR place high rankings on "video stuff" which I disagree with myself esp the silly comments about a "video button". Don't get me wrong I appreciate some do consider video important, but I think most do not place much on that side of things. Also if you look at recent Nikon bodies they have a video button which is useless for stills shooting (ie it does nothing else nor can it) On the other hand Pentax need to get the message about NR on raw the higher ISO images are quite soft and look like they have details smeared away. This is not acceptable for raw shooting. Jpeg engine does not look as good as previous models either but maybe NR off will help there. Have to give credit to Pentax for one thing, the penta prism VF and ultra low price which is amazing really for a glass prism VF camera to be so cheap.

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11-16-2012, 11:25 PM	#58
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Well, I do consider the lack of a video button as the single most annoying thing on my K-5. Especially with the lock on the mode dial. I'm afraid it won't last long. Always having to switch back and forth is _annoying_ and takes time --> missed opportunities. I'd love to see a firmware update where I can set the Raw FX button as video button. That would be perfect. NR on RAW on higher ISO images... I think it could be done in the sensor itself, I've read a Sony tech press release or so for the sensor of the K-5, and I believe they mentioned something like that. Being on the sensor itself it should work better than purely by software. So maybe they could tweak it a bit, but look at the ridiculously high ISOs we can shoot today. A bit less sharpness... I can live with that. Though I'd rather have the camera save at a lower resolution then.

11-18-2012, 06:55 AM	#59
Macario Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hoek van Holland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,393	Originally posted by hamdala I think we are taking just a little bit too much notice of DPR's "score". Their LONG awaited review is, as usual, very detailed and relatively unbiased. I found it gave me all the information I needed to decide whether the K30 would be a good camera for me. DPReview's conclusions, while interesting, did not really influence my decision to buy one 2 days later. I could see from their review that it ticked all the boxes to be a very capable backup for my K5. It did not influence you, but the score will influence many others. They see, hey the nikon has a gold award, so I will buy that. And when I was comparing the two, the only thing that I was comparing was what DPR was writing, on strong points weak points etc. Not the two systems themselfs. And I do believe they gave the D600 way too much credit

11-19-2012, 01:12 PM	#60
simbon4o Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 258	I think that most of you look only on the good sides of the K30 so you don't get the whole picture. Some of the negative stuff about K30 are bad enough compared to the other competitors so that's why it gets silver. And about video - these days video is so important in low or mid level DSLRs as taking photos. About image quality - are you 100% sure that the K30 can stand against FF cameras? Because I'm sure that it can't, It can't stand against APS-C cameras with the same sensor so what about FFs... I'm talking about High ISO performance - from 100 to 1600iso - ok it is great(a little noise reduction and other filters in RAW and voalla), but when the ISO is raised up the noise reduction makes the photos worse and there is no turning off. Even the Sony SLTs have better high iso. Dynamic range is lower than other cameras with this sensor... It is not that great camera let's be honest. About video quality - the worst video. No antialiasing, moire, pixelization, compression is high, software image stabilization, ... A, M, T video modes are not finished because for example you can't change the speed or aperture during video, noisy AF. Yes is has many good qualities but... let's face it it is not that perfect . The fact that Pentax has advertising banner in dpreview is enough to say that the silver award is because pentax doesn't pay for gold ... .