[hjoseph7]

Is there anything that the K30 can't do. Some professional reviews I read claim that the K30 and K-5 II are on-par when it comes to features and performance. I haven't delved to deeply into the K30 but I do own a K-5 IIs so I'm wondering what makes these 2 cameras different.

[SteveB]

Metal shell, quiet shutter and better very low light AF are the only things I would pay the extra for (K-5II). There's also a top LCD and more buttons for separate AE-L and rear AF, you have to choose on the K-30's single button. The way I have my K-30 set up I don't crave for more control but would love the -3EV AF.

[Roob-N-Boots]

Metal shell, quiet shutter and better very low light AF are the only things I would pay the extra for (K-5II). There's also a top LCD and more buttons for separate AE-L and rear AF, you have to choose on the K-30's single button. The way I have my K-30 set up I don't crave for more control but would love the -3EV AF.

What he said plus quieter AF screwdrive, and the ability to add a battery grip with K-5II.

[Steve.Ledger]

Better video codec, better SR in video mode and yeh, the top LCD, coming from a K-7 I miss that on the K-50 I bought

[SweFin]

I had the k-r, k-5, k-30 ( then both canon and nikon ff) and now i am back with a k5iis and i would recomend a k5ii over the 30 if the price difference is not to great. Both are very nice but the five realy got it all right (except the lcd, that could be a tad bit bigger

[Steve.Ledger]

Both are very nice but the five realy got it all right (except the lcd, that could be a tad bit bigger

LCD size is the same on the K-5 and K-5II as the K-30 and the K-50. Also same 921k pixels

[Na Horuk]

The sensor of the cameras K-5, K-01, K-30, K-5II, K-5IIs and K-50 is practically the same, so their image quality will be very similar. The K-01 has a weak AA filter and is a little sharper, and the K-5IIs has no AA filter and is sharper (but can have moiree). The K-5 (II, IIs) also record 14 bit, while the others record 12 bits. That means there is more colour information in raw data, which might give you a slight boost in IQ when post processing. And also the K-5 series can go down as low as ISO 80, while the others do not go under ISO 100.
But the real differences between K-30 and K-5 is in the features. Many things were already mentioned. The K-5 is basically the more pro-tier body, with more controls and customization, while the K-30 is slightly more user friendly.
One advantage the K-30 has is focus peaking, its a nice little function if you use live view and manual lenses.

If this is your first DSLR, the K-30 might be a better choice. The K-5 has a steeper learning curve and requires more knowledge to squeeze all of its potential out. If you are experienced with cameras (or at least patient and will take the time to learn), then the K-5 is the better choice.

Also, you can check this link and look for features that are important to you:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-cameras-compared/?c1=k5ii&c2=k30

[fgaudet]

Another thing that might be worth mentioning is that the battery pack in the K5/K5ii/K5iis will last almost twice as long as the K30/K50/K500. You lose "direct" AA battery support but the feature can always be added with a grip.

[Adam G]

IIRC the two cameras also have different sensor cleaning mechanisms, and the K-5's outperforms the K-30's.

[Steve.Ledger]

IIRC the two cameras also have different sensor cleaning mechanisms

Oh yes.. The K-50 feels like it will shake itself to pieces when you enable dust removal on start or shutdown.

[mremre]

Image quality is very similar or same but what about af performance difference?

[interested_observer]

The non k5's (K30/50/01)have a 12 bit A/D (pixel color depth) while the K5 (K5/II/IIs) series has a 14 bit A/D. Normally the difference is difficult to impossible to detect. Landscapes printed large - 20"x30" will show show some differences in the shadows. The other area is astronomy. When you are attached to a telescope and taking long duration images and stacking the results, the post processing software is able to use the additional 2 bits of pixel depth to its advantage.

[john1963]

The K5 series has a selectable mirror lock up function whereas the K30/50/500s only do it when you select the 2s timer.

[hjoseph7]

Thanks for the Info !

[ScooterMaxi Jim]

The sensor of the cameras K-5, K-01, K-30, K-5II, K-5IIs and K-50 is practically the same, so their image quality will be very similar. The K-01 has a weak AA filter and is a little sharper, and the K-5IIs has no AA filter and is sharper (but can have moiree). The K-5 (II, IIs) also record 14 bit, while the others record 12 bits.
Pentax Cameras | Pentax K-5 II / IIs vs. Pentax K-30 - Pentax DSLR Comparison - PentaxForums.com

I have wondered if the K-01 might be a bit sharper than the K-30. I had assumed that they were exactly the same. Na, are you sure that the AA filters are, in fact, different?

Not sure if anyone else mentioned that Live View performance and AF capability is much better on the K-30/50 vs. the older processing technology on the K-5 series. That was a major factor in my decision to go K-30 rather than K-5. Also, AA battery option. However, the build difference is pretty substantial in favor of the K-5 series.

---------- Post added 07-12-2014 at 09:23 AM ----------

The K5 series has a selectable mirror lock up function whereas the K30/50/500s only do it when you select the 2s timer.

Actually, in Live View you can use a remote for either instant or 3 sec. delay and mirror is locked. Found out the hard way that 2 sec. timer isn't enough if you are using a long lens and the footing of the tripod isn't solid enough.