[Aristophanes]

I just thought I should point out that Pentax has the whole "irritant in the tukus problem" covered with the handy kit below.

Don't know how many focus points it has, but I hear it's a very flexible system.

Is that the prosumer or entry-level model?

[janneman]

Correction: ALL rumors are false until the 21th of September. Only from that date there will be facts

aw come on, first it was 20th, then 22nd, now 21st....
are we even sue about the year???

As someone who owns a D700 and a K-7...

The 51 points in the D700 make letting the camera choose the focus point nearly feasible in most situations, something I'd never do on the K-7. It's most useful, yes, for the motorcycle racing photos I take, but it's also great for quick crowd shots where you don't have time to focus and recompose.

Wouldn't you spend more time on adjusting the AF point with all those points? Especially if you quickly need to go from left to right for example? (Especially if, as with K-7 you cannot use the O button to quickly centre AF point).

[m8o]

Dear Pentax,
(yes, I know there's a thread for this)

My K-10D is really showing its age. I'm unable to use JPGs from any somewhat-but-not-so-long or longer exposure shots given all the hot spots. Please, please, please, match or exceed the noise level and signature of the K-x in low-light + high-ISO (at each equivalent ISO to the K-x), and with the handling and all the features I suspect you will have in this K-5 evolving on K-7's features, and I'll pay whatever you ask ...within reason; and I find the rumored price to be reasonable.

Pentax, Thank You.

-steve
... ...

So what do you folks think? Am I going to be $1600 poorer but a lot happier this year?

[jpzk]

Regarding the 11 point AF vs. 18 points:

For the K5,is it possible to have a snappier, more accurate AF using the same number of AF points as we find in the K7?
Will a different AF system (Safox IX+) allow "just" 11 points to perform better, along with a different algorithm?
Will the new sensor really make a difference in high ISO situations?

Those are questions which remained to be answered until we see some real tests come out, and until then, I am keeping my hopes up that the K5 still will be a serious player in the level at which Pentax seem to want the K5 to be in.

I was a bit disappointed to see that the 18-point AF rumour was false but at the same time I keep asking myself: "Why would Pentax claim to have a much better AF with ""only"" 11-points? Is Pentax not telling us something?

One other thing that I like is that it will use the same grip as the K7. Good for me if I ever go K5.

JP

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Last edited by jpzk; 09-11-2010 at 05:39 PM. Reason: added info

[Rupert]

11 or 18....makes little difference to me, just get some good results at higher ISO settings, a little better AF than my K20D, and the same body and other features of the K7 and I will be well satisfied....and I think most others will be also. No camera is going to please everyone........just won't happen!

Still, Squirrels prefer Pentax 99 to 1....the one being Otis, and he prefers corn or fresh apple slices......


Best Regards!

BTW- My new Sigma HSM lenses focus fast and accurate on my K20D......amazingly faster, and more accurate than my DA*50-135. It is not all in the body....lenses do make a difference too.

[JohnBee]

Agree.
In 99% of all cases I use the center point.
I am not interested in 18+ AF points. This would only confuse me.

Will there be an f2.8 AF point in the center?
That's the important question.

LOL
The first thing I did when I received my D700 was assign center focus point.
I'm in the same boat. Never used nor cared about this entire focusing point deal tbh. But apparently, predictive AF requires or uses the array correct? Never tried it.

[Ex Finn.]

To make focus snappier than K7 = more power consumption = larger battery capacity or less shots per charge. Just a thought.

[Blue]

Is that the prosumer or entry-level model?

I hope to hell there's not a prosumer model out there!

[jshram]

AF HAS to be faster, work in lower light and be more accurate. My K20 will actually miss-focus some studio shots once in a while... and that is just silly. Can't get simpler than a stationary studio shot at F8. Not to mention the approaching bride down the isle or other tricky focusing scenarios in low light.

High ISO that works and doesn't look like a sandy beach..

More FPS

The rest is gravy in my opinion.

I am hopeful about the K5..

JH

[rawr]

No surprises here.

The focus points of the K-5 no doubt bear some relationship to the focus points of the 645D, K-7 and the new K-r. It seems to be the Pentax standard for the time being.

[Christopher M.W.T]

A rumour overruling a rumour?!?
Well, anyway - I made the prediction earlier, and if the above rumour is now more accurate, then I was right

11 AF points, fine. As long as AF is zippier, it's all good.
As for fps, I'm tipping 7 - in line with the A580, which has the same sensor.
ISO? 80 is a weird starting point. I reckon 100.

Forget these speculations - I wanna know about the battery grip, now.

And I'm getting told ISO 50 lol

[JohnBee]

are we even sue about the year???

Psha! - 2012 of course

As for what rumors a true, it's a tossup.
But for what it's worth, I choose to beleive Christopher M.W.T's sources!
Mainly because of his Avatar!

[Christopher M.W.T]

Psha! - 2012 of course

As for what rumors a true, it's a tossup.
But for what it's worth, I choose to beleive Christopher M.W.T's sources!
Mainly because of his Avatar!

I don't believe all of them!

Out of everything i've been sent so far I reckon 80% has turned out correct.

Ie MPs, the names (ie K-r) the k-7 style body of the K-5, ISO etc etc .


I do know with what I believe is 98% surety that the K-5 is apparently a lot faster than any other camera in Pentax range in both focus and fps, I'm happy to believe it's something around 7-8fps.

I can't really comment on the AF points, one person has told me it's just got more, another told me it has 18 and now I'm seeing that there's only 11, so who know, they could be all right or all wrong :P but they all say that it's better.

And if the K-r ISO range and performance is anything to go by, it's fair to say the K-5 will be equal if not better.

What I'm not convinced on yet is the sync speed, i've been told that 1/180 will be initially available and then well if we see a new flash then it'll be faster!

However as I posted in another thread from a copy of an email, the Pentax K-7 is/was theoretically capable of up to 1/250 with SR and 1/320 without SR but the limitations says in the flash gun itself not having a big enough powerful and the costs of upgrading. So this one is plausible, but time will tell!

[sir_bazz]

Thats disappointing as I appear to be one of the few who wanted more AF points.

The wide spread of the AF points in the current configuration often sees the AF struggle with small moving subjects as they shift between each point. This isn't a problem for larger subjects but more AF points would've allow customisation of AF between a small tight cluster or a wide spread as we have now.

bazz.

[Adam]

11 or 18....makes little difference to me, just get some good results at higher ISO settings, a little better AF than my K20D, and the same body and other features of the K7 and I will be well satisfied....and I think most others will be also. No camera is going to please everyone........just won't happen!

Still, Squirrels prefer Pentax 99 to 1....the one being Otis, and he prefers corn or fresh apple slices......


Best Regards!

BTW- My new Sigma HSM lenses focus fast and accurate on my K20D......amazingly faster, and more accurate than my DA*50-135. It is not all in the body....lenses do make a difference too.

Beautiful shot you've got there!