Pentax K-5 Officially Announced

kytra · 09-20-2010, 10:27 AM

It looks like a nice camera, but only the comparative testing could prove it is worth to upgrade from K7.

opiet70 · 09-20-2010, 10:28 AM

Originally posted by aragondina

It does look good on paper. I for one won't buy one because it's not full frame, but for those who want a crop sensor it looks pretty good. Both it and the 18-135 are untested so who knows what the actual IQ will be like.

Too bad Nikon has already surpassed the k5 in many ways with the d7000. 39 focus points, 2016 pixel metering, dual card slots, etc. They already had good clean high ISO and fast focus so hopefully Pentax has made some serious improvements in these areas. Things like more focus points and dual slots are things that Pentax needs to step up and include. When shooting 7 frames a second, using SD cards you need 2 of them to keep up, or change the cameras to use faster CF cards instead.

well, yes and no. cards go up to 64gb now, so that's a lotta pictures. I see your point, but in my mind the cards are a simple component. I still use my 16gb cards and have no issues. Keep in mind, I say that and have experience shooting with a K10D - so I haven't really had the opportunity to shoot pics at over twice as fast as I can now. Long story short - 2 card slots are not a deal breaker for me.

waqas · 09-20-2010, 10:32 AM

Originally posted by fearview

Guys what is this..? images Electronic Level In-finder display (horizontal only) .. and where is the IR things that we talked about before..?

That's probably the electronic equivalent of the equipment that you use to make sure the floors are level, the one with a bubble in the liquid, to ensure that the camera is aligned with the horizon and not a few degrees off to the left or the right. Remember how we often take photos of a sunset or a structure or a group of people that we have to rotate by 2 degrees to align the horizontal axis? This is supposed to prevent that.

vespats · 09-20-2010, 10:33 AM

The price point of the 18-135 is quite high, maybe it is just a really decent lens and they know it will sell

At least it is not the Tokina 16-135 rebranded, that would have been easier.
The Tokina for sure is not the greatest lens, but building a new one they probably improved.

The K-5 will be in my pocket latest end of november - we will see if it is attached to the 18-135 then. Can´t wait to put my fingers on it, end of this week when I visit the Photokina

AngryCorgi · 09-20-2010, 10:33 AM

Simple question: Can the K-5/K-7 be functionally submerged in water?

RBellavance · 09-20-2010, 10:34 AM

Originally posted by Kameraten

...that the very unfortunate button layout of the K-7 on the camera back is retained. This actually nullifies all advances in theoretical AF performance.

Unfortunately for you, you seem to be in the minority. All the review sites highly praise the K-7 for its excellent ergonomics.

Big G · 09-20-2010, 10:38 AM

Well, it's finally here and it's amusing to see the haters are out already. Here is what I think:

Personally, I think this little camera is just what the doctor ordered as long as the price is right in the UK. For me, it's truly brilliant for the following reasons:

- Weathersealed, magnesium alloy body.

I want my camera to be able to suffer all sorts of abuse as it's close to the sea and sharp rocks on a regular basis. I dropped my K20D off of my tripod during high winds down on the coast and it bounced off rocks from about the heigh of 6 feet. Apart from cosmetic scratches, dents and nicks, it's still in one piece. I very much doubt any other APS-C camera (at that time) would have survived that abuse. As my EOS 7D is also magnesium alloy and weather sealed (the first non-pro Canon to be, afaik), this is what I have come to want out of a body and it's top marks to see the same in the K-5. I have much more confidence in the K-5's full suit of armour as opposed to the partial D7000. I need a solid camera for my work and the K-5 would give me that.

- That sensor

If it's the same Sony Exmor 16mp sensor (of very similar) to the Sony A55 (someone confirm?) then there is no doubt that the images are likely to be as good as rival APS-C based cameras at higher ISO. Clearly, we'll need to see samples from the reviews but it looks promising so far based on what I've seen from Sony A55 test samples, certainly a lot better than my K20D.

- Size and Weight

Being a 7D owner, I have well developed arm muscles by holding such a beast of a camera

- make no mistake, the 7D is a big heavy camera. The K-5 gives me awesome-sauce image quality, impressive high ISO performance, rugged build quality and much improved AF in a small lightweight package. The size of the 7D suits my hand, so I much prefer the ergonomics, but as a travel body the K-5 could go with me places that I may be reluctant to lug along my 7D.

- Bracketing

The 7D bracketing is ropey, no support for five exposures which I do regularly for HDR urban work. From the blurb, the K-5 will allow 5 exposure bracketing and also rip through the images at 7 fps. When I was holiday in New York I did a lot of HDR work handheld, so the FPS of the K-5 will assist in this technique.

- Exposure compensation in Auto ISO mode.

7D still ain't got it, the K20D, K-7 and of course the K-5 all have it.

- Improved autofocus

As a K20D owner, the AF on the K20D is absolutely rubbish. I had a good play with the K-x the other day, it was nearly as rubbish. The 7D has blistering AF, particularly in AI Servo mode (AF-C in the Canon world) and it looks like the K-5 improves on the K-7. Whilst the 7D would still be my machine gun of choice, it's good to know that the K-5 has much improved AF over my older K20D. I'm looking forward to seeing comparison results when the first tests start to show.

What's not to love? If anyone so much as says "it's not FF", then I will reply with dry your eyes, the FF market is a tiny one that Canikon have stiched up; this K-5 has me passionate about Pentax again.

nosnoop · 09-20-2010, 10:44 AM

Originally posted by AngryCorgi

Simple question: Can the K-5/K-7 be functionally submerged in water?

Not if you want to take pictures afterward!

Seriously, it is a weather-resistant camera, not a waterproof one.
It can survive a down pour, but not a swim.

Tringle WP · 09-20-2010, 10:49 AM

Originally posted by Asahiflex

What sort of Frankencamera is that, a Canon 7D with a Nikon VR lens...?

At least I got the 'D' at the right end

AngryCorgi · 09-20-2010, 10:49 AM

Originally posted by nosnoop

Not if you want to take pictures afterward!

Seriously, it is a weather-resistant camera, not a waterproof one.
It can survive a down pour, but not a swim.

If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free?

Kameraten · 09-20-2010, 10:52 AM

Originally posted by RBellavance

Unfortunately for you, you seem to be in the minority. All the review sites highly praise the K-7 for its excellent ergonomics.

The menus and the info screen is mainly good. The way AF points are selected is not. After about 50 000 frames with the K-7 and the same number with the K10D and k20D, plus numerous KM and Sony cameras I trust my judgment.

I don't think there's been any poll amongst users made on the subject.

janneman · 09-20-2010, 10:56 AM

Originally posted by AngryCorgi

If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free?

Ofcourse not. They can only do that if the WR is up to fixed standards, Which is almost impossible with a SLR where you can channge lenses. I don't think even Nikon offering that on the D3x or Canon on the 1 DsMkIIIfsub2.

The main problem of warranty against is that t will be very hard to see whether the damage was caused when a lens was mounted or when you were changing lenses.. Ofcourse it will be up to you to prove that and I doubt you ever could. So excluding water damage would prevent a lot of anger.

Urkeldaedalus · 09-20-2010, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by AngryCorgi

If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free?

I doubt it. The good news is I can report using the K-7 with DA* lenses multiple times in heavy rain and having them work just fine during and afterward. (It is annoying to wipe the front of the lens off, though

)

Entropy · 09-20-2010, 11:00 AM

Originally posted by andi

Yeah, it's really good. I love the custom NR per ISO setup,
haven't seen this anywhere. You can set it to OFF for all the lower ISOs
and gradually switch it on for the higher ones.
Quite smart.

Question is - can we kill auto-DFS?

This goes along with, "Exactly what is this new Night HDR mode?"

The K20D is useless for nighttime HDR due to forced auto-DFS, and the K-7 didn't improve on that flaw at all.

RBellavance · 09-20-2010, 11:01 AM

Originally posted by Kameraten

The menus and the info screen is mainly good. The way AF points are selected is not.

We're getting off-topic, but have you installed the firmware updates and set custom option 36. to "2. Select AF point preference" ? This makes the 4-way controller move the AF selection directly without needing to press "Ok" first. I don't see how that is different from the K10D & K20D.

Anyway, such things are very subjective.

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09-20-2010, 10:27 AM	#151
kytra Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bucharest Posts: 482	It looks like a nice camera, but only the comparative testing could prove it is worth to upgrade from K7.

09-20-2010, 10:28 AM	#152
opiet70 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 499	Originally posted by aragondina It does look good on paper. I for one won't buy one because it's not full frame, but for those who want a crop sensor it looks pretty good. Both it and the 18-135 are untested so who knows what the actual IQ will be like. Too bad Nikon has already surpassed the k5 in many ways with the d7000. 39 focus points, 2016 pixel metering, dual card slots, etc. They already had good clean high ISO and fast focus so hopefully Pentax has made some serious improvements in these areas. Things like more focus points and dual slots are things that Pentax needs to step up and include. When shooting 7 frames a second, using SD cards you need 2 of them to keep up, or change the cameras to use faster CF cards instead. well, yes and no. cards go up to 64gb now, so that's a lotta pictures. I see your point, but in my mind the cards are a simple component. I still use my 16gb cards and have no issues. Keep in mind, I say that and have experience shooting with a K10D - so I haven't really had the opportunity to shoot pics at over twice as fast as I can now. Long story short - 2 card slots are not a deal breaker for me.

09-20-2010, 10:32 AM	#153
waqas Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: VA, USA Posts: 234	Originally posted by fearview Guys what is this..? images Electronic Level In-finder display (horizontal only) .. and where is the IR things that we talked about before..? That's probably the electronic equivalent of the equipment that you use to make sure the floors are level, the one with a bubble in the liquid, to ensure that the camera is aligned with the horizon and not a few degrees off to the left or the right. Remember how we often take photos of a sunset or a structure or a group of people that we have to rotate by 2 degrees to align the horizontal axis? This is supposed to prevent that.

09-20-2010, 10:33 AM	#154
vespats Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 128	The price point of the 18-135 is quite high, maybe it is just a really decent lens and they know it will sell At least it is not the Tokina 16-135 rebranded, that would have been easier. The Tokina for sure is not the greatest lens, but building a new one they probably improved. The K-5 will be in my pocket latest end of november - we will see if it is attached to the 18-135 then. Can´t wait to put my fingers on it, end of this week when I visit the Photokina

09-20-2010, 10:33 AM	#155
AngryCorgi Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northern VA Posts: 73	Simple question: Can the K-5/K-7 be functionally submerged in water?

09-20-2010, 10:34 AM	#156
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Originally posted by Kameraten ...that the very unfortunate button layout of the K-7 on the camera back is retained. This actually nullifies all advances in theoretical AF performance. Unfortunately for you, you seem to be in the minority. All the review sites highly praise the K-7 for its excellent ergonomics.

09-20-2010, 10:38 AM	#157
Big G Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 581	Well, it's finally here and it's amusing to see the haters are out already. Here is what I think: Personally, I think this little camera is just what the doctor ordered as long as the price is right in the UK. For me, it's truly brilliant for the following reasons: - Weathersealed, magnesium alloy body. I want my camera to be able to suffer all sorts of abuse as it's close to the sea and sharp rocks on a regular basis. I dropped my K20D off of my tripod during high winds down on the coast and it bounced off rocks from about the heigh of 6 feet. Apart from cosmetic scratches, dents and nicks, it's still in one piece. I very much doubt any other APS-C camera (at that time) would have survived that abuse. As my EOS 7D is also magnesium alloy and weather sealed (the first non-pro Canon to be, afaik), this is what I have come to want out of a body and it's top marks to see the same in the K-5. I have much more confidence in the K-5's full suit of armour as opposed to the partial D7000. I need a solid camera for my work and the K-5 would give me that. - That sensor If it's the same Sony Exmor 16mp sensor (of very similar) to the Sony A55 (someone confirm?) then there is no doubt that the images are likely to be as good as rival APS-C based cameras at higher ISO. Clearly, we'll need to see samples from the reviews but it looks promising so far based on what I've seen from Sony A55 test samples, certainly a lot better than my K20D. - Size and Weight Being a 7D owner, I have well developed arm muscles by holding such a beast of a camera - make no mistake, the 7D is a big heavy camera. The K-5 gives me awesome-sauce image quality, impressive high ISO performance, rugged build quality and much improved AF in a small lightweight package. The size of the 7D suits my hand, so I much prefer the ergonomics, but as a travel body the K-5 could go with me places that I may be reluctant to lug along my 7D. - Bracketing The 7D bracketing is ropey, no support for five exposures which I do regularly for HDR urban work. From the blurb, the K-5 will allow 5 exposure bracketing and also rip through the images at 7 fps. When I was holiday in New York I did a lot of HDR work handheld, so the FPS of the K-5 will assist in this technique. - Exposure compensation in Auto ISO mode. 7D still ain't got it, the K20D, K-7 and of course the K-5 all have it. - Improved autofocus As a K20D owner, the AF on the K20D is absolutely rubbish. I had a good play with the K-x the other day, it was nearly as rubbish. The 7D has blistering AF, particularly in AI Servo mode (AF-C in the Canon world) and it looks like the K-5 improves on the K-7. Whilst the 7D would still be my machine gun of choice, it's good to know that the K-5 has much improved AF over my older K20D. I'm looking forward to seeing comparison results when the first tests start to show. What's not to love? If anyone so much as says "it's not FF", then I will reply with dry your eyes, the FF market is a tiny one that Canikon have stiched up; this K-5 has me passionate about Pentax again.

09-20-2010, 10:44 AM	#158
nosnoop Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,299	Originally posted by AngryCorgi Simple question: Can the K-5/K-7 be functionally submerged in water? Not if you want to take pictures afterward! Seriously, it is a weather-resistant camera, not a waterproof one. It can survive a down pour, but not a swim.

09-20-2010, 10:49 AM	#159
Tringle WP Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bergerac, France Photos: Gallery Posts: 65	Originally posted by Asahiflex What sort of Frankencamera is that, a Canon 7D with a Nikon VR lens...? At least I got the 'D' at the right end

09-20-2010, 10:49 AM	#160
AngryCorgi Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Northern VA Posts: 73	Originally posted by nosnoop Not if you want to take pictures afterward! Seriously, it is a weather-resistant camera, not a waterproof one. It can survive a down pour, but not a swim. If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free?

09-20-2010, 10:52 AM	#161
Kameraten Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Finland Photos: Gallery Posts: 214	Originally posted by RBellavance Unfortunately for you, you seem to be in the minority. All the review sites highly praise the K-7 for its excellent ergonomics. The menus and the info screen is mainly good. The way AF points are selected is not. After about 50 000 frames with the K-7 and the same number with the K10D and k20D, plus numerous KM and Sony cameras I trust my judgment. I don't think there's been any poll amongst users made on the subject.

09-20-2010, 10:56 AM	#162
janneman Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Netherlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 908	Originally posted by AngryCorgi If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free? Ofcourse not. They can only do that if the WR is up to fixed standards, Which is almost impossible with a SLR where you can channge lenses. I don't think even Nikon offering that on the D3x or Canon on the 1 DsMkIIIfsub2. The main problem of warranty against is that t will be very hard to see whether the damage was caused when a lens was mounted or when you were changing lenses.. Ofcourse it will be up to you to prove that and I doubt you ever could. So excluding water damage would prevent a lot of anger.

09-20-2010, 10:59 AM	#163
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369	Originally posted by AngryCorgi If you shoot in the rain (not submerged) and the camera gets wet and shorts-out internally, will Pentax replace it for free? I doubt it. The good news is I can report using the K-7 with DA* lenses multiple times in heavy rain and having them work just fine during and afterward. (It is annoying to wipe the front of the lens off, though )

09-20-2010, 11:00 AM	#164
Entropy Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Owego, NY Posts: 976	Originally posted by andi Yeah, it's really good. I love the custom NR per ISO setup, haven't seen this anywhere. You can set it to OFF for all the lower ISOs and gradually switch it on for the higher ones. Quite smart. Question is - can we kill auto-DFS? This goes along with, "Exactly what is this new Night HDR mode?" The K20D is useless for nighttime HDR due to forced auto-DFS, and the K-7 didn't improve on that flaw at all.

09-20-2010, 11:01 AM	#165
RBellavance Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Near Montréal, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,716	Originally posted by Kameraten The menus and the info screen is mainly good. The way AF points are selected is not. We're getting off-topic, but have you installed the firmware updates and set custom option 36. to "2. Select AF point preference" ? This makes the 4-way controller move the AF selection directly without needing to press "Ok" first. I don't see how that is different from the K10D & K20D. Anyway, such things are very subjective.