[Varash]

The fact that the K-5 doesn't have manual video controls is just heart-braking for me.

Before you start with the "you should have bought a Canon in the first place": I still use my camera primarily for photography, but ever since I bought the K-7 I've been more and more involved in film-making, and I am starting to get pretty serious about continuing in that direction. The problem is I am still a student and have invested all my money into K-mount lenses (doing most of my photography on the film Super-A body) and switching systems would cost way to much for my budget and I would end up with lenses not nearly as suited for movie work as the old manual focus lenses I own and love so much (which I would have to sell way below what they're worth for my work).

I've been saving for the successor to the K-7 for a half a year now, naturally expecting that it would have full manual video control.

It's probably the simplest and cheapest upgrade they could have made and it would have made a WORLD of difference to any potential buyers who use a lot of video.

I would gladly pay to upgrade from the K-7 even if the only thing new about the K-5 was manual video control. Every single competing DSLR, and even cameras half the price have this feature.

I really am truly gutted and sad. This could seriously impede my ability to advance in my new hobby/potential career choice and make things difficult for me.

Serves me right for expecting what is apparently too much.

I really don't know what to do now. Switch systems and spend the year saving up for and trying to build a similarly capable lens collection (which with canon's lens pricing/relatively new mount - remember, I don't need AF at all and am paying way more than I should - and my very limited budget is going to take me a year at least) or keep stagnating with the crippled K-7 (or upgrading to the equally crippled K-5) only to be potentially disappointed with Pentax making a fantastic camera which lacks one critical basic feature for the third time in a row?

Anyone else experiencing something similar?

[Eruditass]

Agreed:

-no turning off DFS
-no manual video
-no 24fps
-8 RAW buffer (if you can get more with 12-bit, then it's all good)
-no tethering
-single SD Slot

Kind of disheartening.

AF and 80 ISO is looking good though.

[Ex Finn.]

So is 999 shot interval without 3rd party stuff.

"Extended-exposure NR (Noise Reduction) function, with a choice of Auto, On and Off
modes". Had my hopes up.

[Arpe]

I imagine this would be an easy firmware tweak. What I also find disappointing is that the CS Lo setting is set to 2fps. Why can't we set it to whatever we want? I'd prefer CS Lo to be 5fps. I have no need for 8fps, but 2fps is way, way too slow. This, again, seems to be easily changed in firmware.

Can't remember reading anyone complaining about the slow option of 3fps on the K-7 can you? Why change it to 2? Seems too slow. Yes a choice would be great.

So Pentax launches a product with these two. Nikon launches their D7000 with Chase Jarvis having used the camera for months, shooting in the field, using it to create amazing images and video. Pentax has some great pros that use their gear, why not step up the efforts and let these folks help you with your launch. Sad sad sad.

Agree - I offered my services in the "Dear Pentax" thread but they just ignored me! Very strange

...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.

I agree that the AF button should fall more naturally to the thumb, it's a button that is continually pressed, as opposed to the green button which is occasionally pressed (well hardly ever pressed by me), where it is now is awkward.

[Arpe]

Are we going to have John C Pentax or whatever on here again to answer questions, as he did after K-7 announcement?

[Ex Finn.]

Different folks, different thumbs. I think the buttons are positioned well.

[phosphoro]

I don't think 24fps makes all that much of a difference. 30fps and 60fps are what's missing. And compression is not h.264, that's really a big letdown. Clearly not the video-friendly camera I was hoping for....

[ManuH]

-no turning off DFS
-no manual video
-no 24fps
-8 RAW buffer (if you can get more with 12-bit, then it's all good)
-no tethering
-single SD Slot

Kind of disheartening.

I agree, there are many things on this list that probably would be easy to implement in firmware (DFS, manual vid, 24fps).

No tethering is a serious miss for a camera at this level. Double SD slot is a nice to have but not a deal breaker IMHO.

For me the lack of articulated LCD was a bit disappointing but I kind of expect it because they reused the K-7 body.

[Arpe]

Auto-align HDR - cool. I never tried HDR as I never have my tripod with me and could neveer be bothered trying it in any software (plus the HDR pictures I had seen put me off it anyway). Hope this works.

[scole]

Agreed:

-no turning off DFS
-no manual video
-no 24fps
-8 RAW buffer (if you can get more with 12-bit, then it's all good)
-no tethering
-single SD Slot

Kind of disheartening.

AF and 80 ISO is looking good though.

Am I missing something? In the european press release it states:

Extended-exposure NR (Noise Reduction) function, with a choice of Auto, On and Off
modes

[phosphoro]

That's right this camera is up in the 7d and 300ds league not the 7000... the kr is actually more in the 7000 range just like the kx was in the 3100 and5000 range and the km was for 3000 and d60

imo, the d7000 is pretty much in the same league as the d300s.

[mickey]

Seems to me all been quiet from Japan. As if the K-5 was nothing. What are they waiting for. Not like the K-r it was spot on pressa thing from the release. But now no info. I guess the release today have a lot mixed specifications from different Pentax regional sites.

Somehow IMHO Pentax Japan (Hoya) have other things in mind.

Yeah, not sure what's going on.
Went to a large chain store recently, and there is already advertising for the new K-x, not including what's on its site.

Not a thing anywhere about the k-5.
Must be a reason for holding back on it in Japan...

[Alcazar]

Am I missing something? In the european press release it states:
Extended-exposure NR (Noise Reduction) function, with a choice of Auto, On and Off
modes

NR and DFS are two different things

[phosphoro]

The fact that the K-5 doesn't have manual video controls is just heart-braking for me.

Before you start with the "you should have bought a Canon in the first place": I still use my camera primarily for photography, but ever since I bought the K-7 I've been more and more involved in film-making, and I am starting to get pretty serious about continuing in that direction. The problem is I am still a student and have invested all my money into K-mount lenses (doing most of my photography on the film Super-A body) and switching systems would cost way to much for my budget and I would end up with lenses not nearly as suited for movie work as the old manual focus lenses I own and love so much (which I would have to sell way below what they're worth for my work).

I've been saving for the successor to the K-7 for a half a year now, naturally expecting that it would have full manual video control.

It's probably the simplest and cheapest upgrade they could have made and it would have made a WORLD of difference to any potential buyers who use a lot of video.

I would gladly pay to upgrade from the K-7 even if the only thing new about the K-5 was manual video control. Every single competing DSLR, and even cameras half the price have this feature.

I really am truly gutted and sad. This could seriously impede my ability to advance in my new hobby/potential career choice and make things difficult for me.

Serves me right for expecting what is apparently too much.

I really don't know what to do now. Switch systems and spend the year saving up for and trying to build a similarly capable lens collection (which with canon's lens pricing/relatively new mount - remember, I don't need AF at all and am paying way more than I should - and my very limited budget is going to take me a year at least) or keep stagnating with the crippled K-7 (or upgrading to the equally crippled K-5) only to be potentially disappointed with Pentax making a fantastic camera which lacks one critical basic feature for the third time in a row?

Anyone else experiencing something similar?

Similar... though I have some good (better, actually) Nikon lenses.... Not that Nikon made any effort to counter Canon's video specs with the d7000 though.

So now I'm thinking: "what if I buy Pentax to Canon and Nikon to Canon lens adaptors and just save up for a 5DMKII?" Most of my lenses are full frame anyway....

[RBellavance]

NR and DFS are two different things

In Pentax-speak, "long exposure NR" == DFS.