[bobik314]

Hello.

I sent my K-5 body to repair AF inaccuracy after fall and I don't know when it will be ready. I'm going to short but quite important trip at second half of July and I need reliable camera (working, good AF). Week ago friend told me about cool K-70 features but it's not sure where it will be available, especially in Poland.

At this moment I can buy K-S2 for a good price. The differences between K-S2 and K-70 are:
- K-70 has hybrid AF. Cool, but I think it need LV to use or maybe even special (PLM) lenses? I use 90% time limiteds and 5% of time sigma big telephoto with SDM.
- K-70 has 14 bit RAW. Read about it and looks difference is minimal - you can exctract only more details from some special situations. I'm taking mostly landscapes.
- 24MP vs 20MP is minimal difference
- K-S2 lack of antialiasing sensor filter? (I prefer without)
- K-70 has pixel shift and K-S2 doesn't? That feature is quite important to me.

Rest of features are not important to me.

Could you please confirm that K-S2 lacks of pixel shift and AA filter? And if you would like to upgrade to K-70 and why?

[D1N0]

Yes no pixel shift resolution mode in the KS-2. It does lack an AA filter because it has an aa-filter simulator mode. K-70 is more mp and PS-res and a better grip. Don't know in how far sensor pdaf works in live view shooting. The manual doesn't mention it but it also doesn't limit lenses that can be used. When the reason for screw drive AF not working in movie mode is noise, it probably works.

[smf]

Perhaps it would be workable for you to buy the K-S2 at a good price for use on your trip, decide whether it meets your long-term needs, and later sell it with relatively low shutter count if you decide to buy the other camera after your trip.
Best wishes.

[VoiceOfReason]

Going from a K5 I'd look for a K3II and get pixel shift, no AA filter, more AF points, dual card slots, built in astrotracer, a good build like you are used to with the K5, and have it now.

[rbelyell]

i have and love the ks2. i believe it is the smallest dslr in the pentax lineup, yet it is incredibly sturdy, well built and weatherrproof. i have had zero problems with af speed, though i do come from a manual focus rangefinder background. i had a 24 mp sony rx1, and i very much prefer the ks2 rendering--plenty of detail and resolution, even when doing lots of cropping. the grip is fabulous, and i personally love that the left side is kind of 'shaved off' leaving the ovf decidedly on the left side of the camera (vs the middle on most dslrs). means i dont have to smash my face against the camera back while composing.

[bobik314]

i have and love the ks2. i believe it is the smallest dslr in the pentax lineup, yet it is incredibly sturdy, well built and weatherrproof. i have had zero problems with af speed, though i do come from a manual focus rangefinder background. i had a 24 mp sony rx1, and i very much prefer the ks2 rendering--plenty of detail and resolution, even when doing lots of cropping. the grip is fabulous, and i personally love that the left side is kind of 'shaved off' leaving the ovf decidedly on the left side of the camera (vs the middle on most dslrs). means i dont have to smash my face against the camera back while composing.

I'm thinking about K-S2 because of affordable price at this moment. The only thing I'm missing is pixel shift technology, which could give me a lot of details. It would be better to buy it now and do some serious testing before trip, than buying at rush K-70.

[Ratcheteer]

Going from a K5 I'd look for a K3II and get pixel shift, no AA filter, more AF points, dual card slots,

I second the K-3II, dual card slots will save you from a lot of anguish the af points cover more of the frame and because its using the prime MIII processor it will be faster at everything (AF, memory card read and write, buffer performace) the K-70 is stuck with the older prime MII

[stevebrot]

K-70 is more mp and PS-res and a better grip.

I have not read any hands-on reviews of the K-70, but the photos appear to show a grip that is close to identical to that on the K-S2.

i believe it is the smallest dslr in the pentax lineup...the grip is fabulous

Yep, it is quite petite, though the K-70 has very similar size/weight. As you noted, most people tend to like the K-S2 grip, though to be fair, there are some some who say too small, too tight, too deep...

Going from a K5 I'd look for a K3II and get pixel shift, no AA filter, more AF points, dual card slots, built in astrotracer, a good build like you are used to with the K5, and have it now.

Ta! Da! If you need it now and don't need small/light or the articulating screen, the K-3II is a logical alternative choice.

FWIW, I may pick up a K-S2 as prices drop prior to the K-70 actually going on sale.


Steve

[D1N0]

but the photos appear to show a grip that is close to identical to that on the K-S2

Compare camera dimensions side by side clearly more rounded and ergonomicized I wonder where the extra weight comes from, Improved sr?

[stevebrot]

I wonder where the extra weight comes from

I wonder what what happened to the 22 grams that disappeared from the K-50...

BTW...camerasize.com got the weight for the K-70 wrong. The actual difference is 10 grams more than the K-S2, rather than the 150 grams stated.


Steve

[Adam]

Going from a K5 I'd look for a K3II and get pixel shift, no AA filter, more AF points, dual card slots, built in astrotracer, a good build like you are used to with the K5, and have it now.

I second this recommendation. Either the K-3 or K-3 II would be the natural upgrade path from the K-5.

The K-70 will most likely not be available until August. That said, it has a pretty nice feature set for the price!

[bobik314]

I got reply from service that k-5 should be repaired (FF/BF calibration), so that means I'd have still K-5 (as a "pro" camera).

Why I don't feel like upgrade to K-3 ? I feel there will be K-3 II successor soon, because there was a small change between K-3 and K-3II. I'd like to have articulated display and use LV with good AF more often, and check these all small software features. I found that it's possible I don't need "pro" camera on my hiking or cycling trips.

tl;dr If I get working K-5 from repair I'll wait for K-70 and take K-5 on trip. If not I'm buying K-S2 as an experiment. You will get my honest opinion later

[bobik314]

I bought K-S2 few days ago and tested it on a small bicycle trip.

I found that:
- ergonomics/grip is always problematic at the beginning, had same thing when changed from k100 to k5
- 4-way buttons are not easy to operate
- AF is better in K-S2 than in K5 IMHO
- SR is definitely better in K-S2
- display antireflex shielding is better in K-5
- build quality is good, much better than k100/k10
- it's a bit easier and faster to take photo, but shutter is louder
- burst speed is much slower. This camera is not intended for series shooting.

[reh321]

I bought K-S2 few days ago and tested it on a small bicycle trip.

I found that:
- ergonomics/grip is always problematic at the beginning, had same thing when changed from k100 to k5
- 4-way buttons are not easy to operate
- AF is better in K-S2 than in K5 IMHO
- SR is definitely better in K-S2
- display antireflex shielding is better in K-5
- build quality is good, much better than k100/k10
- it's a bit easier and faster to take photo, but shutter is louder
- burst speed is much slower. This camera is not intended for series shooting.

Most importantly, the K-S2 and K-70 are consumer-grade cameras. That would be OK if you're like me and put a consumer-like load on the camera {I typically increment the shutter count by less than 1K per year}, but not so much if you regularly increase the shutter count by 5K+ each year.

[bobik314]

I do about 5-10k per year and I'm not afraid of load. Camera is a tool, tools should be used and I'll buy a new one after that. K-S2 is lighter about 150-200g than K-5/K-3 which is useful on trips.