[reh321]

I don't think planteater's point is that there is a "natural choice", but rather that the 18-135 would not be the "natural choice" to go out and shoot low-light photography.

Pretty much anything faster.

Yes, that has been conventional thinking. When someone posts a question at a forum like this asking "how do I take pictures at my daughter's / grand daughter's / son's / grand son's basketball game?", the advice invariably has been to buy a $$$$ constant f/2.8 {or even wider} telephoto lens ... and the person leaves somewhat less hopeful than s/he had come in.

As I have commented before, the pictures illustrating this year's "March Madness" Finals on MSNBC seemed to have unusual DOF, so I downloaded a couple of them. To my great joy, the EXIF was still there


F/6.3 {yes, the 18-135 can do that!}. I commented at the time that we may be going into a new era, where one medium-expensive camera provides "insanely high" ISO, instead of having a very expensive long lens providing "insanely wide constant aperture"; this is the same philosophy as using IBIS so each lens doesn't need its own Image Stabilization / Vibration Reduction. When I first saw K-70 specs - and the accompanying new 55-300mm PLM lens - my hopes were raised that Pentax is turning their APS-C product line to be more event / wildlife oriented, with the AF and high ISO needed. These images feed that hope. If I am right, now that the K-1 provides good solid service for landscape photography, a K-3ii followup will be announced around Photokina time, using technology which is being proved in the K-70.

In that view, the new 55-300 PLM lens might have been better for these tests, but the 18-135 is also very natural since it will be kitted with the K-70.

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Last edited by reh321; 07-20-2016 at 09:52 AM.

[planteater]

Imp said it better than I could. If twilight street photography were my thing I would be shopping for something faster than my 18-135 or my 15 ltd to partner my K30.
I know I could not get those shots with the K30 - lack of technique on my part is certainly a factor but it does look as though the K70 is squeezing every last ounce of performance from the lens. I wonder if the onboard correction alorithms have been enhanced using the 'accelerator' co-processor?

---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 10:07 AM ----------

.... one medium-expensive camera provides "insanely high" ISO, instead of having a very expensive long lens providing "insanely wide constant aperture"......

This is exactly what I'm looking for with the K-70 and subsequent models. I've a bunch of fairly slow lenses that I'm very comfortable using (15ltd,18-135, 100 macro, 55-300, sigma 150-500). To upgrade the glass would cost me thousands and add several Kg to my kit bag. Hopefully, I can get part way there with the K-70 for £560 and an extra 160g.

[Imp]

F/6.3 {yes, the 18-135 can do that!}. I commented at the time that we may be going into a new era, where one medium-expensive camera provides "insanely high" ISO, instead of having a very expensive long lens providing "insanely wide constant aperture"; this is the same philosophy as using IBIS so each lens doesn't need its own Image Stabilization / Vibration Reduction. When I first saw K-70 specs - and the accompanying new 55-300mm PLM lens - my hopes were raised that Pentax is turning their APS-C product line to be more event / wildlife oriented, with the AF and high ISO needed. These images feed that hope. If I am right, now that the K-1 provides good solid service for landscape photography, a K-3ii followup will be announced around Photokina time, using technology which is being proved in the K-70.

Exactly, well put. Crazy high-iso performance can open up a very new form of photography with slower lenses - the type Pentax enjoys making (slower but compact). I would love that.

However, in the excitement to make your point, I think you missed the fact that the DA 50 1.8 and DA 35 2.4 are very affordable, fast lenses that - if I had the 35, 50 and 18-135 - I would grab for night photography. Not all fast lenses are $$$$!

But again, your comparison of high-iso capability to IBIS, and its potential to be a game changer and economizer with lenses, is spot on.

[JPT]

Yaotomi has published part 2 of their report, with daytime photos using the DA 16-85.

?? ????? 2016 ? ?????? PENTAX K-70 ???????? - ????

[kwb]

Squirrel Mafia is absolutely right. All pictures are OOC jpg according to Yaotomi. The first report says this (my comments are in parenthes and in italic):

"Running up to the ground level from Hankyu Karasuma underground station, the west sky was showing some great colors as I expected! I hastily positioned myself to hold PENTAX K-70, and started live-view shooting using tiltable LCD.
I was determined to use only iso 1600 or higher and only OOC jpeg that day, and this picture (I guess he's talking about the first one at the top of that page) already made me feel confident."

Also in the second report about daylight pictures, he writes this:

"Colors of OOC JPEG was good (in his previous report of night pictures at Gion festival), so I'll show you something similar (i.e. OOC jpeg pictures) this time."

[Nicolas06]

You'll notice that only highlights and very contrasty texture without much detail look nice. The skin of the girl, the main subject... Is under exposed, with washed details and quite visible noise.

This may be better than what we are accustomed to see on a JPEG, but this doesn't look better than what you could have done for years with a K30 and a decent raw processing software.

[Eric Auer]

I believe the theory that we are entering the high ISO era is correct.

I have been very happy with the performance of my 18-55 WR (and other lenses) with my K-5 IIs at high ISO and feel comfortable knowing the K-70 will bring that to a whole new level.

Eric

[Nicolas06]

I believe the theory that we are entering the high ISO era is correct.

I have been very happy with the performance of my 18-55 WR (and other lenses) with my K-5 IIs at high ISO and feel comfortable knowing the K-70 will bring that to a whole new level.

Eric

Yep for Pentax the transition really came with K5 when we got cmos sensor.

[Eric Auer]

The high ISO should make the DA 17-70mm F4 a good option on a budget as well....

Eric

[GEKarcz]

Seems that the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art would pair quite well with the D-70, even if its range is relatively restricted (27-53mm in 35mm focal length) and it's not weather resistant.

[normhead]

My "natural choice" for low light high ISO exposures is my FA 50 ƒ1.7. The absolute high end after my DA 35 ƒ2.4 would be my 40XS ƒ2.8 Using higher than ƒ2.8 and claiming you need low light capability is a not, understandable. If you haven't bought in to low light capacity in lenses, you don't even know what your low light needs in a camera body are. I also have 70, 90 and 200 ƒ2.8 lenses. If you haven't some ƒ2.8 lenses, you're not even trying to do low light. And If you're serious about low light, or at least before I take you seriously, you'll have a nice collection of sub ƒ2 lenses. I only have one, but, I'm not a serious low light photographer. Just more serious than some people who claim to be, based on lenses purchased.

[Nicolas06]

The high ISO should make the DA 17-70mm F4 a good option on a budget as well....

Eric

When I brought K5 and 17-70 f/4 back in time the forums were all the rage that thanks to CMOS and K5 high iso performance that 17-70 f/4 was good enough. That was 4 years ago. And honestly it never was. Just taking indoor shots of not extreemly well lit interior was a receipe for disaster. Even with great post processing.

The latest APSC sensor are not that different. The jpeg processor improved but that about it.

I am confident that if you take that K1 with an f/2.8 lens or simply shoot at f/2 on that APSC, or if you take time to master flash photography the result will be quite different than if you are just lazy with that f/4 zoom in ambiant light even with that K70. And if you take time to shot and post process your raws, your result will also benefit.

Take a K5 instead of K70 and take a 17-50 f/2.8 + a cobra flash instead of that 17-70 and you'll open a whole new world that the latest marketing term promize but actually doesn't deliver. Hey this will be even cheaper.

[richandfleur]

We need high ISO ability for times when a flash is not suitable, or appropriate, and where you don't want the narrow depth of field that a wide aperture lens setting provides.

[reh321]

I am confident that if you take that K1 with an f/2.8 lens or simply shoot at f/2 on that APSC, or if you take time to master flash photography the result will be quite different than if you are just lazy with that f/4 zoom in ambiant light even with that K70. And if you take time to shot and post process your raws, your result will also benefit.

You are completely missing the point I have made multiple times.
There are people who are not lazy - they simply cannot justify spending $$$$ for a constant f/2.8 or f/2 lens they will rarely use.
There are people who are not lazy - they simply cannot justify spending time on PP.
These are the people who will benefit from the K-70 with high ISO.

[D1N0]

Im unable to understand japanese, can anybody say is they are SOOC images, or RAWs without noise reduction of with noise reduction reading the text?

The k-70 has a dedicated noise reduction processor reducing noise without destroying detail.