[Deepbyrne]

Hello everyone,

Very exciting times, just about to purchase my first DSLR, a K-5 + the 18mm-135mm Pentax lens (I chose this one as my general walk around lens as I feel it will cover all my bases for now).

I've been perusing through the forums over the last few weeks and I have some beginners questions (Couldn't really find what I needed in other threads and I thought it would be a good excuse for a first post):

• Memory card wise, what is the difference between a 30mb/s card and a 95mb/s card? I'll only occasional be doing some video recording (Which will be in 1080) - Is the extra transfer rate required? Or will I survive with 30mb/s cards. From what I gather, the only difference I'll notice is when transferring files to the PC.

• I've seen a few people recommending to get the Pentax Battery Grip, beside being able to store an additional battery, what other benefits does this give?

Down the track I look to extend my lens kit with something more wide (I'm travelling overseas and want to capture some nice landscapes). and I'll also look into getting a prime (I've heard many good things about the Pentax 'Pancake' 40mm f/2.8).


Thanks for the help!!! (Everyone in this community seems so helpful and friendly)

[Adam]

I've seen a few people recommending to get the Pentax Battery Grip, beside being able to store an additional battery, what other benefits does this give?

It makes the camera much easier to hold, both for horizontals and verticals. Plus, the battery is connected to the camera, so you have twice the power. You can also store an extra SD card in there- I often forget my SD card in my computer and so the one in the grip has saved the day on more than one occasion

[Ex Finn.]

've seen a few people recommending to get the Pentax Battery Grip, beside being able to store an additional battery, what other benefits does this give?

It matches the weather-sealing and the build quality of the camera.

[VisualDarkness]

Get a fast card (class10), die a little everytime I have to transfer files from my slow ones to the computer. Also if you ever have to take multiple shots in a quick sequence with a slow card you will have to wait for it to save them before the camera functions are fully accessible. A half locked aup camera for seconds isn't a fun thing, especially if you shoot sports like me. A memory card is a pretty cheap investment for the future.

[interested_observer]

• I've seen a few people recommending to get the Pentax Battery Grip, beside being able to store an additional battery, what other benefits does this give?

To many of us, the battery grip is a personal preference. I would suggest waiting until you have the camera to see how it feels to you. If it feels too small or too light, then the battery grip. If it feels just fine, then you may not feel the need for one.

SD cards class 10 you can find on line pretty cheap 4GB Class 10 go for $6 to $35 - You can get a good one to start off for $10 to $15 easily.

Also, order a K5 2 year extended warranty (total 3 years) for $20. Cheap insurance + they offer a free cleaning and tuneup.

• Pentax Two-Year Extended Warranty for the K5 and KR 80227 B&H

[adpo]

since the k-5 can only handle class 10 read/write speed, you are correct in thinking that anything over a 30mbps card will only be noticeable when transferring files to your computer.

[sterretje]

Handling is a personal preference; I use the K5 without a grip. The argument of extra battery in the grip counts a little (in my opinion) as you can also carry an extra battery in your camera bag. Same applies for extra memory card that can be stored in your camera bag.

With regards to memory cards:
Buy them from a reliable source; there are plenty counterfeit ones around. Also, rather buy two smaller ones instead of one bigger one. If the big one fails, it's the end of your shooting. If you have two cards, just use the other card and when you come home you can try to recover from the first one. It has saved my holiday photos once.

[JimD]

The battery grip is very much a personal thing. Try the camera first before you decide. For me, it makes a great camera bigger, heavier and clumsy. I'm 6'-2", 18st, ex rugby player with not too nimble fingers and find the K5 big after my MX's.

I carry a couple of extra, third party, batteries around in my bag or pocket for a fraction of the price of a grip.

I've also got a couple of 8GB and 16GB class 10 cards in a small hard case. Good makes such as Transcend, Lexar, Scandisk, etc are all quite cheap from Amazon.

[wasser]

• Memory card wise, what is the difference between a 30mb/s card and a 95mb/s card? I'll only occasional be doing some video recording (Which will be in 1080) - Is the extra transfer rate required? Or will I survive with 30mb/s cards. From what I gather, the only difference I'll notice is when transferring files to the PC.

It's pretty much all about transferring files. Some are bothered by the time it takes to transfer, but I just set it up and walk away so SD card to PC transfer speeds don't matter to me really.

And I have both Class 6 and Class 10 cards for my K-5. I can't say I could even tell a difference. I did a completely unscientific test by placing both in and using the high-speed shutter. I've no idea how many frames I took before I chose to stop on each, but it was way more frames than I'd ever likely take and there was no difference at all.

[r_duff]

card speed really doesnt matter too much unless you're shooting video. you camera will always write to the buffer first, the process them onto the card to clear the buffer. It would only be an issue if you're shooting 40 frame bursts consecutively... on a slower card, you're 2nd burst will have to wait a little longer, or you'll get fewer frames. For practical purposes, and class 6 is just fine. THe other side of things is getting the data OFF the card and onto your hard disk.. this is where a faster read speed matters, but it also depends on your card reader's speed.

[TER-OR]

I don't have a battery grip and have been satisfied with the existing battery's life. I charge very infrequently. I do have a second battery which I have never used. I suppose I should use it to see if it's OK...

That said, if I were going into the mountains or on a week-long trek, I'd probably rent a battery grip. The K-5 is so compact, and so is the 18-135 I really enjoy the small size.

[Deepbyrne]

Awesome replies everyone, very informative!

I have another question regarding brand new cameras - I have seen some people mentioning different tests you can do when you get your camera, just to make sure you do not have any factory defects/faults - Can anyone give me any pointers on this?

Thanks!

[crewl1]

Take a shot and upload it to myshuttercount.com to see that the camera has a low shutter count which would tell you it was not a customer return..
Otherwise most issues from the early batches of K-5s are fixed.
Check the serial number database to see how your serial number compares and perhaps see what were the previous issues on old serial numbers.

[wasser]

Awesome replies everyone, very informative!

I have another question regarding brand new cameras - I have seen some people mentioning different tests you can do when you get your camera, just to make sure you do not have any factory defects/faults - Can anyone give me any pointers on this?

Thanks!

I've never done anything specific. I just take it out and shoot. Over the course of learning the menu and using the different functions I figure I should come across any existing faults. Of course, this is after upgrading the firmware.