[Catherine]

So I need to replace my K5IIs and have a few options - need your help!
I could find a K5IIs and do a straight replacement.
Or, I could go for a K3 (I want an onboard flash), KS2, or a mirrorless camera from Pentax or someone else.

Questions:

- first, is there a mirrorless option that meets the quality of the K5IIs anywhere?

- aside from the slightly weaker flash, lower fps and shorter battery life, would you say that the KS2 is an upgrade from the K5IIs?

- If I could have all the function that I had, with a lighter weight camera, that would be awesome.

I'd very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

Catherine

[jatrax]

I went from a k-5IIs to the k-3 and have been very happy. I shoot with both now, the k-5IIs is my backup body. The k-3 is a superb camera but if you are looking for lighter weight that is not the way to go.

The KS2 might be an option it is about the same weight as the k-5IIs and has a newer, 20MP sensor. It seems to get very good reviews but I've never seen one so cannot speak from experience. It is however part of the 'consumer' line using the LI109 battery rather than the 'prosumer' line the k-5 and k-3 are in using the LI190 battery.

[VoiceOfReason]

The K3 is slightly bigger than the K5, but the image quality is awesome. If feels like they got some fo the stuff that was wrong with the K5 fixed on the K3.

[C_Jones]

The K-3 weighs 1.76 pounds, the K5IIS weighs 1.68 pounds. That is a difference of .08 pounds, which is a relatively small amount of weight. The KS2 does not have an LCD screen on the top as the K5 and K3 series cameras do. If you want to see what you are doing as far as settings in a timely way, you will most likely want the LCD screen there. I know you mentioned that you want the built in flash, but the K3II may be the best option if you change your mind.

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Last edited by C_Jones; 08-15-2015 at 11:34 AM.

[Adam]

I would go with the K-3, unless you're particularly interested in the K-S2's Wi-Fi. The K-S2 would be a downgrade in terms of handling and about the same from an image quality stand point (more resolution, a little less dynamic range).

Pentax K-3 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[Catherine]

so - any thoughts on mirrorless cameras?

[btnapa]

So I need to replace my K5IIs and have a few options - need your help!
I could find a K5IIs and do a straight replacement.
Or, I could go for a K3 (I want an onboard flash), KS2, or a mirrorless camera from Pentax or someone else.

Questions:

- first, is there a mirrorless option that meets the quality of the K5IIs anywhere?

- aside from the slightly weaker flash, lower fps and shorter battery life, would you say that the KS2 is an upgrade from the K5IIs?

- If I could have all the function that I had, with a lighter weight camera, that would be awesome.

I'd very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

Catherine

Having owned the k5IIs and upgraded to K3, on paper the k3 is the better camera. However, in practice, I can't say the difference is dramatic. I am still not thrilled with the autofocus of the K3. I shoot for assignment work occasionally so quality (read resolution) is on top of my list. But again having used images from k5IIs and the K3, in my book both delivered "sellable" results.

As far as the kS-2, you gain articulating screen and wifi which are the two biggies. I have not seen side by side comparisons of the three camera images. I doubt the differences are going to be dramatic. I also briefly owned and then sold a k500 which drove me nuts with its amateurish feature set. The three cameras you are considering from Pentax line up are going to be similar in image quality. Thanks to Sony sensors and Pentax engineering. The biggest drawback of all the three cameras I have owned (k5IIs, K3 and the K500) was the focusing system. They are not good for tracking moving object. I tried to photography my little niece and nephew and the camera drove me nuts trying to get focus with my FA Limited lenses. I managed to get some shots using all my photo tricks in the bag to not feel embarrassed in front of family. After all I am the "pro."

When my brother-in-law asked me for recommendation for a camera to photograph his kids, knowing what I knew of the style shooting he is going to face,I could not in all honesty recommend any of the Pentaxes. I had recently tried a Sony A6000 and a A5100. I took a leap of faith and suggested the A5100. It has touch screen and autofocus for video. His wife is the one using the camera almost 95% of the time. The images she gets from the kids make me want to go get one myself... Perhaps the more pro oriented model which is the A6000. They are not DSLR cameras like the Pentaxes. Do they deliver excellent images? Oh yes.

Being a die hard Pentaxian, I feel funny recommending another camera or brand. But let's face it, there are tons of capable cameras out there. I think you need to decide what feature set would make your life easier. Hope my comments were of help to you.

[Conqueror]

I went from a k-5IIs to the k-3 and have been very happy. I shoot with both now, the k-5IIs is my backup body. The k-3 is a superb camera but if you are looking for lighter weight that is not the way to go.

How did the improvement manifest... is the IQ noticeably better in your view? Is it obvious? (just curious)

[Na Horuk]

Seems like you already did research. Maybe you can go to a store and try holding the cameras in your hands? See if the K-S2 or K-3 fits better?

About mirrorless, I think Pentax isn't really making any in the near future, so the K-01 is your only native K-mount option. It has the same 16MP sensor as k-5, but no AA filter (like the K-5IIs). Still it has a lower bit depth. In general, the K-01 is not as fast or robust as the K-5, but its smaller, more compact. Its old tech, though.
So for mirrorless you might want to look at Sony A7, with a K-mount adapter. I know a couple PF users have those Sony cameras and they seem to be quite good. But they have some quirks.. One of those smaller Sony cameras might be an okay compromise, like the a6000 or nex. I can't say I know much about the current Sony lineup, because they seem to release a camera a day, with names made by a random number generator.

[jatrax]

How did the improvement manifest... is the IQ noticeably better in your view? Is it obvious? (just curious)

1) The larger image allows more cropping and still provides the 12 - 14 MB deliverable I need for work. It also allows a little more DOF as you can shoot wider and crop in.
2) AF is head and shoulders above the k-5 and k-5IIs I had/have. I used to take three shots of the subject with the k-5 to make sure I had one in focus. Followed that practice on the k-3 until I realized I had NO shots out of focus. It just does not miss.
3) Images (properly developed) are noticeably better with the k-3. I shoot side by side with k-5IIs and k-3, usually one with the DA*16-50 and the other with the DA*60-250 and after the RAW's are developed the k-3 images are easy to spot, by me. But I will say the difference is subtle and not dramatic. And if you use the same presets as you used on the k-5 you will actually be disappointed by the k-3. It is a different sensor and requires different processing. For example I never went over +15 on clarity with k-5 images. But +25 or even +40 is OK on the k-3, there just seems to be more 'headroom' in the RAW for doing things without the image falling apart. IMHO image quality is better but not enough so to justify an upgrade.
4) Camera is faster, more responsive all around. Just more pleasant to use.

[UncleVanya]

Does the ability to optically trigger and control an off camera p-ttl flash make your short list of required features? If so then the ks2 isn't for you.

[C_Jones]

so - any thoughts on mirrorless cameras?

The choices of the K3, K3II, and the Full Frame which is to be released soon may not require the need for you to resort to a mirrorless camera in an other brand. The quality of the images and the performance of those 3 may prove to be worthy of your choice without you having to resort to the mirrorless feature. Of course it is up to you, and to upgrade from a K5IIS which I have also, takes an excellent performer. If I were you I would stick with Pentax, and if a worthy mirrorless Pentax camera body comes out that appeals to you in the future, you can weigh its possibilities with your K Mount lenses and/or other accessories that you may already have.

[mike.hiran]

If you take a lot of photos of small children or pets, or if you do a lot of macro shooting, the twisting screen on the ks2 is very attractive. Even if you want to be a bit more covert in your shooting, that twisty screen is a great tool. But the shutter is louder so that may be an issue. I suppose another thing is the lack of an option of a grip on the ks2... eventually if the price comes down a bit on the ks2, I'll probably end up w/ one of these to go along w/ my k3 and k5iis. The great thing is that the ks2 retains the low light focusing ability of the k5ii where it can go down to -3EV.

In terms of mirrorless, seems like Fuji does pretty well, but their lenses are expensive and large which nullifies a bit of their advantage in a smaller body size. The Sony a6000 gets a lot of good reviews as does the new Samsung flagship. But the build quality of the Pentax bodies along w/ their affordable weather resistant lenses is a good value proposition.

What happened to your k5iis?

[cmar]

If I wanted to go outside of Pentax and mirrorles I would seriously consider the Olympus OMD series. They may be MFT but the image quality is superb, they are well priced, the lenses are well priced, the bodies are metal and weather sealed like the upmarket Pentax bodies, and you can also use any of the other MFT lenses for example from Panasonic or your K mount lenseswith an adaptor.

[Clarkey]

So I need to replace my K5IIs and have a few options - need your help!
I could find a K5IIs and do a straight replacement.
Or, I could go for a K3 (I want an onboard flash), KS2, or a mirrorless camera from Pentax or someone else.

Questions:

- first, is there a mirrorless option that meets the quality of the K5IIs anywhere?

- aside from the slightly weaker flash, lower fps and shorter battery life, would you say that the KS2 is an upgrade from the K5IIs?

- If I could have all the function that I had, with a lighter weight camera, that would be awesome.

I'd very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

Catherine

When you say quality, are you talking picture quality, build quality (including sealing), or quality of features? are you shooting with zooms or prime lenses, and is flash important? are you heavily invested in Pentax lenses? Daylight shooting?

I have the k-5iis, Fuji XE1 and a Ricoh GR.
I would not go for the k-s2, build seems much cheaper than what you have, and shutter is noisy, also.

I enjoy shooting with the Fuji for image quality, and primes that I use which are similar size to the Pentax limited glass. I have come to like evf for mostly static shooting I do. I don't like battery life, build quality (although good enough), and feature set. No SR in-body is also a negative. I have replaced all my primes with Fuji glass, and enjoy the lenses.
I feel the Fuji body is too small for telephoto lenses. The flash x-sync is also low.
The k-3 is nice, but slightly bigger and heavier than the k-5iis. I personally find it too big, especially with a zoom on. The AF is slightly better than the K-5iis, which IMO is much better than the k-5.

I would seriously consider an Olympus for daylight and mid-ISO work and for wet weather. Sony a6000 is a good cam for the money. k-5iis replacement is also a good option. I you can live with a wide only, the GR is awesome. The Panasonic gh-4 or g7 may also be worth a look.