K-5 vs K-5 IIs is there an appreciable difference?

peterjcb · 11-12-2014, 04:51 PM

I'm sure that this has been discussed before but for those that have actually owned both....did you notice any real difference due to the lack of an AA filter on the K-5 IIs?
The reason I'm asking is that prices are dropping on the K-5 IIS and I'm considering picking one up....although we haven't gotten to the black friday deals yet so I'm still on the fence.
There may be some killer deals on the K-3 coming up that may be very tempting...

bsamcash · 11-12-2014, 04:53 PM

Not sure, but I think the big difference (at least for me) may be the autofocus, for which the difference is even more pronounced in the K-3.

rawr · 11-12-2014, 05:10 PM

The important K-5 vs K-5II differences were that K-5 II AF improved a few things (eg much better low-light metering), and solved a few annoying K-5 problems (eg front-focus under tungsten). Lack of a low-pass filter in the K-5IIs was just icing on the cake.

K-3 further improves on the K-5 II AF, and improves exposure metering too. K-3 dual card support and extra frames per second speed are also notable.

**jatrax** · 11-12-2014, 05:14 PM

There were improvements in quite a few areas but I think the consensus was that they were not enough to upgrade from k-5. K-3 has all the k-5IIs upgrades and much more.

At this point IMHO go with k-3 if possible.

**jva59** · 11-12-2014, 08:41 PM

I decided it was worth upgrading from the K 5 to the K 5 IIs. The improved auto focus, but above all the improvement in image quality attendant upon the removal of the anti-aliasing filter were my motives.

sbc · 11-12-2014, 09:23 PM

So far the lens release button has not dropped off my K-5IIs. For me that is good enough to upgrade.

kooks · 11-12-2014, 10:56 PM

The biggest differences will be when you use premium lenses, with normal kit or regular lenses you wont see that much.. but with premium the images will be sharper. Besides that the biggest improvement will be in AF, specially during low light.

K3 goes further.. dual card, even better AF, buttons changed, video features changed, resolution, etc...

If you can.. go for the K3..

**Digitalis** · 11-13-2014, 01:12 AM

If you are ever interested in doing Infrared photography the AA filter does interfere with IR light and causes astigmatism* towards the periphery of the frame with certain lenses.

* tested a DA15mm f/4 Limited with the Hoya R720nm filer, on the Pentax K5 and the Pentax K5IIs.

Apapukas · 11-13-2014, 03:10 AM

The back LCD screen is also upgraded. It is nice on K5II/s and just adorable on the K3.

kadajawi · 11-13-2014, 07:54 AM

Originally posted by kooks

The biggest differences will be when you use premium lenses, with normal kit or regular lenses you wont see that much.. but with premium the images will be sharper. Besides that the biggest improvement will be in AF, specially during low light.

K3 goes further.. dual card, even better AF, buttons changed, video features changed, resolution, etc...

If you can.. go for the K3..

The change in video functionality was mostly a negative one... it gives you more control now, but the picture quality is not as good, and you need more (expensive) gear to get decent video out of it (i.e. you need to stabilize the camera, whereas before the camera did that itself pretty well).

For me the K-5 IIs is the pinnacle of Pentax cameras, it is as good as it ever got, when considering both stills and video.

As long as all you're doing is stills though, the K-3 is a great camera, and might be more worth it, unless you are particularly unhappy with the K-5 AF and maybe the screen but want everything else to be pretty much the same.

Gray · 11-13-2014, 08:06 AM

The improved autofocus was enough to get me to switch.

Both my K-5 bodies suffered from "focus drift" when using fast lenses, so I sold them and bought two K-5II bodies (not 's' version). I can attest that the phase detect autofocus in the K-5II when using lenses f2 and faster (FA Ltds, FA 35/2 and FA 50/1.7 in my case) is a significant improvement over the K-5, not only in low light but in all situations. The K-5II live view CDAF produces similar results to the K-5. But I could not be happier with my upgrade to the K-5II, and I'm absolutely positive you will not be disappointed by the improved AF performance of the K-5IIs.

For more confirmation see these threads...

11-12-2014, 04:51 PM	#1
peterjcb Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Weddington, NC Posts: 468	K-5 vs K-5 IIs is there an appreciable difference? I'm sure that this has been discussed before but for those that have actually owned both....did you notice any real difference due to the lack of an AA filter on the K-5 IIs? The reason I'm asking is that prices are dropping on the K-5 IIS and I'm considering picking one up....although we haven't gotten to the black friday deals yet so I'm still on the fence. There may be some killer deals on the K-3 coming up that may be very tempting...

11-13-2014, 08:06 AM	#11
Gray Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cape Town Photos: Gallery Posts: 536	The improved autofocus was enough to get me to switch. Both my K-5 bodies suffered from "focus drift" when using fast lenses, so I sold them and bought two K-5II bodies (not 's' version). I can attest that the phase detect autofocus in the K-5II when using lenses f2 and faster (FA Ltds, FA 35/2 and FA 50/1.7 in my case) is a significant improvement over the K-5, not only in low light but in all situations. The K-5II live view CDAF produces similar results to the K-5. But I could not be happier with my upgrade to the K-5II, and I'm absolutely positive you will not be disappointed by the improved AF performance of the K-5IIs. For more confirmation see these threads... D@rn K-5, it was you!? K-5 IIs focus consistency vs K-5 K-5IIs AF - awesome results! Last edited by Gray; 11-13-2014 at 08:24 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Essentially Speaking - K-5 vs K-5 II, K-5 IIs	DavidSKAF3	Pentax DSLR Discussion	22	12-16-2013 05:06 PM
New Firmware for K-500, K-50, K-5 II, K-5 IIs, K-5, K-30, K-01, K-r, and 645D is out	Adam	Pentax News and Rumors	60	09-16-2013 05:46 AM
New Firmware For K-01, K-30, K-5, K-5 II, K-5 IIs, K-r	Adam	Pentax News and Rumors	63	02-18-2013 02:04 PM
K-5 ii vs K-5 iis comparison with higher sharpness in K-5 ii	kataria0	Pentax K-5 & K-5 II	62	12-22-2012 10:12 PM
K-5 IIs vs K-5 II - can you tell the difference?	JohnBee	Pentax K-5 & K-5 II	85	11-19-2012 10:48 PM

11-12-2014, 04:53 PM	#2
bsamcash Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Cupertino, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 391	Not sure, but I think the big difference (at least for me) may be the autofocus, for which the difference is even more pronounced in the K-3.

11-12-2014, 05:10 PM	#3
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	The important K-5 vs K-5II differences were that K-5 II AF improved a few things (eg much better low-light metering), and solved a few annoying K-5 problems (eg front-focus under tungsten). Lack of a low-pass filter in the K-5IIs was just icing on the cake. K-3 further improves on the K-5 II AF, and improves exposure metering too. K-3 dual card support and extra frames per second speed are also notable.

11-12-2014, 05:14 PM	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	There were improvements in quite a few areas but I think the consensus was that they were not enough to upgrade from k-5. K-3 has all the k-5IIs upgrades and much more. At this point IMHO go with k-3 if possible.

11-12-2014, 08:41 PM	#5
jva59 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,409	I decided it was worth upgrading from the K 5 to the K 5 IIs. The improved auto focus, but above all the improvement in image quality attendant upon the removal of the anti-aliasing filter were my motives.

11-12-2014, 09:23 PM	#6
sbc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Photos: Albums Posts: 357	So far the lens release button has not dropped off my K-5IIs. For me that is good enough to upgrade.

11-12-2014, 10:56 PM	#7
kooks Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San José, Costa Rica Photos: Albums Posts: 794	The biggest differences will be when you use premium lenses, with normal kit or regular lenses you wont see that much.. but with premium the images will be sharper. Besides that the biggest improvement will be in AF, specially during low light. K3 goes further.. dual card, even better AF, buttons changed, video features changed, resolution, etc... If you can.. go for the K3..

11-13-2014, 01:12 AM	#8
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	If you are ever interested in doing Infrared photography the AA filter does interfere with IR light and causes astigmatism* towards the periphery of the frame with certain lenses. * tested a DA15mm f/4 Limited with the Hoya R720nm filer, on the Pentax K5 and the Pentax K5IIs.

11-13-2014, 03:10 AM	#9
Apapukas Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Lietuva, Vilnius Posts: 627	The back LCD screen is also upgraded. It is nice on K5II/s and just adorable on the K3.

11-13-2014, 07:54 AM	#10
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Originally posted by kooks The biggest differences will be when you use premium lenses, with normal kit or regular lenses you wont see that much.. but with premium the images will be sharper. Besides that the biggest improvement will be in AF, specially during low light. K3 goes further.. dual card, even better AF, buttons changed, video features changed, resolution, etc... If you can.. go for the K3.. The change in video functionality was mostly a negative one... it gives you more control now, but the picture quality is not as good, and you need more (expensive) gear to get decent video out of it (i.e. you need to stabilize the camera, whereas before the camera did that itself pretty well). For me the K-5 IIs is the pinnacle of Pentax cameras, it is as good as it ever got, when considering both stills and video. As long as all you're doing is stills though, the K-3 is a great camera, and might be more worth it, unless you are particularly unhappy with the K-5 AF and maybe the screen but want everything else to be pretty much the same.