Upgraded from K-X to K-S2

concealer404 · 10-01-2015, 12:37 PM

Annnddd... have some questions and thoughts. This was my wife's camera. The K-X was trusty for YEARS, she loved it, but wear and tear were starting to show pretty good, compounded when the AF/MF selector broke.

I'll start with the thoughts:

1) Holy COW this thing is FAST focusing.
2) Flip out screen is great, she loves it
3) For being a "small" camera, it has a great and solid feel to it (I shoot a K-5, was expecting the K-S2 to feel a little flimsy.)
4) LOUD. Focusing is ridiculously loud, shutter is just as loud if not louder than the K-X was.

Questions:
1) Is everyone else finding theirs to be noisy?
2) If so, anything we can do about it? One of the things that made her originally want to upgrade a few months ago was how much quieter my K-5 is than the K-X was, so the noise of the K-S2 is a little disappointing at the moment.

Everything else seems to be a huge upgrade from the K-X, though, so she's very happy overall.

**mattb123** · 10-01-2015, 01:04 PM

The shutter is loud on mine too. I haven't compared directly but I thought it was similar to the K-x which I also consider loud.
The focus volume will depend a lot on your lens. If I use the 18-135 with the DC motor it is almost silent. With my Tamron 28-75 screw drive it's noisy. Most lenses fall somewhere in between.

concealer404 · 10-01-2015, 01:11 PM

Ok well just as long as this seems "normal" i think she can live with it. I'll ask her tonite if she can deal with it for another few years. It's just... holy cow loud compared to the K-5.

Focusing seems louder, i'm guessing partially because it's so much faster than the K-X. Easily 2-3x the speed. I should try some of her lenses on my K-5 and see what the noise is like. I use mostly manual lenses so noise isn't an issue for me.

We first noticed focus noise (and speed) on the DA 35mm "Plastic Fantastic." I would guess the DA 50mm she uses would also be about the same.

LightBug · 10-01-2015, 01:17 PM

I upgraded from K-30, the K-S2 shutter is better damped than that of K-30, so I don't feel as much shutter shock on K-S2.
I also had a K-5 for a while, and I agree its shutter sound is much quieter than that of the K-S2.

**mattb123** · 10-01-2015, 01:19 PM

And the K-3 is noticeably more quiet than the K-5 so when I got between the K-S2 and K-3 it is very noticeable! The K-3 shutter just makes a little swish.

concealer404 · 10-01-2015, 01:25 PM

The "Shutter Shock" is a good point. It's loud like the K-X, but you don't feel the whole camera in your hands going KER-CHUNK!

**THoog** · 10-01-2015, 03:36 PM

The "plastic" entry/mid-level bodies all have loud shutters compared to the "metal" K-7/5/3. The K-30 has been called the 'sonic boom' shutter. I've seen claims both ways - that the K-30/K-50/K-S2/K-S1 was louder or quieter than a person's previous K-x/K-r. It might vary body-by-body or just be a matter of perception. Last weekend, I took my K-x out to play after years with the K-30 or K-S1, and if anything, it seemed louder. Maybe the K-S2 will quieten down a little with use - it will never come close to the "Mercedes door dipped in butter" sound of the K-5.

10-01-2015, 12:37 PM	#1
concealer404 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 89	Upgraded from K-X to K-S2 Annnddd... have some questions and thoughts. This was my wife's camera. The K-X was trusty for YEARS, she loved it, but wear and tear were starting to show pretty good, compounded when the AF/MF selector broke. I'll start with the thoughts: 1) Holy COW this thing is FAST focusing. 2) Flip out screen is great, she loves it 3) For being a "small" camera, it has a great and solid feel to it (I shoot a K-5, was expecting the K-S2 to feel a little flimsy.) 4) LOUD. Focusing is ridiculously loud, shutter is just as loud if not louder than the K-X was. Questions: 1) Is everyone else finding theirs to be noisy? 2) If so, anything we can do about it? One of the things that made her originally want to upgrade a few months ago was how much quieter my K-5 is than the K-X was, so the noise of the K-S2 is a little disappointing at the moment. Everything else seems to be a huge upgrade from the K-X, though, so she's very happy overall.

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10-01-2015, 01:04 PM	#2
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	The shutter is loud on mine too. I haven't compared directly but I thought it was similar to the K-x which I also consider loud. The focus volume will depend a lot on your lens. If I use the 18-135 with the DC motor it is almost silent. With my Tamron 28-75 screw drive it's noisy. Most lenses fall somewhere in between.

10-01-2015, 01:11 PM	#3
concealer404 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 89 Original Poster	Ok well just as long as this seems "normal" i think she can live with it. I'll ask her tonite if she can deal with it for another few years. It's just... holy cow loud compared to the K-5. Focusing seems louder, i'm guessing partially because it's so much faster than the K-X. Easily 2-3x the speed. I should try some of her lenses on my K-5 and see what the noise is like. I use mostly manual lenses so noise isn't an issue for me. We first noticed focus noise (and speed) on the DA 35mm "Plastic Fantastic." I would guess the DA 50mm she uses would also be about the same.

10-01-2015, 01:17 PM	#4
LightBug Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: OC, CA, USA Posts: 506	I upgraded from K-30, the K-S2 shutter is better damped than that of K-30, so I don't feel as much shutter shock on K-S2. I also had a K-5 for a while, and I agree its shutter sound is much quieter than that of the K-S2.

10-01-2015, 01:19 PM	#5
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	And the K-3 is noticeably more quiet than the K-5 so when I got between the K-S2 and K-3 it is very noticeable! The K-3 shutter just makes a little swish.

10-01-2015, 01:25 PM	#6
concealer404 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 89 Original Poster	The "Shutter Shock" is a good point. It's loud like the K-X, but you don't feel the whole camera in your hands going KER-CHUNK!

10-01-2015, 03:36 PM	#7
THoog Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: North Carolina Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,685	The "plastic" entry/mid-level bodies all have loud shutters compared to the "metal" K-7/5/3. The K-30 has been called the 'sonic boom' shutter. I've seen claims both ways - that the K-30/K-50/K-S2/K-S1 was louder or quieter than a person's previous K-x/K-r. It might vary body-by-body or just be a matter of perception. Last weekend, I took my K-x out to play after years with the K-30 or K-S1, and if anything, it seemed louder. Maybe the K-S2 will quieten down a little with use - it will never come close to the "Mercedes door dipped in butter" sound of the K-5.