[jbuck92]

I’m looking to upgrade from my K-r that I got about 6.5 years ago. My wife and I will be having a baby soon and I want something newer with better image quality and much better low light performance.

I’ve been completely out of the loop when it comes to Pentax bodies over the last 4ish years, so I’ve been trying to get caught up.

I will mostly be using the camera for newborn photography/family pictures/maternity pictures of my wife and outdoor pictures when we’re out and about. My primary needs are:

-Low light/high ISO capabilities. I much prefer natural lighting and won’t be using an external flash since it’s a newborn. As our kid gets older I’ll use a flash seldom, as I still prefer natural light when possible.
-Good image quality for general family pictures to hang on our wall and put in a printed album.
-Accurate, quick AF. I don’t plan on using MF much at all, especially as the little one gets more mobile around the house.
-Ideally something lighterweight would be ideal, but not too high on the totem pole.

My budget is in the $600-800 range for the body and I’m not opposed to buying 2nd hand through the PF Marketplace. Is the KP doable with that budget?

My kit right now is a K-r, Tamron 17-50/2.8 and the beginner kit lenses. I’m looking around at a nice prime at either 35, 40 or 50 as well, but haven’t settled on one yet. Eventually I’d like to add the DA* 50-135 for great longer distance, candid shots when we’re out, but that’s not too high on the list right now either.

Let the suggestions fly!

[Wild Mark]

The KP sounds right for you. I say this because:

1) none of your primary needs mention GPS related needs
2) plenty of primary needs that might require the occasional use of an onboard flash
3) Smaller lighter camera
4) Still available new with manufacturer warranty - K3ii is now out of production
5) Can be bought relatively cheap and almost in your price range

[Qman]

... and the KP has much better low light performance than the K3ii.
You could also consider the K-70, which is slightly behind the KP but miles ahead of your current camera. It also costs less so you'd have more money for a lens.

[jbuck92]

Good to know thank you. Any quirks about the KP I should take into account?

[ZombieArmy]

Good to know thank you. Any quirks about the KP I should take into account?

Smaller battery and shallow grip compared to something like the K-5/K-3 line is the main thing. If autofocus speed and low light performance are key points for you though the KP is basically unbeatable.
Even the K-5 series of cameras do low light better than the K-3.

Also AFC is pretty excellent on the KP, better than any other Pentax camera to date which is a huge leap forward. I'm able to track subjects with very few missed frames, and the burst speed is quite good too.

[jbuck92]

Awesome. From a price standpoint, is the KP worth the extra spend, or can the k5ii or a k70 serve the same purpose?

[ZombieArmy]

Awesome. From a price standpoint, is the KP worth the extra spend, or can the k5ii or a k70 serve the same purpose?

If autofocus and ISO above 6400 is important then yes the KP is absolutely worth the money.


K-5II has excellent dynamic range and an extremely rugged build, but poor AF performance and lower resolution.

The K70 has great ISO performance but weaker build quality and the autofocus isn't the updated KP autofocus. Has a flippy screen though. Image quality is up there with the KP as well.

Edit: Another thing to note is the ISO performance seems to follow into the KP's video mode, probably making it the best video mode on any pentax camera if that matters to you.

[jbuck92]

Seems like the KP is the way to go then. Definitely want the better AF performance.

I've been burned with my K-r AF performance, so ready to get something better.

[ZombieArmy]

Seems like the KP is the way to go then. Definitely want the better AF performance.

I've been burned with my K-r AF performance, so ready to get something better.

Just to be clear though, pretty much any camera mentioned will beat the KR in any category.

[jbuck92]

Good point. I can probably get away with shooting 3200-6400 ISO max in the vaat majority of situations, and any noise at those levels I should be able to clean up fine in PP if I really needed to.

Maybe I'll wait on a final decision and see what kind of deals are hanging around on the K70 and KP when I'm ready to buy then.

[Thagomizer]

Here are links to some previous posts of KP results I've had including some higher ISO, existing light, infant shots.(Pardon the overlap). Lens selection will make a difference too, of course.

Post Your Best KP Shots - Page 54 - PentaxForums.com

The Bokeh Club - Page 914 - PentaxForums.com

[jbuck92]

Your first link with the 50mm macro is actually a couple pictures that made me start looking at the KP a bit more seriously and made me start this thread! Great shots and really shows what it's capable of.

[Thagomizer]

Your first link with the 50mm macro is actually a couple pictures that made me start looking at the KP a bit more seriously and made me start this thread! Great shots and really shows what it's capable of.

Thanks! Glad you like them. Still learning.

[cport]

definitely KP - better IQ, better AF, better IS

[Adam]

I’m looking to upgrade from my K-r that I got about 6.5 years ago. My wife and I will be having a baby soon and I want something newer with better image quality and much better low light performance.

I’ve been completely out of the loop when it comes to Pentax bodies over the last 4ish years, so I’ve been trying to get caught up.

I will mostly be using the camera for newborn photography/family pictures/maternity pictures of my wife and outdoor pictures when we’re out and about. My primary needs are:

-Low light/high ISO capabilities. I much prefer natural lighting and won’t be using an external flash since it’s a newborn. As our kid gets older I’ll use a flash seldom, as I still prefer natural light when possible.
-Good image quality for general family pictures to hang on our wall and put in a printed album.
-Accurate, quick AF. I don’t plan on using MF much at all, especially as the little one gets more mobile around the house.
-Ideally something lighterweight would be ideal, but not too high on the totem pole.

My budget is in the $600-800 range for the body and I’m not opposed to buying 2nd hand through the PF Marketplace. Is the KP doable with that budget?

My kit right now is a K-r, Tamron 17-50/2.8 and the beginner kit lenses. I’m looking around at a nice prime at either 35, 40 or 50 as well, but haven’t settled on one yet. Eventually I’d like to add the DA* 50-135 for great longer distance, candid shots when we’re out, but that’s not too high on the list right now either.

Let the suggestions fly!

I'd go KP. It's within your budget, new:

$796.79 @ Amazon
$796.95 @ B&H Photo
$796.95 @ Adorama

It has better image quality than the K-3 II, which seems to be your main priority, so I'd say it's a perfect fit.