[Arbalist]

I bought my K5 not long after they came out and have been happy with it apart from perhaps the inclusion of an AA filter which I think at times affects the sharpness. I now feel the need to upgrade but Pentax don’t seem to have any intention of introducing anything new so that leaves me with the existing line of cameras. I don’t much like the look of the KP and it gets quite a bit of criticism over the dials and grip. This leaves the K70. Is it a decent upgrade from a K5 and am I likely to notice the difference in quality. Am I right in thinking the K70 doesn’t have an AA filter? Given the way camera prices have been going lately I think it’s quite possible anything new to replace the K3ii may be over budget anyway.

[aslyfox]

have you looked at the K 3 or K 3 II?



Pentax K-5 vs. Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax K-70 - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com

[Arbalist]

have you looked at the K 3 or K 3 II?



Pentax K-5 vs. Pentax K-3 vs. Pentax K-3 II vs. Pentax K-70 - Pentax Camera Comparison - PentaxForums.com

I’d rather buy new to be honest. I’m also lead to believe the low light capabilities of the K3 aren’t as good as the K5 is this correct?

[aslyfox]

I’d rather buy new to be honest. I’m also lead to believe the low light capabilities of the K3 aren’t as good as the K5 is this correct?

I suggest you look at the " User " and " In Depth " reviews

Pentax K-70 - Pentax K-mount DSLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

Pentax K-70 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

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Pentax K-3 II - Pentax K-mount DSLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

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

_____________________________________________

Pentax K-3 - Pentax K-mount DSLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications

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

____________________________________________________________

//www.pentaxforums.com/camerareviews/pentax-k-5.html


Pentax K-5 Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

all of which can be found under " cameras "

[cport]

I bought my K5 not long after they came out and have been happy with it apart from perhaps the inclusion of an AA filter which I think at times affects the sharpness. I now feel the need to upgrade but Pentax don’t seem to have any intention of introducing anything new so that leaves me with the existing line of cameras. I don’t much like the look of the KP and it gets quite a bit of criticism over the dials and grip. This leaves the K70. Is it a decent upgrade from a K5 and am I likely to notice the difference in quality. Am I right in thinking the K70 doesn’t have an AA filter? Given the way camera prices have been going lately I think it’s quite possible anything new to replace the K3ii may be over budget anyway.

Yes, apart from shorter battery life and the top display, K-70 is a very good upgrade of K-5 in almost every aspect.

But KP is even better. I did not like the KP's design either, handling is different, but very good, holding is much like holding any MLC. It may take some time, but the KP's ergonomics is amazing - much better than any MLC.

[microlight]

Arbalist, don’t believe everything that you read about the capabilities of the K-3/II. If you post-process raws then in the real world you are unlikely to see a negative difference regarding low light/noise - I didn’t. But to answer your question: it depends what you’d be happy with. You lose the rugged construction of the flagship line, but gain in image quality.

[aslyfox]

as suggested, what gear is good for you is only decided by you ( and possibly as in my case, what my spouse allows me to spend )

many factors can be involved -

I am lucky enough to live in an area of the world where the forum's market place is very active and " experienced " equipment available. others do not live in such areas, so I can look at good opportunities for " experienced " gear.

I realize that good photography depends on combinations of experience, skill, knowledge, equipment and yes to a degree luck, being in the right place at the right time.

what is it that you want to get from photography ?

what equipment allows you to reach those goals - for example, if macro photography is my only desire, than certain equipment makes no sense to ???


you see what I am suggesting I hope

you are doing what I would do in your shoes, do your research, ask your questions, gather advice.


good luck

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Last edited by aslyfox; 03-08-2019 at 05:49 AM.

[MrB1]

This is probably mostly a matter of personal preference. I would suggest that you study the comparisons linked in previous posts, to see if there are any features in your K-5 and the K-3 that you would seriously miss if you bought the K-70. My own experience is of moving from K-5IIs to K-3 to K-70 and I am pleased with them all. However, since buying the latter I have hardly used the other two, as the K-70 does all I want very well and I find it even more of a real pleasure to use.

Philip

[Kevin B123]

The capability of mid range bodies has risen quite a bit and I think the K-70 will be an upgrade.
You will lose the top screen and magnesium body in favour of a polycarbonate one. You will also lose size and weight but retain an good grip I believe.

If I were you, I would consider the drive modes that I had used and intend to use and compare those to what is available on the K-70. Somewhere on here is a link to user manuals so you can review that in depth before making a decision.

The only slight negative I see for you is that the shutter sound on mid level bodies tends to be a little louder that flagship bodies, I'll bet there is a youtube vid on that somewhere too.

The K-70 has been extremely good value at sale prices, and with Easter coming up they may be again. (There is no AA filter on the K-70).

Happy hunting.

[aslyfox]

I believe there are links to manuals in the user reviews links earlier posted

[normhead]

In answer to the question, the K-P is a capable upgrade to a K-5.

Pixel shift and improved low light performance being the big issues.
The only current issue is do you want to go for a K-P?

After that it's binary decision, K-P or K-70.
It's unlikely you'll be disappointed with either, coming from a K-5.

[mconwxdr]

I've been considering the same upgrade, but I keep coming back to the same thing...do I really need 24 MP? If that's important enough to you to upgrade, then carry on.


But for me the very high battery life of the K5, it's rugged body, and the somewhat lower noise in the ISO 800-3200 range compared to the K3 series, has kept me from upgrading so far (the K-70 noise control seems really good, though). The tilting screen, focus peaking, better AF, 4K timelapse, and IR night vision of the K-70 would be really nice, but I don't think I'd use those things enough to make the switch worth it yet.


Regarding the AA filter, I actually prefer images with it.....false color from moire is rampant in samples I see from the non-AA filter Bayer sensors in the types of shots I take. Take a peek at the RAW image comparisons on dpreview.com to see what I mean. I have trouble removing it in post in those samples. Not sure if the K-70 has the AA-filter simulator or how well it works. I remember reading somewhat that there's a false-color correction that can be made to RAW files, but it sounds like it just desaturates the areas, which can cause unintended issues.


Bottom line....the K5 is a tank and a beautiful, underappreciated DSLR. It's hard for me to let it go!

[Adam]

Not sure if the K-70 has the AA-filter simulator or how well it works. I remember reading somewhat that there's a false-color correction that can be made to RAW files, but it sounds like it just desaturates the areas, which can cause unintended issues.

It does, and it works well. It's actually done using hardware, by sharing the sensor around to spill over light to adjacent pixels. Here you can compare the hardware option with the software desaturation:

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

Going back to the original question, the image quality of the K-70 is hands-down an upgrade over the K-5 (and also over the K-3, because the K-70 has a newer sensor). But due to the fact that the K-70 isn't positioned in the same class as the K-5, for some users, getting the KP, or waiting for the K-3 successor, might be a better path.

[kypfer]

Yes, apart from shorter battery life and the top display, K-70 is a very good upgrade of K-5 in almost every aspect.

With "almost" being significant!


I took this path, and my K-70 gives me some fantastic images, but I've had to learn how to hold the little thing! By making the K-70 more compact (which caused the loss of the top display) the camera is now much more critical to hold correctly ... especially noticeable when using a long telephoto.


In it's default configuration it's far too easy to depress the directional controls on the rear of the camera with the ball of my thumb, thereby changing some setting or other unintentionally, so not taking the picture I expected, or having the menus flashing away in the bottom of my line of sight and distracting me from what I'm trying to look at through the viewfinder.



Fortunately this problem can be resolved (mostly) by a menu setting to disable these controls (which isn't very well described in the manual)!


Also, there are occasions where I miss some of the extra knobs and buttons on the K-5, being able to change the AF-point selection or the metering mode without having to take the camera from my eye and start driving menus (which may not be easily read, depending on the ambient lighting conditions). The "Green Button" is also less optimally placed, in my view, having moved from "under the thumb", where it's always been, to the top plate.


However, the 16 to 24 Megapixel upgrade is very significant if you want/need to crop heavily and the K-70 has much lower noise at high sensitivities and is currently very well priced, I'd certainly recommend the upgrade if these aspects are important to you. However, if you regularly fill your viewfinder with subject matter in good light you may well not notice the difference, the K-5 is still a very competent camera!

[zippythezip]

Well the K70 does take a great photo thats for sure. For me the only way to experience a new camera is online and read reviews, no camera stores around here for any make of camera let alone a Pentax.
So, what do I think? Apart from photos I hate the camera, the grip is uncomfortable, the battery life is just plain terrible unless you turn the screen around and never chimp. The flippy screen I dont like off to one side. The shutter sound is really loud and after using a K5 you will really notice. If you lived closer I would let you take it for a spin.

I have not used it for quite a while and went out and bought myself a K5IIS and that is a pure joy of a camera for me. I looked at the KP but after seeing it takes the same battery it puts me off, wish they used the same K5 battery.