First impressions: Moving from K10D to K-r

lavascript · 01-25-2011, 10:07 AM - **1 Like**

Ok, guys, I've been pretty vocal here about my move from the K10D that I've loved to a K-r. I finally got it yesterday and I noticed several other people either contemplating or making the same move, so I thought I'd post some initial impressions. (Keep in mind I've had fewer than 24 hours with the camera.)

Things that are awesome:

AF speed is frankly shocking. Now, I don't really know any other photographers in real life, so I don't know anyone with Canikon systems to compare to. But the upgrade from the K10D to the K-r is amazing. The motor is faster, it locks faster, it's just overall FAST.

AE is much improved. It's very impressive. There's one particular shot of my daughter, where I was playing around with silly angles and ended up with an overhead fluorescent light behind her head. The light was way blown out and her face was well exposed. (I'd post the pic, but it was rather unflattering...) Now, I haven't had it out at sunset or in snow, etc., but I have not yet touched the EV Comp button.

Burst speed. I don't use it that often, but 6fps is kinda crazy.

Super-high ISO. I took a photo of my daughter last night, in her bed, with a 5W night light six feet away as the only light source. Granted, it's noisy enough to be considered crap, but it's a shot nonetheless.

The ability to save a digital preview. I know this has been there since the K20D, but it's still a feature I really like.

The ability to save a PEF from your last JPEG. You can shoot in JPEG most of the time, but if a good shot comes out with wrong exposure or WB, you can save the raw file for PP later.

Quick zoom: Usually, when you zoom in while chimping, you want to check focus, which you have to zoom in quite a bit for. You can jump straight to a high magnification with one click.

Things I thought I'd miss (but I really don't)

The pentaprism. The pentamirror in the K-r is plenty bright. Actually, I don't notice a difference. I'm sure there is one, but why do a side-by-side test if I'm fine with it?

Dual control wheels. It's really no big deal to hold a button and turn a wheel instead of just turning a wheel.

Things I actually do miss

Size/weight/handgrip. The K-r is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It's less comfortable to hold. Large lenses look somewhat comical on the body.

Dedicated buttons. AF point mode selection mainly. I may be changing my AF habits and using center-point focus/recompose more often because of this. I didn't realize how often I change AF point mode, but it's a lot.

Control layout. The placement of the 4-way on the K-r makes it difficult to use while your eye is at the VF unless you almost release your grip on the camera.

That's all I've got at the moment. I'll probably think of more later.

Scorg · 01-25-2011, 10:15 AM

So the 4 way control doesnt allow adjustment of the AF point selection ?
As that is something I use a fair bit on my K100D.

lavascript · 01-25-2011, 10:48 AM

No, it does. You have to hold the OK button to switch between AF point select and the functions, whereas the K10D had a dedicated Fn button.

But what I was mainly talking about was switching AF point MODES, e.g. Center only, select, or auto. On the K10D, it was a dial. On the K-r, it's Menu, up, right, up/down, OK, menu.

grainbelt · 01-25-2011, 10:52 AM

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions. As a K200D user I'd be going from the same sensor/AF technology as the K10D.

How are you dealing with the lack of top LCD? I find that I use it a lot, even though the info is in the viewfinder as well.

lavascript · 01-25-2011, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by grainbelt

Thanks for sharing your initial impressions. As a K200D user I'd be going from the same sensor/AF technology as the K10D.

How are you dealing with the lack of top LCD? I find that I use it a lot, even though the info is in the viewfinder as well.

It's fine. I used the top LCD a lot too, but the same info is there, just on the back screen.

Pablom · 01-25-2011, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by lavascript

No, it does. You have to hold the OK button to switch between AF point select and the functions, whereas the K10D had a dedicated Fn button.

But what I was mainly talking about was switching AF point MODES, e.g. Center only, select, or auto. On the K10D, it was a dial. On the K-r, it's Menu, up, right, up/down, OK, menu.

are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there

Urkeldaedalus · 01-25-2011, 11:19 AM

Originally posted by Pablom

are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there

They changed this for K-5 and K-r. On one hand it's good since you don't change modes accidentally, on the other hand it can be annoying if you want to switch quickly.

lavascript · 01-25-2011, 11:46 AM

Originally posted by Pablom

are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there

I wish...

It kinda looks like it would, since the AF point mode icon is in the middle of the 4-way icon on the screen, but no dice.

Thanks, though, part of the reason I started this thread was so if there was any way to get around things, I'd get some suggestions.

lavascript · 01-25-2011, 06:38 PM

Something else great: you can see the ISO of a shot in playback in the minimal info mode. On the K10D you had to go to detailed info mode where you only see a tiny version of the pic.

01-25-2011, 10:07 AM - 1 Like	#1
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 394	First impressions: Moving from K10D to K-r Ok, guys, I've been pretty vocal here about my move from the K10D that I've loved to a K-r. I finally got it yesterday and I noticed several other people either contemplating or making the same move, so I thought I'd post some initial impressions. (Keep in mind I've had fewer than 24 hours with the camera.) Things that are awesome: AF speed is frankly shocking. Now, I don't really know any other photographers in real life, so I don't know anyone with Canikon systems to compare to. But the upgrade from the K10D to the K-r is amazing. The motor is faster, it locks faster, it's just overall FAST. AE is much improved. It's very impressive. There's one particular shot of my daughter, where I was playing around with silly angles and ended up with an overhead fluorescent light behind her head. The light was way blown out and her face was well exposed. (I'd post the pic, but it was rather unflattering...) Now, I haven't had it out at sunset or in snow, etc., but I have not yet touched the EV Comp button. Burst speed. I don't use it that often, but 6fps is kinda crazy. Super-high ISO. I took a photo of my daughter last night, in her bed, with a 5W night light six feet away as the only light source. Granted, it's noisy enough to be considered crap, but it's a shot nonetheless. The ability to save a digital preview. I know this has been there since the K20D, but it's still a feature I really like. The ability to save a PEF from your last JPEG. You can shoot in JPEG most of the time, but if a good shot comes out with wrong exposure or WB, you can save the raw file for PP later. Quick zoom: Usually, when you zoom in while chimping, you want to check focus, which you have to zoom in quite a bit for. You can jump straight to a high magnification with one click. Things I thought I'd miss (but I really don't) The pentaprism. The pentamirror in the K-r is plenty bright. Actually, I don't notice a difference. I'm sure there is one, but why do a side-by-side test if I'm fine with it? Dual control wheels. It's really no big deal to hold a button and turn a wheel instead of just turning a wheel. Things I actually do miss Size/weight/handgrip. The K-r is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It's less comfortable to hold. Large lenses look somewhat comical on the body. Dedicated buttons. AF point mode selection mainly. I may be changing my AF habits and using center-point focus/recompose more often because of this. I didn't realize how often I change AF point mode, but it's a lot. Control layout. The placement of the 4-way on the K-r makes it difficult to use while your eye is at the VF unless you almost release your grip on the camera. That's all I've got at the moment. I'll probably think of more later.

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01-25-2011, 10:15 AM	#2
Scorg New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 14	So the 4 way control doesnt allow adjustment of the AF point selection ? As that is something I use a fair bit on my K100D.

01-25-2011, 10:48 AM	#3
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 394 Original Poster	No, it does. You have to hold the OK button to switch between AF point select and the functions, whereas the K10D had a dedicated Fn button. But what I was mainly talking about was switching AF point MODES, e.g. Center only, select, or auto. On the K10D, it was a dial. On the K-r, it's Menu, up, right, up/down, OK, menu.

01-25-2011, 10:52 AM	#4
grainbelt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Albums Posts: 587	Thanks for sharing your initial impressions. As a K200D user I'd be going from the same sensor/AF technology as the K10D. How are you dealing with the lack of top LCD? I find that I use it a lot, even though the info is in the viewfinder as well.

01-25-2011, 10:58 AM	#5
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 394 Original Poster	Originally posted by grainbelt Thanks for sharing your initial impressions. As a K200D user I'd be going from the same sensor/AF technology as the K10D. How are you dealing with the lack of top LCD? I find that I use it a lot, even though the info is in the viewfinder as well. It's fine. I used the top LCD a lot too, but the same info is there, just on the back screen.

01-25-2011, 11:14 AM	#6
Pablom Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Usa Posts: 1,940	Originally posted by lavascript No, it does. You have to hold the OK button to switch between AF point select and the functions, whereas the K10D had a dedicated Fn button. But what I was mainly talking about was switching AF point MODES, e.g. Center only, select, or auto. On the K10D, it was a dial. On the K-r, it's Menu, up, right, up/down, OK, menu. are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there

01-25-2011, 11:19 AM	#7
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369	Originally posted by Pablom are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there They changed this for K-5 and K-r. On one hand it's good since you don't change modes accidentally, on the other hand it can be annoying if you want to switch quickly.

01-25-2011, 11:46 AM	#8
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 394 Original Poster	Originally posted by Pablom are you sure about that? with my K-x you just press the ok button and you're there I wish... It kinda looks like it would, since the AF point mode icon is in the middle of the 4-way icon on the screen, but no dice. Thanks, though, part of the reason I started this thread was so if there was any way to get around things, I'd get some suggestions.

01-25-2011, 06:38 PM	#9
lavascript Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 394 Original Poster	Something else great: you can see the ISO of a shot in playback in the minimal info mode. On the K10D you had to go to detailed info mode where you only see a tiny version of the pic.