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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-26-2011, 01:27 AM
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The liveview feed going into the Contrast-detection AF is What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get in terms of the final image capture. That's why CDAF is normally very accurate. Mine is - I use it to benchmark whatever settings I need to make on the Phase-Detection AF adjust menu for the same lens.
However, there is still hardware and software between the LiveView feed and the bit which tells where the AF motor needs to stop.
I suspect some adjustment is not quite right on your K-5, especially if you get the problem in more than one lens. May need a trip back to the service centre, unfortunately...
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-25-2011, 05:06 AM
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The DA 55-300mm is very good for its price. And not really heavy either, which is an important consideration if you are taking it on a long walk outdoors.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-25-2011, 12:16 AM
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If you have your heart set on Nikon...by all means go for it.
What I will say for the K-5 is that , for most users, what images they can produce will be constrained far more by their skills, talent and opportunity than the K-5's performance and specs. That's all too true for me.
If you are serious about dSLR video, Pentax isn't the best offering, but its pretty functional for casual videos.
The longest Telephoto is have is the DA 55-300mm. The lens needs stopping down a bit at the long end to get very sharp images, and its somewhat slow-focusing but nothing wrong with the K-5's sharpness or focus accuracy.
For still photography, K-5 holds its own alongside any competitor in the APS-C range. I've used the Nikon D7000 and Canon 7D, so I can state that pretty confidently.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-23-2011, 09:17 AM
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I'm not sure how you got the impression the K-5 cannot take consistently sharp images. I suppose if you just hang around the K-5 forum here you will read a lot of loudly expressed negatives...part of the reason I rarely visit here now.
I prefer to spend my free time taking shots with my K-5, and it hasn't dissappointed me. For high-speed action I would say equivalent Nikon models do it with less effort, for most other situations I've been in the K-5 is NOT inferior in any way.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-11-2011, 08:44 PM
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I had a similar problem on my K-7. It became erratic first before failing altogether.
The Pentax service centre said it was a faulty E-wheel circuit (the electronics bit), and it was replaced under warranty. The K-5 shares the same E-wheel hardware, so I'm not surprised others have the same issue.
The rear E-wheel does get a lot of heavy usage, but I wish Pentax would make it more durable.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-07-2011, 06:33 AM
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The static sound comes from the SR.
BTW, the SR control for Video is buried in the "Movie" menu, so you can turn it off for Video and still leave SR on for still photos.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-06-2011, 02:34 AM
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Manual focus using the K-5's Live View is superb.
High-resolution feed, What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get. This is the first Pentax body with a LV of practical usefulness, not just a gimmick.
One touch on the Info button gives you a 2x magnification live image on the 3-inch LCD screen. The rest is up to how nimble your fingers are and the responsiveness and accuracy of the lens MF ring.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-04-2011, 02:06 AM
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The FA43 is a superb lens - nothing wrong with its ability to capture distant scenes. I've often used it to capture scenery.
The first photo was shot at f/22. At such small apertures, you will have a lot of diffraction effects, regardless of how good the lens is optically. Fine detail, especially, will be lost.
The last two were shot at 1/3 secs. Were these taken from a tripod or handheld ? I think you could get a reasonably steady shot handheld down to 1/5 secs on a 43mm lens , but 1/3 secs is really pushing the limits - I'm not surprised the photos didn't turn out as intended.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
02-20-2011, 03:29 AM
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Or maybe there is a problem with your unit's SR.
I haven't been able to replicate your reported problem.
For a 50mm lens, at 1/180 secs, there's no need for the SR, because a non-SR body or lens will do just fine. And that's what I found with my K-5, the pictures come out sharp, no difference between SR on and SR off at such a (relatively) high shutter speed.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
02-19-2011, 08:30 AM
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The K-5's focus screen is deliberately grainier to help manual focusing. It actually helps to make the transition from Out-of-focus to In-focus more visible. Pentax probably has a higher proportion of manual focus users compared to other dSLR brands, and the camera has a number of features which specifically caters to their MF user base.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
02-18-2011, 03:34 AM
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The D7000 is a very good dSLR - I won't try to knock it. I'm sure there are many happy Nikon users.
The K-5 is also a great dSLR.
I fail to see the whole point of this post.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
02-02-2011, 11:24 AM
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Yes, I've been able to recreate the same problem under fluorescent lights at higher shutter speeds
The K-5 is the pretty much the first camera I've had which can be used for no-flash shots indoors at high shutter speeds, thanks to its excellent high-ISO capability.
This is an unusual case where one of the K-5's significant strengths causes an unintended photography problem under special conditions.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-30-2011, 07:09 PM
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I'm too busy having fun taking pictures with my "lemon" of a K-5.
Awesome camera.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-27-2011, 08:58 AM
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My perspective ? The K-5 is one of the very best dSLRs I've ever used, and this includes some well-regarded Canons/Nikons.
I think its still got a few wrinkles that need sorting out with the firmware, just about everything else I've found with the camera is top notch.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-02-2011, 08:26 AM
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I've been using my K-5 under a wide variety of conditions, including atrociously dim lighting and light predominantly from tungsten and halogen lighting.
In fact, a fair bit of lighting under which I wouldn't even have tried to use any previous Pentax camera.
I'm sorry to say I find the OP's statement on the K-5 quote "disability to autofocus in dim and tungsten lighting conditions" really an unfair assessment of the camera's performance.
I find the K-5 does autofocus in both dim and tungsten lighting conditions.
Like every dSLR I've ever used (including Canons and Nikons) it exhibits a degradation in AF performance and accuracy as the light grows really dim , and somewhat worse if that dim light is yellowish. At some level of dimness AF either shuts down totally or its no longer accurate.
Nothing abnormal or that surprising. dSLR AF isn't magic.
Maybe there is individual body variation involved, but my experience with the K-5 has been nothing really abnormal about its AF performance.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-31-2010, 07:50 PM
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Just as a matter of curiousity, how would you say Pentax dSLRs stack up against, say , the EOS 40D with regard to manual focus ?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-30-2010, 07:28 PM
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I have to say I've been very satisfied with my K-5's AF.
The DA 50-135mm needed -2, but that's because I was quite particular about the accuracy at f/2.8. I could easily have left it without adjustment.
None of my other DA and FA lenses have needed lens AF adjustment, and that's a real first for a Pentax body.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-17-2010, 07:40 AM
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Yes, the optical effect we are trying to achieve in this case is quite the opposite
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-17-2010, 02:09 AM
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I found that the K-7 lost colour accuracy very quickly at ISO3200 and above.
The K-5 seems to have that under control all the way to Very high ISOs.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-16-2010, 09:19 PM
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I've found Magic Lantern guides to be very good for a deeper understanding of what the camera can do, even for an experienced photographer.
The K-5 has many new features, even compared to the K-7.
I'll probably get one when its published, but as usual the one for Pentax gear comes out rather late :(
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-16-2010, 09:07 PM
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Here's the optical theory
The best way to make visible very small items sitting on the sensor (or thereabouts) is to have the light falling on the sensor
1) As close as possible to parallel,
2) As close as possible to a uniform , featureless background
(1) Is achieved by setting to the smallest possible aperture (f/22 or more) and by focusing the lens on infinity.
Focusing on Infinity also helps (2) by blurring out most remainding details in the scene.
The opposite logic applies to avoid seeing the stains.
Larger apertures (below f/16 with the sensor stains I have) or focusing on closer objects will make the stains invisible or nearly so. Both methods cause the light falling on the sensor to arrive at more acute angles, depending on which part of the lens surface captured the light.
For me personally, that's actually most of the real-world photography that I do, which is why I'm still happily using my K-5 unit, until Pentax sorts out the solution.....
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-16-2010, 06:21 PM
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My K5 has stains on it S/N 3871xxx...it appears as a series of dots nearly right in the centre of the sensor.
I expect Pentax to come up with a solution and make it right.
I've been in contact with my local Pentax distributor, and their suggestion is to hold on to the unit until a firm solution is announced. Swapping the unit at this moment doesn't guarantee I will get a good one.
In the meantime, I'm not really bothered with it. The dots are only visible beyond f/16 (on my unit anyway), and only against a plain, bright background.
I was looking for the stains at f/32 against the usual mixed-bag of background detail typical of a real-world shot - and I couldn't see it, even though I knew the stains were "supposed" to be there.
That means it doesn't show up in 99% of my photography. I'm still using the camera every day without any worries...
Enjoy your K-5 :)
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-16-2010, 02:19 AM
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I think the K20D uses the D-LI50 lithium ion battery, which is identical to that used by the K10D.
The K-5 shares the same battery as the K-7, which is the D-LI90.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-15-2010, 08:36 PM
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The nice thing about the K-5 is it also has a generous amount of headroom at the highlight end, but less than in the shadows.
I've managed to recover easily 1-2 stops of detail from apparently blown out areas in RAW files. A bit difficult to recover the original colours though, but a bit more detailed PP work may do the trick.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
12-15-2010, 03:14 AM
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"No digital photograph ever looks great at 100% view"......well not totally true, but near enough.
I usually print out my images on A4 (almost the same as Letter-size paper) or view full screen on a 18" monitor. I find that 4x magnification set on the K-5 LCD screen accurately shows how the end result looks like . No problem with either JPEG or RAW previews.
Maybe its because of my long years with film cameras, but analysing photos at 100% crop is of very little interest to me.
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