Pentax K-5 II / IIs Review
Moire: Real World Examples
When shooting buildings or other man-made objects, as opposed to landscapes, you run a greater risk of seeing moiré. After about a week with the camera, we found its first manifestation. Here is the full scene:
While the pattern in the roof of the crooked tan building isn't fine enough to provoke moiré, if you look a little to the left, you'll be able to spot some on the roof of the silver building behind it! Here is the 100% crop from the K-5 IIs:
Here is the same crop from the original Pentax K-5:
Both photos were taken using the FA 77mm F1.8 Limited lens at F5.6 and ISO 100.
Here is another photo at F5.6 in which moire was clearly visible. The full-sized versions and K-5 II comparisons are available here, later in the review.
100% crop:
While the presence of moiré will make little or no difference in web-sized versions of these particular photos, those considering the K-5 IIs should keep in mind that moire may sneak into your photos unexpectedly.
Verdict on Moiré
We find that the risk of moiré is low to non-existing in most situations, especially when shooting anything that's non man-made. Where moire is present, chances are it will not have a significant effect on the final product unless your whole photo consists of an extremely fine texture (if you make a living of photographing clothes and textiles the K-5 IIs is not for you, but for the rest of us the increased risk of moiré is a small price to pay for the improvement in resolution and clarity). In addition, the risk is only high when shooting at fast apertures. Thus, even if one has the K-5 IIs, moiré can be averted by stopping down should you notice it in an earlier photo.
Cacti, like textiles, are apparently not K-5 IIs-friendly!