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Testing out a Pentax K5

jonoslack

Active member
Thanks. I'm rethinking things since it doesn't appear Canon is going to do anything evolutionary, let alone revolutionary.

PHP:
Hi Diane
Well, this is definitely evolutionary rather than revolutionary - but I couldn't honestly not have bought it, as it embodies all the things I've been screaming for over the years! Whether I've been screaming for the right things is a rather different matter - but it's fun finding out.

. .. what I've been screaming for is:

well made
weathersealed
small
good quality lenses
decent resolution
quiet shutter

there are probably some other things, but it's friday night, and I've had 1.25 glasses of wine . . .and it's time for bed (hic). :ROTFL:
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
... Very creditable - but I think it's really useful and interesting to play with things around the periphery - that's the way to find the next best thing.
..
If I stuck to your philosophy then the K5 would certainly never be tried. It really is the emotional successor of your E1 (which the E5 is certainly not, however good it may be).
I'm only interested in the next best thing when what I have is no longer providing me with what I want. I do like to experiment ... and I've been in a protracted experimental moment for a while ... but I've moved out of that space and want to concentrate on the Photography now again. What I have now is more than just 'good enough' for the work I have in mind.

I disagree with the notion that the E-5 is "not the emotional successor of your E-1", however. Having used both back to back for several weeks now, the two cameras feel very much as one in my hands. The E-5's slightly greater bulk returns a far better viewfinder, and its performance improves on the E-1 in all the ways I wished the E-1 were better, and then some more. The logic of the commands and controls are similar enough that, once past the feature explosion in the E-5, it's quite familiar: I can swap one to the other and not get lost at all.

The K-5 is built on the K-7 body, and the K-7 body and I disagree on where my fingers should find the buttons... ;-)
 

jonoslack

Active member
I'm only interested in the next best thing when what I have is no longer providing me with what I want.
We all know you're an old retrograde Godfrey - but that's why we love you!

It's going to take something good to fit in with the A900 and the M9 . . . and something very good to replace them, but in the meantime the K5 seems worth further investigation. At least you can be happy that if you didn't like the K7, you wouldn't like the K5 either!
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
. .. what I've been screaming for is:

well made
weathersealed
small
good quality lenses
decent resolution
quiet shutter
Hmm. I've been 'screaming' for slightly different things:

- top notch optical reflex viewfinder
- responsiveness
- Live View with an articulated LCD
- continued use of my existing lens kit
- two stops more sensitivity, 10 Mpixel resolution or greater
- excellent ergonomics
- quiet operation
- durable, solid construction, weather-sealed a plus
- excellent service and support

While not as quiet as the E-1, the E-5 is quieter than the E-3 and even that was satisfactory to my ears. It otherwise meets and exceeds all my criteria.

Hopefully you'll be as happy with the K-5 as I am with the E-5. Have to say, I like it even more every time I use it.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hmm. I've been 'screaming' for slightly different things:

- top notch optical reflex viewfinder
- responsiveness
- Live View with an articulated LCD
- continued use of my existing lens kit
- two stops more sensitivity, 10 Mpixel resolution or greater
- excellent ergonomics
- quiet operation
- durable, solid construction, weather-sealed a plus
- excellent service and support

While not as quiet as the E-1, the E-5 is quieter than the E-3 and even that was satisfactory to my ears. It otherwise meets and exceeds all my criteria.

Hopefully you'll be as happy with the K-5 as I am with the E-5. Have to say, I like it even more every time I use it.
Well, at least we agree on the number 5. Although Olympus seem to have got there in a more logical sequence!
 
M

meilicke

Guest
Thanks. I'm rethinking things since it doesn't appear Canon is going to do anything evolutionary, let alone revolutionary.
That is why I left canon a few years ago for Pentax. In my case it was to get the more interesting limited primes (very nice indeed). But then I left Pentax for Panasonic to regain access to my old FD lenses, and now I am all sony nex'ing. One of these days I may have to take some pictures. :ROTFL:

Compared to how it was 10 years ago, it's all revolutionary.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Regarding the E5 vs K5 I also find it comes down to the question of lenses.
Being a Zoom-fan there are some very nice options for the Oly-more exellent zooms than are offered for the Pentax (as far as I understand).
If one is more of a prime guy I find while there are some very nice options for the Oly there are those Pentax limited lenses and also the 55/1.4 which are said to be excellent and they are quite small as well.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
first images I took...

problem1: I only have the kit lens here and dont know how much is sensor and how much is lens.
problem2: with the kit and cloudy weather one needs to use IS0 400-800.

I again made the mistake to take quick comparison shots between the k5+kit and my d700 and 24-70 (I know its not fair regarding the lens) (same I did when I got the A55).
Even the D700 at ISO 800 seems to blow the K5 away regarding detail in the image.(with noise reduction off).
Again, I dont know how much from the kit lens and how much from the sensor.
In one close up image of a plant there were some hairs which you could see in the Nikon image but they were not there any more in the Pentax image.

The K5 images look fine but dont put them next to the d700 images at 100%.

I think I would need to try the K5 a) in better light and b) with another lens before I draw any further conclusion.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Re: first images I took...

problem1: I only have the kit lens here and dont know how much is sensor and how much is lens.
problem2: with the kit and cloudy weather one needs to use IS0 400-800.

I again made the mistake to take quick comparison shots between the k5+kit and my d700 and 24-70 (I know its not fair regarding the lens) (same I did when I got the A55).
Even the D700 at ISO 800 seems to blow the K5 away regarding detail in the image.(with noise reduction off).
Again, I dont know how much from the kit lens and how much from the sensor.
In one close up image of a plant there were some hairs which you could see in the Nikon image but they were not there any more in the Pentax image.

The K5 images look fine but dont put them next to the d700 images at 100%.



I think I would need to try the K5 a) in better light and b) with another lens before I draw any further conclusion.
HI Tom
It's not even the light - it's the lens.
that's an outrageous comparison! don't you have a cheap Nikon zoom?
after all, you're comparing £60 lens with a £1200 lens. You shouldn't jump to conclusions!
100% is also misleading, as it's a much larger part of the D700 image than it is of the K5
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Re: first images I took...

HI Tom
It's not even the light - it's the lens.
that's an outrageous comparison! don't you have a cheap Nikon zoom?
after all, you're comparing £60 lens with a £1200 lens. You shouldn't jump to conclusions!
100% is also misleading, as it's a much larger part of the D700 image than it is of the K5
jaa, I know its unfair. But I did not expect such a difference. Even stopped down to f8.0. Specialy since the 18-55 you read a lot of not oo bad reviews.
I will have to do further investigation.
Now I compared the A55 which I still have here with the Sony kit lens af 5.6 and 35mm with the K5 and also here the A55 images look considerably better. I start believing the Pentax kit just delievers mushy images, even stopped down 1 stop. I thought it could be a small nice walkaround lens for sunny days but I dont think so any more.
Jojo-if you have tried the 16-50/2.8 maybe you can let us know how it works? But I think if I keep the K5 I will end up with primes. (probaly 15,21 and 43) + a telezoom
I am confused and starting to get tired of pixel peeping. But for some reason I allways feel I need to be confident about lens and camera quality before I can start using things with a good feeling.
 
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Godfrey

Well-known member
Re: first images I took...

j...
But I think if I keep the K5 I will end up with primes. (probaly 15,21 and 43) + a telezoom
I am confused and starting to get tired of pixel peeping. But for some reason I allways feel I need to be confident about lens and camera quality before I can start using things with a good feeling.
You can't tell much about a sensor with mediocre lenses. The Pentax 18-55 is ok for a kit lens but never gets better than mediocre, IMO.

That lens kit ... 15, 21, 43 + the 50-135/2.8 ... is an excellent, full spectrum choice. Although the 50-135 is so much bulkier than the other three, I used have the FA77 or DA70 and found I didn't carry the zoom very often.

My FourThirds lens kit is similar but the other way around with the zoom on the bottom end: 11-22, 25/1.4, 35, 50, 70 (50+EC14). The 11-22 fills in where the 15 and 21 live on the Pentax line up.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
t_streng, have you checked whether the AF for this lens is accurate?
The AF seems ok. I just read in a review (on dpreview) that this kit lens is not so great specially at smaller distances-and many of my test shots were in the 0.5-3m distance (which is a distance I usually shoot a lot).

If I would keep the camera and wanted a prime in the 40mm-focal length - can anybody comment on the 40 vs the 43 limited?
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
The AF seems ok. I just read in a review (on dpreview) that this kit lens is not so great specially at smaller distances-and many of my test shots were in the 0.5-3m distance (which is a distance I usually shoot a lot).

If I would keep the camera and wanted a prime in the 40mm-focal length - can anybody comment on the 40 vs the 43 limited?
The FA43mm f/1.8 Limited is, as I said up-thread, my favorite Pentax lens of all.

I had the DA40/2.8 Limited for a bit, on loan from Pentax USA when I was working with them on a marketing effort. It produced nice results but was much too small for the K10D body in my opinion: felt unbalanced and the focusing ring was too thin for good control. It was a better fit for the smaller, lighter bodies (*ist DS etc), but even then didn't appeal to me.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Which Pentax lens do you like for the K-5? DA Limited or FA Limited? Maybe a 3 lens kit.

thanks
HI There
Well, for now I have:

16-50 DA* f2.8
35 f2.8 macro
Zeiss 60 f1.4

We had some friends and family around for dinner last night - I just snapped away with the 26-50 and the 50 zeiss. Aperture mode - auto ISO (top limit 6400), auto WB.

The following show cropping, and slight exposure corrections.
No noise reduction (either in camera or in Aperture).

Zeiss 50 f4, 6400 ISO:



Zeiss 50 f1.4, 400 ISO:


Zeiss 50 f1.4, 2500 ISO:


Zeiss 50 f3.2, 4000 ISO:


DA 16-50 39mm f3.5 1250 ISO:


DA 16-50 39mm f3.2 2500 ISO:


Zeiss 50 f5 4000 ISO:


Pentax 35 f2.8 macro limited f2.8 400 ISO:


Pentax 35 f2.8 macro limited f2.8 1000 ISO:


Apart from the last two which were taken at lunch today with a mixture of late afternoon grey light and restaurant lighting, they were all taken with the nasty mixed light in our kitchen.
I think the point here is that one can simply relax about iso up to 6400 as long as the exposure is reasonably good.
 
M

meilicke

Guest
Wow, those are really great high ISO results, Jono.

Which Pentax lens do you like for the K-5? DA Limited or FA Limited? Maybe a 3 lens kit.
When I had my Pentax kit, I preferred the FAs, simply because they were full frame (hopeful), and had Aperture rings. Maybe I am old fashion. :) I also found that I liked the 77 look a little better than the 70.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
... {lotsa pix} ...
I think the point here is that one can simply relax about iso up to 6400 as long as the exposure is reasonably good.
Looks good! Pentax has a winner in the K5 if this is typical.

Your statement reflects very much how the the E-5 feels to me too. I set the Auto-ISO range for 200-1600 and hardly care what the camera picks when I'm shooting casually ... it all looks great. I bet it's the same for D700, 5D II, etc users as well. Amazing what this generation of cameras can do.
 
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