mediumcool
Active member
South Plympton, in South Australia.
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Fun with the Pentax K5
- Thread starter jonoslack
- Start date
mediumcool
Active member
Walking home from the bus stop last evening.
Shine
K5 with 16–45
Shine
K5 with 16–45
Jim Radcliffe
Member
K5 IIs Caddo Lake - Haunting Beauty...
This was the first weekend I have been able to get out and shoot with the K5 IIs. I am quite pleased with the results. Here is the first of several.
This was taken on a small two lane road near Cado Lake in Uncertain, Texas. Yes, that's a real name. This area is in the Piney Woods of East Texas on the border of Texas and Louisiana. In fact, most of the lake is in Louisiana.
It is haunting in its beauty and the quiet at twilight and night is amazing. Any sound, whether by nightbird or human seems to echo forever across the lake and through the bayous. Yes, the nearby town is actually named Uncertain, Texas. I have more photos but this is the only one I have actually worked on. Will post more when I get the chance.
Here's a link to information for the park and the town.
Caddo Lake State Park — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
CityOfUncertain.Com - Texas best kept secret...
K5 IIs with the DA* 50-135mm ISO 400 1/60s f/4.5
PS... is there any way to keep the photos from down-sizing when viewed in a thread?
This was the first weekend I have been able to get out and shoot with the K5 IIs. I am quite pleased with the results. Here is the first of several.
This was taken on a small two lane road near Cado Lake in Uncertain, Texas. Yes, that's a real name. This area is in the Piney Woods of East Texas on the border of Texas and Louisiana. In fact, most of the lake is in Louisiana.
It is haunting in its beauty and the quiet at twilight and night is amazing. Any sound, whether by nightbird or human seems to echo forever across the lake and through the bayous. Yes, the nearby town is actually named Uncertain, Texas. I have more photos but this is the only one I have actually worked on. Will post more when I get the chance.
Here's a link to information for the park and the town.
Caddo Lake State Park — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
CityOfUncertain.Com - Texas best kept secret...
K5 IIs with the DA* 50-135mm ISO 400 1/60s f/4.5
PS... is there any way to keep the photos from down-sizing when viewed in a thread?
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
Over the weekend I had a chance to take the K5 IIs out for its first real test run at Caddo Lake on the border of Texas and Louisiana.
Here are a few from that outing. None of these shots have been sharpened in post. They are as they came out of the camera except for cropping.
This moon shot was taken with the DA* 50-135 and I believe this was shot wide open at f/2.8.. I'll have to check the EXIF to be sure.
These are oil derricks in Kilgore, Texas. Kilgore was the richest oil field in Texas back in the day and the town has kept the oil derricks in place as a testament to the history of the town.
I found these rusted items at a roadside antique store on the way to the lake.
After the losing the light and on the way home I came across a man burning leaves on his property.
I've set up a page on my website for photos and thoughts on the K5 IIs. It is located here. Pentax K5 IIs Photography by Jim Radcliffe
I am impressed with the K5 IIs. I am getting better photos from it than the original K5 which I have now listed as being for sale.
Over the weekend I had a chance to take the K5 IIs out for its first real test run at Caddo Lake on the border of Texas and Louisiana.
Here are a few from that outing. None of these shots have been sharpened in post. They are as they came out of the camera except for cropping.
This moon shot was taken with the DA* 50-135 and I believe this was shot wide open at f/2.8.. I'll have to check the EXIF to be sure.
These are oil derricks in Kilgore, Texas. Kilgore was the richest oil field in Texas back in the day and the town has kept the oil derricks in place as a testament to the history of the town.
I found these rusted items at a roadside antique store on the way to the lake.
After the losing the light and on the way home I came across a man burning leaves on his property.
I've set up a page on my website for photos and thoughts on the K5 IIs. It is located here. Pentax K5 IIs Photography by Jim Radcliffe
I am impressed with the K5 IIs. I am getting better photos from it than the original K5 which I have now listed as being for sale.
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Back from Tucson with enough images to carry me through the Toronto winter, which right now is ******cold!
K5lls with 35mm Ltd
Keith
That's a cool shot.... or maybe I should say Lucky Shot, due to the horseshoes.....and that 35mm is very sharp.. love mine.
As for your Toronto Winter... it will be in the 70s tomorrow here in Dallas
Thursday's forecast says 76. Sorry, couldn't resist. I used to live in Chicago and I hate Winter weather.
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
Why a K-5II and not the s? As much as I would like the s, I would be shooting weddings commercially, and I just can't play the "does this shot have moire in that dress?" game out of 200-300+ shots. It would kill me.
I just want to know does the AF really work fairly reasonable right now, even in moderate low light and tungsten/mixed.
- Raist
Dang. I sort of see a bit more jump-at you kinda aspect. Anyway, I am mulling buying a K-5II because of the AF so AF is what I want to know about. How much better is it over the K-5? I want a major improvement.
Why a K-5II and not the s? As much as I would like the s, I would be shooting weddings commercially, and I just can't play the "does this shot have moire in that dress?" game out of 200-300+ shots. It would kill me.
I just want to know does the AF really work fairly reasonable right now, even in moderate low light and tungsten/mixed.
- Raist
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
I DO believe the K5 IIs is sharper and it should be but others have pointed out that with "proper" sharpening you should be able to get the K5 and K5 II files to equal those of the K5 IIs. Maybe yes, maybe no.. I'm not going to waste time testing my old K5 against the IIs.
The AF is not what I would call "A Major Improvement"... I do feel it is better but not a quantum leap. I was trying to isolate the stem of a flower the other day with a rather busy background and the IIs insisted on focusing on the background. I tried and tried to get it to focus on that stem but it failed every time. I had to go manual focus on that subject but this is true for a lot of tricky subjects.
I still think Pentax needs to reduce the size of the focus box (I always use center focus point) to eliminate the camera focusing on something in the background.
The Fishing Line Test
I use what I call the fishing line test. I take some rather stout fishing line and suspend it vertically at a good distance from a busy background. I stand about 12 to 15 feet away from the fishing line. If the camera can auto focus on that fishing line then it has passed the Fishing Line Test.
Neither my K5 or the K5 IIs has passed that test. My Canon 5D MKII managed to pass the test on a 50/50 basis. Does that mean the K5 cameras are flawed? No, just that the focus boxes are larger than I would like.... sometimes the background gets in the way and you have no recourse but to go manual focus... I hate doing that because my eyes are not as good as they used to be and I tend to rely on AF for critical focus.
Low Light AF
The K5 IIs does very well in this area. It is better than the K5. I often shoot concerts which have low levels of light and that is important to me. I have never shot a wedding (turned down many because I did not want the headaches) but I would guess that low light is the rule for many aspects of wedding photography so the K5 IIs should do well.
The K5 II or IIs is not a camera you will pick up and say Pentax finally go it right! but I do prefer the results I am getting from it over that of my original K5.
I would really suggest that you try to get your hands on one to use for a day and make your decision based on the results you get.
That said, I hate buyer's remorse as much as anyone but so far I have none at all where the K5 IIs is concerned.
If I were a wedding shooter I would go for the K5 II rather than the S simply because if moire did appear in fabric it could potentially ruin a great wedding shot..... in other words, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I DO believe the K5 IIs is sharper and it should be but others have pointed out that with "proper" sharpening you should be able to get the K5 and K5 II files to equal those of the K5 IIs. Maybe yes, maybe no.. I'm not going to waste time testing my old K5 against the IIs.
The AF is not what I would call "A Major Improvement"... I do feel it is better but not a quantum leap. I was trying to isolate the stem of a flower the other day with a rather busy background and the IIs insisted on focusing on the background. I tried and tried to get it to focus on that stem but it failed every time. I had to go manual focus on that subject but this is true for a lot of tricky subjects.
I still think Pentax needs to reduce the size of the focus box (I always use center focus point) to eliminate the camera focusing on something in the background.
The Fishing Line Test
I use what I call the fishing line test. I take some rather stout fishing line and suspend it vertically at a good distance from a busy background. I stand about 12 to 15 feet away from the fishing line. If the camera can auto focus on that fishing line then it has passed the Fishing Line Test.
Neither my K5 or the K5 IIs has passed that test. My Canon 5D MKII managed to pass the test on a 50/50 basis. Does that mean the K5 cameras are flawed? No, just that the focus boxes are larger than I would like.... sometimes the background gets in the way and you have no recourse but to go manual focus... I hate doing that because my eyes are not as good as they used to be and I tend to rely on AF for critical focus.
Low Light AF
The K5 IIs does very well in this area. It is better than the K5. I often shoot concerts which have low levels of light and that is important to me. I have never shot a wedding (turned down many because I did not want the headaches) but I would guess that low light is the rule for many aspects of wedding photography so the K5 IIs should do well.
The K5 II or IIs is not a camera you will pick up and say Pentax finally go it right! but I do prefer the results I am getting from it over that of my original K5.
I would really suggest that you try to get your hands on one to use for a day and make your decision based on the results you get.
That said, I hate buyer's remorse as much as anyone but so far I have none at all where the K5 IIs is concerned.
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
- In subjects that are "big enough" in the sensor area, does it focus well or still some front/back focus?
- same question in lower light
- same question in mixed and tungsten light
The Fishing Line Test
[/quote]
Interesting test!
I am ok actually with how it is as long as it is predictable. It's the occasional (more than I want) front/back focus that drives me nuts. It's funny because there are a couple of real hard to get shots that the K-5 has gotten, but otherwise it throws in the front/back focused shot enough to make me feel odd about using AF often.
Predictability to me here is #1.
Low Light AF
The K5 IIs does very well in this area. It is better than the K5. I often shoot concerts which have low levels of light and that is important to me. I have never shot a wedding (turned down many because I did not want the headaches) but I would guess that low light is the rule for many aspects of wedding photography so the K5 IIs should do well.
[/quote]
Low light is important for in-door ceremonies and that reception at night.
So let me try to narrow your observations:
- bigger sensor area- I can deal
- back/front focus - is this still happening and I mean- when the object you know covers the sensor reasonably well, that the camera *tried* to focus on the subject. This one to me is key and...
- same question as above but in tungsten/mixedlight/lower light.
Thanks Jim.
- Raist
I am pretty sure many shots the K-5IIs will still pull ahead in sharpness. You can make the K-5/K-5II come closer but it's just not the same thing.
Ok to me that issue is the AF sensor size area, I can deal with that. What I want to know is:
- In subjects that are "big enough" in the sensor area, does it focus well or still some front/back focus?
- same question in lower light
- same question in mixed and tungsten light
Agreed!
The Fishing Line Test
[/quote]
Interesting test!
I am ok actually with how it is as long as it is predictable. It's the occasional (more than I want) front/back focus that drives me nuts. It's funny because there are a couple of real hard to get shots that the K-5 has gotten, but otherwise it throws in the front/back focused shot enough to make me feel odd about using AF often.Predictability to me here is #1.
Low Light AF
The K5 IIs does very well in this area. It is better than the K5. I often shoot concerts which have low levels of light and that is important to me. I have never shot a wedding (turned down many because I did not want the headaches) but I would guess that low light is the rule for many aspects of wedding photography so the K5 IIs should do well.
[/quote]
Low light is important for in-door ceremonies and that reception at night.
OK, you are making me hesitate now with that comment
So let me try to narrow your observations:- bigger sensor area- I can deal
- back/front focus - is this still happening and I mean- when the object you know covers the sensor reasonably well, that the camera *tried* to focus on the subject. This one to me is key and...
- same question as above but in tungsten/mixedlight/lower light.
That's a great idea. Need to find out where. Last thing I want to do is spend $1,100 USD only to find out the improvement is marginal and I still have to use MF.
Thanks Jim.
- Raist
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
I have used AF in very low light and it seems to be spot on with both natural and artificial light.
The instances where the camera failed to focus for me were extreme: focusing on a very small object in the foreground with a very high contrast background. Note that this is something ALL of my cameras have struggled with in the past. The Canon 5D MKII was no better than the K5 or K5 IIs.
As long as you are using Good Glass, you should see great results. Using the kit lenses will be less satisfying. When I use my DA* lenses or the Ltds.. the results are everything I could hope for.
Hope this helps.
I have not seen any issues with front or back focus with IIs.OK, you are making me hesitate now with that comment
- bigger sensor area- I can deal
- back/front focus - is this still happening and I mean- when the object you know covers the sensor reasonably well, that the camera *tried* to focus on the subject. This one to me is key and...
- same question as above but in tungsten/mixedlight/lower light.
- Raist
I have used AF in very low light and it seems to be spot on with both natural and artificial light.
The instances where the camera failed to focus for me were extreme: focusing on a very small object in the foreground with a very high contrast background. Note that this is something ALL of my cameras have struggled with in the past. The Canon 5D MKII was no better than the K5 or K5 IIs.
As long as you are using Good Glass, you should see great results. Using the kit lenses will be less satisfying. When I use my DA* lenses or the Ltds.. the results are everything I could hope for.
Hope this helps.
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
Thanks Jim, it does help. All my lenses are Ltds, one da * (50-135) and the FA 100wr telephoto macro (probably best lens I have). I will make a choice soon. It won't be the iis but that's fine.
Thanks again.
- Ricardo
Ps: my other thought is wait for fuji to move the recent improvements of the x100s to the X mount line and move entirely there, but I may get work for the summer and I rather not experiment with a new tech that way.
Thanks Jim, it does help. All my lenses are Ltds, one da * (50-135) and the FA 100wr telephoto macro (probably best lens I have). I will make a choice soon. It won't be the iis but that's fine.
Thanks again.
- Ricardo
Ps: my other thought is wait for fuji to move the recent improvements of the x100s to the X mount line and move entirely there, but I may get work for the summer and I rather not experiment with a new tech that way.
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Re: Fun with the Pentax K5 IIs
The reason I keep a DSLR like the K5 IIs and also use mirrorless is because mirrorless cameras still do not equal a DSLR in everyway. I love my X-Pro1 but there are certain times that I have to choose a different tool no matter how much love I feel for the camera.
I have to admit, I love looking through the lens in an optical path rather than an EVF and every time I use the K5 I wish I could see the same thing through the viewfinder of the X-Pro1.
While they claim the fastest AF (in good light) I understand it is still a bit slow in low light..
The reason I keep a DSLR like the K5 IIs and also use mirrorless is because mirrorless cameras still do not equal a DSLR in everyway. I love my X-Pro1 but there are certain times that I have to choose a different tool no matter how much love I feel for the camera.
I have to admit, I love looking through the lens in an optical path rather than an EVF and every time I use the K5 I wish I could see the same thing through the viewfinder of the X-Pro1.
Jim Radcliffe
Member
Excellent... this is the kind of thing I love to photograph.
