Pentax K5lls First Impressions

I collected my new K5lls today from the sorting office as I was out on Saturday when it was first delivered.

Anyway, only had a quick play tonight when I finished work, but here are some of my initial findings:

The screen of the K5lls is a lot better than the original K5, certainly less reflection and just seems a lot crisper and clearer. A very noticeable improvement.

Focus is better than original K5, improvements in low light and of the lenses I have tried so far all seem to be spot on focus wise, it would appear none of them require any fine tune focus adjustment.

I could be wrong but higher iso's also appear to be cleaner than the original K5. The clarity of image quality and sharpness is very apparent on the back of the screen, when zooming in you can clearly see a big difference.

The SD card door has been improved and the card is also easier to remove compared to the original K5.

Despite the cost of upgrading I am very, very pleased so far. When I get the chance to get out with the K5lls and take some images I will post them and provide some feedback in relation printing on our Canon Pixma Pro 9000 ll.

Could that be down to the improved Rear LCD screen though?

I don't remember seeing any references to the improved SD card door in any marketing !! Could be a big selling point - I can see the product shot now - a close up of the SD door all covered in frost, ice & raindrops - and it still opens and closes.

Possibly. However, I have just loaded an image onto the Mac Book Pro (not Retina) and the image still looks a lot cleaner. Perhaps it is just over excitement having a new camera? The image quality in terms of improvement from the original K5 can clearly be seen though, and my living room is not the most photogenic of living rooms.

Does any one know if the improved focusing applies to auto focus lenses only, or is there a benefit to manual focusing with manual lenses as well???

Thanks in advance...

Since your hand/eye combination does the focus with these lenses, the only way to improve it is by buying better glasses and exercising your fingers.

Maybe cach in focus is quicker, will check tomorrow...

Actually less of a stupid question than you suggest. If the low light autofocus is so good, is the focus confirmation when using manual focus lenses in low light equally good? Often it can be difficult to focus manually in low light so it would be nice to know if the focus confirmation can be used to help.

Best wishes, Kris.

That was the first thing I checked! I compared previously capture K5 Mk1 images on the K5IIs screen.

The screen shows more contrast and better wide angle viewing, but the images from the mk1 were as they were

Will try and get some sample shots up soon!!

Matt

PRECISELY!

Thank you Kris, you understood my question and moreover proffered a sensible reply!

My replacement K5IIs is back from SRS now - very quick turnaround, much appreciated. I've just had a wander around Exeter Cathedral and the coast at Beer, Axmouth and Lyme, mix of indoor, overcast and sunny conditions.

Early thoughts (I'm comparing with a K20D, so...)

Much better low-light performance - acceptable at 12800, sharp at 1600
Quicker autofocus (tried with DA17-70 and DA55-300 so far)
Slightly sharper at ISO100/200 - particularly for fine detail (on 24" screen)
Better exposure - fewer images underexposed, seems to show more detail in shadow
Ergonomics slightly better - e.g. I like the ISO button
Marginally brighter viewfinder
Not quite so natural feel in my long hands - though the RH grip gives better confidence for picking up one-handed
Not keen on the rubber cover for the ports
Like the start-up dust removal - doesn't sound like the K20's machine-gun
Exposure compensation in AV mode doesn't clear on turning the camera off - probably a case of getting used to it rather than a problem.

Overall the process of composing and taking a shot seems quicker and 'cleaner' than with the K20, more like (and even slightly better than) the Canon 7D.

Basically very pleased so far - seems an excellent camera.

It also works

I'm a regular changer of lenses on shoots in the field and regurlarly had to clean the sensor on my K20D. Ihad my two K-5s for 2 years now and I've NEVER once had to clean the sensors. Highly impressed. The approaching ultrasonic method of cleaning is much better than the Low frequency chugga chugga of the K20D

That's good to know, I had the same problem with my K20D - particularly annoying if it picked up dust when I was away for a week or two without the computer.

Ok tried my mkii today wi my 400mm f/4 and the focus locks on just as quick as an af lens, soon as the shot is in focus beep, not like the mki where you have to step backwards and forwards.

I will post some results tomorrow..

Thank you very much for that it's greatly appreciated. An upgrade isn't exactly cheap so there need to be sufficient benefits to justify the outlay. Looks and sounds promising so far!

Thanks again and I'll look forward to your results....