Upgrade from K30 to K5iiS

Hi all, im thinking about upgrading from my K30 and think about the K5iiS, is this a wise idea, or should I stick with my K30?

All comments welcome

I don't think there is a big difference between the two cameras, what are you looking to gain from the upgrade?

Well i like the option of vertical grip on the K5iis

i know its a bit picky..lol

The K30 was, and still is, the "best buy" Pentax DSLR with the Sony 16 Megapixel sensor. I personally don't think an upgrade to the K5iis will improve 99% of my images, although I accept there are times when I possibly miss out on some of the higher spec camera's features.

I would spend the money on one or two lenses. Have a try with a 35mm f2.4 or 50mm f1.8 - great value.

Regards

The K-5IIs will give you significantly more dynamic range than the K30 does. If you shoot landscape, or a lot of images that have high dynamic range then yes, it will bring benefits. Also, as you probably know, the K-5IIs doesn't have any anti aliasing filter, so will produce images with a little more detail and sharpness.

The other main differences are with the camera bodies and the available features. The K-5IIs is a magnesium alloy body, so feels more robust and solid. It has a top LCD which the K30 doesn't have and there are various other differences between the two.

My understanding is that the K30 is based on a different hardware / software architecture, that is also used on the K-01 and the K-3. This brings benefits such as focus peaking, but also introduces some not so desirable features such as a different shake reduction method for video which does not work as well as the system used on the K-5 series. Also, whilst the K30 is more flexible when it comes to different video modes, the output video quality lags some way behind the K-5 series.

Only you will know whether it is worth upgrading to the K-5IIs from the K30, it may be worth trying to have a go with one if you know anyone who owns one near to you.

Regards
David

My thoughts are that there are not enough reasons for me to up grade from my K30 to anything at the moment. I don't miss a top screen, don't shoot much video and don't think the plastic body makes any difference. The K5ll, K5lls and K3 are excellent cameras but they don't make me feel I'm missing that much - I'm saving my money to see what else we get next!

Only you can really answer this one. Personally - if you tried to give me your K30 in exchange for my K5IIs - you would have a major fight on your hands

Carl

I wouldn't swap my K5 either having moved up from entry level KX and KR models. So much more to the semi pro models BUT you have to own and use one over time to get it! I couldn't go back to say a K50 or upcoming K60 it would have to be a K3. Sensor cleaning, quiet shutter, top screen for me, wider dynamic range, better quality shutter, better controls and options, what you pay for.

This conversation closely resembles one on another thread recently.

The 'problem' here is that K-30 is actually very technically capable, and shares much in common with the more expensive models. There are clear differences between them, but the 'guts' are very similar. The K-30 has less external dials, but the same settings themselves are available quickly inside the menus.

The top screen as an example: The information displayed here is displayed very clearly on the larger rear screen. You have to look down to view the top screen, so if you tilt the camera forward, you're still looking down to see the same information now displayed on the rear screen. I really thought I'd miss the top screen, but in practise I honestly don't.

Only reason I mention this is in a lot of cases I'm not sure if I would take better or significantly different photos with a K-5 based camera. Depending on the subject matter (there are dynamic range improvements in RAW between the two cameras, and the K-5iis doesn't have the AA filter etc) there may or may not be a real world difference. Well for me at least.

Once again, not saying they're all the same, just saying the end results may not be that different either. Depending on what you want to do with it, I expect investing in better lenses may be more useful?


All this +1

My K30 still gets used regularly although I have a K5 and K3. Its image quality is superb, way above what you would expect from an allegedly entry level model. The K5 range and the K3 have magnesium alloy bodies as David points out, giving them a more robust feel. But for a walk around lightweight combination the K30 is superb for street photography.
Incidentally the lack of a top screen on the K30 doesn't bother me in the least.

David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

shooting in raw should ensure quality images no matter which camera you use. My trials of the short zooms has shown that even the plastic fantastic lenses can produce reasonable stuff. However before I go public with pronouncements I have to try the non-SMC F28-80.
I've used the K50 for these tests and I think it's more than adequate. What does surprise me is the fact that the K50 is cheaper than the K30....

????

I'm with Richard - I would not change my K30 - I spend any spare money on a new lens or two!

Quieter shutter, probably because of the camera construction. It matters to me so I said so having used both. Being quoted by the line just looks like sarcasm rather than polite critique.

As has been said no convincing some, which is fine.

I wondered how in normal use you can say the shutter is better quality? quieter maybe but it general use it won't make any difference. Nothing meant at you Bill - by all means continue enjoying your K5 but please don't try to make it sound far superior to the K30 because it isn't.

It does make a difference and a significant one in some circumstances. The shutter on the K-5 variants produces less vibration and therefore shots are less likely to have shutter induced camera shake, which can mean a much sharper image. I think this is quite a major deal and was certainly one of the reasons I upgraded to a K-5 in the first place. My upgrade was from a K-x, but the same principle applies.

I also find it hard to understand how you can say that the K-5 isn't far superior to the K30. How do you know this?

Regards
David