Upgrading from K20D to K5 - is it really worth it?
The K-5 has more detail, lower noise and is a faster, more responsive camera. The low light capability is stunning and it made a huge difference to wedding disco shots. Using the 50mm f1.4 FA lens I could shoot virtually in any light that I could actually see in.
Best regards, John
Barrie
Too Old To Die Young
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/
Martyn
http://www.flickr.com/photos/northamptonshirecouk/
Depends what you photograph... but if it's any kind of wildlife then the low-light capability is worth the extra money on its own! I've taken loads of shots with the K5 that would never have been possible with my previous K10D
Congratulations to you Martyn on the results you are achieving with your K-5. The shots on your Flickr stream are stunning. I've just bought a K-5 so I'm looking forward to seeing what difference it makes (currently I use a K-x and a K-m).
Regards
David
Flickr
Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu
Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
You can see some of my photos here if you are so inclined
Regards
David
Flickr
Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu
Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
IMO, the K5 surpasses the K20D in terms of the brightness and coverage of the viewfinder, level of mirror/shutter noise (very much reduced), speed and maximum number of captures when shooting in continuous mode (much improved whether JPEG or RAW), dynamic range of the sensor, performance at higher ISO settings (1600 ASA perfectly useable on the K5 compared with 800 ASA, just, on the K20D) and the resolution/sharpness of captures direct from the camera (RAW and JPEG).
As noted by Martyn and David (above), the advantages of the K5 are particularly noticeable when shooting wildlife in low light with long lenses. The K20D remains capable, however, of stunning results (as does my Samsung 'clone' of the K10 for that matter) and have absolutely no intention of parting with it now or in the forseeable future

Whether your, hopefully


Job

K20

K5

You can see some of my photos here if you are so inclined
Regards
David
Flickr
Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu
Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
Fletcher8.
There's little wrong with the K20D of course, it's just that the K5 bests it in every department and noticably so. If you're shooting static subjects in good light then don't worry about it, but if you could benefit from better AF, usable live view, vastly improved ISO performance and an all round 'tuned up' body then the K5 at current prices is hard to ignore.
Site|PPG
I haven't had the K20D but if it is anything like the K7 then the difference is as astounding in 'taxing' shooting conditions as Dr' O's example above. In good conditions I doubt there is much difference that most people could discern between the K7 & K5 but as soon as you step outside the bounds of 'excellent shooting conditions' then the K5 races away.
http://frogfish.smugmug.com/ Pentax. Pentax DA*300/4, Cosina 55/1.2, Lens Baby Composer Pro & Edge 80, AFA x1.7, Metz 50 af1.
Nikon. D800. D600. Sigma 500/4.5, Nikon 300/2.8 VRII, Sigma 120-300/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon ZF2 35/2.0, Sigma 50/1.4, Nikkor 85/1.8, Nikon TC20EIII, Nikon TC14EII, Kenko x1.4, Sigma 2.0
PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released

LennyBloke
Member
Worcestershire
I'm pretty certain that the DR and High Iso will be significantly better, but the areas that I am less sure of are around the Viewfinder and AutoFocus. I currently use the OME53 which I find helps on my K20D, but I do still get a fair few photos that seemed good in the viewfinder but are not quite as sharp as I would expect on screen (and I get a fair few that are excellent, so I'm pretty sure it's my judgement some of the time and maybe the AutoFocus on others). I don't have the worlds best eyesight, I wear glasses but take them off and use the viewfinder compensation setting for taking photos.
I realise that the next model will have more bells, whistles and a go faster stripe - but I tend to buy towards the end of a products marketing life to gain the price benefits and a bedded-in product.
Opinions and experiences would be greatly appreciated
LennyBloke