I refer to my first post (No. 4 I believe).

Simon, just buy one, any one. Maybe it would help if I summarise this thread for you:
- The K5 takes pictures like it's got grease on the lens
- The K5iis give automatic membership of the 'pixel peep club' but produces images so sharp you could cut your self (although its no good for weddings or textiles)
-The K5ii need a degree in nano-nuclear particle physics to PP the images so that they are the same as the other 2 and,
-in fact, they all produce the same image because none of it is noticeable anyway.

I hope that clears that up.

And now I refer to my other post:

I've just reread this thread and there have been 6 posts by people who either own or have used the K5iis and have seen no moire. Personally I would suggest that that is sensible and balanced.

You're not suceeding

I warned you

As someone who has a K5iis and wants to shoot portraits for a living I'm interested in your comment. Should I be worried

Daniel I am amazed by these 2 comments. I can only assume that you have some "unprofessional" editing software Seriously though I can't understand how you can manage to shoot weddings professionally without some PP

I have a K5iis and have not noticed any moire at all.

TBH I don't think you will get a definitive answer from this forum as no one (correct me if I'm wrong) has taken 2 identical pictures, in identical conditions, with identical lenses and settings, with the two cameras which can be compared well enough to categorically state that the (s) makes enough (or any) difference to warrant the difference in price.

Moire seems, from reports, to be a non-issue.

I think it boils down to this: if your current images have shown any indication of moire then they probably will in either of the K5ii models. If it worries you buy a K5ii, if not then either will do.
If you're into pixel peeping for detail then you may feel that the £100-ish difference is worth it.

I am very happy with the level of detail I get from my K5iis but I'm sure that I would have been equally happy with the K5ii.

If you're buying 2nd hand get either one that comes up in your budget. If you're buying new then only you can justify the extra for the (s) regardless of the many opinions you will get on here.

I hope that's of help and as even handed as possible

They do look impressive. I feel more comfortable with my SRS TC pre-order now

As a user of the Cactus V5 triggers I am very interested in this (it's nice to see that they've retained compatibility).

Hopefully it won't be a 'bank breaker'. If it's affordable I can see a few of these being added to my setup

I wonder how the flash head price will compare to the V6 transceiver. If theres not a lot in it I can see an advantage in buying 2 heads, using one as controller and having it as a backup slave when you need it.

I must admit the Q7 is looking very tempting at the moment as an always available, (large) pocket option. I stil want a K3 as my main, with the K5iis as backup but I can see a 'Q' somewhere on the horizon....





......just don't tell the wife

Jules has made reference, several times, to a lightweight 'grab and go' setup.

Just for discussion I thought I would show what my 'ready for anything, grab in a hurry' bag has in it. It's not exactly lightweight but it does sit in the office, loaded and ready to go. I tend to bung this in the car if we're going on a walk anywhere.

Bag: Lowepro Flipside Sport 20L AW
Camera: Pentax k5iis + D-BG4 Grip
Lenses: DA 12-24, DA* 16-50 and DA* 60-250 (sometimes I will change this for the 50-135 depending upon need). Once it arrives there will be just enough room for the Pentax 1.4 TC as well
Flash: 1 of Pentax FGZ 540 + 2 Cactus V5 transceivers, 1 tripod coldshoe attachment and 1 flash base.
Filters: Lee holder, Hitech ND 100s 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and big stopper, Hitech 150 soft and hard edge ND grads 0.3, 0.6 &0.9. Hitech 105mm circular polariser + 67mm & 77mm adapter rings. These are in their own Lowepro holder and can fit on the outside if I need more space.
Light Meter: Sekonic L-308S Flashmate
Cheap Chinese cable remote & timer



Tripod: Velbon UT-43D or, if needed, Giottos MTL 8360B Carbon Fibre with Manfrotto 324RC2 Joystick Head
Colour correction & white balance cards
Monopod: Manfrotto MMC3-01 Compact
4 spare Ansmann Digital NiMh 2850mAh
4 spare Ansmann 4 x AAA NiMh 1100mAh
2 spare 16Gb SanDisk 16GB Ultra 30MB/Sec SDHC + 1 kept in camera grip
2 spare Pentax DLi190 batteries
1 folding 8" x 12" folding softbox (Lumiquest LTp copy)
Bladder: CamelBak Antidote 1.5l + Osprey Magnetic Bite Valve
Gloves: Sealskinz shooting gloves
1 Thermal buff neck/head warmer



As I said this isn't a lightweight setup but the bag is surprisingly comfortable and I don't feel too bogged down when I'm carrying it. In addition the design allows you to access most of your gear without taking it off or putting it on the ground, which I think is excellent.

My only change planned is to create 2 short leads that will attached the camera to the shoulder 'D' rings rather than hanging around my neck.

All in all I think I'm almost ready for anything with this setup.

Now then, what's in your bag?