Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black)

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

The fit and feel of this camera is right on the money. I have some old K mount lenses of incredible quality. I use them with full manual controls on the camera and get wonderful results.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I love this camera. My previous camera was a K2000, and I have been looking to upgrade for a while now. People told me I would be better off just spending the money on lenses. I finally bought a K-5, It's the best decision I've made. This camera is a joy use. I use alot of manual focus lenses, and the bright viewfinder makes it so much easier to focus. Highly recommend this camera.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

For the longest time I was debating whether to upgrade from my K10d or not. I was somewhat unsatisfied with the k10d low-light performance, or lack of. I even contemplated going to the micro-four thirds system and leave Pentax entirely. However, the rebate that made the K5 a sub $1000 camera in March pushed me to buy it. The camera is great. The low-light performance is awesome and I find myself enjoying photography more than ever. I'm truly glad I didn't switch away from Pentax

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I'm a 40-year photography enthusiast with a closet full of gear who switched from a Nikon F2 to a Pentax LX in the mid-80s. I went digital in 2001 with an Olympus E-10 because Pentax didn't have a DSLR with the pro build quality I was used to. They sure do now! I got a K-7 shortly after it came out and love it, but the K-5 is much less noisy in very low light and deep shadow areas, and it works and handles exactly like the K-7, so I was already used to it before I opened the box. There's nothing not to like about it.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

Big improvement over the very good K20D; faster sensor, brighter viewfinder and,while loaded with features, still maintains the Pentax "feel".

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I came late to the Pentax K-5 and am delighted with it. It feels good in my small-to-medium hand. As a semi-pro camera it offers a lot of choices and therefore a learning curve for someone used to a simpler DSLR. I'm eagerly learning. The low-light performance is as good as everyone says. I shoot RAW, but I still like the improved automated white balance. Want to add an infrared filter and shoot true infrared? The K-5 turns out to be infrared-sensitive, and "live view" provides enough detail for composition.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

How I use the product:
I bought the Pentax K5 because of the sensor-shift / in-camera Image Stabilizer because I have 4 Leica R lenses (manual focus) that I want to keep and use in a digital body.

What could be better (my own wish-list):
1. Fully articulated LCD
2. Dedicated video button
3. Faster Autofocus at low light
4. Pentax provide a Pentax-Leica R adapter (see Novoflex or Rayqual)
5. Pentax should resume fabricating the AF 1.7x adapter (for manual focus legacy lenses)

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I like that it's water resistant, but not happy that you can't use the viewfinder in video mode.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I upgraded from a K10 that I love. I am still learning it. The color is great and the auto setting for my wife has better color then the K10. I love it. I travel by motorcycle and like the water and dust restance. It is a very strong camera.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

Beautiful camera. Still learning how to use, but it's clearly an amzing piece of technology.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I am a serious amateur, occasional professional photographer and Pentax has typically been my go-to, all purpose camera. I had the K10D for years and recently upgraded to the K-5. I can't recommend this camera enough. I haven't found a feature yet that isn't a great improvement over the K10 - specifically the better quality at higher ISO, more photographer directed automatic bracketing, and more sensitive auto focus. I should note that my love of this camera is for the photos only as I don't use the video feature.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

Overall I like the camera. I wish it was larger like the K10/20d but the addition of the battery pack helps those with larger hands. The issue I have encountered is, camera was set for RAW and twice now whenI download I have gotten a batch (from 12 to 20 images) that were jpgs. I did not change any settings and I always shoot in RAW.
This can be an issue when your trying to deliver the best to your clients. I also think this model is old enough to be upgraded. The 600 pound gorillas are not sitting on their laurels, why is Pentax?

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I am still working out all the ins and the outs of the camera but so far I am rather pleased. Just wish I could have afforded a lens to go along with it but it seems to work well without one.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I have used the K5 for sports shots in both sunlight and dark conditions. The pictures are great. The ISO range makes pictures in low light a breeze. The 16 megapixels makes cropping and blowing shots up look great. I love this camera and have just scratched the surface of its features.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I have been a professional photographer for over 25 years and have worked for magazines the likes of VOGUE, Harper's BAZAAR, L'Officiel, etc. I have been using Pentax cameras since their K10D and am now using both the K20D's and K5D's. The K5D IMHO outshines all of the under $2500 USD DSLR's out there and I would go far as to say that when published in magazines and catalogues one would be highly challenged to tell the difference between the K5 and any of the FF sensor DSLR's out there. The dynamic rage is phenomenal and the iso range and usability is superb. Built like a tank, silent shutter and rapid fire are some of the assets I really appreciate in this camera. For those Canon and Nikon users out there thinking about changing systems, not to worry, this camera will not disappoint.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

Best camera in it's price range as far as value goes. Mostly due to the great IQ, high contrast, fast AF(Though yes, could be faster, but that might be scary with screw AF...), ability to stabilize all lenses, and AMAZING weather sealing.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I have owned several Pentaxs and have been very happy with all of them. This camera will be an addition to my K20D. It is surprisingly lighter and also quicker focusing than the K20D. The big advantage is the increased usable ISO range.

I am a full-time pro and have had a lot of cameras. Penatxs tend to be very good value, usually competing with more expensive cameras. The K5 is no exception.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I just updated to the K-5 after having a K10D for 3 years. The improvements made are great and the camera is excellent. The video mode works well, the digital level is great and the live view is a huge plus when using the tripod in odd positions, i.e. too close to the ground. Coming from K10D I did not have any problems mastering this new camera. All lenses I have work in the K-5 without problems.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I travel quite a bit to tropical places so I have always been attracted to the Pentax line of cameras. I started out with the istDS, then the K-10, which I dropped in a stream, then the K-20, which I just sent in for warranty work after 3 hard years of use, and now the K-5. What a difference! The K-5 is just so much more professional of a camera. All of the controls are laid out much very well. The high ISO really works on this camera so 1600 is still very usable.

Comments about Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) (Black):

I've only had the camera for about three weeks, but I already love it. The image quality is outstanding and the low noise level for high ISO shooting is great. The button/dial control configuration is very intuitive and easy to work with and the menu system is easy to navigate. I prefer shooting in Manual mode, but even on full Auto settings the camera performs exceptionally well.

I work as an instructor of Film Lighting and have been using the K-5 to grab quick shots to point things out to the students as they work through labs. Many of them tend to look at it a little sideways ("What's that thing? Is it made by Canon/Nikon..??"), which leads into what I dislike about not necessarily this camera, but Pentax in general- no local dealers! Canon and Nikon have such a stranglehold on the in-store retailers that finding and testing lenses before buying is almost impossible (big problem when I'm building up my lens package). The lack of mainstream presence in the US market has also put this camera in the odd place of having 25/30 fps shooting in the movie mode- not a horrible disadvantage when using the camera for photos, but no 24fps support? Od's bodkins! Final problem I've encountered is again, not with the camera itself; Pentax's supplied photo editing software seems unstable at best. But if you have your own software for post work, this won't affect you so much.

All in all, excellent camera. The hefty, well constructed body feels almost bombproof and its metering and white balancing are effective and precise. I've been mainly using the older Pentax-A series lenses with it (50mm/f2 and 100mm/f2.8 primes) without built-in AF, but I've also got the 35mm/f2.4 AL and the DA 18-55mm II and the AF on them works well. It does have trouble finding focus points in low light, but for me that's an understandable downfall.

I imagine most professional photographers will be put off by the non-full frame APS-C sensor, but it performs well. I used this camera, side-by-side with a Canon 5D Mark-II, to time lapse a recent homebrewing day. The K-5 images were slightly more contrasty than the 5D, but there was no noticeable difference in output quality.

I'd recommend this camera to anyone looking to enter the DSLR arena, but please, Pentax- more local dealers and retailers!