Hi,

I've been reading up a little on the pentax dslr and am intrigued by it's weather proofness. Alos, it seems that old konica lenses ca be easily modified to fit the body and all pentax lenses from their old slr's work (my father in law has an old 35mm pentax).

Does anyone have any real world experience with them?

-beetle aka john

If you want a DSLR camera for old lenses weather-proofness is going to be gone since the lenses you are talking about are probably not weather-proofed.

If you want a camera for compatibility with other mounts, start on mirrorless cameras, then Canon, then Pentax.

IF you want a Pentax to use Pentax AF lenses then I guess that the K5II is as good as it gets....

BTW which Pentax lenses are we talking about?

Isn't the K5 II the one that can use its' sensor shift in combination with a GPS accessory to act like an equatorial mount? (turning to counteract movement of stars in a long-exposure)

I have used Pentax SLR/DSLR's for over ten years but exclusively with K-mount lenses from Zeiss, Pentax and Tokina. Currently I have the K-5 IIs, wonderful camera with fantastic IQ, ergonomics and build quality.

ISO1600 wrote:
Isn't the K5 II the one that can use its' sensor shift in combination with a GPS accessory to act like an equatorial mount? (turning to counteract movement of stars in a long-exposure)

yes, it has that feature.

It uses the same sensor as the D7000 but has a little more DR.
Pentax DSLR ergonomics have always been better than the rest.

You might want to wait until Feb to see what the next big show brings though...

Yeah the impression I got is that it was a VERY good camera.
I think if Pentax ever dropped a FF sensor K mount, it would really be a winner- or at least it COULD be.

My only issue with Pentax DSLRs over the years has been the bad AF, and the K-5 II has fixed that. Easily the best APS-C DSLR out there.

Firmware update for the K5II and K5IIs:

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/k-5_2_s.html

Cool, thanks. Here are the changes:

Changes to V1.01

Enabled contrast adjustment on Monitor. (Added [contrast ]on [LCD setting ]menu)

Improved stability for general performance

neilvan wrote:
I have used Pentax SLR/DSLR's for over ten years but exclusively with K-mount lenses from Zeiss, Pentax and Tokina. Currently I have the K-5 IIs, wonderful camera with fantastic IQ, ergonomics and build quality.

That's my next camera, which I will probably buy in the Spring. It will go nicely with my K-5.

It's better than any other crop sensor camera right now. The only thing holding it back is no full-frame step up and their lens selection/resale value is more limited.

Being in position now for a new DSLR, I never gave Pentax a thought. The last few days I have read as much as I could about the K-5 IIs and it does look very nice. I've owned m4/3 (OM-D), APS-C (7D, X-E1), FF (D700) in the past. I just came from a X-E1 and had sights set on 5D MK III, but would limit my budget to the point I would only be able to afford one lens. A used 5D MK II has also crossed my mind since they are so cheap now, but I worry the limited AF would have me soon looking for a replacement. I'm not totally set on FF as I loved my 7D when I owned it and don't feel the APS-C is all that bad for my shooting.

So, I am now having thoughts about a Pentax K-5IIs system, but I like to buy my stuff used most of the time and there just isn't any used ones out there. I'm left with paying $1300 for body alone. When you consider the used prices of a good 7D, I then wonder if the K-5IIs is that much better?

Hmmm. Theses types of decisions are never easy, but I must admit, we all look way too deep into all this most of the time and I'm sure we'd be happy with either system.

K-5 IIs is waaaaaaaaay better than the 7D from a sensor POV, as well as ergonomics. Lens ecosystem? That depends on what you like to shoot with. AF system isn't as advanced for tracking, etc, but it's great for accuracy/speed for static or slow-loving subjects.

I am a recent Pentax K-5 II user, having switched over from a Canon 5D. I liked the lighter weight and the selection of Pentax's "limited" lens for their size. Pentax has a very good high ISO and low light focus ability.
Here is a photo taken hand held with the Pentax SMC DA 35mm F2.8 limited macro lens:

Photo taken with PENTAX K-5 II, f/3.5 @ 35 mm, 1/50, ISO 3200, No Flash

deadwolfbones wrote:
K-5 IIs is waaaaaaaaay better than the 7D from a sensor POV, as well as ergonomics. Lens ecosystem? That depends on what you like to shoot with. AF system isn't as advanced for tracking, etc, but it's great for accuracy/speed for static or slow-loving subjects.

slow-loving?

deadwolfbones wrote: but it's great for accuracy/speed for static or slow-loving subjects.

Reminds me of the Fuji X-E1 I had. Great photo IQ, but focus speed dreadfully slow.

Weasel_Loader wrote:
deadwolfbones wrote: but it's great for accuracy/speed for static or slow-loving subjects.

Reminds me of the Fuji X-E1 I had. Great photo IQ, but focus speed dreadfully slow.

Remember that slow by DSLR standards isn't that slow. My *istD, the slowest focusing Pentax DSLR, would be entirely respectable in AF speed by Mirrorless standards (around the speed of my NEX-7, if not a bit faster). The K-5's are a good bit faster than that old *istD.

deadwolfbones wrote:
K-5 IIs is waaaaaaaaay better than the 7D from a sensor POV, as well as ergonomics. Lens ecosystem? That depends on what you like to shoot with. AF system isn't as advanced for tracking, etc, but it's great for accuracy/speed for static or slow-loving subjects.

My K-5 has no problems keeping up with fast moving objects, such as sandpipers, BIF and stuff like that. I have not used it for pro sports but I did shoot some soccer a few days ago and I did not experience any odd issues. Granted....it does not have all the focus points of a MkIII, D700 or something like that, but I am more than happy with it. I would not consider buying a 7D at this point. The only "quirk" I have with Pentax is the over/under exposure issue I experience on occasion.

My mirror less OMD has noticeably faster AF than any of my crop or FF DSLRs. (Single shot only - not tracking).

dc

bmwrider75 wrote:
My mirror less OMD has noticeably faster AF than any of my crop or FF DSLRs. (Single shot only - not tracking).

dc

And the OM-D is very fast for Single-shot AF by Mirrorless standards. Most of the other options are quite a bit slower.