The last year, or so, has seen four new DSLRs from Pentax, the first being the K-7, aimed at the pros, and advanced amateurs, that wanted a stylish, yet rugged camera, with lots of features, suitable for outdoor, and studio work, where the lighting is good. The 14MP sensor isn't the fastest around, so while the pros liked it quite well, some found the noise at ISO 3200 hampering.
Then came the cheap & mechanically noisy, but fast, K-x, that amazed with its huge dynamic range, and the ability to take photos at ISO 6400. Plastic feel, even if there is a steel frame inside, somewhere. Very much a cut-down version, with just the essentials, but nice speed!
The next came a model, that eventually will replace the K-x (if it hasn't already done so), which added some features of the K-7 to a K-x, thus improved ergonomics, speed and looks, plus more options in the menus.
Late in the year of 2010 came the K-5, which could be called a souped up K-7, with some nice new touches:
The K-5 is fully a pro-style DSLR, top-of-the-range at Pentax, which means it is has a durable, rain-proof body, made mostly out of magnesium. At a distance there is nothing that differs it from the K-7, but the K-5 logo, and a button, or two.
But what differs is the sensor: a 16+MP CMOS sensor from Sony (actually the same as you can find in the Sony A55), which gives the camera an astounding ISO range - expanded: 80-51400 (or basic setting: 100-12800).
But it is not the sheer ompf that really took me by storm, but the results of my photos with it, using the same lenses as before: The green grass is no longer just one green colour, but a spectrum of green colours - just as my eyes see it; the birds look much more alive, and so on.
Independent testers have found it to be performance-wise on par with Nikon D700, a camera loved by many.
In short, it should be called K-7 Mark II, and it so good that my critical wife, who used prefer her Olympus E-PL1 to my first Pentaxes - and shots taken side by side with her E-PL1, and my K-7, with as simlar lenses as possible (say the Panasonic 20mm pancake on hers, and DA21 on mine) almost always were won by her camera, at high ISO, or low.
At high ISO both stinks, by the way
!
I almost bought a D300S a year ago, but the sheer bulk of the camera scared me - I wanted a DSLR that would replace my favourite compact, my old Olympus C-8080, which is outstanding in some ways, and terrible in some other, not a behemoth (thus I ended up with the Pentax K-x).
My wife later thought about the Canon 550D, but that was just too big for her hands, so now we both have Pentax K-5s, and are very happy with our choices! The K-7 will be sold, soon!
Update, June, 2011:
I have now used my K-5 for quite a while, not least during a trip to Slimbridge and Newent, recently coming home. Sadly the K-5 fell on its back while attached to a monopod, which has forced me to send it off for repairs - auto focus didn't work quite right, nor could it use lenses with the focusing mechanism built-in at all.
Other than that it has worked effortlessly, but the camera has a problem with reds, including imfrareds, so I now have bought some IR-blocking Heliopan filters (very expensive) that seems to help a lot!
Update, August, 2011:
The repair took about a month, due to a lack of spare parts (in this case the tape that holds the replacement display 'glass' in place, as the original glass was slightly damaged when the camera fell on its back. The serious damage was to the bayonet, and that was fixed in a matter of minutes, but the tape took ages!
Update 2012:
then it refused to read the SD cards!!! Back to Pentax, and this time I got a brand new one - no further issues!
