Low light option - Pentax K-5 II?


richiemccaw1

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2013
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Singapore
Hi all,

I am a Ricoh GRD IV and Sony Nex 6 user. Have been hunting around for a good low light camera for a while as the Nex 6 still seems to hunt for a while and even so end up with the right AF spot about half the time. I have ended up choosing my AF spot but that is not the real solution for me.

The Canon 6D has appealed to me for a long time because of its extra sensitive centre spot and good high ISO capabilities. However owing to a limited budget, I have held off repeatedly on pulling the trigger on getting one.

After doing some research, it seems that the K-5 II can focus up to -3.0 EV too. Seeing as to how this seems to have the same sensor as my Nex 6, I am keen on looking into the K-5 II a bit more as a capable low light upgrade over my Nex 6.

Can anyone help comment on this please?

Thanks in advance.
 

With a good bright lens k5ii good in low light. If budget is even tighter u can explore k30 too. It can AF-1ev.
 

K5IIS low light AF is fast and accurate as far as I can tell ......:)
 

K5IIS low light AF is fast and accurate as far as I can tell ......:)

Thanks guys. I went to check the body only price for the K-5 II. It's about $1.3k after a cash rebate. Seems pretty decent..
 

I have been using k5iis,the auto focus in low light is fast and snappy.If u are looking for sharp images for portraits,go for the k5iis if both k5II and k5IIs are of the same price range.Even a 18-55 wr mm kit lens looks crispy and sharp with the missing of AA filter,not to mention about pairing it with Fa and da limited lenses.I am enjoying it thoroughly.
 

These are some of my experience using the k5II, the pros are many, such as low light capabilities, fast AF,
higher dynamic range, extremely quiet shutter, As on the erogomics side, all frequently use button(ISO, ev, LV etc)
buttons are laid out nicely for quick access. imo, It looks small but when you hold the camera, it just feels solid
in the hand, no plasticky feel at all. Though i feel that your GRD IV and Sony Nex 6 are very good cameras, but i'd
still say go for it if you like the camera.
 

Thanks flame angel and subatoyo. The K-5II/S sound very promising. The kit would come up to about $1.5-8k so it is not all that different from the 6D. Would you even consider the 6D given what you have in the K-5II or K-5 IIS?
 

I have never use a 6d before,can't comment.But frm the photo on the web,I can't c the difference between them.For the 6d, has to include good lenses to make full use of the ff sensor.Altogether come at about 3k plus plus,or even more.For k5ii, can just get the body and hunt for used lens like Da 34mm or dal 55-300 from buy and sales ,all in less than 2k.Pentax is one of the top four lens manufacturer in the world.Even the budget lenses are good enough for me.And we still have manual lenses to choose from,which take beautiful pictures with the right hands.
 

Sorry misread yr question: ).No,I will consider the rumoured k3 instead.haha....
 

come to pentax/ricoh monthly outing. I am sure there are k5ii/k5iis owner willing to lend you the camera for a quick test.
 

Thanks flame angel and subatoyo. The K-5II/S sound very promising. The kit would come up to about $1.5-8k so it is not all that different from the 6D. Would you even consider the 6D given what you have in the K-5II or K-5 IIS?

I can't comment on the 6D because i've not owned the camera before, this entry level FF camera doesn't come
cheap, it's more than $2K for body only & further more FF glasses are expensive also.
For a mid-level APSC DSLR $1.5K-$1.8k with lens it's pretty decent. When i bought a fixed lens milnolta A2
many years back, it's $1.6k, expensive as hell! Today DSLR is very good & the price has also come down a lot.
You could look at Japan amazon if you want to save some cash, but no warranty for the gear you bought there.
If cash is a issue then I'd suggest you sell off your current gears to have some spare cash to top up for a new camera!
Before i decided to have a Pentax camera, i was deciding between canon & nikon, i stumbled
upon Pentax & leading me to the K5II. I was immediately impressed by Pentax camera with the Pros it offers.
you can just google it to find out what are the pros!
I loved the way Pentax built their camera & the superior optics quality it offers, if you love to shoot with prime
lens, you may have the advantage of bringing out 3 or 4 prime in a pounch sling in your shoulder. Because they are
small! Take a look at the DA limited & FA limited lenses if you are considering a Pentax DSLR. Hope this help.:)
 

Thanks flame angel and subatoyo. The K-5II/S sound very promising. The kit would come up to about $1.5-8k so it is not all that different from the 6D. Would you even consider the 6D given what you have in the K-5II or K-5 IIS?

i was shooting with friend who have 6D , 5dmk3. 6D low light AF even outperfom 5dmk3 (which incidentally miss quite a few shot when we shot indoor strobing). k5ii is on par when it comes to low light AF with 6D so far i have no miss shots. for others feature it is not fair to compare APS-C VS FF. AF points. etc etc. but one thing for sure k5IIs the image rocks....

Just done this shoot yesterday strobing with 2 lights.
Martini-8830-2.jpg
 

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Woah. Okay. That's nice. I was just wondering whether it would be better to get the K5 used instead of the K5-II/S. I'm aware the difference appears to be the slower AF system. Can any bros who have/had the K5 comment on its low light performance too please?

Cheers.
 

Woah. Okay. That's nice. I was just wondering whether it would be better to get the K5 used instead of the K5-II/S. I'm aware the difference appears to be the slower AF system. Can any bros who have/had the K5 comment on its low light performance too please?

Cheers.

K5 in low light is good, but not great. it hunts and its hit-or-miss...

Cant really compete with the newer model from k30 onwards.
 

Woah. Okay. That's nice. I was just wondering whether it would be better to get the K5 used instead of the K5-II/S. I'm aware the difference appears to be the slower AF system. Can any bros who have/had the K5 comment on its low light performance too please?

Cheers.

K5 is a good outdoor camera but not good in low light AF at all, in a dark studio (K5 < K30 < K5ii). sometimes even with modeling light turn on K5 AF will miss. if you have budget constraint get K30. K30 AF is much quicker and more accurate over K5.
 

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K5 is a good outdoor camera but not good in low light AF at all, in a dark studio (K5 < K30 < K5ii). sometimes even with modeling light turn on K5 AF will miss. if you have budget constraint get K30. K30 AF is much quicker and more accurate over K5.

Agree... the K5 af is good outdoor. Low light will lose out to K30.. But K5ii/iis is the clear winner for Pentax.

If have budget.. consider the K30. It's a great camera at a good price.
 

Woah. Okay. That's nice. I was just wondering whether it would be better to get the K5 used instead of the K5-II/S. I'm aware the difference appears to be the slower AF system. Can any bros who have/had the K5 comment on its low light performance too please?

Cheers.

If on a tight budget, choose the K30 as it is not going for a great price of $699.00 with the DAL 18-55 lens.

I changed form the K5 to the K30 and got one for my son too. Now I have 2 K30s. The AF is definitely faster than the K5. No hunting in low light.


 

If on a tight budget, choose the K30 as it is not going for a great price of $699.00 with the DAL 18-55 lens.

I changed form the K5 to the K30 and got one for my son too. Now I have 2 K30s. The AF is definitely faster than the K5. No hunting in low light.



Thanks very much. I'm getting a little confused with Pentax's system of naming its models especially as Google continues to throw up more stuff. I will take some time to see what I'm giving up with the K30 as compared to the K-5II. Budget is indeed a strong constraint.
 

Thanks very much. I'm getting a little confused with Pentax's system of naming its models especially as Google continues to throw up more stuff. I will take some time to see what I'm giving up with the K30 as compared to the K-5II. Budget is indeed a strong constraint.

there is no clear winner between k30 n k5ii/s. i love the new prime M proccessor in k30/k01 (as i like to turn on lens correction).
k30 is very very attractive for that price point. for that money of an entry level camera you get mid to highend functions and feature of Canikon camera.