Pentax K-5 Pro Reviews

The weather-sealed Pentax K-5 is a fast-shooting digital SLR with in-body stabilization and fast burst shooting, but it's hampered by an underperforming kit lens, poor high ISO performance, and some other issues.

At first glance the K-5 may seem a lot like the K-7. While, in some respects, this is true, it's actually a camera that delivers quite a lot more. Image quality is stunning through a large portion of the ISO range and some of the unique features such as Auto Level Compensation really do add extra value. The fully weather sealed body and WR lenses make for robust use and the 7fps bust mode is great to have. The K-5's autofocus is the best yet, though we're still waiting for that truly next generation system to grace a Pentax camera. And while the K-5 may offer 1080p HD video, it's still some distance behind the competition - something that stills traditionalists are unlikely to be too fussed about. Apart from this and the limitations of an 18-55mm kit lens (we suggest you pick the more expensive 18-135mm kit), the K-5 has bags to offer, is generally good value and arguably the very best digital Pentax camera we've ever seen.

While I consider the K-5 to be a semiprofessional camera, Pentax is modest and calls it a “high-end prosumer design.” I don’t like the word “prosumer” because it conjures up images that seem antithetical to the kinds of pros and aspiring professionals to whom this camera would appeal. The K-5 offers a 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that measures 23.7x15.7mm and, by contrast, the 18-megapixel Canon EOS 60D’s sensor is 22.3x14.9mm. While this is just a “silly millimeter,” it translates into a 1.5 multiplication factor instead of 1.6, and everybody knows bigger is better, especially when it comes to controlling noise during long exposures and high ISO settings, like the K-5’s 80 to 12,800 range that’s expandable to 51,200.

The Pentax K-5 is a good choice for photographers who work in all types of outdoor environments and need a dependable DSLR that produces high quality images and video. Our main caveat is the relatively limited digital lens selection compared to the competition. But if you’re fine with working with a handful of Pentax lenses, then you’ll most likely be pleased with your purchase.

Overall, the Pentax K-5 is an extremely capable digital SLR, matching or besting its peers in many key areas, including image quality, performance, and handling. It's all the more impressive that it manages to do all this in a body that's significantly more compact than those of its main rivals. The in-depth weather sealing and cold proofing positively inspires confidence, and while the initial learning curve might be a little steep, the K-5's body fits like a glove once you've taken the time to familiarize yourself with its many controls. Although we still have some slight reservations over its pricing, we think that just like the camera it follows, the Pentax K-5 is more than worthy of a Dave's Pick.

The video mode is disappointing but photo quality is marginally the best we’ve ever seen. Rival cameras offer better value, though.

While the K-5 doesn't differ all that much from the older K-7, it does add some significant new features which help ensure that Pentax's prosumer DSLR continues to be a very attractive alternative to the Big Two's offerings. It may lack the Nikon D7000's continuous AF during movies and the Canon EOS 60D's articulating screen, but the K-5 is arguably more intuitive to use and more customisable than either. If you haven't considered Pentax DSLRs before, then the new K-5 is the perfect excuse to take a much closer look.

We liked the Pentax K-7 a lot, and our only significant criticism was its relatively poor high ISO performance. The K-5 brings all the things that we liked about the K-7 - the compact, solid body, and generally well thought-out ergonomics, and excellent feature set - but adds substantially better image quality, in both still and movie modes, and a host of other improvements. In our opinion this makes it one of the best APS-C DSLRs currently on the market.

If you are looking to upgrade from a compact, you have owned a Pentax before or have Pentax lenses of yore and want to buy an up-to-date DSLR, or you simply want to buy a cracking camera that will shoot just about anything you can through at it out of the box, then you’d be hard pressed to find a better DSLR than the Pentax K-5.

The Pentax K-5 is a highly-specified and immensely enjoyable camera to use, and one which can easily withstand an array of photographic challenges. Overall, the Pentax K-5 marries a well-rounded specification list with a stellar performance, and stands as an ideal upgrade to Pentax's previous DSLRs.

Here Pentax have a camera that is punching very much above its weight. The quality of colour is exceptional and I suggest that portrait and wedding photographers consider this camera very carefully. Pentax do have some limitations as regards their own telephoto lenses, but alternatives are available from other manufacturers if needed. In summary, an excellent camera that is very highly recommended.