Отзывы о Фотоаппарат Pentax K-1 Mark II Kit

As a returnee to SLR photography after 20 years, the DSLR I eventually chose was the K-50 in red packaged with the 18-55mm WR lens. What decided me were the very positive reviews, the fact the camera is wet-weatherproofed and overall value for money. It has turned out to be an excellent choice for a semi-serious amateur with a basic understanding of F-stops, shutter speeds and light metering who wants to upgrade to a DSLR with its vast range of features and shooting options.

The K-50 is visually stunning in its red casing, and people frequently comment on how good it looks. The camera has a chunky & quality feel. The menu and various control functions are sturdy and easy to master even by someone with large hands. All the features/controls are well-explained in the 300-page manual, which although initially intimidating is easy to follow step-by-step. Just shooting on AUTO means a beginner can achieve good results before learning how to improve depth-of-field, white balance and varying the exposure settings. The viewfinder screen is excellent, ditto the built-in flash which has an intelligent pop-up design and closes with a simple click if you want to lock it away and use natural light for exposure. The ‘recording movies’ features are also very good but the microphone is highly sensitive particularly in moderate wind conditions.

You can save your photos in various file formats and use a vast range of (mostly free) editing software: with some experience you can radically enhance your results by editing/playing with them.

The camera has the option of two power sources: a built-in battery (which I have found lasts for several days of shooting and is the only power source I really need) plus the option of 4x AA batteries held internally in a D-BH109 AA adapter, a useful accessory not included in the basic camera package and a minor omission which would have been nice to have as part of the standard kit, ditto a basic 16GB SD memory card. You’ll also need a robust carrying case.

My next purchase will be a 50-200mm lens to complement the 18-55.

Overall: robust, versatile, easy to use, excellent value – and stunning in red.

I must start this review by admitting to being a complete novice when it comes to photography. I've been happily using point and click cameras for years and have never felt I had the knowledge to step up to trying out SLR Cameras. My most recent camera has been a Cybershot and I've been pleased with the results it has delivered. I was very interested, when given the chance, to see how an SLR camera like this would compare and how I would get on with such a sophisticated bit of kit.

The camera itself comes packed well and contains: Camera, Lens, Battery, Battery Charger, AC Plug cord, Strap, PC camera software (some imaging software to allow you to adjust images once taken, though I will stick to paintshop pro to avoid needing to load more software on my PC) and the manual. A couple of things that aren't present which you will need are: There is no micro USB cable included, you will need one for connection to a PC; you might need this if your card reader doesn't contain a slot for HCSD cards as mine doesn't. There is also no HCSD card included. Apparently they aren't as standard with SLR cameras and they don't have internal storage to use so this is an absolute must. Thankfully they aren't very expensive and I was able to get on for less than a tenner (and am using one borrowed from another camera for now).

The camera itself is fairly large and weighty but feels very robust and well built. Once it is all set up and connected i found it has (to me) a bedazzling array of options available and I'm going to do more reading to get a better understanding before I get too comfortable with tinkering. Thankfully for getting started the camera can be put into auto focus mode and also into auto scene selection mode and will pick the most appropriate settings based on it's programming and the conditions and will focus accordingly. Scene selections can also be manually set without needing to tinker further and I've found this really helpful in testing when switching from pets to landscapes and others. The camera also comes with anti shake capability, this definitely helps me as I am not the stillest and know i'd get movement with anything past a very rapid shutter speed so this is a huge boost and helping me to produce steady pictures.

Pictures can be taken either through the view finder or via the "live view" LCD screen view depending on your preference and lighting conditions (a big drawback of our most recent camera was only an LCD screen meaning we had to guess at what we were photographing in the bright outdoors of Malta this past summer). You can easily play these back in playback mode. You can also switch to video recording mode (via an easy setting on the "on" switch" and use this to playback and review as you go.

Overall I am really impressed with what is on offer here. I've been getting out taking pictures in different times of day, different light and weather conditions and different landscapes (of which I have a lovely variety on offer in the local area) and have also been taking pictures of people and pets. The camera is taking some beautiful pics and it speaks volumes for it that I can get such lovely pictures using the assistance the camera gives. There are a range of effects available but I haven't been using them as I find the pictures very pleasing as they are.

I'm not great camera expert, very much a home user, but for someone making the step like I am from a novice background I am really impressed, it's an impressive camera to me and I don't think others making the jump would be disappointed.

This is a first impressions review to provide initial feedback on this newly released camera.

The first thing to strike me in taking the camera body out of the box is that it is quite heavy. Not a criticism, just an observation. The trend in DSLRs has been for the lens to be mounted further and further to the left. And as can be seen from the product photo this is particularly evident in this one. I did wonder if this would render it prone to be imbalanced when being carried around the neck with the right hand side being heavier, but with the lens fitted this seemed to be OK.

Set up was very simple, insert battery and SD card (the symbol for the correct way for the card to be inserted seemed to me to be the wrong way round - but perhaps that is just me) and give the camera a few details of location, date and time and I was ready to go.

The LCD display is very clear and can be customised for a variety of different displays.

The mode button is a click wheel which goes into place with a clear and confident click. Although the day was dank and overcast I decided to give the camera try out in difficult conditions. I tried switching between various modes of Auto, Screen (effects) and Creative Filters. These switches were very easy to make. So setting a macro capture was very simple.

The results (RAW and jpg are supported) are very pleasing. Some of the creative effects, bold monochrome and infrared filter in particular are very good. The "forest" setting enhances greens - for older film camera buffs it reminded me of Fuji Velvia which was always stunning for such shots. But of course one of the advantages of digital is the versatility to be able to switch between the various settings and ISOs to deal with a range of conditions. And with the light being so poor on this first expedition the ISO levels were often pushed up to 800 or over.

There are a few things which didn't create such a good impression. First this is a genuine SLR which means that it has a mirror in it which flips up to reveal the sensor to capture the picture. This was very noisy, especially when I tried a few indoor shots. So if you wanted to use this to take discreet shots I think you would struggle. Second the hand and thumb grip is quite small. The thumb rest in particular is located across the Exposure lock button and pretty small. This is not an issue for me as I have smallish hands, but for anyone which larger hands I think this could be a struggle. Third the LCD screen is fixed. That means that when the camera is not is use it is exposed - and if being carried round the neck could easily come into contact with a belt buckle or zip. I know this is common with compact cameras but I know that the one I have has a wrist strap and I never wear it around my neck so this risk is reduced.

The "innovative" light features (green for photos, red for video) don't really do anything for me. I can tell by the position of the on/off switch what state the camera is in. I'm not knocking these - some people may find them useful.

The autofocus wasn't fast enough on this first trial to keep up with the fast moving object which is our dog. But I will need to re-test that since the light was poor and the dog is blindingly fast.

I have added a few of the photos I took (none are going to win any awards) so that some impression of quality can be obtained. These are all original jpg files and there has been no post camera tweaking of the quality.

The Pentax K30 is effectively the cost-reduced version of the K5. They share the same excellent 16Mpixel sensor and automatic picture taking system, but the K30 has fewer controls and with the DA-L 18-55mm kit lens is significantly lighter than the K5 with the optically identical DA-WR 18-55mm kit lens. The Amazon blurb above is correct when the camera is used with the DA-L lens options offered.

The pictures are very, very good on both, sufficiently so that having used the K5 intensively in a wide range of conditions for a year and a half, and the K30 for almost a month I still cannot really tell the difference between the end results. At first I thought the brand new K30 was better, but after cleaning some hints of dirt off the front of the K5 lens and then shooting some A-B tests on a range of subjects it was obvious that there was no significant performance difference.

Ergonomics
. It is just a fraction small for my hands, but SWMBO found the lighter K30 nestles nicely and all the right controls just fell under her finger tips. She was delighted with how easy it was to use.
. The `Green' function is sufficient for the vast majority of point-and-shoot photography that one is likely to attempt, ideal for a novice DSLR user, and makes amazingly good pictures from a wide range of conditions.
. The default auto-finding Auto-Focus is a bit of a pain - it prefers to focus on nearest objects and not my subject, but I simply selected centre zone on the menu and that works a treat, same as with the K5.
. Pressing the Review button to look at pictures taken also allows one to have the full ability to examine the picture in minute detail, with as much as 16x digital magnification (32x on the K5), and I still could not see a pixel structure from the sensor. Press it again, and immediately go back to shooting mode. Nice.
. Flash is a pop-up feature, and it is something I tend not to use unless absolutely necessary for controlled lighting, and I've only experimented with the flash enough to prove it works. With the sensitivity of this camera, even hand-held night-shoots come up trumps, which I find quite astonishing, and delightful.
. The shake-reduction is seamless in operation, and while I've not been aware of any side-effects from it, I have certainly noticed how sharp the hand-held images are.
. Reflex viewfinder. Ohh, it is so good to be able to see a proper real picture with the correct dioptre adjustment for my eyes, one that can be used in any light level, just like on my 35mm cameras. And it has all the relevant status info you could ever wish for, but I've not much used any of that info apart from the electronic-levelling meter to help me to keep verticals properly upright.
. LCD viewfinder. I've used this to review the shots, or for monitoring the video while using the tripod, or for silent shooting with no mirror flip, or the menu system when setting up the many options on the camera.
. Battery life (without flash) is good. The manual suggests between 300 and 400 pictures. The 7.8 Watt-Hour D-Li109 K30 battery is smaller than the 14 Watt-Hour D-Li90 K5 battery (both 7.2V) and the pin-out means it requires its own different charger, so I will not be able to swap spare batteries between the cameras.

The Body
. This is a fraction smaller than the K5 (but only by a few millimetres), definitely lighter and seems to be a very good fit for more delicate hands than mine. SWMBO has decided that it is perfect for her to use...
. It has extensive sealing to improve weather resistance, much the same as the K5. Some of the rubber covers are very difficult to re-fit, such as that for the cable release terminal socket. Other covers feel a bit insubstantial, such as those for the two compartments housing battery and the SDHC chip.
. The battery compartment is strange as it is shaped to also accommodate a carrier (an optional extra) for AA cells. I would have preferred it to merely take the larger D-Li90 battery pack.
. No HDMI connector, this is the only major drop off, as I use the one on the K5 for video playback and slide-shows on a big screen.
. No microphone socket. No big deal however, as I always use a separate sound recorder and only regard the camera sound as a guide track.
. No external DC power socket, not really necessary if you don't plan to use much video, except I do use the one on the K5 sometimes when shooting video and often when playing back the video.

The Lens
.The DA-L 18-55mm is very nice, and having a plastic body is lighter than the metal bodied DA-WR 18-55mm even though they share the same optics with eleven elements in eight groups. L = Light, WR = Weather Resistant. The L is NOT weather resistant, even though the K30 body claims to be.
. The zoom range of 3 to 1 seems to be not really enough, and I would have preferred more, perhaps the 7.5 to 1 DA-WR

Now before the Nikon and Canon fan boys start over-turning tables at the title of this review, I must confess I'm a bit of Pentax fan boy. So I'll probably be adding a slightly warmer glow to this review than your average punter. This is my 5th Pentax DSLR, having previously used the *st DL, K10D, K20D and most recently the brilliant K5. I wasn't going to upgrade to this initially, being very happy with the K5's image quality, but in the end I couldn't help myself. So much of this review will inevitably be comparing the K5 with K3, so apologies for those not interested in that, but it's a logical way for me to put the K3 into some sort of context.

**Why Pentax Again**

Why did I buy Pentax again? Well it's partly if course the fact that I've got a lot of Pentax mount lenses, not to mention the lovely and unique Limited range. It's also due to a couple of shooting modes unique to Pentax. Only Pentax DSLRs have the sensitivity priority mode (set the ISO and camera changes the shutter and aperture) and the TAv mode, where you set the shutter speed and aperture and the camera changes the ISO to properly expose.

**K3 Handling**

Of course the handling of the camera is very similar to the K5, and feels very similar on your hands. It's got that same high quality feel, derived from the magnesium alloy body and high quality rubber. Some buttons have been added and moved, but nothing that takes much getting used to. The main addition is of a dedicated movie button, which is most helpful, and certainly quicker to use than a locked shooting mode dial (where it was on the K5).

**K3 Performance**

The main draw for me with the K3 was the dual memory card slots. I don't know about you guys, but I really like the ability to wirelessly connect to a computer, and send images to it, or the cloud. I shoot RAW+jpeg at the same time, and send the RAW image to my Sandisk Extreme 32gb card, and the jpegs to my wifi sd card. It works perfectly and means I can share some shots more readily, and also have more storage. It also means that the write speeds improve (v K5), which I'm guessing is due to the fact that all the data is not having to be placed on one card, as opposed to the K3 being quicker.

Where the K3 is noticeably quicker v the K5 is it's autofocus. It is much quicker, although to be fair it probably only brings the Pentax into line with the focus speeds of some of the competition. The tracking and speed is much better in low light.

Another key difference versus the K5, is the screen. It's only slightly bigger but boy it is much brighter and easier to view in sunlight.

Got my K3 drenched the other day whilst out and about (with a WR lens attached), and as you would expect, no damage whatsoever. It really carries on the impressive weather sealed performance of it's predecessors. You can take this out in a downpour and feel confident snapping away.

**Image Quality**

Well, like I said at the start, I wasn't actually disappointed with the K5, but the K3 takes things up a notch again. I'm not sure that is much difference in the low light performance, but then the K5 was/is pretty awesome at high ISO, low noise shots. The auto white balance seems to do a more accurate job, I find myself adjusting far less frequently.

One of the key features of the K3 is the AA filter. Now I'm not convinced I really know what they are talking about, but I've not noticed any moire in my shots. The idea, from what I understand, is that the K3 should capture more detail than the K5. I'm certainly not unhappy with the results, but I would have to really pixel peep to see the difference. As I do a fair bit of post processing in Lightroom, I always prefer to have the max detail to work with, and so any fine tuning of noise control etc on the Mac. I think I need to use it a fair bit more before I really understand the benefit of this feature. I've still got the K5 so I plan on running some tests.

Overall, I'd say if full frame isn't a must have for you, then you will struggle to find a better all round package in the APS-C class.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have never been into photography and therefore if you are well-versed in the subject, there are probably more relevant reviews for you from other people. I came to this camera having had little-to-no experience with anything other than a compact 'point-and-shoot' camera, and a couple of days with a compact system camera. I didn't really have any real photography know-how or any real understanding of the various lenses let alone the more complicated things like ISO settings etc. There was therefore a certain amount of uncertainty about the merits of selecting a full DSLR before getting this camera. I am, however, delighted that I did go down this route rather than just a simple compact or compact system camera - it has been fantastic for a newbie to photography!

The version that I have is the Pentax K-30 DSLR with 18-55mm DAL lens kit in black. In the box there is the standard manuals, warranty and proprietary bloatware/software. There is also a battery charger, rechargeable battery, shoulder/neck strap as well as the camera body and lens. These are all well packaged with all elements nicely protected by various levels of cardboard and plastic. The instructions for assembly were easy to follow as were the instructions for attaching/detaching lenses.

In terms of build quality it is made from a sturdy matte plastic with rubberised grip sections on the 'handle' and the left side. The lenses appear to be well made of a similar plastic with rubberised grip to allow easy zooming. Unfortunately the lens cap isn't attached in any way which, for me at least, means that it will could be easily lost and a small strap connecting it to the camera or the shoulder strap would have been nice. The camera and lens combined are lighter than expected given the substantial size of the unit - I expect the mainly plastic construction has contributed to it.

In terms of actual performance, this surpasses any camera I've used to date. The camera and the menus are filled with settings which, for a photography newbie, is somewhat daunting. I'm still learning about things like ISO so can't really comment on that aspect of things, but even in the hands of a beginner using auto mode, this camera can take amazing photos. In addition to the regular settings, the camera also has a button to allow quick change between JPEG and RAW which I've found really useful as it makes it quick and easy to change settings without having to go into the menu.

And in relation to the menus, they can be a little dense. Whilst they are far from the most difficult menus to navigate, they aren't entirely intuitive and take some getting used to, which can be annoying when you want to change settings in-between photos.

The back of the camera has the usual series of menu buttons/d-pad for navigation, as well as a LCD viewing screen. Unfortunately the LCD screen is set in its housing and cannot be moved or tilted at all. Which I'm sure this helps keep down cost and a bit of bulk, it also makes it slightly less user friendly than some of the camera's competitors. The camera does, however, have a regular viewfinder which I found to be a welcome change from many of the other cameras I've used. The optical rather than electronic viewfinder made the camera much easier to use and get me more confidence in the photos I was taking. The only downside with the set-up is that the screen remains on when taking photos and I cannot find a way to disable this. It can be somewhat distracting when taking photographs to have the screen turn on even when it isn't wanted.

My other main concern is battery life. I have struggled to make it last a full day with medium use and having to remove the battery to charge is somewhat inconvenient. Thankfully Pentax have set up the camera battery section to accept AA batteries which is a great inclusion. However, in order to use AA batteries, you need a proprietary battery adaptor from Pentax which is somewhat disappointing and defeats the point of allowing AA batteries. Given that, I think a heavy user would definitely need to invest in some spare batteries as anything over a couple hundred photos will require a battery change.

All-in-all this is a fantastic camera. Having only used cheaper cameras in the past, I have been amazed at just how much of a step up the K-30 has been. It has totally changed how I view photography and even though I may not know the intricacies of photographies yet, it has certainly sparked a desire to learn more. If you are considering taking a step up I cannot recommend this highly enough, and the only think preventing this from getting five stars are some minor gripes that I have, most of which are probably personal to me.

This is my second Pentax camera, this replacing my older Pentax K-r which has and continues to serve me faithfully. The Pentax k-50 however builds upon the older design by adding several additional upgrades. Some Pros/Cons.

Pros:
- Being fully weather sealed.
- 16.3-Megapixel CMOS Sesnsor
- In Body, Sensor-Shift Shake Reduction. This is something you find on cameras at twice the price point of the K-50. It also means that the hundreds of thousands of manual lens for Pentax dating back some 40 years (including all K-Mount and Screw type mount) can be used in this camera with the senor shake reduction features.
- Very intuitive easy to use interface. You can pick it up and start shooting right away.
- Very fast auto-focus acquisition, even in low light. The AF mode has programmable zones so you can meter your shots depending on the environment.
- Can shoot at ISO 51000, but that results in high levels of 'noise' in the picture. ISO levels up to 12800 should be sufficient for most shots.
- Has 11 preset customizing options for JPEGs in camera. Also has individual settings to tweak 7 other setting like saturation, hue, contras, B&W etc.
- Battery adapter allows the camera to run off AA batteries, though you should ideally use rechargeable NiCad or LiOn batteries. It will chew up regular alkaline AAs.
- The build quality and hand grip are solid, all the buttons are placed logically can can be accessed by just your right hand on the fly. Good tactile feel on all the buttons.
- Full frame pentaprism viewfinder, basically what you see is what you get.
- Full 1080p video.
- Customizeable in dozens and dozens of different colors from the Pentax website.

The Cons
- The continuous Hi mode where you can shoot 30 JPEG frames at 6 FPS has above average loud shutter noise.
- There is only a small built in mono microphone located at the top of the flash when shooting video. The sound quality is ok for shooting indoors, but picks up excessive ambient wind noise when shooting outdoors. As of now, there are no attachments for third party microphones.
- Pentax was recently acquired by Ricoh Imaging, so long term support is a little suspect.

It's a shame Pentax does not spend more on marketing like the big boys (Nikon/Canon). However, if you are willing to go against the conventional trend and are not fully committed to a DSLR system, you cant get a better value than the Pentax. This camera has features that are not available in many others in its price point. The ideal comparison here is with the Nikon D7100 or the Canon EoS 7D, and while the Nikon has a few upgrades like higher MP, the Pentax has it beat in all other features (AF, LiveView, Shooting Modes, In Camera Editing, in body Image Stabilization). In addition, the Pentax also costs nearly 50% less and can use any previous K or S type lens mount. Pentax also has a very active user community online that offer support and guidance, which takes some of the fear out of them being acquired by Ricoh. Actually the biggest knock on this camera is that it is in many ways functionally similar to the K-30, so you might be able to find a better deal on Amazon on a K-30 bundle. This camera though is a solid performer in all aspects.

As a lapsed beginner and in the process of re-learning/remembering photography, the pentax k-50 camera is all that the various reviews I read beforehand said it was. I was also looking at canon rebel T5 (1200D) and nikon 3300 but went for the pentax K-50 because I wanted a DSLR that had aperture, shutter speed and iso controls externally so i didnt have to mess about with the menu. It is a nice weight, layout of buttons and dials well thought out, though in the beginning i did get confused between the front dial and on/off switch and end up turning the camera off a lot! The menu, which is well laid out,offers plentiful options which i have discovered simply need time and practice to figure out. I am only using it on manual mode and so far i have really enjoyed using it, its easy to use and the pictures that it takes are good (well when i get all the settings correct :)). The lenses are fine for general use. As I am in the process of re-learning / remembering about aperture and depth of field etc i have found that the lowest f-stop of the kit lenses is not low enough for the type of photos i want to take so i need to buy new lenses almost immediately...but all in all it is a nice camera and i am very happy with my choice.

A simply spectacular tool. I am a Pentaxian for sure, but I have used many other brands including the Big Two, and nothing comes close at this price point. You get a modern update of the highly acclaimed 16 MP Sony sensor in a fully weather-sealed body with a matching (high quality) kit lens for under $700!

The body is unbelievable rugged for being plastic. It makes every other DSLR in its price range feel like a cheap toy. Plus, the grip is hands down the best I have ever felt at any price. It hugs my hand and locks in place--no need for a hand strap. The grip and solid, unyielding body are why I chose this model over the K-5II.

At low ISOs, the older sensor is on par or maybe a little noisier than competing models, but when the lights go down, this thing shines. Zero noise gain when well exposed, but if you have to push say a 3200 RAW image, you will be blown away at the headroom the K-50 has in its 12 bit files. And if you can find noise (by pushing), it's not that gross banding we are used to seeing with cameras that shoot for marking megapixels rather than image quality. It is a gentle, film-like fine grain in very large prints. And this is for color, if you're converting to B&W, you can take this thing all the way through its ISO range and make beautiful small prints.

The menu system is as near perfect as I can trust engineers to make it. They either are, or work with photographers. Everything you need is one to three clicks away. I tried using a D5200 recently, and I couldn't even figure out how to set it to RAW, I had to look it up. Then ISO took me five minutes. It was ridiculous. I guarantee you will not have this problem with any Pentax DSLR from 2010 to today.

The lens is pretty brilliant for a kit lens. It is weather-sealed and solid. The zoom is very well dampened. It feels high-quality. I have used many kit lenses in the past from many manufacturers, and this one is the best. It even beats Panasonic's micro four-thirds kit lens in build. Image quality wise, it's about on par with others; by that I mean it needs to be stopped down to shine. But it is very sharp throughout the range when it has plenty of light.

Now for the bad: The out-of-camera JPEGs suck. Pentax has never had great JPEG processing. This sensor begs to be left alone. Shoot RAW and use a calibrated monitor to edit the images (it records in DNG, so there's no worry there).

Moreover, this body needs good glass. Please don't be a hipster and buy a high-quality camera and only use the kit lens. This is a serious tool, not a toy, so invest in decent lenses. Luckily, the K-mount has among the most expansive and diverse lens collection in photography (it's why I shoot Pentax). But you don't have to break the bank, just go to your favorite flea market or internet auction site and look for old manual lenses. You'll be surprised and the quality that can be had for under 50 USD.

So there it is. My very first ever Amazon product review. Yes, I love this camera that much. It is not just an alternative brand. And this is not an alternative camera at all because the competition doesn't come close at this price.

Bottom line: If you are looking for your first DSLR, or if you're considering switching mounts because you're growing tired of the half-adding and broken promises the Big Two have been accused of lately, you cannot go wrong with the Pentax K-50.

UPDATE 12/2014 - I am putting my review back up a notch. I found two firmware updates that seemed to have improved the ability to take low light photos significantly. I was ready to pack it up with this camera when I stumbled acrosss them in a last ditch effort to figure out my issues. Not enough time with it yet to see the extent but it appears to be working much better than before in all lighting conditions.

UPDATE 4/2014 - I have found a significant drawback with this unit that has really taken the lustre off of the camera and has left me very disappointed. The unit stinks in low light. It will hunt for focus and not find it, flash or no flash. It doesnt even have to be very low lighting conditions. I have used other canon and nikon units and they do not have the same issue. The camera has been getting significantly less usage since that. I still really like it for daylight shots but look elsewhere or try it before you keep it if standard indoor room lighting levels are important to you. If it were not for the lenses purchased I would have returned it to costco and looked for something else.

Original review:
Purchased this unit from costco after researching reviews on comparable Nikon and Canon units. All but one of the tech reviews raved about this camera. The plus side is the unit is "weather proof" (still not sure how that is defined). The reviews in general favored this unit in overall image quality over the Canon T5i rebel which was the other unit I was comparing it to. This was less expensive than the Canon and weatherproof. Out of the box the unit is very easy to pick up and start shooting with if you have any experience with DSLR cameras. Very intuitive menu design. Overall build feels very solid and fits my hands well. Photo quality is amazing in the little bit of playing I have done with it. I need to work on learning the advanced features of the unit (which are many) to do a better job on exposure. I was seeing my subjects under exposed a bit in daylight. Playing with some of the settings has helped. I don't fault the camera for this, but my relative inexperience. I coupled this two lens set with a fast 50 lens for portrait shooting. Going off topic: I LOVE this lens. First prime lens and am really impressed with the bokeh effect I am capable of producing, nothing less than stunning with this camera. The combination has really been a huge step up in what I can produce over my D50. Going off topic again:I also added a class 10 eye-fi card 16gb for instant photo transfer. Love it. Third unit and to me they are very easy to setup and use, never had an issue with them. I have seen nothing negative yet about the camera. Like the color combinations. Got mine in white and it looks classy. I need to dig in and learn how to really unleash the potential of the camera.

I am excited about the "weather proof" aspects of the design and need to learn more about it. I purchased an Olympus Tough TG1 last year for less than perfect and underwater conditions and it does the job it's designed to do well but lacks the control and overall image quality of a DSLR. Being able to take this outside without paranoia over any exposure to the elements weighed heavily in my decision over the Canon and Nikon (I was really leaning towards the Canon after having used it). Just make sure that the lenses you are going to use carry the weather proof rating also. The fast 50 does not.

I am really looking forward to learning this camera better and have no regrets over buying it sight unseen over the canon and nikons. So far I am amazed with the quality of shots that I have produced. I will update this later when I get a little more time with the unit.

I have had the camera for over a month and have taken over 7000 photos with it, testing it extensively and this is my review based on my experiences. I am a hobby photographer, with about twenty five years' experience, coming from the old film SLRs, to a point and shoot and now I finally got the K30 as my first DSLR.

I did extensive research on this camera and the competitors before I got it, and there are many negatives and positives for each brand, which I will not go into here, but I will tell you why I chose the K30.

The main reasons were the proven sensor technology from the K-5, the cheapest weatherproof and most robust DSLR ever, and an improved AF system over the K-5.
The weatherproofing and excellent pictures are what drew me back to the K30 every time I considered the competitors.

Please note, the 18-135mm kit is resistant to dust and water, whereas the 18-55 WR kit lens is only resistant to water, and not dust. The AL lens pictured in the photo here at Amazon may be neither, and I would enquire before purchase to make sure. I purchased the kit in Germany with the 18-55 WR kit lens because I wanted to get a couple of other lenses as well and the budget did not allow the 18-135mm kit lens.

If I had to do it again, I would probably go for the 18-135mm off the bat, though the 18-55 kit, for the very cheap price does not disappoint.

Please be aware that this camera, even with the 18-55 kit, is not a travel compact camera. The 18-135mm is a tad larger than the 18-55 too. It is a good-sized and weight DSLR. If you are looking for a point and shoot or something you can stuff in your pocket this is not the camera you want. If you put the 40mm pancake lens on it, it makes it much smaller and inconspicuous for street photography and general tourism. The limited pancake lens is stunningly amazing, but so is the price, however worth every penny. Just look at the reviews here on it.

For those who like it short and sweet, in no particular order:

The good:

+ photo quality is fantastic

+ AF is quick and usually quite precise

+ menu is super and it is very easy to change all the parameters, two wheels also make this very easy and from the INFO button, you can change any parameter pretty much on the fly.

+ Two wheels for settings, this makes manual changes to the settings very comfortable

+ Very good build quality, it just sits well in the hand, and it fells very solid and robust. You can hold it in your right hand all day without thinking it may drop.

+ 100% viewfinder!! I use this almost exclusively. It is really that great, this was a big plus point for me too coming from a SLR

+ the meter on this camera is very, very good, giving good shadow details even in harsh lighting situations

+ Weather-resistant!! I have had this camera out taking pictures twice while it was pissing rain and the camera was completely soaked...not a worry at all, it takes a licking!

+ Excellent dynamic range

+ good shots at high ISOs

+ Looks great, very sleek and arresting in its style.

+ Built-in flash is quite good surprisingly.

+ quick menu changes, almost no lag at startup, shut down or when flipping between menus

+ fine focus adjustment for lenses (usually only found on much more expensive models), this means, if your lens if focusing in front or behind your chosen focus point, you can adjust this with the camera to compensate. This is really good news, because it would require a trip back to the seller for cameras that do not do this.

+ built-in time-lapse photography...this is cool! You usually need an external gadget for this

+ Focus peaking for those who like to manually focus is really nice, though I do not use it much as I do not use LV as I mentioned above.

The bad:

- My camera has front focus issues, and each lens I have needs compensation to make them focus properly, but this is pretty easily done, and with such a camera should be done for every lens you buy anyway, but I would have liked to just be able to plug n play as it were. Kit = -8, Tamron = -5 and 40mm limited = -5

- Video quality is good, but sound in MONO...in other words, you do not want this camera if video is your main thing. This is a super duper still camera, but will leave you wanting in the video sound department. Sure, you can do sound externally, but there are DSLRs out there that do not require that for the same price. Why Pentax did not include Stereo sound on this is really beyond me...

- No HDMI out, again hits the video guys, not so much the still guys like me. I do take the occasional video but always download it to PC anyway and have never played one directly to my TV even on my camera that could. For me no big deal, but make sure you know what y

I have had the camera for over a month and have taken over 7000 photos with it, testing it extensively and this is my review based on my experiences. I am a hobby photographer, with about twenty five years' experience, coming from the old film SLRs, to a point and shoot and now I finally got the K30 as my first DSLR.

I did extensive research on this camera and the competitors before I got it, and there are many negatives and positives for each brand, which I will not go into here, but I will tell you why I chose the K30.

The main reasons were the proven sensor technology from the K-5, the cheapest weatherproof and most robust DSLR ever, and an improved AF system over the K-5.
The weatherproofing and excellent pictures are what drew me back to the K30 every time I considered the competitors.

Please note, the 18-135mm kit is resistant to dust and water, whereas the 18-55 WR kit lens is only resistant to water, and not dust. The AL lens pictured in the photo here at Amazon may be neither, and I would enquire before purchase to make sure. I purchased the kit in Germany with the 18-55 WR kit lens because I wanted to get a couple of other lenses as well and the budget did not allow the 18-135mm kit lens.

If I had to do it again, I would probably go for the 18-135mm off the bat, though the 18-55 kit, for the very cheap price does not disappoint.

For those who like it short and sweet, in no particular order:

The good:

+ photo quality is fantastic

+ AF is quick and usually quite precise

+ menu is super and it is very easy to change all the parameters, two wheels also make this very easy and from the INFO button, you can change any parameter pretty much on the fly.

+ Two wheels for settings, this makes manual changes to the settings very comfortable

+ Very good build quality, it just sits well in the hand, and it fells very solid and robust. You can hold it in your right hand all day without thinking it may drop.

+ 100% viewfinder!! I use this almost exclusively. It is really that great, this was a big plus point for me too coming from a SLR

+ the meter on this camera is very, very good, giving good shadow details even in harsh lighting situations

+ Weather-resistant!! I have had this camera out taking pictures twice while it was pissing rain and the camera was completely soaked...not a worry at all, it takes a licking!

+ Excellent dynamic range

+ good shots at high ISOs

+ Looks great, very sleek and arresting in its style.

+ Built-in flash is quite good surprisingly.

+ quick menu changes, almost no lag at startup, shut down or when flipping between menus

+ fine focus adjustment for lenses (usually only found on much more expensive models), this means, if your lens if focusing in front or behind your chosen focus point, you can adjust this with the camera to compensate. This is really good news, because it would require a trip back to the seller for cameras that do not do this.

+ built-in time-lapse photography...this is cool! You usually need an external gadget for this

+ Focus peaking for those who like to manually focus is really nice, though I do not use it much as I do not use LV as I mentioned above.

The bad:

- My camera has front focus issues, and each lens I have needs compensation to make them focus properly, but this is pretty easily done, and with such a camera should be done for every lens you buy anyway, but I would have liked to just be able to plug n play as it were. Kit = -8, Tamron = -5 and 40mm limited = -5

- Video quality is good, but sound in MONO...in other words, you do not want this camera if video is your main thing. This is a super duper still camera, but will leave you wanting in the video sound department. Sure, you can do sound externally, but there are DSLRs out there that do not require that for the same price. Why Pentax did not include Stereo sound on this is really beyond me...

- No HDMI out, again hits the video guys, not so much the still guys like me. I do take the occasional video but always download it to PC anyway and have never played one directly to my TV even on my camera that could. For me no big deal, but make sure you know what you are getting when you get it!

- The auto flash is wacky, sometimes giving too slow of a shutter speed when not necessary, but the pictures still come out fine.

What you should know before you buy this camera:

It takes excellent pictures, but it does require basic knowledge of ISO/Shutter Speed, and Aperture settings if you want to take full advantage of this camera's potential. It is aimed at the hobby enthusiast market, i.e. those who know about the basics, or are willing to invest their time to learn them, to t

I've had this camera for a few months now, and I love it. I bought the twin lens kit option. The camera feels very comfortable to hold and sturdy too. The menu and controls are very easy and intuitive to use. It's my first SLR type camera and after playing with the exposure settings (I spent the first few weeks only using Manual mode), I've been very happy with the results. I have found when using the 18-55mm lens that images benefit from post processing for lens correction and custom sharpening in Photoshop, which makes the results very satisfactory. Generally, I find with the 50-200mm lens that no post processing is required and that images have a really nice warmth - it seems great for family portraits.

The twin lens kit seems a great package, and since buying this camera have bought a Pentax 50mm f/1.8 SMC DA Lens - and this is the lens I use the most now - a really great match with this camera producing pin sharp images when compared with the two lenses that came with this kit,

I can't say how this camera compares with others, but aside from the post processing I feel I have to do when using the 18-55mm lens, I find it just about perfect.

Disclaimer, I own an older Pentax, but not this particular model, I plan to upgrade soon, but I can already tell you why you should consider one. I am in no way affiliated with Pentax, I'm just a snap-happy customer.

Pentax (aka Richoh Imaging), just from my personal experience, have a great US based support organisation, Real People on the end of a telephone, who answer when you call. You know the old fashioned style of customer service where you could ask a question without hassle? It may be a dying art, but Pentax seem to be old school on this one. OK, the web site is also somewhat old school, but I will forgive them that.

I am writing this review as I had reason to contact them today, for an issue I had upgrading my old "K-100 D Super". I called them on the phone, as the web form looked intimidating. After a polite, "So sorry, we may be delayed due to snowfall" message, I nethertheless quite quickly got through to a support agent. It turned out the problem I thought I had was in fact a simple case of me getting confused over model numbers and firmware versions, it was a little embarrassing, but I followed up with a few questions about the more recent models, and whether I could use my old lens collection (yes), the guy was well informed, no need to hand off to sales, he was polite and communicated clearly, I am a little hard of hearing.

What good experience, As soon as I got off the phone I decided to look around on Amazon for a good deal, got here, and wanted to share something that otherwise could be overlooked when making a camera selection.

*** Quality of Support ***

Fantastic bit of kit, compares favourably to its Nikon and Canon counterparts. It is a beginner to intermediate level DSLR, and once you understand that, you can really appreciate its well-crafted fully weather sealed body shape and the tech that lies beneath. It is not a flagship model and nor should it be. It wouldn't be my first choice as a studio camera because it has no dedicated flash sync input and it also has a cropped sensor rather than full frame one. It has a slightly clunky sounding shutter release, but you can forgive it for those little quibbles as soon as you hold it in your hands and start shooting

It's nicely weighted and it feels good and sturdy in the hands. Pentax has a great reputation for its lenses and crystal clear optics so you won't be left wanting when it comes to getting sharp, clean images. Improvements over its predecessor, the Pentax k30 - better iso capabilities for night time photography, ability to use eye fi wireless SD cards to transmit photos directly back to a PC - make it a great choice for most types of photography.

I have already got some great shots with this body and my existing Pentax-fit lenses, much better than I was able to achieve with my previous body, the K-m. The K-50 has much better default colour balance, and much better low-light performance.

The ability to use either the Pentax rechargeable battery *or* ordinary (but preferably lithium) AA batteries via a separately bought adapter is great.

Firstly, this camera has a lot of good things to it and I genuinely wish Pentax great future - unlike the big two (Canon and Nikon) they put more emphasis on R&D than on marketing.

Downsides;
1.In this particular model there is autofocusing issue acknowledged by Pentax. The issue was not resolved and the customers not offered redress. Shame.
2.Recently the lens release button on my k-r...just fell out. I did not subject the camera to any abuse so this suggest that there is a design problem here. Looking at forums it appears that newer "k" models have similar issue.

Upsides:
1.The k-r and many subsequent models are compatible with the pentax GPS unit which gives you one great feature - Startracer. Basically the unit determines your location and allows for reasonably sharp night sky images to be taken without extra equipment. It uses the built-in sensor stabilisation mechanism to follow the moving sky during long exposure times required for taking pictures of the stars.
2.I got my set for great price and given that the kit lenses are good value. recently added Pentax DA 55-300 and delighted with the quality if this lens.
3.pentax cameras tend to be backwards compatible with older lenses which gives you a lot of flexibility.
4.Pentax tends to give more value for your money (as long as there are not quality control issues as described above).
5.As I mentioned above they seem to work hard on introducing genuinely new ideas in their products and very little on marketing. This is how business should be done rather then spending large chunks of the revenue on heavy marketing like their competitors do.

currently I am looking at getting Pentax k-3 but this will be largely dependant on how pentax handles my complaint about the fallen off lens release button.

Pentax have aimed this DSLR at the newcomer in this area, but rest assured professional results are obtainable from this camera.

Comparing the K30 body to it's bigger brother, the K-5 II it is around a 3rd smaller in physical size and a little lighter in weight, there are a few less buttons than the K-5 II but it not a detriment to the functions offered by this camera. The body fits very nicely into the hand and its rubberised hand grip makes for a sturdy grip.

I charged the supplied battery up and then found a spare SD card I had laying around and booted the camera up, usual setting are required on start-up(time/date/timezone), the menus are great - clear and concise and very user friendly.

On the weekend of receiving this camera we went to the touring car championships at Donington park, so this was the ideal chance to put the K30 through it's paces, I took around 550 shots with the K30 and the battery was near empty, not bad at all really, also you can use AA type batteries(with adapterHahnel AA Battery Holder for Pentax K-r/K-30 DSLR Cameras) in this camera as well, I think this is a great idea but will cost extra, a second battery would probably be a better and cheaper option.Maxsima - Battery for Pentax, K30, K-30, K-R, KR, K2, K-2, D-Li109, DI109. 1154mAh- fully compatible.

I was using a Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 Macro DG Lens For Pentax Digital & Film SLR Cameras for most of the shooting I did at Donington and I have been astonished with the results, even in auto mode results are crisp and clear with vibrant colours, playing around in program mode (P) yet again produces stunning results, seeing as cars were passing at 100mph+ I was even more impressed, focusing is lightening quick and shutter lag in none existent, continuous shooting is around 6/7 frames a second , the low light capability of the K30 is excellent with an ISO range of 100-12500 in normal user mode, this can be extended to 25600 in manual modes. The K30 is simple to use and unlike it's bigger brother, the K-5 MKII would be less daunting to a novice.

I have uploaded a few of the photos taken at the Donington meet, Sunday was sunny/overcast with a little rain in the afternoon, I'll let the photo's speak for themselves!!

The K30 has a number of scene settings, these are automatically selected according to photo you are taking, but these can be selected by the user in SCN (scene) mode, other modes include program, user 1, user 2, Bulb, full manual, Tav(shutter & aperture priority), Av(aperture priority), Tv (shutter priority), Sv(sensitivity priority) and a full HD video mode, although this will eat your memory card up in no time and sound is in mono.

Build quality of the K30 looks OK, but one thing that I would criticise is the battery compartment cover, this is a simple push latch that could easily be caught and result in the battery compartment coming open, I much prefer the twist and lock type closure. The body on the K30 is water resistant, a great feature for shooting outdoors but remember the supplied lens is NOT water tight.

The K30 comes with a Pentax 18-55mm DAL lens, adequate for beginners and produces quality images, I would recommend a longer lens for outdoor/wildlife/sport shots(see lens above).

Supplied in the box.
Pentax K30 body.
Pentax 18-55mm DAL lens
Battery
Battery Charger
Camera Strap
USB Lead
Software CD
User Manual CD
Full instruction book (very welcome)

If you want quality photo's then the K30 is a winner, for a beginner it will be a pleasure to use, excellent ease of use (even if you just use point and shoot mode) delve deeper and the Pentax K-30 is a great photographers tool and will be a welcome addition in anyone's kit bag.

It was a rough day when I finally decided to upgrade my inherited Pentax ME Super. Of course I'd shot on other digital cameras before, but never a Pentax DSLR. I HAD to have a Pentax since my library of lenses are Pentax K Mount manual focus lenses anywhere between 30-40 years old and Pentax has generously made their cameras backwards compatible.

Knowing the limitations of a Pentax (minor ones that are easily corrected in camera), I opted for the K-30 as it seemed to be the perfect balance between my beloved ME Super and the latest tech. It took some fiddling around to get the settings where I wanted them, and the K-30 almost color balances too warm for my taste (nothing the programmed settings can't fix), but the images are spectacular. Crisp and beautiful. You get to be in charge of a lot of variables and I like that a lot.

My only regret was paying the extra for the kit lenses. I've used them maybe once. My older lenses work beautifully and, as some of my older lenses are f1.8 and f2.2, whereas the kit lenses are, at best, something like, f4.5, you can see why I'm partial to my lenses.
These older lenses never came with the advantage of auto focus and you can't have that option now with them, but I don't care. You also have to shoot in manual with the older lenses, which is fine. If you're scared to shoot in manual, the K-30 has a button to help you with a starting point.
Using newer DSLR lenses affords you the ease of autofocus and all the other auto settings at the expense of some f stops unless you are willing to pay extra for faster lenses.
All in all it's a great camera and I prefer the images I get to a Nikon or Canon any day.

I love Pentax cameras and this one is no exception.
It takes great photos in automatic mode. It has many other pre-set modes as well. If you are a camera buff with some experience, it allows you to adjust the settings to suit your own creativity.
It also does a good job when taking videos. In short, this is a camera worth owning.

This camera is definitely not worth the money, considering there are Nikon's in the same price range that perform a lot better. I was drawn in by the features, the high ISO, the fact that it came with 2 lenses, built-in videos, etc. After taking this on a trip to NYC, and doing a lot of night shots, which is my thing, I was very quick to notice that all higher ISO images (800+) came out VERY grainy. I attempted night videos in rather well lit areas (Time Square) with the same grainy results, even though I kept the ISO rather low. Another problem is the auto focus, which is a one time thing when shooting video (ie. it focuses before you start filming, once you start and your subject moves, you zoom, or move the camera, it does not refocus to the shot). This can be a pain if you are attempting to film anything that is not at a stationary focal length.

This is good for a beginner who maybe only shoots in daylight but wants to 'feel' like they're a photographer, but this is not something anyone with some skill would want to touch.

So, of course, when I go to make good on Amazon's return policy, it conveniently says that I cannot return it because it was too late, though it was before 30 days. I have spent the last week or so trying to get a hold of someone, but now, Im just giving up on trying to get my money back and considered this a lesson learned about shopping on Amazon.

nice camera at the price beats the big names ibboth in terms of features and image quality.I used nikon and canon unto getting this as a backup it works as it should fast auto focus and god se of features i will get the k3 when funds allow pleased with pentax wen wort considering if looking for a good rugged water sealed work horse with good images to boot

I bought this camera yesterday at a local camera shop for £260, and as an upgrade from my cheap compact, this does its job perfectly. It's got great image quality, and you get used to it very quickly. I would definitely recommend this, but not from Amazon until the price drops below £400

I did a lot of research before making this purchase, which was to replace a very disappointing point and shoot Nikon. I had been waiting for the price on DSLR cameras to come down to a level where it made sense to make the leap. I realized during the research process that every camera I considered buying or have used in my life, I still compare to the sweetest camera I own, which is the Pentax ME Super, circa 1980. So I was interested and excited to find this Pentax/Ricoh entry level DSLR, at a very competitive price compared to similar Canon and Nikon models. And I was really happy that my old and very nice Pentax lenses were compatible and could be used on this camera in manual mode. The first time I picked it up I knew I had made the right decision. I was finally holding a real camera --beautiful balance and feel, a crystal clear optical viewfinder. Boy, had I been missing the ability to hold the camera up to my eye and frame a photograph. The standard lens that comes with the camera is a cut above --amazing bokeh effect even in autofocus mode. I won't give a technical rundown because others have done a fine job, and much better than I can. I will say that the only issue I was concerned about was the 16 megapixels, when other entry level DSLRs have 18 or 20. I've been completely happy with my photographs, however, and frankly wouldn't want the data storage issues with super-high megapixel files. The Pentax K-50 is a great buy for anyone looking to get into a DSLR and its features and quality may make it the only camera you will ever need.

Everyone can read the technical specs and get resolutions and feature set... so I'm going to focus on feel. For those in love with photography - how a camera feels in your hands is big.

I purchased this for my daughter who turned 14 - and loves photography - her next step from a nikon cool pics and iphone photography. Opening the compartments for battery and memory and plugs all have a nice solid connection feel. You can hear and feel the rubber gaskets making you confident it is cold proof and dust/dirt proof and shock resistant.

The camera has a perfect weight to it - enough to make you steadier but not to heavy. The buttons all have a "free" movability but not loose. Meaning it feels like quality.

Securing the lens in - is snug, effortless and tight.

This may sound silly but the shutter sounds confident and responsive.
I have always been myself a Nikon user - but "white" had my daughters attention and I have to say - the camera is aesthetically awesome - a nice matte finish gives it this finished industrial sturdy look but the white is classic and clean looking.

The response on auto focus is quick - the menus intuitive with bracketing options and dials really comfortable so you don't have to take your eye out of the lens viewer. Which is a must have but the LCD screen view is nice for other times.

The camera feels nothing but incredibly durable, comfortable, responsive and strong with a great classic feel with it's white color.

Bought as a replacement for my ageing K20D that had developed a sensor problem. Only been out with it for a couple of days so far, using a standard (DA 18-55 WR) zoom and an HD DA 35 f2.8 macro, but results with both are excellent. The focusing and metering in full auto seem very hard to fool. For small neat camera it is very easy to handle even with my big paws. I was worried by the dire warnings in the manual about non-Pentax flashes, but a bit of research established that my old Metz 32Z1 (4.5v trigger) was ok to use in manual mode.

Looking forward to a break in a couple of weeks when I'll have more chance to explore its capabilities. Thinking about picking up a HD DA 70 f2.4 if I can sneak it into the house past Mrs.Tikka.

This is a great Camera kit and I managed to buy it when the price was really good plus I have sent off the docs for a £40 cash back from Pentax. As a complete ameteaur photographer, into around my 4th or 5th week with the camera, I am already taking some great shots. It is very easy to use and has plenty of really useful features particularly for beginners. I am trying to avoid as much as possible the autoshoot where it does absolutely everything in setting up the shot automatically because if I was going to do that I only needed a point and shoot camera. Exploring all the other options is great fun and a massive learning curve. If you are new, like me, to DSLR photography and you want to learn to do it properly you wont go wrong with this camera.

I recently upgraded to the Pentax K-3 from a couple of aging Canon DSLRs (40D and 50D).

The feature list is very strong, comparable to Canon and Nikon cameras that are far more expensive - high resolution sensor (24 MP in this case), weather sealing, 100% viewfinder and twin card slots all being important for me. There are some nice 'fun' features too, such as integrated intervalometer (letting you shoot time-lapse sequences or videos) and multiple exposure shooting.

I find the button layout and the menus very intuitive - better than Canon and far better than Nikon, and the grip extremely comfortable. The low-light (high ISO) performance is very strong - from what I've seen it's rather better than the latest Canon 7D mk II, and the images produced have great colour definition and shadow details. Noise, when it appears, is relatively unobtrusive - certainly more attractive than what I've seen from Canon sensors. I've found the autofocus performance a little on the slow side, and while it does keep up with my needs I don't think I'd want to rely on it for shooting sports.

The K-3 has also given a new lease of life to some old manual lenses from my Dad's Chinon film SLR, which fit directly onto the K-3 without an adapter. The sensor-based shake reduction system means shooting with these lenses handheld can potentially get sharper images than ever.

+ Fantastic image quality
+ Fast and accurate auto-focus in most situations including low light (system could be better at tracking focus)
+ Extremely sturdy build quality and weather-sealing
+ Easy to use but also plenty of advanced features and controls
+ Stellar lenses
+ Extremely comfy to hold
+ Decent low-light performance, usable shots at ISO 1600 and even 3200 in most cases
+ Good resolution sensor
+ Quiet shutter
+ Fast burst mode great for capturing sports/movement

- Video is just about adequate but no where near as good as competitors, photos are this camera's strong point
- Not the most attractive camera, though it feels premium

Owned since January 2014, my first DSLR. Extremely happy with my purchase and I intend to continue using Pentax systems. I have been using it with the weather resistant 18-55mm kit lens and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art lens. The camera performs fantastically with both lenses.

I would consider myself an intermediate photographer now and the dual dials (front and back) are so useful for manual modes. Although I am confident technically now, I was a beginner when I bought this camera and - with the help of some online resources and books - this camera was ideal for learning. Even if you don't intend to learn the technical aspects of photography and just want something that will churn out high quality images every time, this camera should be ideal. I often put it in full auto mode to hand to friends or family and the camera produces great quality images simply from them pressing the shutter (though of course no amount of auto modes can fix composition/framing).

An all round good camera with more features for the money than it's rivals from Canon and Nikon. However, do consider Canon and Nikon if you intend to upgrade to full frame in the future as Pentax does not offer a full frame body at the moment.

This is my 2nd pentax dslr camera was always impressed with my last one thjs one is also a great product. The level gauge in the view finder is good. The camera is quick but perhaps a little loud on it shutter. Wish the aa battery holder had been included in the price but the supplied recharable battery seems to be good and long lasting bearing in mind it powering a fairly large screen as well which is really easy to read even in bright light.

This impressive piece of kit continues Pentax's return to form which started with the excellent K-5. It's similar in some ways with it's weather resistant magnesium body but has some interesting improvements.

The first is a 24MP sensor (made by Sony) which delivers resolution on par with the very best lenses available for APS-C (at about 3600LPH for the more technical reader)and manages to have noise levels close to those of the K-5's, which are still class leading.

The second is a moire filter that can be switched on and off; it's achieved by vibrating the sensor to slightly blur the image and works beautifully.

The in built image stabilisation, which also works by moving the sensor, seems a tiny bit better than the very good K-5's.

Next is the faster AF and increased number of AF sensor points and the claimed 8 frames per second shooting speed (I make it about 7.5 fps in practise). Shutter noise is reduced compared to many of it's rivals.

Controls have been reorganised slightly and ergonomics are good, making it a delight to handle and shoot with. The screen is a bit larger; being 3:2 ratio rather than the 4:3 of the K-5 and most current Nikons and Canons and the processor is more powerful so operations such as reviewing a stored image happen very quickly, with no perceptible lag. Storage has been improved with two SD card slots - a feature of pro DSLRS.

As always with Pentax, the K-3 is backwards compatible with almost all Pentax lenses made since the late 70s.

Mine appears to have no bugs or problems and feedback from other users on the internet suggests that Pentax (now owned by Ricoh) have got it right from the start, rather than launching a half-finished product onto the market.

The only things missing some people might want, is a tiltable or vari-angled rear screen and built-in Wi-Fi compatibility. I'm undecided about these as I owned a Panasonic micro 4/3 G3 body with a vari-angle screen and, in practise, rarely folded out the screen and now own a Sony NEX 5R with wifi, a tiltable screen and the ability to link to a tablet and rarely use these facilities either (Both these cameras have their uses, being very light and compact, but cannot match the picture quality of the K-3).

One does wonder where Ricoh Pentax can go from here, as they are closing in on the limits of resolution and noise reduction for this size of sensor as defined by various laws of physics and optics. Perhaps better dynamic range (The ability to pull detail out of very dark and very bright parts of the same image) will be the next big target, although the K-3's dynamic range is already pretty good.

In conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...

A Great Camera came with 2 Lenes, the instruction book is a lot to read and take in, but they is a lot of extras on this camera....

Very red images, tried everything to fix it but its the camera. fortunately amazon service was great and I exchanged it for a Canon which is great.

A great camera for the price. A bit heavier than some of the opposition but feels very solid to use. One reason I chose it was because it claims to be weather resistant and I've had it out in the rain without any issues. Like the fact that you can buy an adapter and use AA batteries to power it should the battery run down. Very handy.

Compared to my Nikon D3300, I prefer this camera for most of my photography. It may lose out on megapixels but it's a joy to use and I'm very happy with the results. Both kit lenses seem pretty good and it's weather sealing makes a huge difference in Scotland.

I purchased this camera after my old nikon d 3000 gave way. Initially I was looking for mirrorless vs DSLR. Things that tilted me towards DSLR was,
I have used it before I know how a DSLR works
Choices of lenses are far more and it includes not only lenses from same company but Sigma, Tamron etc
Choices range in the price bracket

Then I looked for many nikon camera as I have nikon lenses, I specifically looked at D 5200 as only body was almost the same price range as this camera. But I choose this camera as
It has a image stabilization and some of you might think that lenses have Vibration reduction but its not same. There is still blurriness with VR but with image stabilization I won't say it's totally gone but it's minimal. I have a 3 month old son so the first pic's that I clicked from this camera were perfect, crystal clear.
Has a larger view finder
Weather proof
I have not takes any video yet so will update on that but I am a fan of still photography and I don't care about videos.
I have attached one pic with slow shutter speed clicked at dusk.

Arrived on time and packed well, once battery was charged I found the camera very comfortable to handle, photos taken were sharp and image very colourful, like the real item, found the auto focus noisey but got use to it after a while, instructions book is a bit long winded but have learnt alot by 'playing' with its functions. The camera is what I expected and have no regrets on my purchase.

I have used Pentax DSLR cameras since the ist*DS. This is by far the best of the bunch.

At first glance it is indistinguishable from the K7 I had before but the screen is obviously larger. The excellent button and switch placement hasn't been needlessly meddled with, which is a good thing. The menu tree is also familiar with a few extra features here and there.

Someone familiar with anything back to a K20 will find this easy to pick up and use without any great problem.

For those new to the DSLR market here's what you get. You get a massively improved and accurate autofocus. This thing is very fast indeed if you are lucky enough to have one of the newer generation of HSM lenses. Even with the older lenses this is quick. All the obvious modes are there. Pattern, spot and selective.

Metering is great and you get similar versatility to the autofocus. Bracketing and manual compensation is simple to set up without resorting to menus.

This is a product you quickly realise has been designed by people who actually use cameras and listen to their customers. The controls are there for you to use from switches or an intelligently designed fast menu.

Water resistance that actually works (with compatible lenses) is a genuine plus point. This is not a gimmick. You can genuinely use this in a downpour.

This camera at the moment is superb value for money. I thorougly recommend it.

Lovely bit if kit. This bundle was more competively priced than other cameras kits Amazon carry. Order at 8 in the evening, it was in the locker by 10 the next morning. Amazing.

I'm relatively new to DSLR cameras. But based off the reviews here and elsewhere I took the plunge on the K-50. When i received my first K-50, I unboxed it and checked everything out, I found that the lithium battery and charger were not in the box. I checked the Amazon and Pentax sites - they both showed them to be included. I also checked a few youtube unboxing videos and they all showed them included.It did come with the AA battery adapter, so I started using the camera. It works great.

I contacted Pentax support. After a few days with no response, I contacted Amazon to see how they wanted to handle it. Amazon over-nighted another K-50 to me. This was great... except the new camera had less than the first.The second camera was missing the instruction manuals, serial# cards and more importantly - the lithium battery and charger.

A few days later, Pentax replies with a different email address for me to send my inquiry to(why they couldn't forward it is beyond me). I email the new address with the new information that now 2 cameras were received and still no batteries/chargers. I promptly receive this reply: "The K-50 should have come with a D-Li109 lithium battery and BC109 charger kit included in the package from the dealer. It sounds like the dealer Amazon is using may be selling grey market cameras. However, our corporate office will mail you a battery and charger kit if you reply with your full US mailing address."

I immediately replied with my shipping address. That was 02/25/14... As of 03/26/14, Pentax has still not shipped me a battery and charger like they said they would.

Due to being out of town for work, I missed my cutoff for returning the camera. so I am going to keep it. On the flipside, Amazon has 2 aftermarket lithium batteries with a charger for ~$25. So I guess I'll be ordering those.

Great starter DSLR with excellent features. I previously had a Pentax ME SLR and can use the lenses on the DSLR.

This is definitely the best APS-C DSLR on the market. It has a sensor capable of resolving detail that competes with full frame models, and even the D800 struggles to beat its 3600lph resolving power.

IMAGE QUALITY
The Pentax K-3 delivers stellar image quality at high-ISOs, as well as class-leading resolution at low ISOs, however the lack of an ISO 50/80 option is surprising. Usable images can be produced from the RAW files at up to ISO 12,800. The K-3 excels in RAW shooting and in JPEG mode it is a waste of potential. The RAW files are DNG, which makes it a breeze to edit files as DNGs are compatible with all adobe products, meaning you won't have to upgrade if you're using CS2/3/4/5 or LR2/3/4.

Auto White Balance and metering are improved over the K5ii, although the meter on my camera tends to overexpose by .7 stops. AWB is now better at shooting in indoor environments, and produces photos without color casts even indoors under mixed lighting (halogen, incandescent, and flourescent)

HANDLING
This camera is one of the best handling DSLRs, full-frame or not, available today. The grip is larger than the K5ii's grip, and the front dial is located perfectly, along with the groove in the front grip. The shutter button is precise. On the back of the camera, the control scheme is changed from the K-5 series and now features a stills/video selector as well as a record button, which is cleverly used as a live-view switch when you are in stills mode. The exposure comp and iso buttons are intuitively located, but the metering dial is sorely missed, as the new metering button is awkward to press when the camera is to your face. The mode dial lock switch is a gimmick, and Pentax should have kept the metering dial there.

The camera is built extremely well. All of the ports have thick rubber weather sealing and the camera feels heavy and rugged in the hand. This is to be expected, as it is constructed from magnesium alloy.

PRICE & Conclusion
The K-3 comes in at

Pros: I can take photos when it’s snowing, or by the sea where there’s spray without worrying that the K-30 will be damaged. I bought WR lenses before my daughters got married - so I could take photos in the rain [I was lucky, both days were sunny!]
Like any DSLR [and most Compact System cameras] it has MUCH better picture quality that a smart-phone or compact camera, even indoors - I prefer not to use flash and the ISO can go to 3,200 without the photos looking poor. It’s really good in low light! When I do use flash, I adjust it to be slightly-lower-power [Easy to do via flash-exposure-compensation] because I don’t like the “Rabbit in headlights” look of flash-photos.
It’s also a lot faster-to-focus-and-take-a-photo than phones & Compacts - great for photos of the grandchildren, seeing an expression and capturing it. Similarly you can capture seabirds-in-flight or hawks hovering etc [55-300mm lens used for those]
I bought the adapter so I can use AA batteries, I have 2 sets of spares [that’s 8 x AA batteries for torches in power-cuts!]
I record Raw files in the “DNG” format, which is not camera-brand-specific [that’s good!]
Cons: Like all DSLR, the makers have added more-and-more “features”, first-time-users might get the idea that it’s a really complicated camera - it is! All DSLR are! “Auto” settings work, but you should get even-better-quality-results by altering some settings yourself.
If you want an Expert review, I’d recommend the “Amateur Photographer” website, or for the most detailed “dpreview” has 22 pages just on the K-30!
In my opinion, the K-30 is a very good camera for what I want to do and is low-priced for a weather-proof DSLR. (watch the Amazon prices as they do tend to go up and down a lot)

Bought this camera (from other retailer, not amazon) after weeks long internet research. All the features of this camera are awesome except video. It has the largest ISO range, a fast auto-focus which doesn't disappoint, decent menu options and biggest advantage is the Weather Resistant body and lenses. I used them on cold mornings, in rain, on beach and in sand and it is still alive. Weather resistant is not just phony. BTW, don't dip it in water, it is not water proof ;). It can handle mild rain, moisture on beach, snowy areas but not underwater without waterproof case.

Now about video - It get severe beating especially if there are sound effects in the video (Like the volcano show at Mirage in Las Vegas).

In case if you want to see the results of this camera, here is my flikr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/46109351@N02/sets.

Bought this as a gift to my dad. It is as durable as it looks and has all the features you need for a good quality dslr. The menus are easy to use and the shake filter works a charm. You will need to buy appropriate lenses to use it for different situations, but the lense supplied is ideal for general use. Buying a lense with a little more zoom can be helpful. I believe the durability makes it a great entry level camera and can be tweaked for more professional use.

I bought my last SLR way back in 1977 with my first week's wages as a fitters mate in a paper mill the summer before I went up to University so I can't really give a valid comparison with anything else currently on the market, but because I learnt to take (and develop) photographs back in the old days I have a reasonable grasp of the theory of optics and photography, I also used to work in I.T. so I sit towards to the guru end of the computer nerd scale. Firstly, this camera is very RED, in fact so RED that when I get it out to take photographs (or just brag) my audience is universally taken aback! Now that is out of the way I'm going to summarise my experience of the camera in as few words as possible; Pentax have pulled off a very difficult achievement in that they have created a product which is very easy to use from the outset and yet has many layers of sophistication which wait to be discovered as you be come more skilled, I have only had the camera a few days but I'm almost stunned by the quality of the images I've captured! Secondly, the build quality of this device is first class, I chose this model especially because of it's claimed ruggedness, whilst I doubt it would survive being hurled into a lake I'm sure it would easily shrug off having coffee, tea, beer or even cider accidentally poured over it or being left out in the rain. Thirdly, this camera is not one I would recommend for the weak of arm, again I can't compare it to other modern SLRs but it is a bit of a handful albeit a well designed and very ergonomic handful, a good case is essential as I think it is quite heavy. Finally, I can't really comment on the spec, except that say there is a lot of it, but the only camera magazine I read before my purchase gave this beast a gold award. To sum up my review, I'm dead chuffed with my purchase and I've discovered the fun of photography again, yippee! So a big thumbs up! TIP: I use GIMP for my photo-editing, it's brilliant software and it's FREEEEEEE.

PS: I haven't really tried the video function yet other than to test it works (well), but another reviewer noted the sound capture was weak, I can't comment really other than to say I bought this camera to take photographs not make movies.

First class camera. I love it.
Which is more than I can say about the manual which came with it, it is in French only.

I've been using the Pentax K-5 Mk1 for the last year or so and that is one hell of a camera so wondered if upgrading to the MkII was worth it.

First off the body of the MkII is identical to the Mk1 with no cosmetic changes in both looks and layout, it is weatherproof just like the MK1 which is very welcome when shooting outdoors in the UK, it feels equal in build quality and has a stainless steel internal structure for extra ruggedness, like the Mk1.

The K5 MKII comes with a standard 18-55mm lens which is the norm, it is a decent starter though and lenses can be added at a later date, there are plenty around.

So what is different to the MK1, well the MKII is noticeably quicker in both focusing and shutter speeds, focusing is lightening fast and pin sharp with the standard lens. I have a Sigma 75-300mm tele/macro lens and focussing is a little slower with that.

The user interface is again very similar to the Mk1 but does have some differences in certain functions when in manual modes, auto made has not been altered in any way, why fix it if it ain't broke!

The photos this camera produces are stunning, colours are vibrant, images are pin sharp and that is in Auto, switch to manual modes and the sky is your limit, with user adjustable ISO from 80 to an amazing but very grainy 51200 ISO this camera will take picture in near darkness without flash ! if need be.

Pentax have retained the built in level function of this camera, I find this function extremely useful when taking landscape photos and when sitting the camera on a tripod, in fact I have it switched on all the time.

The viewfinder is bright and clear with all the right information within it, ISO, F Stop, shutter speeds ETC, the level is also displayed within the viewfinder.

This DSLR will also take full HD movies, but this eats memory cards like a hungry hippo!! You will require an SDHC card for this camera and would recommend upwards of 16gb if you want to use this camera in RAW or high quality JPEG formats.

Is there any difference between the photos from the Mk1 and MkII, yes but very little. The Mk1 photo's seems a little softer but this is very slight and maybe the way I have the Mk1 setup, I am yet to get deep into the set-up of Mk2 but having seen the photos produced I don't have a reason to, yet.

In the box....
K-5II Body
Pentax 18-55mm DA lens
Battery
Battery charger
Strap
USB lead
Audio/video lead.
Concise instruction manual.
Software

As a budget DSLR Pentax have yet again come up with a winner in the K-5II, I would recommend this DSLR to anyone starting off in the world of photography, menus are easy to use and the Auto(Green)mode is faultless if you want point and shoot, manual modes are again easy to adjust and understand, the K-5 MkII also comes with a very good instruction manual, which will guide you through set-up and advanced features.

So my thoughts on the upgrade, the K5 Mk1 is an excellent DSLR which takes great photos, the MkII has raised that bar a little it is faster to use and produces yet again stunning photos, so YES it is worth upgrading.