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This camera is a replacement for my K5 which became died when it hit a concrete surface. As a newer generation, it surpasses the previous beast by quite a bit without losing the ease of use my other K-5 has. Not having to go bonkers with a major learning curve makes my job much easier. Being able to buy this diret from a store that had it on display gave me an essentially brand new camera and lense for a very reasonable coast.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This K-5 II is an up grade for me from my Pentax K-R and let me say it is hands down better! Consistant picture quality in terms of correct exposure and color saturation are far better. Build quality is noticeably also better with the solid feel of a metal body vs the plastic of my K-R, it just radiates quality and durability. Controls are straightforward and intuitive if you are already familiar with the brand. I found myself using the camera without even looking at the manual. There are of course diffrences and the manual is an important part of learning the fine points. Higher ISO images of good quality can be had at 1600-3200, also the frame rate is fast. I shoot running horses almost daily and this camera does the job nicely. I have a "User 1" mode set for action shots, there are 5 total selectable user modes which store pre set shooting peferences. I have complemented my new K-5 II with an 18-135mm and also a 55-300mm, both WR weather resistant lenses. The camera is also WR so when I am shooting in rain I don't have to duck and miss a shot because the camera might get wet. That feature alone is fantastic! The camera, as all Pentax DSLR's, will also accept older PK mount manual focus lenses. I picked up a very old circa 1980 mirror lens which the camera handles very well in "M" mode. There is a step by step proceedure Pentax gives showing the menu options to select before these older lenses can be used, just a coule clicks and you're good to go. The camera auto sets exposure by pressing the green button, but of course focus is manual. Point is you can use virtually any Pentax vintage lens with good results. Overall after 3 months I am thrilled with this camera. I contemplated the K-3 but the battery life is 1/2 of the K-5 II and that was important for me. I also read about the video format making rather large files, which is true, however any modern video editor can qickly convert to any other desired file type. It takes great video and for me the couple clicks to convert to MPG or what ever other format is a non issue. The dedicated video record button on the K-3 is nice but certainly not essential for me. If you are using an older Pentax, especially one of their entry models, you won't regret getting the K-5 II or its sister model the K-5 IIs. Have fun!Read full review