Pentax K-5 as 1st DSLR?

A friend of mine bought a Canon 600D last summer as his first DSLR. I have been teaching him the basic functions of DSLRs and the little I know about photography.

The 600D feels much cheeper that the K-5 and it does not return as good pictures as the K-5. The interface of the K-5 is also much nicer (of course I don't tell him that, not to spoil his joy).

So, if the 650D is anything like the 600D (which I suspect) then the K-5 is a much better choice.

Njáll