Pentax K-5 II and K-5 II S: Digital Photography Review

Studio scene comparison (Raw)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).

For a (more) level playing field for comparison we also shot our studio scene in Raw mode with each camera and converted it using Adobe Camera Raw. Because Adobe Camera Raw applies different levels of sharpening to different cameras (this confirmed) we use the following workflow for these conversions:

Load Raw file into Adobe Camera Raw (Auto mode disabled)
Set Sharpness to 0 (all other settings default)
Open file to Photoshop
Apply a Unsharp mask: 100%, Radius 0.6, Threshold 0
Save as a JPEG quality 11 for display and download.

Note: this page features our new interactive studio shot comparison widget. Click here to find out more.

Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR Body Only (Black)	$739.00
Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR Body Only (Black)	$739.00
Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR DA 18-135mm WR lens kit (Black)	$1,098.89
Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR DA 18-55mm WR lens kit (Black)	$883.79
Pentax K-5 IIs 16.3 MP DSLR Body Only (Black)	$861.46
Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black)	$814.87
Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 3-Inch LCD (Black Body Only)	Too low to display
Pentax K-5 II Digital SLR Camera Kit with SMC DAL 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens + 55-300mm f/4-5.8 AL Zoom Lens. Includes: 0.45x Wide Angle Lens, 2X Telephoto Lens, 3 Piece Filter Kit(UV-CPL-FLD), 16GB Memory Card, 2 Extended Life Replacement Batteries, Tripod, Monopod & More..!	$1,379.99
Pentax K-5 II Digital SLR Camera Kit with SMC DAL 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens + SMC Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED WR Zoom Lens. Includes: 0.45x Wide Angle Lens, 2X Telephoto Lens, 3 Piece Filter Kit(UV-CPL-FLD), 16GB Memory Card, 2 Extended Life Replacement Batteries, Tripod, Monopod & More..!	$1,154.99
Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR Body Only (Black) + Pentax Zoom 50-200mm + Pentax 18-55 3.5-5.6 DAL LENS 52MM + 16GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card + Extra DL-I90 Battery + External Rapid Charger + 52mm 3 Piece Filter Kit + 52mm UV Filter + Digital Slave Flash + Carrying Case + USB SDHC Reader + Memory Wallet	$996.79
Pentax K-5 II 16.3 MP DSLR With 18-55mm DAL and 55-300 DAL lens kit (Black)	$1,090.49

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Comments

Total comments: 6

Ok - K-5II have better AF and... and... but why only 80%/ s-81%? If old version K-5 have 83%?
and Nikon D7100 have 85% - but everybody knows - who used this dslr's that Pentax is better...??

1 upvote

I heard and read alot about this pentax. and I believe it is a very good camera. what I know is that pentax k-5II is better regarding the details of the photo. and D7100 is better regarding the colors and the auto white balance. do you think the pentax is better is other situations?

0 upvotes

The S has everything I need [Time Lapse too], EXCEPT a LCD that moves/articulates. . . ughhh!!!!

0 upvotes

The auto focus in low light is better and the redesign of the rear LCD has been change for better viewing in bright light. Not much else as far as I know. I purchased the K-5II because I often take photos in low light situations and can use all the help I can get!

0 upvotes

Seriously, what is the difference between K-5 and K-5II? Every single specification are the same.

0 upvotes

The removal of an anti-aliasing filter. this allows for sharper images in the II but sacrifices the tendency to produce moire.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 6