K-5II and K-5IIs sharpness and USM

Anirut J · Nov 16, 2014

Apologies if I'm beating a dead horse here. I'm contemplating on getting either of these two cams.

Understandably that without the AA filter the K-5IIs certainly wins in sharpness.

But, with the K-5II, can a little bit of USM bring up the sharpness closer to that of the K-5IIs?

Personally I prefer the IIs, but keeping clear of moire is a good option. But if USM can help with bringing put that sharpness, then the K-5II should be a more 'practical' tool for me.

Or, is there any software that can easily clean up moire in a touch of a button?

Your inputs are welcome. Thanks, all.

fakuryu · Nov 16, 2014

Anirut J said:
Apologies if I'm beating a dead horse here. I'm contemplating on getting either of these two cams.

Understandably that without the AA filter the K-5IIs certainly wins in sharpness.

But, with the K-5II, can a little bit of USM bring up the sharpness closer to that of the K-5IIs?

Personally I prefer the IIs, but keeping clear of moire is a good option. But if USM can help with bringing put that sharpness, then the K-5II should be a more 'practical' tool for me.

Or, is there any software that can easily clean up moire in a touch of a button?

Your inputs are welcome. Thanks, all.

SBS · Nov 16, 2014

Images from the K5II can certainly be sharpened well enough. But, I would still recommend the K5IIs. The difference between the two is not just about sharpness. It is also about resolution. When I bring some photos up to 100% viewing, I'm very pleased with how thoroughly sharp and defined the details of the image are. USM heightens the defined parts of an image. But an image that is less defined is not going to be as crisp as one that is. Even more than a sharpness advantage is the increased possibility of getting that 3D look (with a limited prime). There is not a noticeable difference in every image between the two cameras, but overall there is, and the difference is worth the risk of moiré.

I am now shooting with two K5IIS cameras at weddings almost every weekend. That amounts to 1000 to 1200 images per wedding. The number of photos I have come across with moiré can be counted on one or two hands. It is removable, sometimes easily, sometimes requiring a little more work. Here is a very helpful link for removing or reducing moiré: https://photographylife.com/how-to-remove-moire-in-photoshop

If you are concerned about moiré, you can shoot in a way to avoid it. For example, take multiple shots at slightly different angles. Probably, just taking multiple shots will work since your hands are always moving, and thus changing angles ever so slightly. I think both cameras are very fine, but I am now recommending the S version because it is so much more. The AA filter may be headed for the dust bin.

Anirut J · Nov 17, 2014

Thanks to all replies.

I'm in a dilemma.

Here, in Thailand, a store is selling the body for a K5-II at about US$ 400 more the K5-IIs. But the funniest thing is this: the same store sells a K5-II + 18-135 WR for about US$ 160 LESS than the K5-II body alone (and the combo's about US$ 250 more than the IIs body) !!!

Of course, if I buy the K5-IIs body, I can use my non-WR lenses, but that would defeat the purpose of having the camera.

I'm at a loss here. More advices appreciated.

--
R.I.P. -- Rejoice In Photography

fakuryu · Nov 17, 2014

Anirut J said:
Thanks to all replies.

I'm in a dilemma.

Here, in Thailand, a store is selling the body for a K5-II at about US$ 400 more the K5-IIs. But the funniest thing is this: the same store sells a K5-II + 18-135 WR for about US$ 160 LESS than the K5-II body alone (and the combo's about US$ 250 more than the IIs body) !!!

Of course, if I buy the K5-IIs body, I can use my non-WR lenses, but that would defeat the purpose of having the camera.

I'm at a loss here. More advices appreciated.

Anirut J · Nov 17, 2014

fakuryu said:
Anirut J said:

Thanks to all replies.

I'm in a dilemma.

Here, in Thailand, a store is selling the body for a K5-II at about US$ 400 more the K5-IIs. But the funniest thing is this: the same store sells a K5-II + 18-135 WR for about US$ 160 LESS than the K5-II body alone (and the combo's about US$ 250 more than the IIs body) !!!

Of course, if I buy the K5-IIs body, I can use my non-WR lenses, but that would defeat the purpose of having the camera.

I'm at a loss here. More advices appreciated.

Click to expand...

fakuryu · Nov 17, 2014

Anirut J said:
fakuryu said:

Anirut J said:

Thanks to all replies.

I'm in a dilemma.

Here, in Thailand, a store is selling the body for a K5-II at about US$ 400 more the K5-IIs. But the funniest thing is this: the same store sells a K5-II + 18-135 WR for about US$ 160 LESS than the K5-II body alone (and the combo's about US$ 250 more than the IIs body) !!!

Of course, if I buy the K5-IIs body, I can use my non-WR lenses, but that would defeat the purpose of having the camera.

I'm at a loss here. More advices appreciated.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Model Mike · Nov 18, 2014

Anirut J said:
But, with the K-5II, can a little bit of USM bring up the sharpness closer to that of the K-5IIs?

A lot will depend on your output medium (web/print) and if you print, how large you print.

Personally, I output mainly for the web and use a two pass sharpening workflow in Lightroom, adapting the first phase according to the camera. This works pretty well for me.

On the K-5 I use around +40/1.0. On my GR which is similar to the K-5 IIs (16MP and no AA filter), around 30/1.0.

Output sharpening is media- rather than sensor-dependent and I either rely on Lightroom's Export settings if in a hurry, or farm it out to Photoshop's smart sharpen if it's a more critical or difficult image.

The images from the Ricoh seem to have slightly more bite even at web sizes, but I feel some of the difference is due as much to the optics and lack of a mirror as to presence/absence of the AA filter.

--

Mike
http://flickr.com/rc-soar

Anirut J · Nov 18, 2014

Thanks, Mike, for the insight. This is something I should take into consideration, too.

Anirut J · Nov 18, 2014

fakuryu said:
Wow... pretty weird pricing scheme. How much is the K5IIs w/ the 18-135 WR? I guess the K5IIs from where you at is the better buy unless you'll be shooting a lot of patterned fabrics.

The Nikon 18-140 is not weather sealed AFAIK.

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