I have always admired Pentax for putting effort in making their DSLR cameras more value of money than the big boys. Some people swear by the brand, and though they may not have the same spending power as the biggies they do decent cameras at very tempting prices. I would like to support their effort by buying one of the cameras. They are not easily available in India but usually a little bit of searching can do the job.

Their latest is the Pentax K-5 DSLR, is sucessor to the K-7, and it will compete in the above $1000 bracket same as K-10D and K20D before it.


Here is the preview.

Pentax K-5 Brief hands-on

Specifications 

Max resolution	4928 x 3264
Low resolution	3936x2624, 3072x2048, 1728x1152
Image ratio w:h	3:02
Effective pixels	16.3 million
Sensor size	23.7 x 15.7 mm (3.72 cm²)
Pixel density	4.4 MP/cm²
Sensor type	CMOS
ISO rating	Auto, 100 to 12800, in 1, 1/2, 1/3 EV steps (80 to 51200 Extended)
Digital zoom	No
Image stabilization	Yes, Sensor-shift
Auto Focus	Phase Detection SAFOX IX+
Manual Focus	Yes
White balance override	10 presets plus manual and kelvin
Min shutter	30 sec
Max shutter	1/8000 sec
Built-in Flash	Yes, Pop-up
Flash range	13 m (at ISO 100)
External flash	Yes, hot-shoe plus sync connector
Flash modes	Auto, manual (on/off), red eye reduction, slow speed sync, rear curtain sync, high speed sync and wireless sync
Exposure compensation	-5 to +5 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps
Metering	Multi, Center, Spot
Aperture priority	Yes
Shutter priority	Yes
Focal length multiplier	1.5
Lens thread	Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount.
Continuous Drive	Yes, 7 fps
Movie Clips	Yes, 1920 x 1080 (HD 25fps), 1280 x 720 (HD 25, 30fps), 640 x 424 (25, 30fps)
Remote control	Yes, optional, wired or wireless
Self-timer	Yes, 2 or 12 seconds
Timelapse recording	Yes
Orientation sensor	Yes
Storage types	SD/SDHC
Storage included
Uncompressed format	Yes, RAW (PEF or DNG)
Quality Levels	Good, Better, Best,Premium
Viewfinder	Optical (Pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.92x magnification)
LCD	3 "
LCD Dots	921,000
Live View	Yes
USB	USB 2.0 (480Mbit/sec)
HDMI	Yes
Wireless	No
GPS	No
Environmentally sealed	Yes
Battery	Lithium ion battery D-LI90 Rechargeable battery & charger
Weight (inc. batteries)	740 g (26.1 oz)
Dimensions	131 x 97 x 73 mm (5.2 x 3.8 x 2.9 in)