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The new Pentax K-r
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:

I am not sure if you, Mo, too had misunderstood what's 'missing' in the K-x, ylyad looks like he had.

Focus confirmation, both the green hexagon and the peep sound are present in the K-x too.
It is the red indicators which say which of the focus points for AF is 'turned on' and which flash when in focus which are missing in the K-x

so the K-x does not have anything missing that makes it less useable as a manual focus camera!
but in AF mode the auto focus point chosen can not be seen, which makes most users choose center point, focus center point and then recompose

actually I like the looks of the K-r, looks more rugged to me

Thanks for the precision (I knew it Wink ), but not knowing where focus is made is a pity, and centered point is workable only in certain situations.

On batteries, I personally think that the solution proposed by Pentax on this body is a truly good idea. Having high-quality batteries even proprietary provided with the body is a must-have but AA batteries can be found virtually everywhere in the world, saving the need for spare batteries...


PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ellepi wrote:
A comparison between K-r, K-x and K-7

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/pentaxkr/

For me the worse things are: no weather resistant and pentamirror instead pentaprism.
The best things: continuos shooting speed (if you need it), 2 kinds of battery, performance of sensor at high ISO (if it is the same of K-x) and new Safox IX (the next pentax best camera, K-5, will has Safox IX+ with 18 AF points selectionable)


I'd love to have the pentaprism and weather sealing, but Pentax is reserving that for their top models, which is understandable.
One simply will have to get the K-5 for that.

from first samples it seems that high ISO is improved over K-x for about 1 stop. ( I am sure member 'Spotmatic' could qualify that better )


PostPosted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
[quote="ylyad"]
kuuan wrote:


Thanks for the precision (I knew it Wink ), but not knowing where focus is made is a pity, and centered point is workable only in certain situations...


oh, sorry.
you said specially for MF you welcome them, I do not understand how the red AF indicators would be of much relevance when using manual focus lenses though


PostPosted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:

oh, sorry.
you said specially for MF you welcome them, I do not understand how the red AF indicators would be of much relevance when using manual focus lenses though

(I use a Canon with chipped adapter, maybe on Pentax it's different but I doubt it)
Because when I'm turning the focus ring, I use the dot to identify when focus is OK. And on portraits for example, while turning the focus blinks several times (focus on nose, on eyes, on ears, on hairs, etc.) and it's important to know where focus is made to stop turning. And with large aperture and therefore small depth of field, focusing on center point and re-composing is "risky" and might lead to loss of focus.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The AF points sound useful the way you describe it.
I do not know if the AF indicators are 'on' on a Pentax when using MF, I doubt it but will have to verify that. I would think that choosing the spot where to focus, focusing on it with the viewfinder's split screen and recompose would be the more precise method, but I have not tried what you describe and it must be interesting how it compares.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:
I do not know if the AF indicators are 'on' on a Pentax when using MF, I doubt it but will have to verify that.


When using MF on Pentax bodies the only thing you have to make sure of is that the AF contact on the camera mount is shortened (usually by a tiny piece of foil or the lens itself), no need for chipped adapters. You then get two lights in the vf: the green hexagon that signals focus confirm, and the center AF point, which is the only AF point active with manual focus lenses.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I do have the red center af point on my K200D as well as the geen button indicator.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think that using split screen would be more precise, but my wife wouldn't accept it Smile


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:57 pm    Post subject: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
today I had some 7 or 8 minutes with a K-r and it's 18-55 stock lens..in a shop in Kyoto.
I am VERY impressed, it seems to be quite a bit more 'snappy', specially AF, than my K-x. But this is purely personal impression without any fact! and my only AF experience with the K-x is with a Sigma 17-70 lens.

I had inserted my SD card and made a few fast test shots. Of course, since I was in a hurry - on the way home after a long day out I had to convince my friend to wait 10 minutes for me while I hoped into the store - I had forgotten to check if it was set to jpeg or RAW, only after uploading the test shots to my computer I saw that it is jepgs and noise reduction set to 'off' ( and I have no idea if that means still noise reduction applied anyway or not )

here the results straight out of the camera:
ISO 200 ( lowest ISO setting if not set to 'expanded ISO )

original size: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/119815/9177361/sizes/o

ISO 3200:

100%crop:


full image original size: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/119815/9177363/sizes/o

ISO 6400:

100%crop:


full image original size: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/119815/9177365/sizes/o

ISO 12800:

100% crop:

full image original size: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/119815/9177367/sizes/o

ISO 25000 ( expanded ISO ):


100% crop:
full image original size: http://www.ipernity.com/doc/119815/9177368/sizes/o

cheers,
Andreas


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice design, the K-r in white have the look Star Wars!
Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looks good! Smile But does it have any better ISO performance than K-x?


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
poilu wrote:
nice design, the K-r in white have the look Star Wars!
Very Happy


I find the design good, slightly different and IMO somewhat better than that of the K-x

Riku wrote:
Looks good! Smile But does it have any better ISO performance than K-x?


My impression is it clearly does!
I will try to verify by adding high ISO samples taken with my K-x later


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for sharing, Andreas! I think these are pretty impressive (for JPEGs).

I cannot wait for my pre-ordered K-5 Wink


PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I sincerely hope so! Actually since I've gotten a closer look at the K-r and I've decided I do like it after all, and would buy it later, but I'm still likely going to end up with a used or new K-x given my budget.

Probably new since buying a used one doesn't seem to be price effective so far. I'm not about to pay over $425 for one when I can get one brand new for less than $500 and way too many of the ads I see, people are asking that, and more, so I figure I might as well go new and get my own warranty and a color I like.

For less than $75 I'm not going used and forgoing those things. I've also looked at the K20/200D's, but again it's $450-500 used range-wise so there's no real point in skipping the K-x for one.

mo wrote:
magkelly...you may have an abundant choices of used K-x's coming onto the market when this Kr comes out!!


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
that's incredible... but NR OFF? Where's the chroma noise that all digital sensors have?


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Eruditass wrote:
that's incredible... but NR OFF? Where's the chroma noise that all digital sensors have?


if you do not have a program to view the EXIF you can do that on the photos uploaded to my flickr account, e.g.: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/5059480641/meta/in/photostream
NR is off, though I do not have any idea if the camera would do some NR even then ( sharpness is set to 'hard' and contrast to 'medium hard' )

after hosting them first at ipernity.com to show here someone had written to me saying that he could not download the originals from there, so later I also uploaded some to my flickr account where originals can be downloaded and EXIF viewed, here the set of 6 pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/sets/72157625114278708/with/5059480641/


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:25 am    Post subject: Re: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:
today I had some 7 or 8 minutes with a K-r and it's 18-55 stock lens..in a shop in Kyoto.
I am VERY impressed, it seems to be quite a bit more 'snappy', specially AF, than my K-x. ...
cheers,
Andreas



Hi, How was the shutter sound ? Is it quieter than the K-x crash ?
cheers
Pete


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:30 am    Post subject: Re: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
Transit wrote:
kuuan wrote:
today I had some 7 or 8 minutes with a K-r and it's 18-55 stock lens..in a shop in Kyoto.
I am VERY impressed, it seems to be quite a bit more 'snappy', specially AF, than my K-x. ...
cheers,
Andreas



Hi, How was the shutter sound ? Is it quieter than the K-x crash ?
cheers
Pete


THAT I also was asked at dpreview where I had showed these samples too, but during the short time with the cam I had not payed attention to that. Coming monday at the latest I will be able to play with the camera more extensively, so I shall report back on that

btw. the K-r, just as the K-x was, is advertised above all for it's colors, and for women. Just as pretty much all the m4/3rds, for their small size, in Japan are aimed and marketed for women

here the front page of the Japanese pamphlet


( I spare you the rest, but they can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/sets/72157625114278708/with/5061378339/ )

cheers,
Andreas


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:22 am    Post subject: Re: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:

THAT I also was asked at dpreview where I had showed these samples too, but during the short time with the cam I had not payed attention to that. Coming monday at the latest I will be able to play with the camera more extensively, so I shall report back on that

...

cheers,
Andreas


Thanks !
Pete


PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:41 am    Post subject: Re: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
Transit wrote:
Hi, How was the shutter sound ? Is it quieter than the K-x crash ?

My impression is that it is the same.

My recommendation would be to buy a Kx.
For me the slight improvements* of the Kr are not worth 250 € more.

*
- slightly improved AF
- 6 fps (Kx 4,7 fps)
- AF indicators in VF
- 3" display (Kx 2,7")
- alternative LI battery


PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:47 am    Post subject: Re: K\r ISO test shots - jepg noise reduction off Reply with quote
Transit wrote:

Hi, How was the shutter sound ? Is it quieter than the K-x crash ?
cheers
Pete


K-x crash..lol..
hey, that shutter sound of the K-x makes much less of a pounding than that of the *istDs Wink
anyway: had been back at the store, and I am 95% sure that the shutter sound of the K-x and K-r are identical ( even took a video of both, but would had to work on it, not sure if that will be necessary resp. if I find the time for that soon enough )

cheers,
Andreas


PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Riku wrote:
Looks good! Smile But does it have any better ISO performance than K-x?


I had intended to trying to make a valid comparison shooting in RAW + jpeg with NR turned off with both the K-r and my K-x under the same lighting circumstances in the shop, but kind of screwed up. The SD card I used inside the K-r I also used to record photos taken with Nikons, Canons, Olys, Panas, Fujis and Sigmas and the card had failed on me, and I lost these K-r photos.

the comparison here, NR turned off in both cameras, are ( the earlier shown ) jepgs right out of the camera of the K-r compared with RAW converted in Lightroom 2 with default settings + colors noise reduction changed to 0 ( default was on 25 ) on the K-x:






PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some 100% crops as found on Pentaxforums.com (a link to the image because it's too large for inline viewing, the pictures were converted from raw without any noise reduction):

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5081053950_8cc5a01f9e_o.jpg
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