The Pentax K-5 is a 16.3-megapixel

digital single-lens reflex camera A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor. The reflex design scheme is the primary difference between ...

, announced on September 20, 2010. It began shipping in mid-October 2010 and it was replaced by the Pentax K-5 II in the third quarter of 2012. Externally, the camera body is almost unchanged from the

Pentax K-7 The Pentax K-7 is a 14.6-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on 20 May 2009. This is the first new flagship model released by Pentax since its merger with Hoya Corporation on 31 March 2008. It was discontinued late in 2010 in ...

(the mode dial on the left side is slightly higher). The main improvements compared to the previous model are higher light sensitivity (ISO range between 80 and 51,200, high ISO performance with improved noise control); an increase in sensor resolution by nearly two megapixels; and an all-new autofocus subsystem, SAFOX IX+. The use of a Sony sensor in the K-5 signalled a major departure from the Samsung sensor partnership. The latest firmware release is 1.16.

Feature improvements

Consistent with previous Pentax models, there are many small improvements as well: * Multiple customizable "USER" modes * Customizable

raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

/Fx button replaces previous single-purpose raw button * Selectable

noise reduction Noise reduction is the process of removing noise from a signal. Noise reduction techniques exist for audio and images. Noise reduction algorithms may distort the signal to some degree. Noise rejection is the ability of a circuit to isolate an und ...

levels for each ISO value * More auto-bracketing options * 1080p video (25 fps) * 7 fps

continuous shooting Burst mode, also called continuous shooting mode, sports mode, continuous mode, or burst shot, is a shooting mode in still cameras where several photos are captured in quick succession by either pressing the shutter button or holding it down. ...

at full resolution * Bleach Bypass and Film Reversal image tone settings * Electronic level now shows pitch and roll * More grid overlays in

live view Live preview is a feature that allows a digital camera's display screen to be used as a viewfinder. This provides a means of previewing framing and other exposure before taking the photograph. In most such cameras, the preview is generated by m ...

mode

Notable features

* Rechargeable

Li-Ion A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible Redox, reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It als ...

battery D-LI90 or 6 × AA (R6) batteries in

battery grip A battery grip is an accessory for an SLR/DSLR (and occasionally other cameras), which allows the camera to hold multiple batteries to extend the battery life of the camera, and adds a vertical grip with an extra shutter release (and other contro ...

D-BG4 * Magnesium alloy shell over stainless steel chassis, weather resistant with 77 weather protection seals. The K-5 is designed to operate at temperatures of . * Two-axis (roll and pitch) level meter * Automatic horizon correction up to 1° with SR on or 2° with SR off. * HDR (

high dynamic range High dynamic range (HDR) is a dynamic range higher than usual, synonyms are wide dynamic range, extended dynamic range, expanded dynamic range. The term is often used in discussing the dynamic range of various signals such as images, videos, au ...

) function with auto-align now usable in hand-held shooting * SAFOX (Sensor Ability Fortifying Optical Compensation System-CS shortened to X) IX+ autofocus system that offers a choice of shutter-release options—between focus priority and release priority in the AF.S (single) advance mode, or between focus priority and speed priority in the AF.C (continuous) advance mode * Lens correction for lens distortion and

lateral chromatic aberration Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction *Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle *Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral cons ...

in Pentax FA, DA and DFA lenses * The K_AF2 mount is compatible with all

Pentax K-mount The Pentax K-mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK-mount", is a bayonet lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has since been u ...

lenses made since 1975. More information is available a
Pentax K-5 Camera Reviews and Specifications—PentaxForums

Video mode

The K-5 can record video at

1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vert ...

full HD as well as at lower resolutions using the

motion JPEG Motion JPEG (M-JPEG or MJPEG) is a video compression format in which each video frame or interlaced field of a digital video sequence is compressed separately as a JPEG image. Originally developed for multimedia PC applications, Motion JPE ...

codec. Videos can be recorded at the following resolutions and frame rates: * 1920×1080 (25 fps) * 1280×720 (25/30 fps) * 640×424 (25/30 fps)

DxOMark sensor tests

DxO Labs DxO is a French company dedicated to photography. Founded in 2006, it is located in Boulogne-Billancourt. It markets DxO PhotoLab, ViewPoint, and FilmPack image processing software and a connected camera, the DxO ONE. History DxO created DxOMar ...

gave the 16.3 MP

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

-built sensor a score of 82. This ranked at the time of testing, the highest ever for an APS-C sensor and ahead of several full-frame sensors such as the one used in the

Nikon D3 The Nikon D3 is a 12.0-megapixel professional-grade full frame (35 mm) digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) announced by the Nikon Corporation on 23 August 2007 along with the Nikon D300 DX format camera. It was Nikon's first full-frame ...

. One of the major factors was shadow noise and dynamic range (in

mode, to bypass in-camera processing). However, the closely related sensor in the

Nikon D7000 The Nikon D7000 is a 16.2-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) model announced by Nikon on September 15, 2010. It replaced the D90 as the top end consumer camera, by using much of the technology and controls from the earlier D5000, ...

scored 80.

Accessories

* The weather-sealed D-BG4 battery grip that fit the Pentax K-7 can also be used on the Pentax K-5. * Pentax InfraRed Remote Control F or Wired Remote * Pentax AF-360FGZ and AF-540FGZ External Flash units * Pentax AF-160FC Flash Ring * Pentax GPS Module O-GPS1

References

External links

Pentax K-5 official product page
Notable reviews:
Pentax K-5 Review - PentaxForums

Pentax K-5 In-Depth Review - dpreview

Pentax K-5 Review - Imaging Resource

Pentax K-5 Review with gallery and sharpness comparison - Neocamera

Pentax K-5 Review - ZTech
{{Pentax DSLR cameras K-5 Live-preview digital cameras Cameras introduced in 2010 Pentax K-mount cameras