Hands-on with the Pentax K-50 and K-500

http://www.pentaxforums.com/news/hands-on-with-the-pentax-k-50-and-k-500.html

I keep hoping they will produce an awesome video cam since I am a fan of the lenses. Anyone try the video on these? Image looks a bit soft on the Comparometer.

While perhaps the sensor in the K-50 is looking a little dated, there’s no denying it is capable of outstanding image quality. Couple that with, arguably, the more promising overall camera specification and a design aesthetic intended to suit enthusiasts and semi professionals alike and Pentax is clearly on to something.

Pentax also has one of the most tempting lens ranges with a large number of models designed specifically for APS-C format bodies. It all adds up to an enticing alternative to the usual brands and all without the usual price premium that’s often associated with switching brands.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Pentax-K-50-review-attractive-performance-but-is-there-any-improvement-on-earlier-iterations

Big K-50 review at Pentax forums

The K-50's battery compartment employs a hybrid design that lets you use either the included rechargeable battery or a set of four standard AA batteries to power the camera.

The K-50 features two control wheels- one at the front of the grip, for your index finger, and one on the back of the camera, for your thumb. This design allows you to easily adjust the shutter speed at the same time as the aperture; further in-menu customization allows you to assign other functions to the second wheel in modes such as shutter priority or aperture priority.

While in P (Program) mode, both wheels can be used to engage Pentax's unique Hyper Program mode.

All K-50 kits are fully weather sealed. This is thanks to the fact that Pentax launched two new kit lenses alongside the K-50. The new DA L 18-55mm WR and 50-200mm WR lenses

The test shows that the K-50 produces very clean files up to ISO 800. At ISO 1600 and 3200, noise is apparent but still manageable. The noise levels grow at ISO 6400 and 12,800, though even at these high sensitivty settings, most color detail is preserved.

The in-camera stabilization system compensates for about 3 stops of light, meaning that you can get blur-free hand-helds at shutter speeds as slow as 1/10s with the 18-55mm kit lens.

The K-50 supports in-camera, per-lens autofocus adjustments, a feature that's unusual for its class. This means that if you experience front-focus or back-focus issues with one or more of your lenses, you can often make the necessary adjustments in the comfort of your home, rather than having to get your camera serviced.

The camera starts up and is ready to shoot in just under a second. Once powered on, like almost any other DSLR, there is virtually no shutter lag.

The K-50's Movie mode is pretty much a direct copy of the one found in the K-30 and K-01. It still offers a number of improvements over Pentax's flagship DSLR, the K-5 II. Namely, it provides a much more comprehensive set of FPS options at both full 1080p resolution and 720p. It also supports some manual control during video recording, which the K-5 did not. Finally, it allows for on-demand autofocus (non-continuous) during recording.

The K-50 uses the popular MPEG4 AVC/H.264 video format and produces .MOV files, which are much smaller than the K-5's .AVI files. It supports full 1080p video recording at 30/25/24 FPS, 720p recording at 60/50/30/25/24 FPS, and VGA recording at 30/25/24 fps. Recording is limited to 25 minutes or 4GB. In the course of our testing we let one recording (1080p/24 FPS) run for the full 25 minutes and never encountered an overheating problem of the sort that was sometimes seen on earlier Pentax models

The K-50 has a built-in monaural microphone like the K-30, but unlike the K-5 II, K-5, and K-01, which all offered stereo mics. Also like the K-30, it does not include an input jack for external microphones

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-k-50-review/introduction.html

The K-500 features three movie shooting modes: P, Av, and M. You can select the mode via the main menu or, more conveniently, through the INFO screen. In P mode, the camera sets the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for you, but you can adjust the exposure by up to two stops using EV compensation. In Av mode, the camera sets the shutter speed and ISO, while you choose the aperture and can also adjust the EV.

The K-500 has a built-in monaural microphone like the K-30, but unlike the K-5 II, K-5, and K-01, which all offered stereo mics. Also like the K-30, it does not include an input jack for external microphones.

Autofocus can be used before and during recording. However, the feature that a lot of users are looking for—continuous AF during recording—is not available here. While recording, you can press the AF/AE-L button to force the camera to refocus.

The Pentax K-500 is not only the most capable, but also the most affordable entry-level Pentax DSLR produced to date. Because it based on the K-50, Pentax have been able to include many advanced features while keeping the price of the camera very low.

We recommend the K-500 mainly for users who are primarily interested in still photography. This is partially due to the fact that you won't find dual control wheels or a 100%-coverage viewfinder in any competing DSLR in its class

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-k-500-review/introduction.html

Movie sample - http://www.3dnews.ru/assets/external/illustrations/2013/09/04/757125/IMGP0130.MOV

Via: http://www.3dnews.ru/757125

Firmware updated:

• http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/k-50_s.html
• http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/k-500_s.html

The Pentax K-500 features a built-in Shake Reduction system. Turn it on via the main menu option and the K-500 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds, providing approximately 2.5 to 4 shutter steps of compensation.

The Pentax K-500 is identical to the K-50, just without that camera's (and kit lens') weather-proofing, which actually makes the K-500 a bit of a bargain if you never intend to shoot regularly in the rain or more extreme environments.

The K-500's still image quality is excellent, producing noise-free images all the way from from ISO 100-1600. Noise starts to become apparent at ISO 3200, with a little more noise and smearing of fine detail at the higher settings of 6400 and 12800.

http://img.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_k500/sample_images/pentax_k500_01.mov

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_k500_review/

Camera can stand up to the elements and deliver a high-end shooting experience, yet won’t place undue burden on your finances. For most photographers is will be a winning formula.

http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2013/10/camera-test-pentax-k-50

New firmware

• http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/k-50_s.html
• http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/k-500_s.html