Typically, all the DSLR camera chatter, marketing blitzes and fancy photography show presentations come from the Big Three: Canon, Nikon and Sony. As with any consumer products, you must be careful that you don’t automatically equate quality with which company is making the most noise.

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During September 2012, Pentax Ricoh announced the release of the latest model in its K series of DSLR cameras, the K-5 II and IIs. It may have been drowned by all the hullabaloo at Photokina 2012, but with the acquisition of Pentax by Ricoh during 2011, the company appears to be making a serious bid to challenge the Big Three, especially when it comes to APS-C, or cropped sensor, DSLR cameras.

After all, Ricoh has been in the photography business since 1919, matching or exceeding the Big Three in longevity and continuity of designing and manufacturing quality cameras and optics. Ricoh has a long-established philosophy of concentrating on maximizing the fundamentals of the camera: how it feels in your hands and the actually shooting components, such as the viewfinder. It’s less concerned with being trendy or adding capabilities solely as a marketing ploy.

Based on the buzz in the industry, it may be time seriously to consider a Pentax DSLR, especially the new K-5 II, before you automatically choose the Canon EOS Rebel T4i, Nikon D3200, Sony A57, or any other entry-level or mid-level DSLR.

THE EYE OPENERS

SAFOX X Autofocus Sensor: What should grab your attention immediately about the Pentax 5-K II is that the AF sensor is capable of quality imagery in lower light than any of its competitors, as measured by EV range: -3 EV. In fact, the entire EV range is the widest: -3 EV to +18 EV. The benefit of this AF sensor is more accuracy with fast lenses. In addition, it uses data from the sensors surrounding the original focus point to help track a subject better.

Build Quality: One of the fundamentals important to Ricoh is evident in how well the K-5 II’s body is engineered. The “bones,” or chassis, is structurally strong stainless steel, while the exterior is durable, but lightweight magnesium alloy. Ricoh is also very big on protecting the interiors of its camera bodies, so the K-5 II includes 77 different seals to make it dustproof, weather-resistant and built to withstand temperatures as cold as 14ºF (-10ºC).

High-Resolution CMOS Sensor: The Pentax K-5 II’s APS-C CMOS sensor has 16.28 effective megapixels and, when paired with the Pentax Real Image Engine II processor, is capable of exceptional images with no digital noise at a generous ISO sensitivity range. The default range is ISO 100–12,800 and custom, 80–51,200.

Highly Visible LCD Screen: The 3”, 921,000-dot LCD monitor on the Pentax K-5 II has been significantly improved, especially as the new design eliminates an air gap between the panel and protective glass. The image on the screen is much more visible when shooting in the bright outdoors.

Wide-View Viewfinder: The glass pentaprism viewfinder provides a 100% field of view and 0.92x magnification, making compositions easier and more precisely framed.

Flexible Image Stabilization: The Pentax K-5 II features the company’s SR, or Shake Reduction, technology, to help reduce camera shake or movement. You can shoot at as many as three shutter stops slower handheld and still record clear, sharp images.

Greater Detail with the K-5 IIs: The “s” version of the Pentax K-5 II has been built without an anti-aliasing filter, which is typically added to DSLRs to make digital images less “digital” looking. Portrait and studio photographers find this variation especially useful because they typically have more control of the shooting environment and gear, lighting and exposure equations.

Pentax K-5 II to Canon, Nikon and Sony APS-C DSLR Cameras

Photo © PENTAX RICOH IMAGING UK LTD.

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