Early last year I began the hunt for a new Digital SLR to replace my trusty Olympus E-510. I wanted something more up-to-date, more robust and essentially more professional. I looked at many manufacturers and found quite a few bodies I liked, but choosing ‘the one’ proved difficult; I did not wish to follow the Canikon herd, preferring something a little more individual…something that didn’t scream ‘me too’, be hobbled by poor reviews or offer a limited lens range that allowed little growth. After much research and a visit to the Focus on Imaging 2012 show I found my ideal camera… the Pentax K-5.

One of my big gripes when it comes to some SLR’s is there ridiculously large size, manufacturers like Canon & Nikon tend to fall into this category once you start looking at their professional grade units. This is where the K-5 shines. This unit is not much bigger than my Olympus E-510, which is impressive considering the K-5 packs a large APS-C sensor and is weather sealed (unlike the 510). What’s more, there has been no compromise when it comes to comfort; the K-5 maintains a large chunky grip deep enough for you to wrap your fingers and hand around. This goes a long way when it comes to steadying the camera, especially when using larger lenses.

The first thing I noticed when I picked the camera up was how well placed the buttons and switches are. You can immediately tell it was designed by photographers and not a consortium of computer nerds. Everything is situated within a thumb’s length and all your common features like f-stop, EV, ISO, Exposure Comp, A-EL, and Spot Meter can be adjusted by the buttons. Sounds crowded? You would be surprised; it’s rare that I have to draw the camera away from my face to see what my fingers are poking. I can easily adjust everything while looking at my subject through the viewfinder. The reason I find it so easy is because the main buttons are well spaced and spread out, with key functions positioned at a fingers reach on the rear and top. Arranged like this I know exactly what I’m about to press.

One of the most important aspects of DSLR’s has to be the viewfinder experience; this had a great deal of sway during my time of choosing. More and more cameras are implementing the digital viewfinder which, personally, I am not a fan of. There is a lot of satisfaction in composing a picture the old fashioned way, where the only way to tell if your photo is any good or not is to fire the shutter and capture it. So as you can imagine the Pentax’s optical viewfinder was to my liking. Compared to my Olympus E-510, the viewfinder in the K-5 feels very spacious, mainly because all meter readings are situated at the bottom of the finder as opposed to the side. I was particularly impressed by the incorporation of an accelerometer meter into the finder, which shares space with EV stops.

My one gripe with the system is its non-telecentric design. The Olympus E-System (my E-510 included) packed this feature and it’s not until you have used a camera without it do you realise how good the technology is. In short, having a telecentric system means not only smaller lens designs, but less chromatic aberration or purple fringing on your photos. This is because the light rays that travel down the lens hit the sensor pits square on and not at an angle. But, like most things, it’s a trade-off. Having a non-telecentric APS-C based system allows for a larger sensor with a 1.5 crop factor reducing noise, while still allowing the Pentax designers to create small primes that deliver impressive results. In addition, if you are processing your own pictures through programs like Adobe Lightroom, instant removal of any chromatic aberration is very simple.

I guess the real question is what is the output like? In one word, ‘excellent’. When I first received the camera I shot all my pictures using the Pentax DA 16-50mm lens and the cameras built in JPG engine (Prime II). The results are excellent; pictures appear crisp and vibrant without looking too digital. Since those early days I decided to process my own pictures to see how they compare and, impressively, the results are near enough the same as the jpgs. I found it difficult to beat the out of camera JPG’s without making them look over processed. So unless you particularly enjoy processing your own pictures like me, the Prime II JPG engine will serve you well. Moreover the ability to switch to ISO 80 provides a noticeable reduction in noise levels thus improving overall image quality. In low light the camera performs equally well, producing very little noise even when shooting at speeds up to 1600. This is something my E-510 struggled with due to its small four-thirds sensor.

So, after using this setup for a while and being very impressed with it I decided to expand my horizons - hello Pentax 100mm Macro Lens! The beauty of this piece of glass is it doubles up quite nicely as a medium telephoto optic, further expanding my photo opportunities. So far I have had great fun with it and the results are absolutely stunning. An orchid kept in the house has proved a brilliant test subject and has finally given me an excuse to get out my tripod and use the camera’s live view function. The K-5’s live view uses contrast detection for focussing, meaning it is lightning fast and does not have to keep flicking the mirror up and down like my E-510.

And this is where the K-5’s software really shines, it offers a clean and compact HUD (heads up display) showing f-stop, ISO, shutter speed and various other bits like the accelerometer meters. Changing options and navigating the menus is simple and fast. I am yet to see any problems with the software, whether it be slowness, freezing or general strange behaviour, something which seems to riddle a host of other cameras both new and old. When I first got the camera I spent quite a bit of time exploring the software and menus and found a ton of excellent features / options, one of these being ‘Lens Correction’. This allows you to address any front / back focusing issues - something I have needed to use with my 16-50mm lens. What makes this feature particularly clever is it creates a custom profile containing the corrections for that particular lens only. So should you wish to switch lenses you don’t need to worry about reverting any of your settings. The K-5 can hold up to 20 of these custom profiles which for most users, should be more than enough.

Having used the camera in many conditions I have found the popup flash particularly useful. Unlike my old E-510, when you pop out the flash it sits a good few cm’s above the camera body. This greatly reduces any lens shadows, something which plagued my old camera. To put things into perspective a lens the size of my 16-50mm attached to my E-510 would cause large dark ellipses at the bottom of all my photos. On my K-5 this only ever happens when I forget to remove the lens hood…far more useful.

If I had my time again, the K-5 would still be top of my ‘must buy’ list. The results it produces are stunning, particularly when used at ISO 80. Colours are wonderfully vibrant making images feel so alive and in some cases, three dimensional. But it is not just the results; the hardware itself is amongst some of the best I have ever used. The large grip makes handling and steadying the camera easy and comfortable, possibly one of its most important features if you are using the camera day in day out. If I had to criticise anything it would be the problems with Chromatic Aberration, especially when operating around the F2 region. But if you’re like me and shoot RAW, programs like Lightroom can remove any purple fringing in just a few clicks. Looking to the future I am eager to see what the ‘K-3’ will bring, filling the K-5’s large boots is going to be difficult, as for me it offers everything I need.