RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: K-5 is Discontinued and K-01 Price is Dropped

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

K-5 is Discontinued and K-01 Price is Dropped

Here is what is shown at the Japanese Yaotomi camera shop's K-5 page, it is described that the K-5 is discontinued and there is only limited stock of it.

However, it is checked that this is not told at the official Pentax Japan page.

On the other hand, the K-01 price has been dropped below 40,000 Japanese Yens (which is rougly equal to US$500).

So, what are all these about? Simple! That is K-5 has been phased out and the K-30 is replacing it, at least in the mean time. And, the K-01 has become the even lower end body than the already not so high end K-30. Btw, how is the PQ of the K-30 compared to the old K-5, here is yet the latest measurbation by the Yaotomi, also:-

http://www.yaotomi.co.jp/blog/walk/2012/06/pentax-k-30-pentax-k30-1.html

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0 Vote up Vote down

Arn · 662 weeks ago

In France, you can found the k-01 + 40xs for 400€.
http://www.lyon.images-photo.com/fr/produit/penta...

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rjsd · 662 weeks ago

Was/is the k-30 a replacement for the kx or kr? Did it go out of production a few months prior to the k-30 release?
I think it was a few months after. I hope this leads to a real replacement (FF) for they k-5. It would take a real leap in functionality & perfomance to buy another Pentax that is not FF. I will shoot with the k5 for the next few years unless a Pentax FF is produced.

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Rene · 662 weeks ago

K-7, K-5, ?

K-x, K-r, ?

K-01, ?

K-30, ?

So, what's next?

1 reply · active 662 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 662 weeks ago

Next for we old K-5 and long time Pentax users is to build another system as there is really no point to wait forever for something better and proper!

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Barbarosa · 662 weeks ago

hm, so what is better on market in class of K-5?
And Rice You are not old K-5 user, You brought it far later than I am and I was not early adopter so explore your camera until photokina.

3 replies · active 662 weeks ago

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RiceHigh 110p · 662 weeks ago

I meant existing K-5 users. Btw, what is the true "full potential" of the K-5, which is now already more than two years old and near three? Could it be better than or just rival the others' latest offers like the 5D MkIII and the D800?

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Mistral75 · 662 weeks ago

K-5 is not already more than two years old and near three. It was announced on 20 September 2010, less than two years ago.

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Rene · 662 weeks ago

But much of what is inside the K-5 were 3 years old or maybe 4, like the 11-point AF, the fixed LCD, the AE or the K-7 body. So it does feel and look much older than it is.

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barbarosa · 662 weeks ago

ok I will ask again, what is in this moment better than K-5 in same class, APS-c around 1000€ to be precise?
D800? 5d mk3?

3 replies · active 662 weeks ago

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Warpig · 662 weeks ago

good point. I guess nothing.

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RiceHigh 110p · 662 weeks ago

That depends on what you compare. If "flagship" is compared to flagship, neither the 5D3 and D800 are even not! Only the K-5 is, truly!

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Mage · 662 weeks ago

I think to you, a "better" camera means only one thing, the one with better image quality, but before you can judge image quality, you have to first capture the image. What good is fantastic image quality if you cannot capture the image? With a poor AF, poor flash system, and ordinary auto-exposure system, capturing an image with good exposure, focus and timing could be hit and miss.

Except for the sensor, which is eseentially the same in some NEX models, D5100, D7000, and a weatherpoof body, there is not much else in the K-5 that is any good. So, numerous cameras are better than K-5, depending on what you mean better. Just because the K-5 has that Sony sensor does not make it better as a camera, if it has besides poor features, also worse support and service, worse outlook in terms of the future of Pentax and therefore more risk in owning its lenses, and if it is worse in new models being available frequently enough or new models with up to date technical features.

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daedbird · 662 weeks ago

What Pentax should do is come out with their cameras at the optimum price right away, instead of discounting them later on. I remember those Kx sales of a few years ago, and it shows Pentax should compete on price point. Look, I will buy a K-01 at $500, which at that price I know I can save up for the K-5 successor (or rumored full framer). At $750, the K-30 would sell a ton of cameras to people who thought about a Rebel or 3100.

2 replies · active 662 weeks ago

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Rene · 662 weeks ago

I think what Pentax should do is just make lenses for others. Forget about making cameras and concentrate on what it can do well with what it has now.

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jaad75 · 662 weeks ago

I think they do better cameras than lenses right now. Lenses are good (just) but cameras are great.

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Richard · 662 weeks ago

My Kx is just as accurate in AF and exposure as my Nikon D5000. There are lots of reports of back focussing on recent Nikons, and mine works close to the Kx only on AFA +3D tracking.Flash is slightly more accurate in the D5000, but not by much. All these cameras default to high isos when using flash and auto iso, and are therefore not as clean, imo, as previous generations using auto iso.
The notion that Pentax is behind in AF, flash and auto exposure is exaggerated.
Nikon's lead is flash, but its entry-level cameras are frustratingly menu-driven, and lack the direct-access buttons of Pentax and Canon.

5 replies · active 661 weeks ago

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Mage · 661 weeks ago

I thought we were talking about the K-5, a flagship model being out of date. It is so out of date in just about every way except for a Sony sensor. You were talking about the K-x, a long discontinued model. Its successor, the K-r, has also been discontinued. The K-5 with all its outdated features has also been discontinued, and about time, but there is no successor in sight, except rumors and hope. You can "upgrade" to a K-30 or K-01, I suppose.

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RiceHigh 110p · 661 weeks ago

Well put, Mage.

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Richard · 661 weeks ago

Just curious: what dslr do you use, Mage?

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Alex · 661 weeks ago

A camera that would be released 10 years from now, probably ;)

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bossa · 661 weeks ago

I doubt Pentax is going to plonk a K-5 replacement in plain sight when they need to clear out current stocks of K-5. The K-5 replacement will probably be announced within a few weeks or at Photokina. The Sony sensor in the K-5 is 'not quite the same' as the D7000 in that Pentax version has the SR feature, which is a pretty handy thing to have. I bought a D800E a couple of months back and without VR it really is difficult to get super sharp images. Mind you, the 70-200 VR II can shoot at 200mm down to 1/13th sec and still get sharp clean images. I never got anything like that performance out of the K-5 SR system.

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Rick · 661 weeks ago

Since Pentax has a limited production capacity, it makes sense that the K-5 would "need" to be halted in order for the line to produce the K-3.

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RiceHigh's Pentax Blog

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

K-5 is Discontinued and K-01 Price is Dropped

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