I currently have an E510 with the double kit lens (14-42 and 40-150), to which I've added a 9-18mm.I've been unhappy with the DR of the E510 for a long time, to the extent that I didn't take it with me on many trips. I missed the E620 or E-30 upgrade and now it feels that it's way too late to upgrade to a 2-3 year old body. And 4/3 is not coming out with any new ones.Micro 4/3 is interesting but I would really want better AF for moving subjects (not the BEST, but better than contrast-detect).So I'm thinking of Pentax and the K-5 (or possibly the Nikon D7000, which right now is about the same price in Belgium). This is an attempt to re-kindle a more creative photography habit...(as a child I had "built up" a whole manual B&W and then colour lab together with my Dad, so went through all the learning steps...and then I became a snapshooter).I photograph a bit of everything with more emphasis on landscapes, skiing and street. What I'm looking for:better DR better DR better DRweather resistance: I'm likely to take the camera skiing and hiking.good AF for moving skiers (I don't expect the quality of the top Canon / Nikon sport-oriented bodies)compactness...to the extent possible, I know I'm getting a DSLRlenses that would be comparable to the Oly upgrade path (e.g. the Zuiko 12-50 2.8-4)...any suggestions here?-decent JPG engine...I know PP from RAW is best, but there are times when I just want to run pics through Auto everything.What I'll miss: self-sensor cleaning, more compact lenses.any thoughts? In particular about lenses and a comparison with the D7000. Thanks!

i'm an olympus user with E5 and E620. if you (like me) prefer to work on jpeg is better to go on pentax than canikon. k5 is the only prosumer camera that beat E5 on jpeg quality. nikon 7000 is worse on jpeg,you should work on raw.pentax is also a cheaper sistem if compared to canikon and k5 is maybe the best buy on the market.and it is fully tropicalized. i'm speaking also about lens prices ,not only the body.just one point,k5 is now discontinued and a new model should arrive in photokina. wait for a while....

jaggedhorizonwrote:I currently have an E510 with the double kit lens (14-42 and 40-150), to which I've added a 9-18mm.I've been unhappy with the DR of the E510 for a long time, to the extent that I didn't take it with me on many trips. I missed the E620 or E-30 upgrade and now it feels that it's way too late to upgrade to a 2-3 year old body. And 4/3 is not coming out with any new ones.Oly claims that might not be true, but they didn't flat-out say it's false.Micro 4/3 is interesting but I would really want better AF for moving subjects (not the BEST, but better than contrast-detect).So I'm thinking of Pentax and the K-5 (or possibly the Nikon D7000, which right now is about the same price in Belgium). This is an attempt to re-kindle a more creative photography habit...(as a child I had "built up" a whole manual B&W and then colour lab together with my Dad, so went through all the learning steps...and then I became a snapshooter).Sounds great!I photograph a bit of everything with more emphasis on landscapes, skiing and street. What I'm looking for:better DR better DR better DRI looked at the e510 when I first went shopping; the DR definitely caused me to skip the 510, which was sad because the e500 was excellent! The current 16Mpxl sensor in the K-5 and K-30 is the best in APS-c land by all tests I've seen... the D7000 uses it too but dxo gives the K-5 a very slight edge.weather resistance: I'm likely to take the camera skiing and hiking.Anything in the recent past except k-x and k-r will serve, though a WR lens truly seals the system.good AF for moving skiers (I don't expect the quality of the top Canon / Nikon sport-oriented bodies)I don't strain the AF system, but it has not failed me (once I learned that the center-AF point was on the edge of the red light in the VF)compactness...to the extent possible, I know I'm getting a DSLRK-30 is smaller than the K-5 but both are pretty small for the feature-set!lenses that would be comparable to the Oly upgrade path (e.g. the Zuiko 12-50 2.8-4)...any suggestions here?Love the 16-45 f/4 but not sealed; the 18-135WR is quite good, the DA* lenses best zooms, Limited primes are reportedly amazing (my DA40's on the way :))-decent JPG engine...I know PP from RAW is best, but there are times when I just want to run pics through Auto everything.The recent Pentax bodies are great for after-shot processing, you can re-save as raw on the fly or reprocess the last shot with different WB, color style or digital filters. I use this a lot!What I'll miss: self-sensor cleaning, more compact lenses.any thoughts? In particular about lenses and a comparison with the D7000. Thanks!

Hellothere is a self-sensor cleaning on the K5 and it is very efficient; I have mine for 2 years now, and despite my frequent lenses changes (I only use primes... from 15 mm up to 600 mm) I never had to clean the sensor.It works the same way as olympus, at power on there is a high frequency shake of the sensor to remove dust.Fro the DR point of view the K5 is rated at DWXO mark at 82, best of APS-C, same score as the D3s, and slightly better than full frame like Canon 5D mk3. 14,1 EV at 80 iso. Regards -- jpgoube

I have both the K-5 and the D7000, so perhaps I can offer a bit of insight and some random thoughts - keeping in mind that it's just personal opinion. Background, so you know where I'm coming from: I shoot strictly for fun, jpg's only. Stuff I like gets posted to my blog, with more galleries behind that on SmugMug.My blog:http://www.frankbaiamonte.comI use my Nikon primarily with heavier glass (heavier by my standards at least) - in my case the old AF300 f/4.0 ED-IF (that's the one that predates the current AF-S version) and the old AF-D 80-200 f/2.8 (again, the one that predates the AF-S versions and the even newer 70-200's). I've used it a little some some of my older AF-D Nikon primes in 20, 24, 35 and 50, but have never been able to get all that excited about those lenses on the D7000. I've had all these lenses for over 12 years, but only recently go around getting a digital body for them. For the most part my D7000 and those heavy lenses never get further from my home than the San Diego Zoo or some event in San Diego where I want those lenses (air show, renaissance faire, parades).Since I got the D7000 about 1.5 years ago, I use my Pentaxes these days pretty much as my travel and sightseeing camera. I like to wander around with a small set up of 3 to 4 primes, and especially like the DA Limiteds. A K-5 with DA15, DA21, DA40 and DA70 will fit into a Domke F5X-B or a Think Tank Change-Up and make for an inconspicuous little package that covers about everything I need when traveling. The quick-shift focus feature on the DA Limiteds is very nice to have.I use the DA16-45 a lot when I'm out in the desert and don't want to be changing lenses. It lives on an older body (these days a K-7). Before I got the D7000 I used the DA55-300 quite a bit on a K20D as my Zoo camera. They are both nice lenses. The only other zoom I have for the Pentax is the 10-17 Fisheye, which can be a lot of fun.I much prefer the ergonomics and control layout of the Pentax, especially the K-5, over the Nikon D7000. I've figured out how to set some of the controls on the D7000 so that it is similar to the Pentax, and sometimes use both bodies at the same time (like an airshow, where the Nikon has the big lens and the Pentax has a short wide prime).There are a couple of very annoying things about the ergonomics of the Nikon if you use heavy lenses, mostly having to do with the way you change AF points and mode. If, like me, you shoot jpg and want to see instantly what a WB change will do, the Pentax is great since it shows you what the change would look like on the last image you shot.If you are old enough to need reading glasses, but otherwise have good eyesight that does not require glasses all the time, you'll find the Nikon to be more annoying to work with than the Pentax.I've never had a problem shooting in light rain with the K-5 and DA Limiteds, but I am careful about where the lens mount is. I used the Nikon with the 80-200 at a parade in moderate rain last year, just covered it with one of those $6 OpTech plastic rain capes.I think if I were starting over, and planned to use f/2.8 zooms and other heavy lenses, I would probably go with Nikon. For a more compact set up, especially with small primes, I much prefer the Pentax.Hope this helps.

some albums with pics from the K5https://picasaweb.google.com/112897657322031504958/TestovaciaJazda?authuser=0&feat=directlinkhttps://picasaweb.google.com/112897657322031504958/DRAndShadowRecoveryOfK5?authuser=0&feat=directlinkhttps://picasaweb.google.com/112897657322031504958/SlovenskyRajNizkeTatryLiptov?authuser=0&feat=directlink

K-5 or D7000 would both be excellent choices. Just check where you live if the lenses you are interested in have been increased in price as they have in the US. I just bought a K-30 that I love, but I'm a bit annoyed to say the least, that at least 2 of the lenses I was planning on purchasing have been increased by close to double in price. This is unfortunate as I have just spent nearly $2000 dollars last month on Pentax gear, but I feel really let down as a customer. Not by the gear, but by the bean counters at Pentax.Anyway, I already have a FF DSLR, but you have to think if at some point you might want to upgrade to a FF DSLR. If so, it many not make complete sense to buy a ton of APS-C gear unless you have deep pockets and don't mind maintaining two systems, i.e., FF and APS-C.The other issue is both the K-5 and the D7000 have been out since 2010 so they are likely months away from being replaced in their respective lineups. If you are the type who likes the latest-greatest then wait. If not, you can't really go wrong with either camera, although I will say that Nikon has a deeper DX lens line-up and the D7000 has better video by far then the K-5 (I don't know if video matters to you).Pentax has some great Limited primes, but if action is your thing, then keep in mind that you'll likely want to get the SDM type lenses that have focus motors. Pentax is behind both Nikon and Canon as far as lenses that have built-in motors. For landscape photography, it's not such a big deal. For faster moving subject, i.e., you mentioned street photography, a fast focussing lenses is nice to have. Good luck.If I were you I'd read some reviews and specs of both cameras. I've used both and the D7000 has many more AF points, and a more modern AF system. Both are incredibly intuitive cameras to use, but as I mentioned, because Nikon has more AF-S lenses for cheaper prices than Pentax has SDM lenses. For example the Nikon 28 1.8 G, 50 1.8 G, 85 1.8G, 105 2.8 VR Macro all have AFS motors in them. Only Pentax equivalent fast prime, the DA 55 1.4 has an AF motor (SDM). The 35 2.4, 50 1.8, 70 2.4, 77 1.8, etc. are all screw-driver lenses. Not trying to talk you out of Pentax or talk up Nikon just something you should be aware of.

than the screw type lenses where the body drives the lens, in general. But they are quieter. I mean this on average.The DA 40mm focuses hyper fast. My 50-135 focuses ok-fast but not as fast as the screw-driven from body AF primes.

Thanks everyone for the comments...I'll keep an eye out for the new bodies at the Photokina, though I don't have to have the latest so maybe K5 at the lower price is still the best choice.Any thoughts about the DA 16-50 F2.8 vs 16-45 F4 and vs the Tamron 16-50F2.8?

jeanphilippe Goubewrote:there is a self-sensor cleaning on the K5 and it is very efficient...It works the same way as olympus, at power on there is a high frequency shake of the sensor to remove dust.Not at all the same - Olympus uses a "filter" in front of the sealed sensor; a clear, light-weight membrane which is peisio-electrically pulsed with an ultrasonic vibration. In contrast, the K-5 merely attempts to shake the entire moving sensor plate vigorously enough to displace dust particles. These are vastly different anti-dust mechanisms and the patented Olympus design is clearly the better of the two.

AllBrandswrote:jeanphilippe Goubewrote:there is a self-sensor cleaning on the K5 and it is very efficient...It works the same way as olympus, at power on there is a high frequency shake of the sensor to remove dust.Not at all the same - Olympus uses a "filter" in front of the sealed sensor; a clear, light-weight membrane which is peisio-electrically pulsed with an ultrasonic vibration. In contrast, the K-5 merely attempts to shake the entire moving sensor plate vigorously enough to displace dust particles. These are vastly different anti-dust mechanisms and the patented Olympus design is clearly the better of the two.This is not true, the K-5's dust removal system is definitely piezoelectric - unlike the earlier implementation that you're describing.Alex