The $300 All-Weather DSLR (Pentax K-5 II Review)

I went out into a blizzard to test out the legendary weather sealing of the Pentax K-series of DSLRs. Featuring Pentax K-5 II and 18-135mm lens.
Best deals on K-5 II camera: ebay.us/XMU2rs
Lens used in this video (18-135mm): ebay.us/mzDY4P
DISCLAIMER:
Some of these links have an affiliate code. If you purchase gear with these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

[@lensvana]

Products mentioned (affiliate links): Best deals on K-5 II camera: ebay.us/XMU2rs Lens used in this video (18-135mm): ebay.us/mzDY4P

[@dominicwroblewski5832]

Pentax will always amaze you. I shoot both Pentax and Nikon systems and the Pentax always seems to be the better of the two. My favorite Pentax is the original K5. I like so much that I bought another one for myself as a Christmas gift.

[@xray111xxx]

The Pentax K5 is a no brainer when the weather is not friendly. Compact, weather sealed, well sealed well as can be expected. The outdoors camera that takes the weather like a champ. I had the K5 II and loved how it did on the trails, and trials of life outdoors. Just works.

[@lensvana]

Well said!

[@shiroganesam]

Oh man the K5 II series is great. The K5 IIs is one of my all time favourite cameras. Pentax weather sealing is super reliable. I live in Finland and I've had issues with many other brands in freezing conditions but never with my Pentax cameras. If I didn't need video Pentax would probably be my only system.

[@lensvana]

Glad to hear it holds up in Suomi! Also, I personally like having separate systems for stills and video, it's great to have everything in-camera setup for one or the other

[@dbkfrogkaty1]

I bought my K-5II new years ago and I still use it. It's indestructible! I don't have to worry about snow where I live lucky for me. I do have to deal with high humidity and extreme heat at times. Love your photos. Glad I don't have to deal with snow!

[@lensvana]

Thanks, Douglas! Snow isn't too bad... it's the wind that really gets ya. Makes for some interesting photos, though. Hope your K-5 II keeps on ticking

[@dbkfrogkaty1]

@@lensvana Defiantly the snowy conditions make for really nice photo opportunities. But I do remember what cold, snow and wind is like. That's another reason I moved south!

[@GODSPEEDseven]

I would never want to live somewhere without snow! That would be pretty horrible...

[@dbkfrogkaty1]

@@GODSPEEDseven When you get old like me that cold weather goes all the way into your bones. At least for me it does and it hurts. I guess some of us have different temperature tolerances. Enjoy the cold!

[@GODSPEEDseven]

@@dbkfrogkaty1 Extremes are never fun... but dressing appropriately is the most important thing. A few basic rules apply to cood weather; never EVER wear cotton! And never wear materials that don't breathe or else you freeze. It can be -20 degrees celsius outside, as long as you wear the right clothing, you won't be cold and you won't feel it either.

[@haenzelv6287]

I see 'some' experience in your images...Without exception all very well captured!

[@lensvana]

Thank you!

[@certs743]

Great video and some very nice pictures. Cosmetics not withstanding your K5 II takes nice photos. I bought a very gently used K5 IIS for my return to Pentax. Picked it up for another option when Olympus gave up and M 4/3 is kind of up in the air. The K5-II is now my main workhorse. I love that I can use even my old Pentax film camera lenses and M42 with a simple adapter. Gives me 50 years of glass to choose from. So far I have a 28mm 2.8 Pentax A, a Tamron 70-200 and a Sears (rebranded Mamiya) 50mm F2 and a Pentax M F 1.4 , and a 35-70mm to go with my 18-55mm kit lens. So far I am loving it. And with modern software even the shortcomings with moire or noise are pretty easy to fix making this a great option. And whether it be my K5 II or my EM 5 I have yet to need more than 16MP for what I shoot.

[@lensvana]

Thanks! You have a great collection of lenses there - something for every situation. Not everyone knows about those hidden Sears gems :) I agree that 16 MP is plenty. I was pretty happy with the 10-12 MP era, and 16 MP gives us even more leeway to do some cropping if need be. Hope that K-5 II lasts you a good while!

[@melvinch]

Arguably the most underrated DSLR of all time. You can easily achieve that filmic look with the legendary Takumar lenses.

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

fun video. great images. i have long been a pentax fan. they were a very innovative camera company. thumbs up.

[@lensvana]

Thanks!

[@josephweaving6458]

you need a weather resistant lens to complete the protection, found that out when in rain with a sigma lens ,water got into the camera. Fortunately it dried out but could have been terminal.

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

Well exposed photos in all that snow too.

[@lensvana]

Thanks! Much easier with the help of modern metering :)

[@ShutterKnack]

​@@lensvana you would be surprised. Shot with a 5D mk ii just a few days ago in snow and had to adjust the exposure compensation by more than a stop to get the right exposure.

[@Luke.]

Looking forward to new videos, love your channel.

[@lensvana]

Thanks, Luca!

[@Luke.]

@@lensvana Do you have some videos in the pipeline?

[@lensvana]

@@Luke. Quite a few. Are there any particular topics you're interested in?

[@Luke.]

@@lensvana One of my favorite videos from you is the 40D review. In general I like the way you review the cameras. You could do maybe some POV photography videos if you like those kind of things, I personally think they are entertaining.

[@lensvana]

@@Luke. Thanks for the feedback! I agree, POV videos are great, I need to try out that format some time.

[@user-rn5hi5cv9x]

Muy buena cámara y hermosas fotos. Aquí en Sudamérica es casi imposible ver una Pentax, de hecho la marca no se conoce. Yo tengo la ricoh gr 3 y la calidad es excelente, pero creo que me hace falta una cámara de lente intercambiable y esa Pentax es un perfecta opción. Muchas gracias por el video

[@lensvana]

Thank you for watching! Yeah Pentax can be hard to find, but very rugged and reliable. You can also consider some options from Nikon or Canon because it may be harder to find Pentax lenses in South America. And easier to sell Nikon/Canon if you want to upgrade etc.

[@konradkoeppe2840]

Always thought a pentax dslr would be a great blizzard camera.

[@lensvana]

Yep, and I bet the K-3 and K-1 cameras are even tougher than this one. Really good ergonomics, no problem using with mittens

[@thomasfx3190]

Great tour of how you use your K5! I have a K5ii on the way myself & can’t wait to get started. 😉