This 14 Year Old Pentax Camera Is Magic!

This camera set the bar pretty high back when it was realised in 2010! Does the image quality still hold up in 2024? I'll attempt some street photography around Durham City to find out.
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Video Chapters
0:00 The setup for today
1:40 First image of the day (PANO)
3:27 Photography outside of your norm
4:41 The streets of Durham City
6:38 Light & Shadow
9:32 Durham river (plus all the images from today)
#dslrcamera

[@markstoker3077]

Just come across your channel Lee and I love it! Your accent is identical to mine - a Durham lad - and I love how you appreciate Pentax! I have had all brands over the past 10-12 years from point and shoots to my current camera the Sony A7iii, but the best shots I've ever taken were with the Pentax K3. Keep up the good work pal!!

[@LeeIveson]

Ahh cheers Mark! We have the best accent up here I reckon like! Well the Pentax system ticked most of the boxes when I was first looking at getting into photography, weather sealed, rough going, well made gear. I found out afterwards that apparently the AF system is not the best, lucky for me I didn't know any different really so I've probably just come up with a style that works for me, most the time anyway. I've actually been looking at some other options on & off, the Sony A9 seems like it would be a good fit for me as does the Canon R6, but I'm not really in any rush to swap out my Pentax gear as it serves me well. Great stuff that you have found the channel mate & thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!

[@thegroove2000]

I own the K200 for the CCD sensor my first Pentax but rather impressed by the image quality of that body. Of course good quality glass makes all the difference.

[@LeeIveson]

Nice. That CCD sensor has a great reputation 👌 And yes having good glass only adds to it!

[@spacemonkey200]

11:44 Great image. ❤

[@raymondpenalver7095]

Loved those photos in this great video of yours Lee, great use of light and shadows in those street scene images and all with creative compositions.

[@LeeIveson]

Very kind words Raymond! It was really nice to have a walk out to shoot something very different to what I normally do, so I'll be making sure I remember to do that more often. Cheers

[@dt9r]

I still use my K5 , and it's still my love

[@LeeIveson]

I love my K5, whenever I want to go out & literally focus on my craft its the K5 I always end up taking with me! Such a great camera.

[@dt9r]

@@LeeIveson smae here, And I had and sold others in between , a Fuji X100T for example, great cameras, but the K5 it is an extension of my arm

[@Jack50n100]

I really really love your videos mate. Its nice to watch something and feel like you’re at a similar skill & comfort level to the presenter

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks buddy, very much appreciated. I know sometimes I'm watching a video or looking at an image that is levels above where I'm at, but then remind myself that they are just further along the photography road than I am, learning & improving are some of the best parts about photography because they are never ending!

[@leehaze1]

Good stuff! I really like what you did with just the front of the boats. I would have not thought of that. Keep up the great work!

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks Lee! I noticed the boats reflection in the water first which was pretty symmetrical & I had been waffling about lines, light & shadow so that may have triggered my brain into seeing the shot? There's something about street style photography that makes you want to look for the not so obvious composition.

[@certs743]

Great video. I have been back to Pentax after a few years when i got my hands on a K5 IIs. I agree getting out and shooting stuff you would not normally can be fun and it can force you to look at problem solving with your photos in different ways which can help your photography no matter what style you shoot.

[@LeeIveson]

I've actually been meaning to get back out to shoot some street/City photography for a while now! Maybe now that the Autumn is almost here I'll try and do that in the next few weeks or so. Always helps me get that spark back!

[@nachohernandez9491]

So I just bought k5iis so wondering how is the camera for You

[@kennyj604]

Awesome. K5 is great for street. Heck I still use my second camera, a K10D, for street once in a while. Last time I had my FA 50 1.4 attached. Limiting yes. Challenging yes. Did I enjoy my day out with this kit? Absolutely.

[@LeeIveson]

I actually like using the K5 for this type of stuff, it may not have all the bells & whistles as some of the modern bodies but I think that could be why I like to shoot with the K5, it makes me think a little more about what I'm trying to capture. And the images that come from that 16mp sensor are lovely! I hear great things about the CCD sensor in that K10D of yours too! Can't beat those Pentax colours.

[@kennyj604]

@@LeeIveson Yes the simplicity of older DSLR's are very much akin to shooting film. I have a K70 as my main. I also shoot with Nikon. D610 as main, a D2x, and a D80. Interestingly the D80 shares the exact same CCD ( made my Sony ) as the K10D.

[@kcphotogeek6207]

Really nice use of light in those photos Lee, going to try and get out and take a pic for the viewer challenge Lee Haze issued, light has been terrible in Manila lately just dull or overcast hoping for either sunshine or epic rain these next few days to get an interesting pic.

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks mate. I love shooting just after it has rained or in the morning when their is still dew on the grass, water always makes images look better! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's shots for the viewer challenge Lee put on too!

[@pathogan4854]

great video ! I might just pop down the town at lunchtime myself n see whats happening ! as you said since its on your door step yea kind of take it for granted.

[@LeeIveson]

Cheers Pat! That's the thing, I think everyone will be guilty of it to some degree. Its only the second time I've had the camera over Durham, so I'll have to make more of an effort too! There's actually so much to shoot as well!

[@christopherward5065]

Try the K5iiS if you can get one and that 50mm f1.4 with a lens hood. 35mm F2 & lens hood and 28mm f2.8 & lens hood. I really enjoyed how you used telephoto compression in your images. The resulting images were excellent.

[@LeeIveson]

They are becoming a rarity these days! I'm enjoying the focal length change at the moment, I shoot so much telephoto that it's just nice to get out with shorter lenses and to shoot coming completely different from my normal style. I'll take a look at those lenses you have mentioned. Cheers

[@scrptwic]

Lee I use my istDL & K100D for what I call stoplight photography as I leave one of the cameras on the seat next to me and photograph anything of interest at the stoplight I leave a old Tamron 28-200 on the camera. I have photographed a lot of homeless as I work in a homeless area and have lot of photo opportunities. Lee a side point the #1 Pentax camera on Flikr is the K5 I just wish I had one as I feel it is a excellent camera.

[@LeeIveson]

That's a great idea! I can't count the amount of times I've said to myself if only I had my camera with me now! Trouble is I think I'd get carried away, next thing you know I'd be 2 hours into taking shots & forgot the reason I left the house in the first place 😅

[@barryhiggott9458]

It just goes to show that it’s not always the age or the price of the gear that counts but the man behind it. Re what you say about shooting close to home we’ll I’ve never been to Durham since I bought a P30T when it was first released many years ago and I only live 20 minutes away on a good day.

[@LeeIveson]

Haha well this is only the second time I've been around Durham with the camera, I spent many a weekend in my early 20's in Durham which mainly involved drinking large amounts of beer! If only I had put that money into something more beneficial, could have had a studio by now 😂

[@krustysurfer]

Great composition's Lee 👍

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks mate 👍

[@Needacreate]

Yeah, just getting out and, every once in a while, approaching things in a totally different way is key. You don't need new gear as an excuse for that, although I will confess that I just got an incredible deal on a barely used HD DA16-85, which based on first testing seems to be a fine and capable copy indeed. Itching now to give it some proper walkies, but I need to make some progress on my tax returns too. Really liked your images from that simple walk around Durham, Lee.

[@LeeIveson]

Well that's the thing, we all love new gear, I'm no different I'm always on the look out for a good buy. But we sometimes forget that we already have great gear that can produce great images. Ahh well you should get the tax returns done to see how much you have left over . . . To buy some more gear 😆

[@Needacreate]

@@LeeIveson "To buy some more gear" - the wife is going to kill me if I tried to do that. 😅 Should maybe stay away from fleabay for a while and save up in earnest for the K-3 III that I've had an eye on for so long. And meanwhile, enjoy the great kit, carefully built over more than a decade, that I'm already privileged to own. For so many budding photographers out there, it's such a biggie when they get their first lens beyond the kit zoom. That was where I was back in 2011 with my K-7 system. Has been quite a ride since then for sure.

[@jbp6759]

Great as always, Lee. Looks like it was a nice day for a walk. I agree it is good to get out of our comfort zones, that's when we grow. Street photography would definitely be outside of my comfort zone. Interesting using the PLM on the K-5. It does indeed work, just with a bit of a handicap. :) I like how the pano turned out even at f/4.5. My 55-300 DA-L is soft wide open at all focal lengths, so I'm always stopped down at least somewhat. But for a lot of things I think it wouldn't make a difference. You definitely notice it when cropping in for bird shots, though, so I'm always at f/8 at 300mm if there's light for it. But I finally have the 55-300 PLM on the way, found one used for $317 USD. I've been wanting one for what feels like ages now. Hopefully it's a good copy! :)

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks JBP. Yeah the PLM works fine on the K5 all be it limited. Street photography is something I wouldn't have thought about a few year back, but it's actually really fun! Depending on how good my photography brain is working on the day there's literally endless possibilities with street I feel. That's awesome that you found a great deal on the PLM, I'm sure your going to be impressed with everything about that lens. Look forward to hearing how your first outing goes with it!

[@Needacreate]

@JBP Wish you good luck with your copy of the PLM because that can be a heck of a consumer telezoom. Totally enjoying mine, and I'd always felt my screw-driven DA 55-300 was a solid performer, at least when stopped down a little.

[@jbp6759]

@@Needacreate Thank you! It just arrived today. Can't wait to try it out. :)

[@Needacreate]

@@jbp6759 You may have to update your camera firmware, though. Ricoh Imaging Japan advises: "This lens features a KAF4 lens mount compatible with an electromagnetic diaphragm control system. Cameras compatible with this system are K-1 Mark II, KP, K-70, K-1, K-3 II, K-3, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50. For K-1, K-3 II, K-3, K-S2, K-S1 and K-50, the camera’s firmware must be upgraded to the latest version. If this lens is mounted on a camera without proper firmware upgrade, its diaphragm control mechanism becomes inactive, making it impossible to obtain correct exposure." If you follow that, you should be totally fine. Enjoy.

[@jbp6759]

@@Needacreate Great info, thank you for the heads up!

[@xmeda]

It was my primary camera from 2011 to 2020.. done over 130k pics. Everything from weddings through landscapes to car races.. no problem. The only issue is AF in bad light and with F2.8 or faster lenses, where K3 does a better job. And Im not saying that K5 does not work with lets say Sigma 18-35/1.8 or Sigma 17-50/2.8 or maybe Sigma 35/1.4 or even FA50/1.4 etc. It sometimes hits the focus and sometimes it is unreliable. And thats it. But you can still switch to live-view with such lenses and then the keeper rate was over 95%. The difference is, that K3, even the old one mk1 simply hits the focus with such lenses through viewfinder with quite nice keeper rate. With lenses like DA18-135WR the K5 is capable to AF very reliably even on running guys or racing cars..

[@LeeIveson]

Yes the K3 has improved AF for sure, it's interesting using the K5 with the DA 55-300 PLM as although it's limited to shooting wide open, the AF speed of the PLM is as fast as when used with any other Pentax body I've used so far. I'm going to take the K5 to one of the track days to see how it preforms just out of curiosity.

[@Richie53rd]

For street photography try using a prime lens, maximum 50mm. Always better if there are people in the shot that they're either looking at the camera or at least facing the camera. If you're not used to doing street photography it can feel a little uncomfortable when including people. In regards to the Pentax KZbinr's competition, so far in my opinion you're in the lead, great photo. Good luck.

[@LeeIveson]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try the DA50 for street at some point defiantly. The only problem I find is when people see the camera they have a reaction of some sort, some people smile or pose, others cover their face or go all shy, it becomes unnatural. I really like the everyday going about your business look, if that makes sense? I think the longer reach lenses help with that as its not so obvious what your taking a picture of. Don't get me wrong I'm not lurking around every corner in stealth mode to get those shots haha, I make myself pretty obvious when I'm out with the camera. But yes when you catch people looking into the camera they make for the best shots. I like Kobies updated entry of the Owl he's been trying to capture for a while its a nice shot. I think the other guys will have something ace up their sleeves too! I'm looking forward to doing some more of those kind of challenges in the future for sure, it's a great way to get out & do what we love!

[@Richie53rd]

@@LeeIveson that’s fair enough if you like Kobie’s owl photo, I just don’t think it’s up to a good enough standard for a competition. As for Lee’s photo, I can see what he was trying to do but if I was him I would’ve taken 2 photos, one at a slow shutter speed (as he did) and one at a fast shutter speed. Then combine the 2 photos in Photoshop, create a layer mask and brush out the moving trees in the slow shutter speed shot so that his trees are still sharp and the water still shows the movement. Maybe he’s not allowing that? But then he started the competition so he can make up the rules 🤣.