I can't speak to either the K-30 or the K-50, but I can tell you that the low-light autofocus performance of the K-5II is NOTICEABLY better than the K-5 (which is still a camera that I would recommend without reservation). I'm not sure if the K-50 shares that improvement, or not. But the K-5, K-5II and K-5IIs are all 14 bit systems, where (I believe) the rest are 12-bit. The sensor is good enough to take advantage of that extra "headroom" in the form of dynamic range (and some better low ISO performance). The K-30 and the K-50 share a 13EV dynamic range, where the K-5II is 14.1 (that's more than a full stop better).
I think the K-5 is a Best Buy right now (you can still find the body for around $650) The K-5II is about another $250 ($896 at B&H) and if he wanted to spend another $250 I would tell him to also consider the Nikon D7100 which is like getting the K-5II performance with a 24MP body ($1149 for the body). On Thu, Sep 19, 2013 at 6:45 AM, Christine Nielsen <ch...@inielsen.net> wrote: > Hi all, > > A friend of mine has been looking for counsel on cameras... He is a > fellow hockey (and soccer and football) parent, whose p&s isn't > getting the job done, and is ready to move up to a dslr. He has been > looking at the Nikon & Pentax offerings primarily, and seems to be > settling on Pentax. Low light performance is critical for him -- > he'll be using the "kit" lenses (55-200, 55-300), trying to get > decent images in a hockey rink. > > So... the question is, which model? I'm not turning up much > difference between the K-30 & K-50... is there? For that matter, will > prices on the k-5/k-5ll come to a comparable point (soonish)? > > I haven't used the k-30 or k-50 myself... But, I know that the > collective experience & wisdom of the List will have something to say > on this... Thanks in advance for your thoughts! > > :) > -c > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- Nothing is sure but death and Pentaxes. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
