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Pentax K-S2 review

Pentax K-S2
Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £649
inc VAT

Superb ergonomics and features, minor image quality niggles keep the Pentax K-S2 from top marks

Specifications

Sensor resolution: 20 megapixels, Sensor size: 23.5×15.6mm (APS-C), Focal length multiplier: 1.5x, Viewfinder: Optical TTL, LCD screen: 3in (921,000 dots), Optical zoom (35mm-equivalent focal lengths): 2.8x (27-75mm), 35mm-equivalent aperture: f/6-8.4, Lens mount: Pentax KAF2, Weight: 847g, Size (HxWxD): 94x123x116mm

Jessops

We’re big fans of Pentax’s recent consumer SLRs. They’ve lacked the latest features such as articulated touchscreens and Wi-Fi, but instead Pentax has gone for large optical viewfinders, elegant controls, weather-sealed bodies and fast performance. They’re priced to compete with the likes of the Nikon D5500  and Canon EOS 750D,  but their features are more in line with upmarket cameras such as the Nikon D7200 and Canon 70D

The K-S2 is the latest generation of this series, and Pentax is finally catching up with some modern trends. HDMI makes a long-awaited appearance, as does Wi-Fi. The 3in screen isn’t touch-sensitive but it is articulated. A Selfie mode kicks in when the screen is folded out to face forwards, whereupon photos are taken using the Wi-Fi button rather than the normal shutter button, giving a more comfortable grip of the camera.

All the things we’ve admired about previous Pentax SLRs are here too. The viewfinder is significantly bigger than on other SLRs at this price, equivalent to 0.63x on a full-frame camera and with 100% coverage. We can’t stress enough what a difference this makes to the experience of taking photos.

^ These are photos taken through the optical viewfinders of the Nikon D5500 and Pentax K-S2, and show how much bigger the Pentax’s viewfinder is.

There are dual command dials for direct access to aperture and shutter speed. The other controls are superbly designed to put key functions within easy reach. For example, the ISO button not only lets you set the ISO speed manually but also the range of speeds available in Auto ISO mode. Optical stabilisation is built into the sensor so it works with any lens including wide-aperture primes. The camera is weather-sealed and so can be used in rain, mist or situations that are prone to splashes. The same goes for the new kit lens.

This lens is much slimmer than its predecessor, retracting to 41mm when not in use. The lens cap adds a further 7mm, but it’s still a remarkably petite SLR at 116mm from lens cap to viewfinder. The lens must be rotated to extend it before use, and we found that this action was a little stiff, but it’s a minor complaint. The zoom range is a little shorter than normal at 18-50mm (27-75mm in 35mm-equivalent focal lengths) but we can live with that.

WI-FI

Wi-Fi comes with NFC for automatic configuration with compatible devices. After installing the app on an Android phone (it’s also available for iOS devices) we were connected in about five seconds, although sometimes it took much longer.

The app can browse photos stored on the camera and take pictures remotely. The latter includes touch autofocus and a full complement of exposure controls, with the camera automatically entering shutter- or aperture-priority mode when either of those settings is adjusted. Transferring photos proved trickier. We eventually figured out the convoluted sequence of button pushes, but while we could send snaps directly to Facebook, the option to save photos to the device was greyed out. This app reminds us of the early efforts by other manufacturers, with a few kinks still be to ironed out.

ALIASING AND HDR

The 20-megapixel sensor doesn’t include an anti-alias (AA) filter, which in theory boosts sharpness but increases the risk of aliasing artefacts such as moiré interference. It’s quite common these days, but we’ve always found both the benefit and drawback hard to spot.

The K-S2 is able to simulate the effect of an AA filter with a small shake of its on-sensor optical stabilisation. There’s even a bracket mode that captures three shots with different AA simulation settings. It’s an interesting idea but even in direct comparisons the difference was extremely subtle. We could just about see it in hair textures in our studio scene when we went looking for it, but otherwise it was lost on us.

 ^ Without and with anti-alias filtering.

Another function that left us underwhelmed is the HDR mode. Short for High Dynamic Range, this mode captures a couple of frames at different exposure settings and combines them into a single JPEG with a greater range of highlight and shadow detail than would otherwise be possible. It’s pretty much standard on digital cameras these days, but the K-S2’s implementation produced results that looked gaudy and over-processed.

^ The scene captured with a single exposure. No complaints, although the sky is inevitably over-exposed. (1/320s, f/7.1, ISO 200, 27mm equivalent)

^ The same scene captured in HDR mode.

For creative colour processing, nothing beats shooting in RAW mode and processing on a computer. Pentax makes RAW capture easy with an FX button that’s assigned by default to switch to RAW mode for the next photo only. It’s also possible to resave the most recent exposure as a RAW file. This is ideal for people who prefer the convenience of JPEGs’ smaller file sizes and wider compatibility, but might want to use RAW for the occasional shot with particular artistic merit.

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Hardware
Sensor resolution20 megapixels
Sensor size23.5×15.6mm (APS-C)
Focal length multiplier1.5x
Optical stabilisationSensor shift
ViewfinderOptical TTL
Viewfinder magnification (35mm-equivalent), coverage0.63x, 100%
LCD screen3in (921,000 dots)
ArticulatedYes
TouchscreenNo
Orientation sensorNo
Photo file formatsJPEG, RAW (PEF, DNG)
Maximum photo resolution5,472×3,648
Photo aspect ratios3:2
Video compression formatQuickTime (AVC) at up to 22Mbit/s
Video resolutions1080p at 24/25/30fps, 720p at 24/25/30/50/60fps
Slow motion video modesN/A
Maximum video clip length (at highest quality)25m 0s
Controls
Exposure modesProgram, shutter priority, aperture priority, sensitivity priority, shutter-and-aperture priority, manual
Shutter speed range30 to 1/6,000 seconds
ISO speed range100 to 51200
Exposure compensationEV +/-5
White balanceAuto, Multi Auto, 10 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin
Auto-focus modes11-point (9 cross type)
Metering modesMulti, centre-weighted, centre
Flash modesAuto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, rear curtain, red-eye reduction
Drive modesSingle, continuous, self-timer, interval, multi-exposure, interval composite, AE bracket, HDR
Kit lens
Kit lens model namePentax 18-50mm f4-5.6 HD DA DC WR RE
Optical stabilisationNo (in camera body)
Optical zoom (35mm-equivalent focal lengths)2.8x (27-75mm)
Maximum aperture (wide-tele)f/4-5.6
35mm-equivalent aperturef/6-8.4
Manual focusYes
Closest macro focus (wide)30cm
Closest macro focus (tele)30cm
Physical
Lens mountPentax KAF2
Card slotSDXC
Memory suppliedNone
Battery typeLi-ion
ConnectivityUSB, micro HDMI, 3.5mm microphone
WirelessWi-Fi
GPSVia optional O-GPS1 unit
HotshoePentax TTL
Body materialPlastic
AccessoriesUSB cable, neck strap
Weight847g
Size (HxWxD)94x123x116mm
Buying information
WarrantyOne year RTB
Price including VAT£649
Supplierwww.jessops.com
Detailswww.ricoh-imaging.co.uk
Part code13955

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