Pentax K-5 settings for sports photography

[Frogfish]

Hmmmmm. I don't remember. How does one check the firmware at start-up?

Hold down the menu key (before you switch it on).  I am now on version 1.10.

[davidhampshire]

i had one comment on this thread that i've been following and trying to digest,   that is to ron,   about the write speed of the raw images,    are there not really fast-write sd cards -- an sdsx or something like that now?    that would help you with that?     dave

[Ron Kruger]

That's probably it, Frogfish. Mine is 1.01.
I'm not sure, David. I use only Sandisk. I believe the one in my camera is 8 GB.

[davidhampshire]

i think you'd have to update to the latest firmware,  not sure if the sdxc is faster ,  or if it helps with something else,   video maybe?   don't know,     but this is from the k-5 specifications page on pentax imaging  :   

  STORAGE MEDIA
Internal memory: n/a Removable memory: SD, SDHC, SDXC (via firmware update)

[davidhampshire]

i bet spy or frogfish or bcb know all about the speed of the different sd cards ?    which is better for action photography .

[Ron Kruger]

I use SDHC cards.

[spyglass]

Not trying to be lazy.......


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital


This should answer all your memory card questions. There is a guide/ chart showing the read and write speed of the different classes.

There are two schools of thought on card size:

1) One is to get the biggest card you can afford and treat it like built in internal memory.
- you have a lot of memory
- don't ever have to remove the card in the field, or really ever.
- unfortunately you generally pay a premium for larger sizes, and sales rarely happen

2)Buy several memory cards of reasonable size (reasonable being large enough to hold a project, or a day's shooting, or weekend, etc).
- if a card becomes defective you do not lose as much data
- smaller card sizes sell for reasonable prices (and when added together can be less than one very large card)

In regards to speed, you are concerned with write speed of the card. Like any chain their is always going to be a weak link, or in this case a slow link. Never buy a card that has a slower write speed than the device that it is used with. If you are using your camera for burst photography you will want a card that can write quickly. Otherwise your camera's internal memory buffer will become full and the camera will not be able to continue taking pictures until space is available in the buffer.


Spyglass

[Ron Kruger]

Thanks Spy. The card I'm using is SDHC UHS-1, rated at 45 MB/S and 300X read/write. This should be plenty, I think, and I also think it would work for a firmware upgrade.

[Ron Kruger]

Woops. According to the firmware upgrade site, I need at least a 32 MB card. Put on hold.

[Pacerr]

. . . at least a 32 MB card. Put on hold.  

MEGA-byte, Ron.  Heck, that's just a coupl'a RAW files.  Bet you were thinkin' GIGA-bytes, eh?

Of course I'VE never done that myself. Don't know WHAT could'a make me even think of it.  

[Ron Kruger]

Opps. I made a mistake. I better switch to golf.

[Frogfish]

i bet spy or frogfish or bcb know all about the speed of the different sd cards ?    which is better for action photography .

I use SDHC (class 6) which are more than fast enough and don't see the point of the SDXC  .... yet. Maybe with the K1 or K3

Spyglass - I am in the multiple smaller cards camp (usually 8GB). If anytime anything goes wrong (or if I leave the card in the computer at home whilst I'm out on a shoot .. has happened more than once !) then I always have 2 or 3 spares hanging around in my (every) bag somewhere. That won't happen with a card costing 2 or 3 times as much.

It also helps if on vacation / long shoots etc. in case of loss or theft of the camera (hopefully you have those other cards safely stored away somewhere).

[davidhampshire]

golf-     ron,   you 'd have a whole new resource for fish shots,    if you're anything like me,    ending up in the ponds all the time,   ( or the sand traps )  ...

[GvilleRick]

I got a 32GB class 10 card with the K5 when I purchased it. I watched prices and when the price hit US$999 I considered it but then the price went back up. It was odd that the place where I bought it had the body alone for $1199 but had a package with the body, a 32GB card, cheap tripod, cleaning pen, small case, and other odds and ends for $1034 so I bought that package. It was no longer listed a couple of days later.

I also keep a 16GB card in the grip and a couple of 8GB cards in the case. As for firmware, I updated mine to the latest version which is 1.11.