Pentax K-S2

Design signature

The flash of a design is the first compliment to the K-S2 Pentax. Not successful with the K-S1 model last year, Ricoh had taken a cue from the Pentax K-S2 on things learned. By far the most major change would probably just be the removal of the leds onto the strings compared to the predecessor model. Instead, the Pentax K-S2 has a circular lanyard over the shutter button, a Wi-Fi button, and a rear control keypad. These circles will light up, change color to indicate whether they’re on or off and for what mode they’re for. It still comes in many colors but now seems more palatable. The black version that this article covers is dark black, made of hard plastics, a bit grayish in the front, and using special materials that provide high grip. The area around the buttons and the top control wheel is machined out of scratch-proof metal to add a general look to home. In general, the new look seems so much better and much more attractive …. definitely far better than the previous Pentax K-S1.

The structure of the machine is also better and great. The most commendable point is the enlarged inner grip. Therefore, the button in front also goes a little further. This button is on the curved edge of the slit and slightly tilted forward about 10 degrees from the horizontal plane. The position is perfect, with convenience of pressing, the feeling being not at all crumbled compared to the usual square.

Pentax also becomes the first make of camera that has a rotating flip screen. It is able to make the camera one you can use anywhere at any angle, even onself shots. The K-S2 just doesn’t have anything design-wise worthy of the name.

Experience

It boasts a 20MP APS-C CMOS Sensor inside, and it also features activation of the anti-vibration function (in-body Mount). This combines with a PRIME M II image processor and 11-point focus systems that consist of nine cross-type points. Pentax didn’t mess with the sensor much, it’s carried over pretty much as-is from the K-S1. ISO goes from 100 up to 51,200. Shutter’s both mechanical and electronic, tops out at 1/6000s, and you can shoot bursts at 5.5fps.

With these data, it can be said that the configuration of Pentax K-S2 is not strong. However, this certainly shouldnt lead one to draw any conclusions about its performance and image quality.

Lets add some similarity between them: Most manufacturer photography DSLRs, however, do allow their users to edit digital photos by making changes to them both before and after shooting. Even some editing items that used to require dedicated post-production software are available on Pentax K-S2 nowadays.

Pentax K-S2 20MP DSLR Kit w/ 18-50mm WR (Black): Buy it now

Pentax K-S2 20MP Wi-Fi Enabled Weatherized SLR Body Only (Black): Buy it now

Pentax K-S2 20MP Wi-Fi Enabled Weatherized SLR with 50-200mm Lens Kit (Black/Orange): Buy it now

Pentax K-S2 20MP DSLR Two Lens Kit w/ 18-50mm WR & 50-200mm WR (Black)Pentax K-S2 20MP DSLR Two Lens Kit w/ 18-50mm WR & 50-200mm WR (Black): Buy it now

Pentax K-S2 20MP Wi-Fi Enabled Weatherized SLR with 50-200mm Lens Kit (White): Buy it now

Pentax K-S2 20MP Wi-Fi Enabled Weatherized SLR (White): Buy it now

K-S2 boasts 11 customized images before shooting. Among these exist, the Reversal Film, Cross Process which introduces image processing mimicking old time filmmaking methods. It also has 9 filters digital filter(Digital Filter), if you combine them to that of image customizing, the uniqueness of end results will be very interesting. This feature pack may spark a desire in an owner of another brand camera. The clarity enhancement also works perfectly as it gives the image more clarity resulting in a fuzzier picture, especially beneficial during landscape shootings.

Those finding it hard to devote a bunch of hours on selecting features, filter effects, and image options can just switch to SCN shooting mode. The K-S2 has a phenomenally varied 19 contexts, far greater than SCNs of other companies. This can be said to be complete, even from the most basic backgrounds such as portrait, landscape, macro or fast-paced action to great additions such as shooting snow, children, animals, food.
Feature: A flexible swivel screen high-angle, low-angle, or self-sharp shooting easy photo sharing and remote camera control via Wi-Fi, NFC bright incorporated spotlight effective night vision harmless weathe-seal, outdoor wind-dust isn’t an issue at the site.

The other disadvantages of the K-S2 are that it has a slow-focus system which makes much noise while using telephoto zoom lenses and also poor video recording, full HD recording only maxes out its fps at 30.

Composite Comments

It becomes very hard to test the K-S2 with all rich features in very little time. Overall, the K-S2 is a DSLR designed with an extensive array of shooting modes, customized settings, rich digital tools to support creativity. Moreover, it has great advantages, such as being compact in structure, very small in size, with water and dirt …

With such features, the Pentax k-S2 becomes ideal for people or adventure lovers who want to explore nature. It can also serve as a second camera for a landscape photographer to shoot wild and discovering destructive phenomena, which will not allow him to miss valuable shots in any weather condition, often like a rainstorm, flood, ash…

Performance

Autofocus System

The K-S2 is outfitted with an 11-point SAFOX X autofocus system with 9 cross-type sensors. While not on par with some higher-end DSLR systems, it is, nonetheless, quite dependable in most scenarios. The autofocus is quick and accurate in good light but can struggle under low light levels. Focus peaking in live view mode is included and is a nice addition for manual focusing, especially under macro and low-light scenarios.

Burst Shooting

The K-S2 has a continuous shooting speed of 5.4 frames per second, thus it’s able to record quite fast-moving subjects without much hassle. That makes it good for sports and wildlife photography, although for longer bursts, the buffer depth may become quite limiting. It shoots only 30 JPEGs or 8 RAW files in one burst before the buffer is full.

Image Stabilization

Pentax’s own Shake Reduction system is in here, sensor-shift stabilization, up to 3.5 stops. Makes a real difference handheld, especially once the light drops or you’re on a long telephoto where every bit of shake gets amplified. The SR system works efficiently, essentially removing camera-shake caused blur and making the resultant image quite sharp.

Features

Articulating LCD Screen

A 3-inch, 921k-dot articulating LCD screen comes installed on the K-S2. This feature combined with an entire rotating design will enable the user to have various shooting angles without any limitation in high and low compositions. Its brightness and brightness contribute to almost good visibility in the direct sun’s overhead rays, but unfortunately, it is not touchscreen.

Viewfinder

Optical viewfinder, 100% coverage — most cameras in this range settle for 95%, so you’re seeing exactly what you’ll get. It’s bright too, which matters more day-to-day than the coverage spec does.

Wi-Fi and NFC

Getting shots onto your phone is easy with Wi-Fi and NFC. The real feature is the Image Sync app, though: full remote control, live view, firing the shutter from across the room. Good for group photos where you want to actually be in them, or long exposures where touching the camera would ruin the shot.

HDR and Interval Shooting

HDR merges several exposures into one — handy for a bright sky over a dark foreground, the classic high-contrast problem. Interval shooting does time-lapse, and it’ll even assemble the frames into a finished video by itself.

Customization and User Interface

Pentax is famous for its high customization levels. The user interface of K-S2 is straightforward, with a well-organized menu system. Customizable function buttons and control dials allow one to adjust the operation of the camera according to personal preferences and improve the actual shooting experience.

Battery Life

K-S2 employs a rechargeable lithium-ion battery of D-LI109 configuration, which grants fairly good battery life, approximately 410 shots on a full charge (CIPA standard). While not fantastic, it is good enough to last a day under moderate shooting. Recommended to have a spare battery for prolonged shooting time.

A Comparison: Competitors

Nikon D5500

The D5500 is about as close a rival to the K-S2 as you’ll find — same price, mostly the same spec sheet. It’s got a bit more resolution (24.2MP) and an articulating touchscreen the K-S2 doesn’t offer. What it’s missing is weather sealing and sensor-shift stabilization, both of which the K-S2 has. Autofocus is the one place the D5500 actually pulls ahead, 39 points to 11. So really it’s a trade-off: sealed and stabilized, or faster, more precise AF.

Canon Rebel T6i (750D)

Same story, different brand. 24.2MP, 19-point AF, fully articulating screen, Wi-Fi. Easy to shoot with, good image quality. But again no weather sealing, no IBIS. If you’re shooting somewhere the weather might turn on you, the K-S2 is built for that in a way neither of these is.

Sony Alpha A6000

For all intents and purposes, the Sony Alpha A6000 throws great challenges to the K-S2 in terms of image quality and performance. It boasts up to 24.3 megapixels, has an APS-C format, and a fast hybrid auto focus system having 179 phase-detection points. It can shoot continuously at 11 frames per second. The A6000 is also built significantly smaller and lighter than the K-S2. Much unfortunately to the potential user, though, weather sealing and optical viewfinder were completely eliminated from this camera. In the end, the choice on the preferred camera would lie on personal tastes-factors inclusive of form factor, viewfinder type, and importance of weather resistance.

Practical Use Cases of the Photography

Landscape Photography

With weather-sealing, an excellent dynamic range, and a high-resolution sensor, the K-S2 is cut out for landscape-related shooting. Being weatherproof helps photographers shoot in difficult locations, while the detailed image output ensures that the natural beauty of the scene is captured in a faithful way.

Portrait Photography

Surely, because of its precision color reproduction, sharp image quality, and dependable autofocus reliability, it is great for portrait photography. Customizable settings and controls allow photographers to fine-tune the camera and achieve desired look and feel for the portrait photography.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

This camera can speed very fast, shooting continuous frames per second at 5.4, and it has an autofocus system that creates a cam for it to be a possible option for fast-moving object photography. It, however, is not the fastest one among its group which contains high-end cameras, but it tries to make some good action photography possible. Well, weather-sealing adds protection in shooting outdoors when such conditions have to be unpredictable.

Travel and Street Photography

It’s compact and rugged, which is really all you want out of a travel or street camera. The vari-angle screen and Wi-Fi make it more flexible — odd angles are easier, getting a shot off your camera fast is easier. And it’s quiet enough, unobtrusive enough, that you can actually shoot candid street stuff without people clocking you.

Astrophotography

High ISO, solid low light, long exposures — this is a camera that can handle a night sky without complaint. The built-in intervalometer makes star time-lapses straightforward, and noise stays controlled enough at high ISO that stars don’t turn into a blurry mess.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Sealed against weather. Rain, dust, whatever — you’re not babying this camera outdoors.

Image quality holds up. 20.1MP APS-C, no anti-aliasing filter, sharp detail, good color.

Dynamic range is wide. Blown highlights, crushed shadows — there’s real room to pull detail back in post.

Image Stabilization: The effective stabilization from the body–SR stabilization through sensor motion–is great for those low-light handheld shots.

Build Quality: Great build with a comfortable and ergonomic design for long-term use.

Articulating LCD Screen: The fully articulating 3-inch LCD screen adds flexibility for composing images, especially in high-angle and low-angle situations.

Viewfinder Coverage: With 100% field view coverage, the optical viewfinder allows for proper composition.

Connectivity: Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC to allow for easy image transfer and remote control via smartphone or tablet.

Customizable Interface: Customization features are plentiful on the buttons and dials so that photographers can set the camera operational style according to their liking.

Creative Features: HDR in-camera and interval shooting serve photographers’ need for more creative options.

Cons

Low-light Autofocus Performance: The 11-point SAFOX X autofocus system may cause a struggle under low-light conditions, thereby affecting versatility with the camera.

Buffer Depth: A limited buffer depth in continuous shooting features, particularly when saving RAW files, is a great limitation for such features in action photography.

Not a Touchscreen: It is considered a downside, especially when pitted against some competitors with the intuitive use of touch controls.

Video Features: K-S2 offers Full HD video recording but lacks some higher-level advanced video features found in competing mirrorless and mid-range DSLRs, 4K recording being one of them.

Battery Life: Comes with an average battery life (410 shots per single charge), which necessitates carrying spare batteries for an extended shooting session.

Conclusion

Pentax’s K-S2 remains a versatile and quite sturdy DSLR at a very reasonable price. Weather-sealed build, good image quality, and tons of features to play with make this camera attractive for the photographer looking for a reliable mid-range camera. It certainly does have some shortcomings, such as autofocus performance in low light and lack of touchscreen, but strong construction, good stabilization, and customizable interface more than make up for it.

K-S2 definitely serves outdoor enthusiasts, landscape photographers, and those essentially looking for a sturdy camera to withstand various shooting conditions. K-S2 is a blend of performance and features of interest to both enthusiastic amateurs and serious hobbyists, giving it a good shot at being a prime contender in the mid-range DSLR market.

Định Bia

Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst

Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.