Pentax K-S2 Review

Main Features

20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

No Optical low-pass (anti-aliasing) filter

ISO 100 - 51200

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fully Articulated Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

5.4 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video

Built-in Wireless

678g. 91 x 123 x 73 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Pentax K-S1

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Pentax K-S2 Overview

Pentax K-S2 Review - Editor's Note

First introduced in February 2015 , Pentax K-S2 is a 20.0MP Entry-Level DSLR camera with a APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor. Pentax replaced the older K-S1 with this model. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:
Compare Pentax K-S2 vs Pentax K-S1

Pentax K-S2 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Lens Mount and Lenses
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Pentax K-S2 has an Overall Score of 76/100 and ranked #28 out of 206 in DSLR cameras (Top 10 DSLR), and ranked #73 out of 1212 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

Pentax K-S2 Type Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Pentax K-S2 Compared to other DSLR Cameras

Now let's get in to more details of our Pentax K-S2 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Built-in Wireless (Wi-fi)

NFC Connectivity

Image Stabilization

Articulating Screen

Full HD Video

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Face Detection Focusing

20.0MP - High Resolution Sensor

51.200 Max ISO

11 Focus Points

921k dots LCD Resolution

1/6000s High Shutter Speed

5.4fps Shooting w/ Mechanical Shutter

External Microphone Port

Environmental Sealing

Timelapse Recording

Wide AE Bracketing Range: ±5 EV

Flash Sync Port

AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune)

Selfie Friendly LCD Screen

Anti Alias Filter Simulator

Remote control with a smartphone

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Buy Pentax K-S2 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Touch Screen

Low Battery Life: 410 shots

Heavy Body: 678g

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Pentax K-S2 Lens Mount and Lenses

Pentax K-S2 has a Pentax KAF2 lens mount and currently there are 151 native lenses available for this mount. Pentax K mount has backward compatibility for all the K mount lenses produced since 1975 so Pentax users has access to a large selection of manual era native lenses in addition to the modern AF lenses.

K-S2 also has a Sensor based Image Stabilization system which means that all of these lenses will be stabilized when used on K-S2. Sensor based image stabilization is one of the most useful features that you can have in an ILC. There are also 24 lenses with weather sealing for K-S2 that you can couple with its weather sealed body.

Here are some of the most popular Pentax K-S2 Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Pentax KAF2 Mount Lenses for Pentax K-S2

Model	Focal Length on K-S2	Coverage	Weight	Focusing	Street Price
Pentax smc FA 50mm F1.4	75mm	35mm FF	220gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
HD Pentax DA 55-300mm F4.0-5.8 ED WR	82.5-450mm	APS-C / DX	466gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax DA 18-50mm F4.5-5.6 DC WR RE	27-75mm	APS-C / DX	158gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
HD Pentax D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR	36-105mm	35mm FF	787gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax D FA 70-200mm F2.8ED DC AW	105-300mm	35mm FF	1755gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE	82.5-450mm	APS-C / DX	471gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax smc DA 50mm F1.8	75mm	35mm FF	122gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo
Pentax smc DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM	27-405mm	APS-C / DX	453gr	AF	Amazon B&H Photo

Check our Pentax K-S2 Lenses page or use our Smart Lens Finder tool for more detailed lens search.

Pentax K-S2 Sensor and Photography Features

Pentax K-S2 has a 20.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME MII processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels with aspect ratios of and 3:2. K-S2 has a native ISO range of 100 - 51200 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

Pentax K-S2 is not the highest resolution APS-C camera. Canon M6 MII with its 33.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Pentax K-S2 vs Canon M6 MII or take a look at Highest resolution DSLR cameras list.

Anti-Aliasing Filter

Another important feature about Pentax K-S2's sensor is the lack of anti-alias (Low-pass) filter. Removing anti-aliasing filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but on the other side it also increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes. But wait! K-S2 takes care of this problem for you. It has a unique and adjustable Anti-Aliasing Filter Simulator mode which can create the effects of a Low Pass filter electronically when you want to avoid moire.

Let's look at how the size of the Pentax K-S2's APS-C sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Pentax K-S2 Physical Specs

Pentax K-S2 weighs 678 g (1.49 lb / 23.92 oz) and has external dimensions of 91 x 123 x 73 mm (3.58 x 4.84 x 2.87″). Considering that the average weight of DSLR type cameras is 774g, its weight is about average in its class. With a thickness of 73mm, it also has an average thickness.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Pentax K-S2

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Average

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Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Pentax K-S2

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Here is the front and top view image of Pentax K-S2 with the dimensions:

Now lets compare the weight and thickness of Pentax K-S2 with its main competitors:

Pentax K-S2 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs K-S2	Thickness	vs K-S2
Pentax K-70 Compare	688g	10g heavier	74mm	1mm thicker
Pentax K-3 Compare	800g	122g heavier	77mm	4mm thicker
Nikon D5600 Compare	465g	213g lighter	70mm	3mm thinner
Pentax K-S1 Compare	558g	120g lighter	70mm	3mm thinner
Pentax K-50 Compare	650g	28g lighter	71mm	2mm thinner
Pentax KP Compare	703g	25g heavier	76mm	3mm thicker
Pentax K-5 Compare	740g	62g heavier	73mm	equal thickness
Nikon D5500 Compare	420g	258g lighter	70mm	3mm thinner

Weather Sealing

Pentax K-S2 has environmental sealings on its body which makes it a weather resistant camera, providing resistance against the water and dust getting in to the camera. If you like outdoors photography and want to be able to use your camera in extreme conditions, Pentax K-S2 will serve you well. If you attach one of these Pentax K-S2 weather Sealed lenses to your camera, you will have a great all weather kit.

Pentax K-S2 LCD and Viewfinder

Pentax K-S2 has a Fully Articulated 3" LCD screen with a resolution of 921k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

For those of you who loves shooting selfies, self or group photos, Pentax K-S2 will make your life easier with its Selfie friendly screen. Another group of users who will take advantage of K-S2's LCD screen is Vloggers.

K-S2 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. The viewfinder has a coverage of 100% and a magnification ratio of 0.64x. 100% coverage ensures that what you see in the viewfinder while shooting matches exactly what you will get later in your image, helping accurate framing your shots and minimizes the need for cropping images later.

Pentax K-S2 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Pentax K-S2 features built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity ( With NFC support) which lets you transfer your photos directly to compatible devices without any physical connection. With its NFC feature, K-S2 can communicate with devices such as smartphones which are also equipped with this technology by simply touching each other.One other feature that we like is the ability to use our smartphone as a remote to control our K-S2. You can change camera settings, release shutter, view LCD screen and tranfer files using remote control app.

You can connect K-S2 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

Battery

Pentax K-S2 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 410 according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of DSLR type cameras is 943 shots, Pentax K-S2 has a short battery life for its class so we strongly recommend K-S2 owners to buy some extra batteries.

Battery Life Comparison in Entry-Level DSLR Cameras

Pentax K-S2

Min

Average

Max

Pentax K-x with its 1900shots is the model with longest battery life among Entry-Level DSLR cameras. Check the comparison of Pentax K-S2 vs Pentax K-x or take a look at Longest Battery Life DSLR cameras list.

Pentax K-S2 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Pentax K-70 Compare	1920 x 1080	410shots	Yes	No	No
Pentax K-3 Compare	1920 x 1080	560shots	No	No	No
Nikon D5600 Compare	1920 x 1080	820shots	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pentax K-S1 Compare	1920 x 1080	410shots	No	No	No
Pentax K-50 Compare	1920 x 1080	410shots	No	No	No
Pentax KP Compare	1920 x 1080	390shots	Yes	No	No
Pentax K-5 Compare	1920 x 1080	980shots	No	No	No
Nikon D5500 Compare	1920 x 1080	820shots	Yes	No	No

Pentax K-S2 Video Features

With Pentax K-S2, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 30p,25p,24p fps and save in MPEG-4 and H.264 formats. Full HD resolution of Pentax K-S2 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.

K-S2 has a built-in Stereo microphone and a Mono speaker. Pentax K-S2 also has a port for an external microphone so you can record high quality sound with the help of an external microphone.

Pentax K-S2 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Pentax K-S2 can shoot continuously at max speed of 5.4 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/6000 sec.

Flash

K-S2 has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

Focusing

Pentax K-S2 features both Contrast Detection and Phase Detection autofocus (AF) systems which ensures speed and accuracy of focusing in most situations. The AF system has 11 points to choose from.

Pentax K-S2 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

What type of Photography is Pentax K-S2 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Pentax K-S2 in 5 different photography areas.

Pentax K-S2 for Portrait Photography

Pentax K-S2 has a score of 69 for Portrait Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Portrait Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Pentax K-S2 for Portrait Photography

Pentax K-S2 for Street Photography

Pentax K-S2 has a score of 88 for Street Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen

Image Stabilization
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body

Read the details of how we scored Pentax K-S2 for Street Photography

Pentax K-S2 for Sports Photography

Pentax K-S2 has a score of 83 for Sports Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography.

Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
11 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection

Good Ergonomics&Handling
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Image Stabilization
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.4fps

Read the details of how we scored Pentax K-S2 for Sports Photography

Pentax K-S2 for Daily Photography

Pentax K-S2 has a score of 71 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Environmental Sealings
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body

678g
Body Thickness 73mm

Read the details of how we scored Pentax K-S2 for Daily Photography

Pentax K-S2 for Landscape Photography

Pentax K-S2 has a score of 44 for Landscape Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top DSLR Cameras for Landscape Photography list.

Live-view
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Pentax K-S2 for Landscape Photography

Pentax K-S2 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Pentax K-S2 compares with other DSLR cameras within a similar price range. In the Bubble chart below, you can see Overall Score vs Price comparison of K-S2 and the top 10 contenders in the same range. Hover your mouse on the bubbles to see the details of the cameras.

Read a more detailed analysis of Pentax K-S2 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Pentax K-S2

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Pentax K-S2 amongst Camera Decision readers.

Pentax K-70

Compare

Pentax K-3

Compare

Nikon D5600

Compare

Pentax K-S1

Compare

Pentax K-50

Compare

Pentax KP

Compare

Pentax K-5

Compare

Nikon D5500

Compare

Pentax K-S2 Alternatives in Mirrorless Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Pentax K-S2 with Mirrorless Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked Mirrorless cameras in Pentax K-S2's price range.

Sony A7 III

Compare

Nikon Z6

Compare

Panasonic S1

Compare

Sony A7R II

Compare

Nikon Z5

Compare

Fujifilm X-T4

Compare

Canon R

Compare

Samsung NX1

Compare

Frequently Asked Questions about Pentax K-S2

Does the Pentax K-S2 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Pentax K-S2 have RAW support?
Does the Pentax K-S2 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Pentax K-S2 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Pentax K-S2?
What is the Sensor Size of Pentax K-S2?
is the Pentax K-S2 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Pentax K-S2 have Touch Screen?
Does the Pentax K-S2 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Pentax K-S2?

Pentax K-S2 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Pentax
Model	Pentax K-S2
Announced	2015-02-10
Body Type	Compact SLR
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Pentax KAF2
Number of Lenses	151
Focal Length Multiplier	1.5x
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Type	Fully Articulated
Screen Size	3"
Screen Resolution	921k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.64
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	30s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/6000s
Continuous Shooting	5.4 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	Yes
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash Modes	Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, flash on, flash on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual flash
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested
DxO Color Depth	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	APS-C
Sensor Dimensions	23.5 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area	366.60mm²
Sensor Resolution	20 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	5472 x 3648
Max Native ISO	51,200
Min Native ISO	100
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	678g
Physical Dimensions	91 x 123 x 73mm
Battery Life	410 shots
Battery Type	Battery Pack
Battery Model	D-LI109
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 12 secs)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Optional
Storage Type	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots	1