Pentax K-1 Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only)

Pentax K-1 Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only)

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• 36.4MP AA Filter less CMOS Sensor w/ 33 AF Points; SR Shake Reduction w/ Pixel Shift Resolution System APS C Crop Mode for backward compatibility with PENTAX APS C Lenses
• GPS/Electronic Compass/Astro Tracer
• Cross tilt LCD display; Weather resistant body
• 1080/60i video; Focus peaking in video mode will assist with manual focusing; LED illuminated body points
• Weight: 32.6 ounce

Buy Now : Pentax K-1 Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only)

Brand : Pentax
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,DSLR Cameras
Rating : 4.5
Review Count : 96

Pentax K-1 Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only)

• Hi, I\'ve writing this review as someone who has been shooting with the K-1 for a few weeks. I also own a Pentax K3 ii, and K5 iis. Finally, I bring to the table experience with shooting most of the latest \"semi pro\" offerings, including Nikon\'s D610, D750, D800 and Canon\'s 6D and 5D mk-iii and Sony\'s A7R.For a summary of my thoughts, feel free to skip to the last section.---General Impressions:The camera is extremely well built with a perceived build quality that comfortably rivals anything else even close in price. Nearly everything is metal and tolerances are tight.Ergonomics are like a K3 (generally excellent) but with a bit more bulk and a better grip; now my pinky can grip the camera without a battery module installed :)Buttons are the same as the K-3 but the live view and playback buttons are swapped; this required a temporary adjustment period.Pentax/Ricoh also added additional buttons and dials. One is a \"lamp\" button that can turn on little LEDs around the camera for nighttime use. It seems like a great feature to me. Another added control is a \"third top dial\" with a selector that decides what that dial does. It\'s very innovative but comes with a trade-off: a smaller top LCD that displays less data. Speaking of the back monitor, Pentax now makes it convenient to change the brightness.Pentax K3/K5/K7 accessories, like the battery, IR remote, etc, all \"just work\" so those who already shooting Pentax might literally be able to just buy the camera and be good to go.The camera also has good support for \"DA\" APS-C lenses. Versus an APS-C camera like the K3, you lose some resolution (15.3 MP vs 24), body compactness and that nice low price. You gain better autofocus coverage and the ability to see outside the frame. Also, many DA lenses can actually support full frame - the camera will let you try.I did some tests with in body shake reduction (which is now reportedly improved from 3 to 5 axis) and I\'m VERY impressed. Shooting at speeds like 0.5 seconds is giving me usable shots. This tech has really evolved into something special.---AutofocusMy original K-5 had issues with auto focus consistency. Ever since the K5-iis however, single shot auto focus with Pentax has been excellent for me. I\'ll note that I\'ve done many \"head to heads\" with cameras like the E-M1 and D750 and, for still subjects the Pentax is just as good and sometimes better (at least in dim light vs the E-M1). The K-1 feels like a slight improvement to the K-3.Moving subjects. My experience with Nikon cameras, particularity the D750, show that Nikon is still ahead in moving subject tracking. I\'ll note that mastering a camera\'s auto focus tracking system is not trivial and I\'m no expert. I\'m sure that I could improve with practice and settings experimentation. That said, the default setup with the D750 gives me an extremely high hit rate of kids and pets running through the frame. I\'ll also note that I\'ve seen impressive K-1 results online from other photographers so there\'s definitely potential there when not focusing on comparison aspects.---Usecase: MacroFor Macro, the camera is \"as good as it gets\", arguably the best.For starters, the macro lens selection is superb with many options. This includes the 100mm f/2.8 WR which is insanely good for the price (and, like the camera, it\'s weather sealed). I currently have 4 macro lenses and each seems to have it\'s use.The camera offers (optional) focus peaking and convenient 100% magnification in live view. Live view is smooth and responsive. There is also a near-instant 100% magnification playback review which is more uncommon in high end cameras than it should be. That tilting monitor comes to great utility when the camera is near the ground or in another awkward position. Sometimes I wish it was even more tillable but appreciated nonetheless.When it can be used (which can be often in macro), \"pixel shift\" mode brings out a level of detail that no other camera can match..UPDATE (2016/10/12): Starting with firmware 1.3, Ricoh added a fully electronic shutter option. Complimenting pixel-shift, this allows another way to get completely vibration-free images. Using the mechanical shutter is fine in many cases, but one always has to think about motion blur when using a mechanical shutter regardless of camera brand - this is especially true with long lenses at macro distances where even the slightest movements can register in the image. Electronic shutter is only available in live view.All that said, the K3-ii is also an excellent choice for marco with a comparable feature set. The K-3 (and K3-ii) happen to have a tighter pixel pitch - meaning you can get a bit more \"practical magnification\" with the same lenses. It\'s also significantly cheaper making it a stronger value proposition. If macro work is the main usecase, the K3-ii might even be the better overall choice - with trade-offs of course.---Usecase: LandscapeFor landscape the K1 is an incredible body, strongly arguable \"as good as it gets\".It has weather sealing.It has a tiltable LCD for high and low tripod setups. There are LED lights for night work. There\'s built in GPS for location astrotrace for clear star images. It has image stabilization for a better hit rate on \"opportunity\" shots that are off the tripod.Lens selection is behind Canon and Nikon but honestly good enough for non-specialists (e.g. someone who needs tilt-and-shift options). The most modern choices are the 15-30mm, 24-70mm and 28-105mm. I personally prefer the smaller size of primes which currently means older designs for me. In primes, I\'m finding the 31mm f/1.8 to be an excellent choice; pixel-sharp even though it was designed for film. I also have the 20mm FA 2.8 which requires more attentiveness for good corners. I also happily found the 10-17mm fisheye works well at 15mm and above (where it looks like 10mm on a K3). There are many more options as well, too many to list them all. Also, If you are willing to explore the used market for legacy Pentax lenses (M and A series), the choices becomes even greater. Most of these older lenses work best stopped-down but landscape images are generally shot this way anyway.---Usecase: PortraitPortrait is solid with good focus and excellent IQ. There are some hold backs though. One is the auto focus point coverage; it\'s not bad but a bit more spread would be ideal. A second thing is that a dedicated focus point joystick would help make point selection more fluid.I\'d also love to see modern 85mm, 105mm, and/or 135mm portrait-focused prime lens. In the mean time, one can do well with the 77mm limited, 100mm macro, 70-200mm and many legacy options.---Usecase: Sports & WildlifeThe Pentax K-1 is not designed to be a sports camera and it shows in multiple aspects. The frame rate of 4.4 FPS (full frame) is OK but not competitive with a sports camera Lenses cover the basics (with a 150-450 and a 560 plus many legacy options) but lack the comprehensive telephoto lineup of Canon and Nikon. Auto focus is fine for still subjects but sports camera\'s (such as Nikon D5, D500, D750. Canon 1 DX II, 7DII, 5DIII) are better-equipped for tracking moving subjects.One can definitely get nice sports and wildlife shots with the K1 and many have demonstrated this by posting excellent images. Still, with the large amount of $$$ needed for top sports lenses, I hesitate to recommend a camera that is not custom built to support those lenses - it just comes down to individual priorities.---Usecase: VideoVideo capability is incrementally improving with audio monitoring and improved ergonomics. That said, recording specs are dated for 2016 (1080 60i) and clearly not where engineers placed their efforts. Similar to sports, if you occasionally need video, it will accomplish the task but there are better options for those who are serious about video.---Wrapping UpAs this review covers many aspects I think it\'s important to wrap up with my general feelings. This is an excellent all-around camera that is a very strong contender in most applications. The weak point is currently sports and wildlife, where I would call it a \"good\" camera but not a clear choice dedicated sports shooters. This appears to be exactly inline with the goals Ricoh had when designing this camera, so well-done Ricoh!
• DISCLAIMER: This is based on my experience with a USED copy of the camera.TL;DR While some features are quite gimmicky (e.g., the screen tilt mechanism), if you are after the ultimate image quality, insane dynamic range, great low-light performance, this is the camera for you. If you\'re going for fast action, look at the Pentax\'s latest APS-C bodies.Image quality is simply amazing. Dynamic range allows you 2.5 stops of highlight recovery and 4 stops of *very clean* shadow recovery. Noise at ISO 6400 is acceptable under normal indoor lighting conditions, but may developer color shifts in very poor light. Color rendition is great with the camera Jpegs, but the SATOBI color profile from one of the latest firmware versions really hit it out of the park for me.The sensor stabilizer is effective down to 1/8s at focal lengths between 28mm and 105mm (I haven\'t tested wider or longer yet). Below that the keeper rate drops significantly. I would say it\'s comparable to the performance of the IBIS in something like a Fujifilm X-S10, but it\'s certainly no Olympus.Viewfinder is average. I\'ve used bigger and brighter. The LCD used for the AF point markings and similar are sometimes invisible in the dark, and there is no way to turn their illumination on either permanently or based on the lighting condition. It has digital levels in the viewfinder which is my first for a DSLR and a highly appreciated feature.The back LCD is clear and crisp. The brightness can go high for better viewing in direct sun. The free-tilting mechanism is appreciated but there is no added benefit from the way it can be oriented at any angle. The standard angles work well enough. It\'s a cool party trick to impress friends, though.Ergonomics are fantastic. Much better than Nikon\'s semi-pro bodies that I\'ve used before, and on par with a double-gripped body like Olympus E-M1X. Button layout is somewhat cramped in some areas, but otherwise well laid out and easy to reach.The lens selection includes the current Pentax K mount full frame lenses (D FA series) as well as the older FA, F, A, M, and K lenses. With an inexpensive adapter, you can also use the vintage M42 lenses. Note, however, that most camera features are only available with D FA and FA lenses, while F lenses only have autofocus and no in-camera corrections, and manual focusing with A, M, K, and M42 lenses is unreliable at the best of times. In particular, there are no contemporary affordable fast lenses. The cheaper zoom (yes, only one) is around $500, and it is a slow lens for indoor use. There are plenty of vintage fast-aperture lenses in various focal lengths, but not many zooms, and they are... well... vintage lenses.Build quality is top-notch, but if you are after weather-sealing, be prepare to limit yourself to the latest pro-grade lenses only (the D FA F2.8 zoom trio). The cheaper lenses are somewhat splash-proof (fine in light to moderate rain, for example) but not at the same level as the camera itself (you can\'t expect to put it under faucets or get splashed by waves on the beach).Camera isn\'t very customizable, but the controls are well laid out and easy to use. Be sure to understand how you might use the camera and check the manual before purchasing. If the command layout does not suit your needs, there isn\'t much you can do about it.AF is average. It\'s generally precise and fast enough, but not as good as some of the latest mirrorless cameras or even some older DSLRs. However, it\'s decent in low light, even with a slow lens.Battery life is not great for a DSLR (I get around 400 shots, maybe a bit more), and replacement batteries are not readily available and are expensive. There are some 3rd party batteries, but do check the reviews because some are rated quite poorly. I ended up getting used batteries on eBay.Pentax makes great use of the sensor stabilizer and GPS with features like Pixel-shift resolution, automatic horizon correction, astrotracer, etc. Pixel-shift (called Real resolution in some markets) which gives you enough detail to potentially match a 144Mpx image from a sensor that does not have this feature. It requires a tripod and relatively still subject, but it\'s amazing when it works. Automatic horizon correction can straighten the image automatically if the horizon is off by up to a few degrees. The astrotracer can track stars on a tripod for exposures up to a several minutes (depends on the lens).Overall, K-1 (mark 1) is a very compelling package for those that aren\'t sports and action shooters.

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