Pentax K-1 FF

DarkShadow · Feb 18, 2016

Its Up for Pre-Order and its priced lower then I expected it to be and with 36MP.
Unveiled: Pentax Makes its First Foray into Full-Frame Cameras, the K-1 DSLR

PropilotBW · Feb 18, 2016

What would be it's competition? NikonD810? That ISO is unreal, 204,800? While you'll never use that high, I bet the noise is very low up to ISO 6400.

DarkShadow · Feb 18, 2016

You cant beat the price considering the specs but IMO that it the strangest looking Camera.Pentax is different no doubt.Looks like a very small top LCD display In place of extra buttons or dials.Even If I was shooting Pentax still i wouldn't have any interest In the K-1 but I am interested to see how it stacks up against the Nikon 8XX.

goodguy · Feb 18, 2016

Who said DSLR is on its way out ?

I am so happy to see Pentax getting into the FF game, looks like an outstanding camera, really impressive.
The AF looks a bit unimpressive (well numbers of AF points)
Also 760 shots on battery is around what I get from my D3300
But that's just nit picking.

DarkShadow · Feb 18, 2016

The battery life was not good on the Pentax K-3 I had either and was not impressed with AF-C tracking in the least.

Dave442 · Feb 19, 2016

Looks very interesting. Always enjoyed my Pentax film cameras, held up to all kinds of abuse on backpacking trips.

The pixel shift technology on this new FF body looks like a great option for landscape photography. GPS that communicates with the sensor, third wheel that can be set to ISO control. Certainly some interesting features that I'm sure some people will make use of. I expect with Wi-Fi and GPS that you really want to add the grip to this camera.

jaomul · Feb 19, 2016

DarkShadow said:
The battery life was not good on the Pentax K-3 I had either and was not impressed with AF-C tracking in the least.

I wonder was your model a bad egg. I considered o k3; most of what I read was good. Focus seemed to be not quite as good as the best of the rest but I thought it's main gripe was modern lenses were slightly slower, something that is probably being put right now.

That ff looks great value, with a spec that rivals the d800 at a much lower price.

Personally I don't think 27 focus points is to little but that's up to the individual. Anyone with old full frame k mounts may find this camera fabulous

DarkShadow · Feb 19, 2016

Very well could have been a bad egg but knowing I really wanted back over to nikon for the third party lens support I didn't bother send it off for a look at.

jaomul · Feb 19, 2016

Ya I get you. Where I live the only way to get Pentax is online. It's nice on occasion to be able to walk into a shop and check things out. This is why I'm not using Pentax now

Derrel · Feb 19, 2016

I agree on the price, lower than expected, only $1,797 at intro, and the new water resistant 28-105mm lens is only $499! Having the five-position U1 through U5 user settings dial on the left is a nice touch. The various film-era Pentaxes I used or owned were the ME Super, Program Plus, and the MX. Pentax really knew how to design and build an slr-type camera. It's difficult to know how much of the old Pentax DNA remains within the company, which has gone through two buyouts within the last decade, but the best thing is that the latest owner is Ricoh, a company that has had a long history in the camera business, and was always known for good-shooting cameras.

The Pixel Shift resolution mode can allegedly, as B&H Photos page states: "dramatically boost image quality" and the, "... built-in 5-axis Shake Reduction stabilization rated to five stops that can do more than just combat camera shake. And, as is Pentax’s way, the camera is completely weather sealed, and even rated to operate in freezing temperatures down to 14°F..."

goodguy · Feb 19, 2016

The main problem for this camera is that it is meeting a market that is already soaked with amazing FF DSLR's and Mirrorless, its fighting an up heal battle.
While I have no doubt its an excellent camera I think its chance to become a big hit is limited.
Its main customers will be Pentax fan boys but I just dont see any Nikon/Canon users jumping ship to the K1
My guess is that most people who want FF and want to move to a new system will continue to go to the Sony A7 camera line up.

pez · Feb 22, 2016

I predict it will be somewhat more successful than you might think. For astrophotographers it's a shoe-in, for instance. I've had Pentax gear since the 70's, even while I worked for Minolta (got a lot of grief there), and this thing is crazy desirable for most Pentax users. That said, I certainly can't see many Nikon or Canon system owners jumping ship. Even with the mighty Ricoh pumping big money into R&D and new lenses and such, it's a very small operation relatively. I never really wanted a FF that much, because I'm just a hobbyist and also I like a small, light camera bag, and this thing is huge! However, the more I study it, the more I... crap, I HAVE to have one

Hopefully, I can hold off for a few months (weeks). Probably need therapy.