[noser]

First impressions:

- Solid, ergonomics are excellent, no urgent need for a grip yet.

- Screwdrive AF is fast-ish and not overly noisy.

- The shutter sound is PERFECT. Snappy but quiet.

- I don't really care if it's only 4fps or whatever. It feels faster.

- Mirror slap? Are you kidding? Just shoot at least 1/focal length, or even 2x that, since ISO isn't a real limit. I stuck to at least 1/focal today - all hand held, and images were tack sharp (when they weren't at f/1.2 )

Here are a few quick tests of various lenses on the K-1. There is some EXIF comments along the left edge.

Most after the first batch were shot at higher ISO's, but that was part of the test. Not a lot of image-specific PP, and exported with 'standard' screen sharpening.

First shots and first lens: The SMC 50mm f/1.2









Now some high ISO with the 50mm with some NR in LR... wow. Not only is this better than my old K-5, LR doesn't kill the dot pattern of press-printing, it just seems to operate on the noise. (and despite the text in the image, there was no hood attached). The second image is a 1:1 from the first.





The 50-135mm in FF mode, with and without the hood, at 50mm:





It stops vignetting by what is reported as 123mm, which isn't much different than 135mm.





Same type of behavior with the 16-45mm in FF mode; it is usable by 20mm









The Sigma 24mm f/2.8 Super Wide II is a FF lens, and of course works - and is pretty wide without being overly distorted.



The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC EX, where DC = Digital Circle - so it'll stay mounted on the K-5. Or I'll upgrade to the 30mm Art. Dunno yet!



I haven't tried the Sigma 70-200 yet, although I expect the same 'freeze up' that others saw.

This isn't a big deal, as the higher detail of the K-1 is more suited to wider angle shots.

I plan on doing some slightly more controlled tests over the next few days, to answer questions like: Which combo do I like better? It's complicated by the fact that I have a grip on the K-5 to make it easier to hold, but no grip on the K-1 - it just fits well enough as-is.

Here are some combos...

The 50-135mm on APS-C, or the 70-200 (hopefully in non-freezing MF mode) on FF?
The 30mm on APS-C, or one of the 50's on FF?
The 16-45 on APS-C, or the Sigma 24mm on FF?

and so on... I'm betting ergonomics will be a wash with the lighter lenses on APS-C negated by the grip weight. But maybe the handling will also be better since the grip gives a bit more leverage.

And there is the whole format / focal / aperture thing, which is sort of a non-issue once other considerations like handling, AF screwdrive noise, and rendering start to get factored in.

[kev.pride]

Thanks for posting. I have the Sigma 24, interesting.

[kiwi_jono]

Thanks for sharing!
The A50 f1.2 seems very at home on the K1.

[biz-engineer]

Most lenses including APSC lenses cover the center 1:1 square.

[WPRESTO]

Of course the 50~135 could be used in crop mode on the K1. Based on pixel density, the image would have a bit less detail than the same lens on a K3, about the same as on a K5, but I wonder about high ISO. Would there be less noise in a K1 image taken in crop mode than from either the K3 or K5 at the same ISO with the same lens? Although my K1 is due for delivery today, my hard-headed thinking says the improvement in IQ compared to my K3 will be difficult to detect. But the psychological improvement - - - - (confession of a unrepentant, hopeless gear-head)

[fzrcraig]

Blue Monkey is on sale!