| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: July, 2012 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 42 | | Review Date: April 29, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | super sharp, build quality | | Cons: | no VF, screen in daylight, handling? AF | | Ergonomics: 5
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 7
Autofocus: 6
Features: 7
Value: 8
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 9
New or Used: Used
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Purchased second hand in Au as a second camera and for some wedding time lapse type work, due to the cheap availability.
The advantage of mirrorless has shown up, where, the lenses are used to their maximum sharpness (no need for micro adj?) This seemed to be the case with a 50mm f1.4 Sigma lens I trialled.....WOW impressively sharp and no need for PP sharpening, otherwise too many skin defects, seriously that good.
However, I am struggling with the AF hitting the target correctly. The AF zone seems to miss sometimes, so one has to be careful. Not getting this with my K5IIs.
Handling is ok, I am used to old film camera's but spoilt by the K5. I did miss a couple of shots due to not having the finger on the trigger correctly(oops). No VF is off putting, even though I am used to smart phones, felt I wanted to put it up to my eye all the time.
The sensor is brilliant as expected, the 16mp in these is a true classic. HDR mode has been fun to play with, backlighting fun outside portraits.
A Jeckyl and Hyde camera, one I am keen to get in my new studio set up. It's a fun cam with great IQ, but misses out on not having an EVF and being slightly older tech mirror less. The AF accuracy bugs me, but a great landscape shooter and for fun, being slightly different. Overall doesn't inspire me with as much confidence as I would have hoped. It would be good to see Pentax give this another go, new design, better AF, EVF, not worried about size issues with k mount flange, just the benefit of mirrorless using lenses to their full potential without all that micro adjustment garbage............ Nice try and a capable back up for what I need.  | | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2009 Location: San Francisco Posts: 161 | | Review Date: October 15, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Cheap! Small, light. GREAT images | | Cons: | Noisy AF and metering | | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 10
Autofocus: 9
Features: 10
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 3
New or Used: New
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VERY noisy camera. Metering is very noisy. Focus is also noisy. Just overall noisy. Fine for my concerts but not so for weddings.
IQ is amazing. way better than my 200d.
grip is cool.
covers for ins and outs is annoying. Cheap made and makes me worry about quality of those.
not weather sealed kind of sucks.
easy menu to interact with. Super fast changing of settings. I find I dont need the wheels on the pros with this cam.
JUST last week the mode dial knob came unglued so I am not sure what to do about that yet. Going to search the forums.
Overall a great buy!
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2013 Location: Sülysáp Posts: 17 | | Review Date: October 15, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good quality pics | | Cons: | No vf | | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 10
Autofocus: 10
Features: 9
Value: 9
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 9
New or Used: Used
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I have been using the camera for half a year. I bought it from someone in the US, but I forgot to ask him why he sold the camera. Anyway: I wanted to have a DSLR, and I did not want to go with the crowd. So I excluded Nikon, Sony and Canon, and tried to find a decent camera from another manufacturer. Six months ago I did not even know that Pentax existed. But I dug up the net, and found very good reviews about their cameras. A K-01 seemed cheap but good quality, so I decided to get one.
I am not disappointed at all. This is my "serious" camera, so I don't have anything to compare to. The one thing everyone is complaining about is the lack of viewfinder. But I have not used a camera with a viewfinder earlier, so this is not an issue for me.
With the continually updated firmware the autofocus works great (it was a big problem, so if you read earlier reviews, skip those parts), all pictures are sharp, the sensor is fantastic.
I bought three lenses for my K-01, but they were all cheapos. This fact had its impact on the quality of my pictures, but I have bought a 16-45 f4 lens some days ago, and now everything seems to be on the right track. The camera with this Pentax lens is a very good performer. Until some weeks ago I used to refuse to take pictures with my camera for my friends, but now I can't wait for an occasion to use it. I like my K-01 a lot.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2011 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: October 15, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Light, sturdy, compact and reliable | | Cons: | none, it is what it is.. | | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 8
Features: 9
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 9
New or Used: New
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when the k-01 was introduced I never left my eyes on it, it was an itch that cannot be scratched till you have it.. this camera has all I wanted, I got this primarily for videos and it served me well... | | | | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 12 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | video capabilities | | Cons: | low bit rate for video,no headphone jack,no hdmi for live external viewfinder,focus peaking during recording,manual audio control during shooting | | Ergonomics: 10
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 10
Autofocus: 5
Features: 10
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: New
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i mainly use this for video..so i'll asses it for video...
used it side by side with a canon 60d which definitely won by details due to higher bit rate.
but still k-01 shots are still acceptable knowing that our editor doesn't even notice which is which when it comes to the final edited video on the broadcast level.
the cons are as i have stated above.. pentax knows what to do with it.i think i just have to wait.. but surely.this is bang for buck!
and by the way.. the blocky video artifacts are resolved by updating your firmware to 1.04! for me there is more details to its video comparing to fw 1.03..
| | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 16 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cute design, high iso | | Cons: | Focus hunting | | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 7
Features: 8
Value: 9
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 8
New or Used: New
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The mark newson designed body looks very cute especially with its special 40mm xs lens. The wide iso range is also great, so in theory you could get good shots in low light. Unfortunately the reality is that the CDAF only autofocus system hunts quite a bit esp in low light, so it takes longer to get the shot off than with my old k200d or with my Sony hx20v. In good light it's a nice compact body, uses all the old Pentax glass, and can get off a large burstk of shots at high iso. The focus hunting lag though to the first shot makes it hard for me to recommend for action shots unless you prefocus and use manual, and for low light prepare to wait a while or have to manual focus
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2010 Posts: 44 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $413.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Smaller then my older Pentax camera | | Cons: | Buffer too small for long sequence shots | | Ergonomics: 9
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 8
Features: 7
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: New
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Fun camera. Decided to get it over the Q and glad I did. What an upgrade over my K-2000. The green button focus peaking is super for older lenses.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2013 Posts: 10 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | good video and great stills | | Cons: | SR internal is kinda fuzzy | | Ergonomics: 3
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 10
Autofocus: 5
Features: 10
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: New
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I love using this camare for shooting film with my aquariums. 40mm is great for indie film feel.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: Grand Rapids Posts: 193 | | Review Date: October 14, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $349.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Cost, image quality, ease of use | | Cons: | appearance, size, ergonomics | | Ergonomics: 6
Build Quality: 7
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 8
Features: 8
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: New
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I want to say this upfront. My extremely positive review of this camera is based on the price I paid. During black friday time frame I got it with 40mm F2.8 XS lens for $349. It was barely compact enough to fit in a coat pocket with that pancake lens. Image quality was fantastic, i never had a problem with autofocus but my demands were pretty low. I dont know how it compares to a K5 II, but it surely beats my new fuji X-E1. Loved the low light performance and the camera was soooo easy to use. leave lens at F2.8 (AV mode), set auto iso up to 6400 and it just worked. Didnt have to worry about the settings, could focus on the picture/composition
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: August, 2010 Location: Leeds Posts: 152 | | Review Date: August 30, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $275.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | mirrorless k-mount, small (compared to DSLR), cheap | | Cons: | auto focus could be a little faster | | Ergonomics: 8
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 8
Features: 9
Value: 9
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: Used
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I really like this camera.
I originally bought one a while ago (planning to sell my DSLR), but was disappointed by the auto focus speed so returned it and kept my DSLR. (I do wonder if it would have made any difference to the success of the camera if they had got the auto focus right before releasing it.)
A while later I read about a firmware update increasing focus speed, and in this time the price had also dropped significantly, so I bought one again (in addition to keeping my K30), and was pretty happy with the auto focus.
Sometimes I want the viewfinder, or the weather resistance, or the faster auto focus of the K30, and so use that. (Though if I am using my prime lenses, the weather resistance of the K30 is not a benefit.)
Other times though, I do prefer to use the K-01. If its not raining, and the sun isn't glaring, I may prefer the K-01 to the K30. For indoor use in particular, with my primes, I'd probably choose the K-01. The shutter sound is quite a bit quieter than the K30 (although probably not as quiet as the K5), so that can be an advantage in some situations.
I much prefer using the K-01 if working with a tripod (if its not raining).
I find the K-01 more comfortable for portrait orientation.
I like the combination of auto focus and manual focus (setting the AF to the AF button and using lenses with quick shift).
These are all things that I could do with the K30, using live view, but in practice I find it annoying on the K30. (If there was a way to lock it to live view - even after looking at images etc - might be different but...)
Personally, I really like the look of the camera.
I feel its a bit of a luxury owning this AND a K30, but I like having it for the reasons above.
If I had to choose one camera, I guess I would stick with the K30. But, that said, the K-01 is about half the price of the K30 (going by used prices, rather than new prices).
As a second camera, it is great. If you are buying it as your only camera, whether it is a good choice or not will depend significantly on what you want a camera for.
I am hoping that Pentax will not give up on mirrorless K mount camera. But if they do, I have my K-01 at least.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 141 | | Review Date: August 23, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $338.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Easy to use, Great with manual lenses | | Cons: | Screen hard to see in direct sunlight | | Ergonomics: 9
Build Quality: 9
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 8
Features: 10
Value: 10
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 9
New or Used: New
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A great camera and a lot of fun with manual lenses.
Colour is great ...... don't use " Vibrant Mode" for skin tones unless you want "Disney Land" like effects
I have no issue with the location of the "Green Button", but I have large hands. Because there is no finder to look through, you hold this camera differently. My 12 year old's response to the Green Button was "my phone doesn't need a green button". Enough said!
I like the focus peaking feature, but I find it obscures my ability to achieve the correct depth of field so leave it off. The box around the auto focus is easy to use as it tell you where the camera is focused when in "auto" mode.
The Body looks very stream lined compared with the K-5/K-7. Very low profiled....almost "sexy" mated with short SMC K/M prime lenses. Mated to the 18-135mm DA ed, it looks decidedly awkward and front heavy. The pop-up flash is much closer to the lenses, then the K-5, K-7, so can cast shadows with long lenses.
The menu can be confusing......with " where was that feature again"....coming back on a regular basis.
The RAW and JEPG saves are brilliant. The JPEG for seeing the image and the RAW for post processing. Overall I found that less post pressing was required compared to the K 5
Conclusion..... Pentax have created a wonderful hybrid of a mirrorless camera, still able to access the wonderful lenses of yesteryear. Could become quite collectable in the years ahead .... but don't listen to me as technology usually loses value rapidly. Great second camera body, fun for family and friends familiar with the world of compact camera's and phones. Best applications are indoor and social.
Happy shooting!
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390 | | Review Date: July 10, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $330.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Unique looks, handling, IQ, focus peaking, well made | | Cons: | Contrast AF not the fastest, Green button position, certain M mode setting with manual lenses. | | Ergonomics: 9
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 8
Features: 10
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 10
New or Used: New
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I purchased the camera in April 2013. Why? Well for the price (Ł240) why not?
I really wanted something to give me the ability of my K-5 and use with my primes. Also it gives the K-5 some rest. Also, the focus peaking would give me the ability to use primes nicely (I wear glasses)
So what do I think?
I got the silver one, and I love the looks of it in this colour. It is a bit brick like, but then again actually using and handling it, it is great.
Positives in detail
This camera is perfect with the small mighty Pentax primes of any era. Especially those wonderful M42 screw mount lenses. Tak 55mm F1.8? Oh yes. K-M50mm F1.7? Stunning little combo. 21mm Limited? WOW! etc etc. You get the idea.
Image quality - Read K-5. RAW at only 12bit? does not matter really. The RAW files are still as pliable as those from the K-5 in the real world.
Focus Peaking? - A boon! The only thing is, that is not that accurate with lenses set faster than F2.8. Having said that, most current FP systems today are the same. The same really with PDAF with fast lenses wide open. Just slow down when taking shots wide open, this is not designed as a Sports camera.
AF - Slow. Slower than my LX-5 compact, but having said that, it is no slower than a lot of current generation CDAF cameras out there, it is just slower than PDAF, and some of the fast CDAF cameras around (Olympus Pen for example) To be honest though, you won't really notice most of the time.
The looks! - It divided opinion when it came out, but actually having one and fellow togs looking and playing with it, the results are a LOT more positive. From Cute, to WOW! I have not heard a negative comment from anyone who has actually seen it.
Negatives
The Green button could be placed in a better position, but then again you do get used to it after time.
There is a strange setting when using a manual lens (without an A on the aperture ring) and M mode. You set the camera to M, you set the ISO to AUTO (a sort of TAv mode for manual lenses). The shutter is fixed at 1/125sec. This is a pain and so far I have not found the ability to change the shutter speed. If you could then you would have a TAv mode for old lenses when combined with the green button to stop down. Pentax, can you do another firmware to allow this, as it would be perfect!
Rubber cover for the card chamber. A bit fiddly, but just be careful. Would not want it changed though as the rubber makes the handling so much better.
No Weather sealing.
In bright sunlight the LCD is a pain, too many reflections. A hood helps though.
Finally - This is a camera for primes, not zooms. Not only does it look silly with a zoom on the front, the handling is not as good. Keep to the wonderful primes and you have a delightful fairly compact CSC.
If I could change this camera to make it a 10, i would do the following:-
Consider WR for the body.
A faster CDAF
Move the Green button a bit, so that it is easier for your thumb to hit it.
That issue in M mode.
Possibly an articulated LCD, but then again, having one would make it thicker still. Remember this camera is based on the sensor to back of lens of the K-mount, so there is not much space from the back of the sensor and the LCD.
An attachable EVF on the hotshoe. This would negate the reflection issue. On the other hand, a coating for the LCD to reduce reflections.
At the end of the day though, this is a great camera, and if you appreciate it's foibles and know what to do, it is a little cracker! | | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2009 Posts: 121 | | Review Date: June 25, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $299.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Image quality, compatibility (battery, k-mount) | | Cons: | focusing with longer lenses, not very precise focus peaking, slow autofocus, green button, no trap focus, no focus confirmation | | Ergonomics: 7
Build Quality: 10
User Interface: 8
Autofocus: 7
Features: 9
Value: 10
Image Quality: 10
Noise: 9
New or Used: New
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As a K-5 user, I was not looking for any upgrades, as that SLR fully satisfies all my photographic needs. However, I was on a lookout for a compact camera with good image quality for everyday carrying. So, when the price of K-01 dropped to 249 USD, I was sold. Unfortunately, I missed this opportunity and had to get it for 299 USD. Nevertheless, you cannot buy a compact camera, let alone ILC for this price with the same image quality.
On the pro side - the image quality is every bit as good as with K-5. The camera is responsive and takes the same batteries as my K-5. The shape, though rather ugly, allows it to be put on the side comfortably and it is really quite small, so it goes everywhere with me, unlike the K-5, which I still like very much.
On the down side - I use many manual lenses and so was looking forward to focus peaking. Turns out, it is nowhere near as precise as I had hoped. Perhaps with time... but focusing with zooming in is really time consuming. For this, I miss the OVF with split prism screen. Also, focus confirmation you know from your SLR is missing (would have been great for some speedy manual focus). Also, couldn't find the trap focus anywhere, which is a shame.
Taking pictures with longer manual lenses (i.e. K105/2.8) is a pain if you have ANY handshake. Focusing becomes really difficult. The green button placement is just plain wrong.
So, where is K-01 best? Just stick a small prime (the DA limited are awesome with k-01) on it, and take it anywhere. For manual lenses, 85 mm seems to be the upper limit of reasonable usability. When travelling, I can see myself having K-01 with a small wide angle (DA 21) and K-5 with something longer (135/2.5) as an ideal combo.
It is no DSLR replacement. But as far as compacts go, for this price, it has no match.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: San Rafael, CA Posts: 806 | | Review Date: May 17, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $299.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image Quality, K-5 sensor & battery, AF, Focus Peaking | | Cons: | funky flap/door where the SD card goes | |
There is a lot of technical things I could say but they have already been said in many other reviews, so I won't go there. So here is what i will say -
Though my daily driver is a K-5, I couldn't resist getting the K-01 when Pentax dropped the price and practically started giving them away.
First things first, though this camera is "the brick" it's really outside the box when it comes to innovative thinking. I have to give Pentax, Marc Newson and the Pentax engineers kudos for this camera, it is way ahead of it's time. It's a bit quirky as some will tell you but it is an excellent camera and I'm glad I have it.
I've been hauling the K-01 around a lot lately and everywhere I go, heads turn. Everyone wants to know what it is.
This camera is just great in every aspect I've run it through, it's a real work horse. Additionally, I shoot a lot of macro and I've found that focus peaking is an excellent feature for macro work.
Bottom line, if you don't have one - get one. You won't be sorry.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: December, 2012 Location: Oamaru Posts: 49 | | Review Date: April 2, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $313.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | IQ, fairly compact, easy to use, same sensor as K-5, focus peaking | | Cons: | no viewfinder, ergonomics, fugly design, USB port under the rubber flap, slow and sometimes incorrect autofocus | | Ergonomics: 7
Build Quality: 8
User Interface: 9
Autofocus: 6
Features: 8
Value: 10
Image Quality: 9
Noise: 9
New or Used: New
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A great camera for the price!
Only downer is that Pentax does not sell a separate attachable viewfinder for it.
Also for a mirrorless camera its quite bulky but still its more compact then normal DSLRs.
The worst thing about the camera is the autofocus! Its soo annoying that I use it in Manual mode more than Auto! Some times the camera takes a few seconds to focus and a lot of times it does not focus correctly on the target.
Overall I think the camera is great for the price as I don't think you can find such a cheap DSLR with this good specs anywhere else!
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