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Reviews: 60 | Mirrorless done right!
The K-01 came in for a lot of criticism when it appeared on the
market around three years ago, but after owning a couple for
more than two years now (acquired cheaply, and carrying the
updated firmware), I have developed an increasing appreciation
of the value of the concept, and its usefulness for a number of
specific photographic tasks.
As a mirrorless camera, the K-01 has often been compared with
the Sony mirrorless cameras, which also have bigger sensors
than the four-thirds format. In this comparison, the K-01 has
been seen as too heavy and too bulky. However, the smaller size
of the Sony bodies becomes much less of an advantage when
bigger lenses are attached, and the Sony bodies have had
various problems, such as light leaks, because of their flimsy
construction. On the other hand, the K-01 is superbly made. The
weight of the body balances heavier lenses nicely, and offers a
lot of thermal inertia to avoid the inevitable heating that
follows continued use of live view. The big D-L190 battery is
interchangeable with other top-line Pentax cameras, and keeps
on powering the K-01 throughout a long session or trip.
Many photographers, familiar with (D)SLRs, are critical of the
LCD screen finder. It is what it is: a sensible compromise
between resolution and battery drain. Sure, it is not always
clearly visible in certain lighting conditions, even if the
screen brightness is cranked up to full. But every viewfinder
system has its disadvantages. Those of us familiar with
rangefinder film cameras are conscious of how a (D)SLR will
black out at the critical moment when the photograph is made.
On the other hand, rangefinder cameras are not very good for
closeups, or for lenses outside a limited range of focal
lengths. I have actually found the K-01 screen to be very
versatile in its applications. In panning shots, it is easier
to keep tracking a subject when the camera is held away from
the eyes, as compared to a (D)SLR in that situation. And for
portraits, you can keep eye contact with your subjects as you
make the photograph. For use in bright light, I've never
bothered with an LCD hood, just shading the screen with a hand.
OK, so for the photographer who has one or more DSLRs
available, maybe even a K-50 which is virtually a K-01 with a
prism, why use the K-01? Above all, the IQ. The very weak AA
filter, and the sensor that is still unrivalled at high ISO
settings, make for absolutely wicked image quality, especially
in a camera that costs less than 300 dollars.
Beyond that, there are three specific classes of lenses that
really work well with the K-01:
1. "Problem" zooms where you cannot adjust for front or back
focus accurately at all focal lengths or focus distances.
(Tamron 17-50, I'm looking at you here!) The CDAF of the K-01,
in the native live view for which the camera is designed, may
be a little slow, but it really nails the focus with these
problem lenses. Suddenly, their real life IQ begins to match
what the lab tests promise.
2. Fast lenses, especially in low light. Once I'd become
familiar with the K-01, I had no hesitation in acquiring an
A50/1.2. Focusing a lens like that with focus peaking is very
accurate, and then you can stop down to f/1.4 or f/1.8! With
shake reduction, the lack of mirror flip, and the big solid
body, shutter speeds of 1/15th second are completely usable.
Coupled with the maintained quality at high ISO, the K-01 with
a good fast lens is a low light demon.
3. M42 screwmount lenses. Once you have them focused fully
open, or using their generally excellent distance scales, you
can stop down to taking aperture and still get a good image in
the LCD screen. This is a distinct advantage of the K-01 over a
DSLR. Metering is automatic with the "Av" setting. Also, the
lack of mirror lets you use lenses, like the ISCO Westron
35/2.8, that may foul an SLR mirror when focused at infinity.
The boxy body of the K-01 ends up being very practical.
Certainly I have no trouble holding it, generally two-handed,
with one hand cradling the lens. You can rest the body easily
on a level surface, in landscape mode or even in portrait mode.
Standing it on end like that, I've found the access to the USB
connection to be the most user-friendly of all my Pentax
digital cameras. My one ergonomic gripe concerns the on/off
switch, which all too easily gets moved back on by the strap
when I put the camera back in its case.
Despite the lack of mirror flip, the shutter action on the K-01
is not quite as discreet as on the K-5. But it is certainly
quieter than its K-50 stablemate. I'd love to see an updated
K-01 appear, especially with a full frame sensor, but until
that (unlikely) event occurs, I'll keep on running up the
shutter count on the original model.
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