[macTak]

So they previewed the camera a second time? Lol.

What second preview? This is actually their first preview of the camera. Most cameras there do indeed get a preview as soon as they are released, but in typical DPR fashion, they've taken some time to get the Pentax preview out (although to be fair, Pentax USA may have been slow in giving them a copy. Still, they speak to using a pre-production model, but the production model has been out long enough for them to have made this preview).

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Last edited by macTak; 03-22-2012 at 01:55 PM.

[Docrwm]

This was my main reply to some of Andy Westlake's arguments:

Andy Westlake wrote:

But here's the point - the K-01, no matter who it's intended for, is still a camera, and it therefore still has to be judged on the primary function of a camera - how good it is for taking photographs. That includes whether the buttons are well-placed or not, and whether the AF turns out to be problematic in real-life use.

My reply:

I've had this camera for a few days now and you can take it from me, it is EXCELLENT for taking photographs.

The concern about button placement is subjective, is it not? That is, the unfamiliar always feels wrong - a new bike, a new car, a new phone - until you learn where the controls are and the best way to use them, there will always be some anxiety. After a couple of sessions, I've come up with a way to shoot that is comfortable and intuitive. Did your review team give itself time to adjust to a different approach?

You remarked above that the NEX-7 has best IQ, bar none (for APSC). Actually, according to dxomark, the K-5 comes in at a point higher than the NEX-7, so it's reasonable to assume that the K-01 has better image quality than the Sony product at a much lower price. Sony also can't offer its NEX users a full line of high-quality prime lenses.

Back to ergonomics and subjectivity, not everyone thinks tiny bodies with largish lenses is a viable design approach. You speak as if making ever-smaller cameras is a worthy goal in and of itself - which then necessitates rejecting what is, in fairness, a medium-sized body, as a mistake. I have the K-01 & 4 prime lenses packed into a shoulder bag that I previously used for a single DSLR with one constant-aperture zoom. The K-01 with the Limited primes is a very compact approach.

I'm not completely enamored with this camera - some of the Famous Designer fooferaw puts me off, the corners are a little too sharp and I wish it had a folding screen, but I chose to look at this camera's strengths first. For me they are: top-grade IQ, ready access to serious primes (w/o adapters), solid construction, a realistic size and, finally, value.

Value. Try putting together a system with 3 or 4 good primes with any of the other latest high-end offerings and see what it costs. The K-01 wins that battle by a wide margin. (Also, many K-01 buyers already own these lenses, making the cost of entry that much lower.) This should be the starting point in any fair assessment of the K-01.

Against that you have middling (but perfectly fine, real-world) AF speed, unusual button placement and a boxy shape. Those weren't deal-breakers for me. And I don't think a highly influential review site should be emphasizing them to the point of steering potential buyers right past what is actually a serious photographic tool.

Hear, Hear! Well, said. Now for the responses...

[Docrwm]

What second preview? This is actually their first preview of the camera. Most cameras there do indeed get a preview as soon as they are released, but in typical DPR fashion, they've taken some time to get the Pentax preview out (although to be fair, Pentax USA may have been slow in giving them a copy. Still, they speak to using a pre-production model, but the production model has been out long enough for them to have made this preview).

First, it was a pre-production model so they, rightfully, said they would wait to comment on IQ and performance issues until they had a production model to test. Second, they seriously revised the review because of several very basic factual errors in their descriptions of the camera - hence, some are saying its a second review because of these fundamental revisions.

[Class A]

I don't think Dpreview made a hash of the preview at all (now that errors have been addressed).

The stupid button placements deserve to be called out. If (p)reviews overlooked something like this, they'd be useless. The verdict could have been a lot harsher given that the K-01 does not feature a viewfinder despite its bulk.

[joe.penn]

The comments are running about 218:1 against Pentax surviving until next week

lol - now that's some odd's...

[mervis]

I don't think Dpreview made a hash of the preview at all (now that errors have been addressed).

When you have to go back and rewrite a published article, then, yes, you've made a hash of it.

The stupid button placements deserve to be called out.

Stupid? Entirely subjective. Have you handled it?

[JinDesu]

I don't think Dpreview made a hash of the preview at all (now that errors have been addressed).

The stupid button placements deserve to be called out. If (p)reviews overlooked something like this, they'd be useless. The verdict could have been a lot harsher given that the K-01 does not feature a viewfinder despite its bulk.

It's understandable to mention the button placements. But to say "it's unbalanced with anything but the 40mm XS" is completely untrue; I've held it in hand. And I've held the NEX5N with the 18-55 in hand, and that camera is even more unbalanced!

Along with the copious (but now fixed) errors, the preview seems overly harsh with intent.

[Docrwm]

It's understandable to mention the button placements. But to say "it's unbalanced with anything but the 40mm XS" is completely untrue; I've held it in hand. And I've held the NEX5N with the 18-55 in hand, and that camera is even more unbalanced!

Along with the copious (but now fixed) errors, the preview seems overly harsh with intent.

I have the GF2 with the Pentax adapter so have tried several longer lenses on it. Talk about unbalanced! Even the relatively small 55-300 is hard to handle on it. The added dimensions of the K-01 would seem to make sense if you are trying to make a camera that can actually be used with legacy glass.

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 is 7% (8.2 mm) narrower and 14% (11.2 mm) shorter than Pentax K-01.
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 is 44% (26.2 mm) thinner than Pentax K-01.
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 [311 g] weights 44% (249 grams) less than Pentax K-01 [560 g] (*inc. batteries and memory card).
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 dimensions: 112.8x67.8x32.8 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)
  Pentax K-01 dimensions: 121x79x59 mm (camera body only, excluding protrusion)

[monochrome]

It's understandable to mention the button placements. But to say "it's unbalanced with anything but the 40mm XS" is completely untrue; I've held it in hand. And I've held the NEX5N with the 18-55 in hand, and that camera is even more unbalanced!

Along with the copious (but now fixed) errors, the preview seems overly harsh with intent.

Well they're holding the camera incorrectly, but the previewer probably isn't old enough to have ever seen a "How to hold a camera" illustration in a manual film camera manual.

I have a few SMC-P lenses including a new-to-me K200/2.5 I obtained from one of us (). Each night I mount a lens and play around the house just to get the feel. I have done no serious picture-taking yet, on purpose.

I think I'll just see how well the K-01 balances with a



145mm long, 950g lens.

[JinDesu]

There's no getting around the fact, however, that the K-01 is a heavy camera. In addition, it feels particularly unbalanced, with significantly more weight distributed along the grip side of the camera. When using anything other than the Pentax smc DA 40mm F2.8 XS pancake lens, we find the only comfortable option when holding the camera is to support the bulk of its weight with your left hand holding the lens barrel. From an ergonomic handling standpoint, the K-01's external design falls far behind a DSLR form factor like that of the Pentax K-5.

Support the bulk of the weight with your left hand? I do that anyways, how else do I use the zoom or focus ring if I need to? With the DA 40mm XS, I was having no issues holding it one-handed, and taking snapshots at a foot away from my face.

I just find it so disingenuous to rag on the K-01 for ergonomics if they are going to give this to the NEX5N:

The NEX-5N is a well built, solid camera that fits comfortably in the hand and fells quite secure with it's large hand grip (compared to to other mirrorless compacts). The articulated screen makes it easy to shoot from a low vantage point without having to bend down. The screen can also be tilted downward to make it easier to shoot from above. Overall Sony has done a good job with the NEX series, creating a line of cameras that are capable of taking DLSR quality images in a package that is light and easy to handle and unintimidating to users upgrading from compacts.

And no mention bad ergo from them for the Nex3/5 either.

[séamuis]

this is why I pay absolutely no attention to any review sites. they are all biased in some manner, practically all of them are against pentax right out of the gate, and nobody does any real world testing. sites like DPR are nothing more than a virtual slug fest arena for people with too much time on their hands and too much pathetic brand loyalty. I also firmly believe that sites like DPR much like most photo magazines are paid by companies to positively review and promote their brands over others. a complete waste of time. if I want to get a review of a camera, I will turn to real world reviews like we often see here on the forums, or ill go handle the thing myself in my own hands. anything beyond that is pointless. no way, will I let my feathers get ruffled by places like DPR. I've now handled the K-01 and in all honesty, while not for me, I can tell its an excellent and very capable camera. personally I don't think we, as a community should even be giving DPR press here on the forums, negative or otherwise.

[Class A]

When you have to go back and rewrite a published article, then, yes, you've made a hash of it.

Mistakes happen. The main thing is that they have been corrected. Some reviews out there still contain errors even though the authors have been made aware of them.

Entirely subjective.

How is it subjective that you cannot reach the red button when holding the camera in a shooting position? Regarding the other buttons, I believe that you don't have trouble using them, but I also bet that you'd like the K-01 even better if their placement would be optimised.

[Medium FormatPro]

Pentax Zoom Telephoto 60-250mm f/4 ED DA* SDM Autofocus 21750

While I can only wish that this had the f2.5 of the above mentioned lens; and imagine how much size and weight it would have added to the lens... I've had to problem handholding this lens with the K-01. The size and weight of this zoom lens... 16.76cm x 8.13, and 1.04kg. It's larger and heavier, and even includes (the definate need for also) the lens tripod collar, but it all balances out quite well. I'm able to use it in the almost "traditional" stance and hold of a regular slr by either using the screen as is - or to the eye with a Hoodman type device.

Also considering the focal length range of this zoom; (depending upon the subject); I'm usually able to hand hold it well below the maximum focal length range of the lens. Although most would typically suggest not using a shutter speed below the 250 max lens range; I'm able to do just the opposite, and... When braced properly or by using something such as placing elbows on a desk or something else - I can hand-hold below 1/60th.

And ironically enough with a lens and K-01 body being that heavy; it all works well with a proper tripod or monopod; also noting that unfortunately not every tripod can handle that weight without risk

[Docrwm]

Slamming DPR for anti-Pentax bias seems a bit far fetched to me given their reviews of both the K-x and K-5. Members bias, absolutely. Fanboys a plenty there - again, absolutely. Bias toward Nikon and/or Canon, ok. But against Pentax, just not seeing it.

[Rupert]

I have no use for the K-01......and absolutely none for DPR.....they banned me and my Squirrels years ago and still send out their bungling staff guys to try and trap Otis and a few of his buddies for what they say he did to their servers. They keep sending those guys out, and I keep shooting them...shot two last week.

However, we can't forget that they did a nice job on the K5. Maybe it was because there is a lot to like about the K5, and not much to not like?

Regards!