[slackercruster]

After shooting nearly 1000 images with the K-01, I have tried it in all sorts of areas from macro, pans, soft focus, flash, HDR. One area of probelms with the K-01 is when shooting in harsh lighting that blinds your view of the screen. You can't see a thing, just have to guess. A standard dslr has the benefit of blocking the blinding light in your eyes when the cam is up to your eye. Other than that, K-01 is pretty good for the rest of the time.

[Docrwm]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, batten down the hatches because you just reinforced the main criticsm of it that was poo-poo'd by the hymn singers. Did you try a loupe or shield in harsh light conditions?

[slackercruster]

Nope, didn't try any helpers. No doubt something could be done to help.

I got 6 other dslr bodies, so the K-01 is not my only cam. I like to keep thre K-01 next to the couch. I experiement with flash positions as I watch TV sometimes.

[Sandy Hancock]

I don't consider myself a hymn singer; I never expected the K-01 to be a replacement for my K-5, only a more compact supplement with some different features.

With that said, it was the only camera I had for nearly two weeks in sunny Argentina. I don't think I missed a single shot because of the viewfinder....

[barondla]

Find a long bill hat works well with the Q and K-01. Provided your vision works closeup.
thanks
barondla

[fotogaffer]

I have hiked around the Grand Canyon on sunny days with the K-01 and found viewing the LCD in bright light to be a problem occasionally. However, after reading about this prior to purchasing it, I was actually pleased to find it not as much of a problem as I expected and practically speaking I do not feel I missed any shots because of it. I find a bigger "problem" is the slow autofocus (AF) and lack of ability to AF in lower light when other systems with CDAF do not struggle. Even though focus peaking facilitates manual focus in low light situations, I hope the AF can be improved in the K-02. Having said all that, I really enjoyed clipping it to my belt with some carabiners for hiking as it is much lighter than my K5 and the files it produces are superb! I think it is at it's best with the DA limiteds for landscape photography, and "posed-people" photos where slow AF is not an issue.

[monochrome]

I don't consider myself a hymn singer; I never expected the K-01 to be a replacement for my K-5, only a more compact supplement with some different features.

With that said, it was the only camera I had for nearly two weeks in sunny Argentina. I don't think I missed a single shot because of the viewfinder....

I resent the aspersions continually cast by docwrm against those who think the K-01 is an OK camera. If I didn't know better from other posts I'd accuse docwrm of being a troll for Nex or OMd, but I won't accuse docwrm of being a troll because I don't make such broad, unfounded, ill-informed, inflammatory accusations.

It is fine to have your inexperienced opinion. It is not fine to denigrate my informed opinion. Do you own a K-01? Have you taken more than one or two trial shots in a store (if that many?)

I am neither a Pentax fanboy nor a hymn singer. I have 8 Pentax SLR's, 2 Pentax dSLR's and the K-01. I've taken 1217 clicks with the K-01, nearly all outdoors. I have NEVER (repeat - NEVER) encountered a shot that I could not frame and focus in the LCD because it was washed out by bright sunlight. That argument is pure BS. There are true professional photographers posting on this Forum who use the K-01 in certain situations as their preferred camera - better photographers than you and I together will ever dream to be. It is all about expectations.

In bright sunlight I wear a wide-brimmed hat. I turn the LCD brightness up to its highest setting. I hold the camera like an SLR, close to my face. I brace my elbows at my sides. I keep my glasses on.

The K-01 has its problems but bright sunlight isn't one of them

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Last edited by monochrome; 07-15-2012 at 09:42 AM.

[vonBaloney]

How does this business with the hat and holding it up close work? With my P&S (only LCD) or K-5 in live-mode, I can't possibly focus on the screen unless it is at least 8 inches away or so (no glasses, no contacts) and even then it is uncomfortable -- generally I'm holding them out at least a foot or so from my eyes. I'm assuming those loupe things have their own piece of glass that allows close-focus, right? But without it, I don't see how it is possible -- you've got to hold the thing away from your face.

[wanderography]

I find that when the screen gets washed out you can still see the focus peaking lines so you can still get all your shots in focus, I have yet to see it completely washed out. I have a Q too and that screen gets washed, sun hits it your shooting completely blind. I'm thinking because I forced myself to shoot with only the Q for like 6 months def helped me out and have zero issues with the k-01, now when I use my film camers the viewfinder throws me off due to all the squating and positioning I have to do to get the shot and see what I'm shooting...

[Docrwm]

Point made. I love being right.

[monochrome]

How does this business with the hat and holding it up close work? With my P&S (only LCD) or K-5 in live-mode, I can't possibly focus on the screen unless it is at least 8 inches away or so (no glasses, no contacts) and even then it is uncomfortable -- generally I'm holding them out at least a foot or so from my eyes. I'm assuming those loupe things have their own piece of glass that allows close-focus, right? But without it, I don't see how it is possible -- you've got to hold the thing away from your face.

I hold it 4" in front of my eyes and just below my nose. I can focus on the whole LCD just fine and it is completely shaded by my hat brim.

Point made. I love being right.

I ask again, have you ever used a K-01 yourself? Or are you a paddle just stirring a pot?

[vonBaloney]

I hold it 4" in front of my eyes and just below my nose. I can focus on the whole LCD just fine and it is completely shaded by my hat brim.

That is literally painful for me in my eyes -- they are crossing at that distance. I think that would be pretty tough for most people -- 4" is pretty close if that's accurate. Just sticking my finger in front of my face I can focus as close as 5.5", but still not comfortable doing it. A 3" LCD I need to be 7-8 inches away at least. I would definitely need one of those "duck-bill" hats. So if you are really viewing that close I'd say you are uncommon in that ability. The loupes I've seen (only in photos) look cool though, and with that you can actually use your face/head as stabilization which I think I normally do with OVF -- of course then it is a pain NOT to use it as it has to be removed or flipped out of the way or whatever.

[Sandy Hancock]

You don't have to be able to focus on the screen. The centre of a blurry image is still the centre. Those familiar with target sports will understand.
Wear a hat in the sun (you should anyway for your own protection) and hold the camera more or less like a SLR.

[vonBaloney]

You don't have to be able to focus on the screen. The centre of a blurry image is still the centre. Those familiar with target sports will understand.
Wear a hat in the sun (you should anyway for your own protection) and hold the camera more or less like a SLR.

I can't compose or focus (the lens, not my eyes) what I can't see, and holding it that close just hurts my eyes. If I truly hold it like an SLR (keeping in mind I am actually using a SLR in live view to test this), now the screen is only a cm away (the camera is touching my face) and if I close one eye I can sort of grasp the blurry image (and it doesn't hurt) but I can't focus (the lens) so I have to rely on AF to pick the correct spot to focus on (because I can't see it) and use zone-focusing for manual lenses (admittedly focus peaking would work a bit here), but I still can't really compose an image in most circumstances. And so touting what might be fairly described as "jamming an blurry image that I can't really see right up to my eyeball" being "just as good as having a real viewfinder" (which seems to be the implication) is just silly. It is a real limitation. Something one can choose to live with, but pretending it is a trivial difference is dishonest and misleading -- having no VF (O or E) is going to be real drawback for most, it just is. If it had an articulating screen -- which gives you a compensating advantage in many scenarios -- that would be something to put on the other side of the balance sheet, but it doesn't have that so there is nothing to put on that side. Focus peaking maybe, but presumably you would also get that with an EVF. I live with no VF on my P&S, but the whole point of that is that I can put it in my pocket and bring it anywhere. For a K-mount camera that I want to get serious performance from, I've gotta be able to see what I'm doing. The loupe actually looks like a very nice option as then you can essentially turn the main screen into an EVF, but at the cost of making the camera just as bulky as any SLR, but I guess it is pretty bulky already. If the loupe makes comfortable viewing and is easily popped off and on that's the way I would go -- just can't think of a reason to go there as still doesn't really beat just using a normal SLR. If you are video shooting than the K-01 may offer some real advantages, otherwise I can't see choosing it OVER say the K-30, which has a similar price I think (and also has focus peaking).

[barondla]

Actually using the K-01 with lcd lupe does have advantages over a dslr and optical viewfinder. You see camera adjustments in real time. See wb, exposure, exposure aids including histogram, highlight/ shadow blinkies, dof without darkening view. The lupe also allows camera to be used without smashing your nose and face against the lcd, unlike a dslr.

The K-01 screen improves on the Q in bright sun. My long bill hat comes in here (it is actually an Olympus E1 cap). I am near sighted and w/o glasses can easily focus 5" from lcd. Doesn't bother me a bit. Only time eyes get tired is when I am looking over my glasses. Without glasses good to go. It is possible the spacing of a persons eyes affects the "pain" issue. My eyes are narrowly spaced.

K-01 is a fun camera to use (along with the Q). View camera shooters have dealt with bright sun for years. They seem to have managed.
thanks
barondla