Video Problem with new Pentax K-01 - Help!

rdj92807 · 10-21-2012, 02:36 AM

I just received my new yellow/black K-01. Love the look of the camera. I also have a K-5 with is superb.

I'm really disappointed with the video in the K-01. Are other K-01 owner's having the same problems?

1) When shooting movies in Program mode, the aperature of course changes with light conditions. My problem is that the aperature makes a VERY significant noise in the audio recording, every time it changes. The noise is from the camera body, NOT the lens. To replicate, turn on a movie in Program mode and move from low light to bright light. My K-01 makes a loud click or two in the audio when ever the aperature changes. I tested the same and different very quiet HSM/SDM lenses on both my K-01 and K-5....and discovered that my K-5 makes MUCH less noise when changing lens aperature. The noise is not a problem on my K-5....but is MUCH louder on my new K-01. Is this normal for the K-01 or do I have a problem just with my camera?

If I always have to shoot in aperture priority mode with movies, then you can only shoot movies by turning the control dial on top of the camera....which makes the red button useless for this. Which gets the K-01 video capability right back to the K-5 in terms of control. I think placing a mic nearer the aperture arm area in the K-01 might be the issue (it's on top of the K-5 body, for example). If you have both a K-5 and K-01, can you test this?

2) When shooting videos with the same lens and video settings, it seems the video quality on my K-5 is BETTER than the K-01. Sharper, better colors. Also, my K-5 seems to have a bit less rolling shutter in the video. I would have thought the K-01 would have been a step forward, not backward in this area! Can you test this on your cameras if you have both? Maybe it has to do with the compression format in the new K-01?

I have installed the new 1.01 firmware, by the way.

I need to know if others have these issues with the K-01....or do I have a bad copy? Also, my new K-01 froze up several times and I could only turn it off by pulling out the battery. Your help is appreciated. Robert

Last edited by rdj92807; 10-21-2012 at 10:39 AM.

RonHendriks1966 · 10-21-2012, 06:46 AM

1) yes and especialy the 40mmxs lens is loud. When using a lens with SDM inside that problem is gone. I mostley shoor in Av mode, so I don't have that issue and just crank up the iso a little.

2) The K-01 is a little worse when it comes to rolling shutter then K-5. Stability is one way to get that under controll. If you have sharpness issues then just give the sharpness a notch and that should be good.

luizpaulo · 10-21-2012, 03:45 PM

The part about the K-01 freezing up several times makes me think you got a bad copy. I had mine for several months and haven't had problems like those. I use it mostly for stills, but the videos I shot with it never crashed also. I use the video with manual settings so I can't comment on the program mode. I the blades to make noise. if you change it often. An option for that is to use an external mic.

rdj92807 · 10-21-2012, 04:30 PM - **1 Like**

OK, I spent half a day shooting comparative videos between my K-5 and K-01. There simply is a huge difference in video quality...the K-5 videos are MUCH sharper, much less artifacts, etc. I mean, it's not even close. How come no one else has mentioned this before???? I'm shocked. Due the huge AVI K-5 files make the difference vs compressed MOV files used by the K-01??

sjwaldron · 10-21-2012, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by rdj92807

I just received my new yellow/black K-01. Love the look of the camera. I also have a K-5 with is superb.

I'm really disappointed with the video in the K-01. Are other K-01 owner's having the same problems?

1) When shooting movies in Program mode, the aperature of course changes with light conditions. My problem is that the aperature makes a VERY significant noise in the audio recording, every time it changes. The noise is from the camera body, NOT the lens. To replicate, turn on a movie in Program mode and move from low light to bright light. My K-01 makes a loud click or two in the audio when ever the aperature changes. I tested the same and different very quiet HSM/SDM lenses on both my K-01 and K-5....and discovered that my K-5 makes MUCH less noise when changing lens aperature. The noise is not a problem on my K-5....but is MUCH louder on my new K-01. Is this normal for the K-01 or do I have a problem just with my camera?

I don't have a K-01 anymore, but from memory:
Switch the video mode function of the AF/AE-L button to AE-L (the default is AF I believe). That means once you press the video record button you can press AE-L to lock exposure and prevent the aperture from changing.

sjwaldron · 10-21-2012, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by rdj92807

OK, I spent half a day shooting comparative videos between my K-5 and K-01. There simply is a huge difference in video quality...the K-5 videos are MUCH sharper, much less artifacts, etc. I mean, it's not even close. How come no one else has mentioned this before???? I'm shocked. Due the huge AVI K-5 files make the difference vs compressed MOV files used by the K-01??

How detailed did you get with testing? Same exact settings and lens of the same scene?

Try turning off SR on the K-01 and see if that makes a difference.

I did notice that 60fps was lesser quality than 30fps on the K-01, but of course, the K-5 doesn't even do that.

rdj92807 · 10-21-2012, 11:40 PM

I set both cameras at 1080 and 720, at highest quality. I found a review which also tested the K-5 video vs the K-01, and the K-5 came our sharper. Also, the aperture noise in the K-5 is quiet loud in the audio and I cannot believe K-01 owners have not noticed this. You cannot miss it. The K-5 is very quiet in this regard, with identical lenses. I tried screw and SDM and HSM lenses. No difference....K-5 was better.

rdj92807 · 10-22-2012, 01:54 PM - **1 Like**

I just finished testing my K-5 video vs my new K-01. Much to my dismay, using SR on both, the K-5 has MUCH, I repeat, MUCH less rolling shutter problem than the K-01. It is really noticable, and the reason I am returning my K-01. Basically, on the K-01, you have to:

- Turn off SR to avoid the rolling shutter, which in turn produces shaky videos unless you use a tripod all the time, which for most folks is a deal breaker. You can keep SR on with the K-5...I have shot pretty steady K-5 videos from a moving train for example.
- Use fixed aperature (not program) video mode, because on the K-01 (not the K-5), any aperature changes are loudly picked up on the audio by the mics near the front of the lens mount. Therefore, you can't use the red button for quick videos, since the videos must use program mode with the red button. Ugh.
- K-5 videos have better, lower contrast and better color, IMO
- Movie AF on K-01 is too slow to really use...manual is better, not as noisy as well
- K-5 optical viewfinder is often better to use is sunny conditions for video as well
- Only downside to K-5 video is size of files, which can be converted maintaining quality to mov..but takes time

So basically, the K-01 is NOT a better video camera than the K-5. Pentax really messed this up on the K-01, and some of these traits may be on the new K-30 as well. I think a lot of camera reviewers are really lousy at testing cameras, as these issues are obvious when using the K-01 for a day or more.

OrbitalChiller · 02-20-2013, 08:14 AM

Hi, i ve just received my K-01, which i've bought especially for video. Now, i am too really disappointed with video quality. I have some compression artifacts showing on some frames. I ve never got anything like that with my K-5. Here's 2 frames from a full manual video @ 720p 25fps, shuter speed: 1/50, 800 Iso. SR was off, Shadow correction OFF, highlight correction OFF. I was panning, i expected rolling shutter jello effects but not this. Does anyone got awful artifacts like this ? or is my unit's faulty ?

**K(s)evin** · 02-20-2013, 08:30 AM

Why don't you just buy a video camera? They make them with interchangeable lenses these days!

Just blows my mind how people purchase still cameras and expect pro quality video from them.

OrbitalChiller · 02-20-2013, 10:50 AM

Originally posted by K(s)evin

Why don't you just buy a video camera? They make them with interchangeable lenses these days!

Just blows my mind how people purchase still cameras and expect pro quality video from them.

Because i am on a budget ? The K-5 video quality is outstanding, i expected the K-01 to be an improvement over it.

Just blows my mind how people reply to a thread without having any help to bring.

SergioFromSF · 02-20-2013, 05:21 PM

Kevin, I want to carry just one unit for both still and video. It's a matter of ergonomics for me.

Salagubang · 02-20-2013, 06:58 PM

Can a firmware (update) solve this kind of video problem or is it determined by the hardware inside?

ikehayden · 02-21-2013, 07:44 AM

Just checked some video footage shot in a church (poor, uneven lighting conditions) over the weekend. Full HD, ISO 800. Not seeing anything that looks like compression artifacts. Amazingly beautiful.

I work for a television / video production company and lately, we are using mostly our K-01s rather than our traditional camera setup.

When done "properly" (lights, separate audio...and a little care), you can get incredible results.

SergioFromSF · 02-21-2013, 02:47 PM

ikehayden - how do you deal with manual focus? I mean, is there a technique that you employ to track someone on the go or do you set up, focus then shoot a scene, if scene needs a focus change, again setup, focus shoot, etc.
I am interested because manual focusing (for home movies) is the biggest culprit for me.

Thanks,
Sergio

10-21-2012, 02:36 AM	#1
rdj92807 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 97	Video Problem with new Pentax K-01 - Help! I just received my new yellow/black K-01. Love the look of the camera. I also have a K-5 with is superb. I'm really disappointed with the video in the K-01. Are other K-01 owner's having the same problems? 1) When shooting movies in Program mode, the aperature of course changes with light conditions. My problem is that the aperature makes a VERY significant noise in the audio recording, every time it changes. The noise is from the camera body, NOT the lens. To replicate, turn on a movie in Program mode and move from low light to bright light. My K-01 makes a loud click or two in the audio when ever the aperature changes. I tested the same and different very quiet HSM/SDM lenses on both my K-01 and K-5....and discovered that my K-5 makes MUCH less noise when changing lens aperature. The noise is not a problem on my K-5....but is MUCH louder on my new K-01. Is this normal for the K-01 or do I have a problem just with my camera? If I always have to shoot in aperture priority mode with movies, then you can only shoot movies by turning the control dial on top of the camera....which makes the red button useless for this. Which gets the K-01 video capability right back to the K-5 in terms of control. I think placing a mic nearer the aperture arm area in the K-01 might be the issue (it's on top of the K-5 body, for example). If you have both a K-5 and K-01, can you test this? 2) When shooting videos with the same lens and video settings, it seems the video quality on my K-5 is BETTER than the K-01. Sharper, better colors. Also, my K-5 seems to have a bit less rolling shutter in the video. I would have thought the K-01 would have been a step forward, not backward in this area! Can you test this on your cameras if you have both? Maybe it has to do with the compression format in the new K-01? I have installed the new 1.01 firmware, by the way. I need to know if others have these issues with the K-01....or do I have a bad copy? Also, my new K-01 froze up several times and I could only turn it off by pulling out the battery. Your help is appreciated. Robert Last edited by rdj92807; 10-21-2012 at 10:39 AM.

10-21-2012, 04:30 PM - 1 Like	#4
rdj92807 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 97 Original Poster	K-5 video better than K-01 OK, I spent half a day shooting comparative videos between my K-5 and K-01. There simply is a huge difference in video quality...the K-5 videos are MUCH sharper, much less artifacts, etc. I mean, it's not even close. How come no one else has mentioned this before???? I'm shocked. Due the huge AVI K-5 files make the difference vs compressed MOV files used by the K-01??

02-20-2013, 08:14 AM	#9
OrbitalChiller Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Liège Posts: 27	Hi, i ve just received my K-01, which i've bought especially for video. Now, i am too really disappointed with video quality. I have some compression artifacts showing on some frames. I ve never got anything like that with my K-5. Here's 2 frames from a full manual video @ 720p 25fps, shuter speed: 1/50, 800 Iso. SR was off, Shadow correction OFF, highlight correction OFF. I was panning, i expected rolling shutter jello effects but not this. Does anyone got awful artifacts like this ? or is my unit's faulty ? Attached Images

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax K-01 : Problem in video mode with manual lenses	minilink	Pentax K-01	53	10-28-2013 10:56 AM
k-30 video af problem	PinkFloyd	Pentax K-30 & K-50	4	09-02-2012 11:34 PM
K-x Video Problem - SR Always on - Even when it shows as being off	gregplo	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	3	06-04-2012 05:38 AM
K-r video audio problem - last 10 seconds of file	pdxfive	Pentax K-r	6	12-03-2011 03:15 AM
problem with k-x & Sigma 70-200 2.8 II HSM video?	servaas-products	Pentax DSLR Discussion	6	11-10-2010 02:34 PM

10-21-2012, 06:46 AM	#2
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	1) yes and especialy the 40mmxs lens is loud. When using a lens with SDM inside that problem is gone. I mostley shoor in Av mode, so I don't have that issue and just crank up the iso a little. 2) The K-01 is a little worse when it comes to rolling shutter then K-5. Stability is one way to get that under controll. If you have sharpness issues then just give the sharpness a notch and that should be good.

10-21-2012, 03:45 PM	#3
luizpaulo Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 106	The part about the K-01 freezing up several times makes me think you got a bad copy. I had mine for several months and haven't had problems like those. I use it mostly for stills, but the videos I shot with it never crashed also. I use the video with manual settings so I can't comment on the program mode. I the blades to make noise. if you change it often. An option for that is to use an external mic.

10-21-2012, 06:08 PM	#5
sjwaldron Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,235	Originally posted by rdj92807 I just received my new yellow/black K-01. Love the look of the camera. I also have a K-5 with is superb. I'm really disappointed with the video in the K-01. Are other K-01 owner's having the same problems? 1) When shooting movies in Program mode, the aperature of course changes with light conditions. My problem is that the aperature makes a VERY significant noise in the audio recording, every time it changes. The noise is from the camera body, NOT the lens. To replicate, turn on a movie in Program mode and move from low light to bright light. My K-01 makes a loud click or two in the audio when ever the aperature changes. I tested the same and different very quiet HSM/SDM lenses on both my K-01 and K-5....and discovered that my K-5 makes MUCH less noise when changing lens aperature. The noise is not a problem on my K-5....but is MUCH louder on my new K-01. Is this normal for the K-01 or do I have a problem just with my camera? I don't have a K-01 anymore, but from memory: Switch the video mode function of the AF/AE-L button to AE-L (the default is AF I believe). That means once you press the video record button you can press AE-L to lock exposure and prevent the aperture from changing.

10-21-2012, 06:13 PM	#6
sjwaldron Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,235	Originally posted by rdj92807 OK, I spent half a day shooting comparative videos between my K-5 and K-01. There simply is a huge difference in video quality...the K-5 videos are MUCH sharper, much less artifacts, etc. I mean, it's not even close. How come no one else has mentioned this before???? I'm shocked. Due the huge AVI K-5 files make the difference vs compressed MOV files used by the K-01?? How detailed did you get with testing? Same exact settings and lens of the same scene? Try turning off SR on the K-01 and see if that makes a difference. I did notice that 60fps was lesser quality than 30fps on the K-01, but of course, the K-5 doesn't even do that.

10-21-2012, 11:40 PM	#7
rdj92807 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 97 Original Poster	I set both cameras at 1080 and 720, at highest quality. I found a review which also tested the K-5 video vs the K-01, and the K-5 came our sharper. Also, the aperture noise in the K-5 is quiet loud in the audio and I cannot believe K-01 owners have not noticed this. You cannot miss it. The K-5 is very quiet in this regard, with identical lenses. I tried screw and SDM and HSM lenses. No difference....K-5 was better.

10-22-2012, 01:54 PM - 1 Like	#8
rdj92807 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 97 Original Poster	I just finished testing my K-5 video vs my new K-01. Much to my dismay, using SR on both, the K-5 has MUCH, I repeat, MUCH less rolling shutter problem than the K-01. It is really noticable, and the reason I am returning my K-01. Basically, on the K-01, you have to: - Turn off SR to avoid the rolling shutter, which in turn produces shaky videos unless you use a tripod all the time, which for most folks is a deal breaker. You can keep SR on with the K-5...I have shot pretty steady K-5 videos from a moving train for example. - Use fixed aperature (not program) video mode, because on the K-01 (not the K-5), any aperature changes are loudly picked up on the audio by the mics near the front of the lens mount. Therefore, you can't use the red button for quick videos, since the videos must use program mode with the red button. Ugh. - K-5 videos have better, lower contrast and better color, IMO - Movie AF on K-01 is too slow to really use...manual is better, not as noisy as well - K-5 optical viewfinder is often better to use is sunny conditions for video as well - Only downside to K-5 video is size of files, which can be converted maintaining quality to mov..but takes time So basically, the K-01 is NOT a better video camera than the K-5. Pentax really messed this up on the K-01, and some of these traits may be on the new K-30 as well. I think a lot of camera reviewers are really lousy at testing cameras, as these issues are obvious when using the K-01 for a day or more.

02-20-2013, 08:30 AM	#10
K(s)evin Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 476	Why don't you just buy a video camera? They make them with interchangeable lenses these days! Just blows my mind how people purchase still cameras and expect pro quality video from them.

02-20-2013, 10:50 AM	#11
OrbitalChiller Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Liège Posts: 27	Originally posted by K(s)evin Why don't you just buy a video camera? They make them with interchangeable lenses these days! Just blows my mind how people purchase still cameras and expect pro quality video from them. Because i am on a budget ? The K-5 video quality is outstanding, i expected the K-01 to be an improvement over it. Just blows my mind how people reply to a thread without having any help to bring.

02-20-2013, 05:21 PM	#12
SergioFromSF Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 45	Kevin, I want to carry just one unit for both still and video. It's a matter of ergonomics for me.

02-20-2013, 06:58 PM	#13
Salagubang Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: San Jose Del Monte Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 198	Can a firmware (update) solve this kind of video problem or is it determined by the hardware inside?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

02-21-2013, 07:44 AM	#14
ikehayden New Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Liverpool, New York Posts: 14	Just checked some video footage shot in a church (poor, uneven lighting conditions) over the weekend. Full HD, ISO 800. Not seeing anything that looks like compression artifacts. Amazingly beautiful. I work for a television / video production company and lately, we are using mostly our K-01s rather than our traditional camera setup. When done "properly" (lights, separate audio...and a little care), you can get incredible results.

02-21-2013, 02:47 PM	#15
SergioFromSF Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 45	ikehayden - how do you deal with manual focus? I mean, is there a technique that you employ to track someone on the go or do you set up, focus then shoot a scene, if scene needs a focus change, again setup, focus shoot, etc. I am interested because manual focusing (for home movies) is the biggest culprit for me. Thanks, Sergio