[Lurch]

I too have been sitting on the fence on this camera as a companion to my K-5.
I reckon this thread set me right, and will snap one up once the bank account recovers from Christmas!

[interested_observer]

One thing that I see in both Canon and Nikon's product lines, is that for a successful technology - they let it run. Pentax with the K5 basic sensor technology has followed to some degree. 16MP is a pretty nice size and coupled with a lower price there, there is definitely interest. I am going to make an assumption here that at this price, Pentax is at least breaking even. If that is the case, I would let the model run for at least another year as an entry/introduction point for new folks. Sure, I understand that its greatest appeal is a body for folks with existing Pentax lens, but you need some way to attract new users to the brand.

Just thinking out loud....

[Derek999]

I have just added this wonderful camera to my D7000 and Olympus O-MD, and it is immediately obviously to me that I have been missing out by not owning a Pentax.
The K-01 is a delight to use, comfortable to hold and has a build quality only rivalled by the Olympus. I have just carried it around Barcelona for a week and to my surprise, nearly every frame is a keeper, the colours are the equal or better than any equipment I have ever owned. I could not be more delighted with it.

The Nikon is now up for sale along with some expensive lenses etc. and my collection of vintage Tamron and M42 lenses will get a lot more outings from now on.
The K-01 and O-MD are simply the best bodies in my opinion for working with MF lenses, and since I can afford MUCH better quality glass by purchasing classics from the likes of Pentax, Zeiss etc. then that is where I am heading.

I cannot help feeling that this body has been maligned without true, hands-on testing, by skilled and dedicated PHOTOGRAPHERS, and have no time for the kind of reviewers who seem to infest some magazines and websites in the way they have for the audio industry, where I cut my teeth.

Well done again Marc Newson and also Pentax for taking a radical design step in producing such a likeable, usable and advanced camera. I love mine and when the Nikon sells, I may look for a yellow one in order to advertise it even more (it produced some admiring and curious looks in Spain this week apart from the magical results)

[LeRolls]

I have just added this wonderful camera to my D7000 and Olympus O-MD, and it is immediately obviously to me that I have been missing out by not owning a Pentax.
The K-01 is a delight to use, comfortable to hold and has a build quality only rivalled by the Olympus. I have just carried it around Barcelona for a week and to my surprise, nearly every frame is a keeper, the colours are the equal or better than any equipment I have ever owned. I could not be more delighted with it.

The Nikon is now up for sale along with some expensive lenses etc. and my collection of vintage Tamron and M42 lenses will get a lot more outings from now on.
The K-01 and O-MD are simply the best bodies in my opinion for working with MF lenses, and since I can afford MUCH better quality glass by purchasing classics from the likes of Pentax, Zeiss etc. then that is where I am heading.

I cannot help feeling that this body has been maligned without true, hands-on testing, by skilled and dedicated PHOTOGRAPHERS, and have no time for the kind of reviewers who seem to infest some magazines and websites in the way they have for the audio industry, where I cut my teeth.

Well done again Marc Newson and also Pentax for taking a radical design step in producing such a likeable, usable and advanced camera. I love mine and when the Nikon sells, I may look for a yellow one in order to advertise it even more (it produced some admiring and curious looks in Spain this week apart from the magical results)

Glad you're enjoying your K-01 so much. I have been loving mine since November and have had a regret since purchasing it. So much so that I got a second black one when they went down to $250. Such an amazing value!

[Klansdown]

I was given the K-01 when it came out last year.All of the other equipment I own now resides in either a box or a display cabinet .This much maligned (by the press;rarely by the users)camera is a joy to use and as to image quality and the availability of legacy lenses .Well nobody does it better .Thanks Marc.Now please get him to do a K-02!!!

[THoog]

There was a thread over in News & Rumors, where Ricoh/Pentax said any upcoming Full Frame would have to be "different" - prompting a number of the if-it-ain't-FF-it's-cowflop crowd to say "Not Marc Newson! Nooooooooooo!"

Now, I like to think that I am not a cruel person, or one that enjoys the suffering of others, but if Pentax's first-ever FF body was yellow and bricklike, it would be... delicious.

[monochrome]

I was given the K-01 when it came out last year.All of the other equipment I own now resides in either a box or a display cabinet .This much maligned (by the press;rarely by the users)camera is a joy to use and as to image quality and the availability of legacy lenses .Well nobody does it better .Thanks Marc.Now please get him to do a K-02!!!

The K-01 is a wonderful camera for a certain kind of user - like me, who needs to use the LCD to focus at my age and eyesight.

However, releasing a controversial-body Mirrorless camera with mid-range controls rather than the full set of dSLR buttone and Modes (separate rear AF button / AE-L button, traditional 4-Way Controller posiitons, TAv on the Mode Dial, rear Remote IR Port, Flash capabilites, etc.) was a mistake and contributed to the market rejection at the price point. There was no earthly reason to disable electronics that are in the PCB already just to separate the K-01 from the K-5 for brand differentiation reasons, All that did was lend credence to the Luddites who objected to the body style.

Yes, it is good. It could have been so much better.

[Docrwm]

The K-01 is a wonderful camera for a certain kind of user - like me, who needs to use the LCD to focus at my age and eyesight.

However, releasing a controversial-body Mirrorless camera with mid-range controls rather than the full set of dSLR buttone and Modes (separate rear AF button / AE-L button, traditional 4-Way Controller posiitons, TAv on the Mode Dial, rear Remote IR Port, Flash capabilites, etc.) was a mistake and contributed to the market rejection at the price point. There was no earthly reason to disable electronics that are in the PCB already just to separate the K-01 from the K-5 for brand differentiation reasons, All that did was lend credence to the Luddites who objected to the body style.

Yes, it is good. It could have been so much better.

I agree completely, with the exception of the body style (the plastic door is still a big mistake).

[harioharima]

I am happy to see another positive thread about the K-01 but quite surprised to see the camera's looks, design, and build quality being lauded. Those are the weak spots (imo of course). The camera is not exactly a pleasure to look at or feel (tactile). Even the control dial is also chunky and doesn't sport a nice finish. Finally though the pictures produced by the K-01 are indeed excellent. So I give full marks to the technical guys, not so much to the industrial design.

[Homo_erectus]

filmamigo summed up my experience with the K-01 perfectly. I *really* like this little camera. It does it's job really well, fits comfortably in my hand and is a joy to use.

My D3100 has been sitting, unloved, in it's bag since the K-01 arrived.

[Homo_erectus]

There was a thread over in News & Rumors, where Ricoh/Pentax said any upcoming Full Frame would have to be "different" - prompting a number of the if-it-ain't-FF-it's-cowflop crowd to say "Not Marc Newson! Nooooooooooo!"

Now, I like to think that I am not a cruel person, or one that enjoys the suffering of others, but if Pentax's first-ever FF body was yellow and bricklike, it would be... delicious.

I actually laughed out loud when I read your post. Thanks!

[PiDicus Rex]

Loving the IQ of my new K-01, loving the features, basically loving everything done on the inside of the camera by the Pentax engineers, and 2 minutes away from adding the new firmware.

As for Marc Newson, he should never, ever be allowed to design a camera again.
In a comfortable classic grip, the shutter release button is not under my index finger, and the red button is under the second part of my thumb, not the tip.
( I do more video then photography, pro-video camera guys are used to hitting record with the thumb on the right hand, holding the lens grip.)
The 'chunky' bottom edges dig in to the right palm and thumb muscles, and in to the left palm with the classic under-lens SLR grip.
I have pretty average sized hands,..
Frankly the look of the camera has more to do with the sales failure then anything else, so Mr Newson should be squarely blamed for that, because what is inside the camera is pretty darn good.

Now, if only this thing had clean HDMI out during recording, it would make a perfect short-film maker camera, ditto if the data rate in video could be doubled. The manual level control for on-board and external audio input already puts it leaps and bounds ahead of most DSLR's.

[Steve.Ledger]

Frankly the look of the camera has more to do with the sales failure then anything else, so Mr Newson should be squarely blamed for that.

Please 'than' not then...

Not sure where your logic comes from. MN was employed by Pentax to come up with a design which Pentax accepted...
I'm sure it wasn't a case that they would go ahead and build with whatever he came up with regardless.

[Kobayashi.K]

The silver parts on the silver+black version, and the top of the black and the yellow versions, is that metal or silver paint?

[THoog]

The silver parts on the silver+black version, and the top of the black and the yellow versions, is that metal or silver paint?

It's paint. I just got my first beauty mark (scuff) on the top of my Black Friday Black body, and the metal underneath is a lighter color.