Selling k5 after using k01

Shihaochew · 01-28-2013, 12:06 AM

I ordered a yellow k01 from amazon when it was on sale with 40mm xs. It is scheduled to deliver by mid February.

Given its small size, same awesome sensor, coupled with focus peaking, I am thinking of selling my k5 and use the k01 exclusively as my primary camera body. The advantage of k5 is probably the OVF, and possibly better handling with two control dials (vs just the rear dial on k01). WR isn't important to me since I seldom shoot in poor weather conditions, and I prefer shooting with pentax limited primes.

Just wondering if anyone is using k01 as their primary camera body in place of k5 or k30, and how you like it so far. The biggest draw for me would be the cost savings and smaller size

Cheers!

vonBaloney · 01-28-2013, 12:12 AM

Originally posted by Shihaochew

I ordered a yellow k01 from amazon when it was on sale with 40mm xs. It is scheduled to deliver by mid February.

Given its small size, same awesome sensor, coupled with focus peaking, I am thinking of selling my k5 and use the k01 exclusively as my primary camera body. The advantage of k5 is probably the OVF, and possibly better handling with two control dials (vs just the rear dial on k01). WR isn't important to me since I seldom shoot in poor weather conditions, and I prefer shooting with pentax limited primes.

Just wondering if anyone is using k01 as their primary camera body in place of k5 or k30, and how you like it so far. The biggest draw for me would be the cost savings and smaller size

Cheers!

I like it as a backup and for certain purposes, but keep running into things that it doesn't do that my K-5 does. Certainly I'd use it for a good bit for thinking of selling the K-5...

reivax · 01-28-2013, 12:17 AM

Depending on the type of shooting you do, the K-01 could be a full replacement, but probably won't be. The biggest problem with the K-01 is the autofocus. It is very hard to get good focus with moving subjects. The K-01 also doesn't have wireless flash. Those two things prevent it from being a primary camera for me.

Right now, I'm probably shooting 60/40 between my K-30 (60) and K-01 (40). I use my K-30 anytime I want to shoot sports, if there will be a lot of moving subjects, or if it's too bright outside for live view. The K-01 is for when I'm shooting indoors. I like the K-01 for casual shooting because it doesn't look like a DSLR and people tend to relax around it.

With those two cameras I should be set for years. The only reason I would upgrade is for a full frame (which I'm not completely interested in at the moment) or if the next apsc really improved in ISO performance and/or autofocus. Even if it didn't, I could see myself being very happy for a long time with this combo.

Ikarus · 01-28-2013, 02:02 AM

I wouldn't. I am still holding on to my K-x. The K-01 beats it for manual focusing on relatively static subjects, but for everything else, I still prefer using the K-x.

Shihaochew · 01-28-2013, 02:30 AM

Hmm. Interesting thoughts. I understand that contrast detect may not be as fast as phase detection in DSLR but from I have seen on YouTube videos, k01 seems to autofocus pretty fast with the updated firmware ver 1.01. I guess I would really have to try it out myself before I can make a judgement on this.

Just curious, how is the handling? I use Tav mode primarily on k5. Does the lack of a second dial in k01 affect usage? With the k5, I can adjust the aperture and shutter speed on the fly. Wonder if that would be a problem with the k01...

Docrwm · 01-28-2013, 05:36 AM

Originally posted by Shihaochew

Hmm. Interesting thoughts. I understand that contrast detect may not be as fast as phase detection in DSLR but from I have seen on YouTube videos, k01 seems to autofocus pretty fast with the updated firmware ver 1.01. I guess I would really have to try it out myself before I can make a judgement on this.

Just curious, how is the handling? I use Tav mode primarily on k5. Does the lack of a second dial in k01 affect usage? With the k5, I can adjust the aperture and shutter speed on the fly. Wonder if that would be a problem with the k01...

There really isn't any "on the fly" with the K-01. What it does it does well, what it doesn't do is a long list. If you need to lock focus quickly, even with the updated firmware, the K-01 isn't up to it. I am using it more and more instead of my K-5 for macro, indoor, and anything still life but it just can't handle moving kids, sports, strong direct sunlight on its screen, and on and on.

jimr-pdx · 01-28-2013, 06:24 AM

I have considered it, though right now the market is full of K-5ii users letting go of their K-5 bodies. My budget is tight and if it tightens further I may need to let the K-5 go anyway. As noted before they really have many shots in common but some that are far easier with the other body; whether that affects you or any one shooter will vary case by case. I would miss the telephoto stability the K-5 gets from my face to the OVF, the weather seals and probably the battery life - the rest I can manage with manual focus or (relatively) leisurely contrast AF, and using a tripod more often. I had the K-01 and DA70 out in a thick drizzle/rain recently and it did fine, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that often - and in western Oregon that's seven months of the year!

Na Horuk · 01-28-2013, 07:03 AM

The K-01's AF may be slow, but its usually very precise. And for moving objects you might just switch to MF and use peaking/zone focusing to get it right. But generally, the K-01 is not as fast to turn on, to focus, as the DSLRs are. On the other hand, it is a very fun camera with a great sensor, and its significantly more compact than DSLRs. So you will have to weigh your personal pros and cons

Primes4ever · 01-28-2013, 07:35 AM

I have both and have been pleasantly surprised by its utility as a backup to my K5. It has limitations that have been well covered by others that limit its use in many situations. I would think long and hard before selling the K5.

Doundounba · 01-28-2013, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

[...] But generally, the K-01 is not as fast to turn on [...]

I don't have any experience with other Pentax cameras, so I don't know about "as fast", but I do hope that everyone that wants a fast startup on the K-01 remembers to disable the startup welcome screen (under the first setup menu, in "LCD Display"). After doing this, the K-01 starts up much faster. (See also the K-01 recommended settings page.)

Na Horuk · 01-28-2013, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by Doundounba

I don't have any experience with other Pentax cameras, so I don't know about "as fast", but I do hope that everyone that wants a fast startup on the K-01 remembers to disable the startup welcome screen (under the first setup menu, in "LCD Display"). After doing this, the K-01 starts up much faster. (See also the K-01 recommended settings page.)

You are right, good advice, but a DSLR is still faster, its virtually instantaneous. The K-01 is faster than any P&S I ever had, though.

lytrytyr · 01-28-2013, 11:20 AM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

a DSLR is still faster, its virtually instantaneous.

The K5 does take a little while to get its SR act together.

Khoff2 · 01-28-2013, 11:38 AM

Just picked up the K-01 last week to compare and see if could replace my K-r. This is what I have discovered.

- k-01 is FUN!
- images are amazing, much better than K-r.
- AF too slow for moving kids
- focus peaking is great, but not not with the 40xs lens as the focus ring is too small
- the k-01 and K-r fill different needs and both are needed
- k-r with the 40mm xs is a great combo, almost as small as the k-01

So, looks like I will be returning the K-01, selling the K-r, and buying a k-30 with a 40mm xs lens. That will be the best of both worlds IMHO.

RonHendriks1966 · 01-28-2013, 01:46 PM

My K-01 Yellow is now on 18.268 clicks, so it is only my mildly used camera. You can make great images with it when you know when to handle it.

I have a photo exhibition running at the time about womens soccer and there are 80 images on the wall. From them I made 24 with the K-01, mostly scenery from what is happening around the field and directly after the game.

I made 4 off them with K-5 II, since I only had it for the last two games.

mrbdm99 · 01-28-2013, 02:06 PM - **2 Likes**

I'm going to go off topic just a bit here and say something that I'm sure has been covered on this forum any number of times, but AF isn't needed to take great (in focus!) sports images, keep up with moving kids, etc. That said, seeing as my K-01 is still not here, I'm not sure how practical it would be to do these things (focus peaking or not) on a live view screen, but there are millions of action packed images that were taken well before the advent of AF. I know I used to take a lot of action images with no AF (and no flash for that matter) on high speed B&W film using a hand me down K1000 and Canon AE-1. Of course I'm not saying that a great AF system doesn't help and isn't/wasn't game changing, just that it is not necessary.

Sorry, ranting. I get tired of hearing that the AF system is the end all, be all of camerdom. That said, with my aging eyes, it is helpful

01-28-2013, 12:06 AM	#1
Shihaochew New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 220.255.1.159 Posts: 15	Selling k5 after using k01 I ordered a yellow k01 from amazon when it was on sale with 40mm xs. It is scheduled to deliver by mid February. Given its small size, same awesome sensor, coupled with focus peaking, I am thinking of selling my k5 and use the k01 exclusively as my primary camera body. The advantage of k5 is probably the OVF, and possibly better handling with two control dials (vs just the rear dial on k01). WR isn't important to me since I seldom shoot in poor weather conditions, and I prefer shooting with pentax limited primes. Just wondering if anyone is using k01 as their primary camera body in place of k5 or k30, and how you like it so far. The biggest draw for me would be the cost savings and smaller size Cheers!

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01-28-2013, 12:12 AM	#2
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Originally posted by Shihaochew I ordered a yellow k01 from amazon when it was on sale with 40mm xs. It is scheduled to deliver by mid February. Given its small size, same awesome sensor, coupled with focus peaking, I am thinking of selling my k5 and use the k01 exclusively as my primary camera body. The advantage of k5 is probably the OVF, and possibly better handling with two control dials (vs just the rear dial on k01). WR isn't important to me since I seldom shoot in poor weather conditions, and I prefer shooting with pentax limited primes. Just wondering if anyone is using k01 as their primary camera body in place of k5 or k30, and how you like it so far. The biggest draw for me would be the cost savings and smaller size Cheers! I like it as a backup and for certain purposes, but keep running into things that it doesn't do that my K-5 does. Certainly I'd use it for a good bit for thinking of selling the K-5...

01-28-2013, 12:17 AM	#3
reivax Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: California Posts: 826	Depending on the type of shooting you do, the K-01 could be a full replacement, but probably won't be. The biggest problem with the K-01 is the autofocus. It is very hard to get good focus with moving subjects. The K-01 also doesn't have wireless flash. Those two things prevent it from being a primary camera for me. Right now, I'm probably shooting 60/40 between my K-30 (60) and K-01 (40). I use my K-30 anytime I want to shoot sports, if there will be a lot of moving subjects, or if it's too bright outside for live view. The K-01 is for when I'm shooting indoors. I like the K-01 for casual shooting because it doesn't look like a DSLR and people tend to relax around it. With those two cameras I should be set for years. The only reason I would upgrade is for a full frame (which I'm not completely interested in at the moment) or if the next apsc really improved in ISO performance and/or autofocus. Even if it didn't, I could see myself being very happy for a long time with this combo.

01-28-2013, 02:02 AM	#4
Ikarus Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: California Photos: Albums Posts: 484	I wouldn't. I am still holding on to my K-x. The K-01 beats it for manual focusing on relatively static subjects, but for everything else, I still prefer using the K-x.

01-28-2013, 02:30 AM	#5
Shihaochew New Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: 220.255.1.159 Posts: 15 Original Poster	Hmm. Interesting thoughts. I understand that contrast detect may not be as fast as phase detection in DSLR but from I have seen on YouTube videos, k01 seems to autofocus pretty fast with the updated firmware ver 1.01. I guess I would really have to try it out myself before I can make a judgement on this. Just curious, how is the handling? I use Tav mode primarily on k5. Does the lack of a second dial in k01 affect usage? With the k5, I can adjust the aperture and shutter speed on the fly. Wonder if that would be a problem with the k01...

01-28-2013, 05:36 AM	#6
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by Shihaochew Hmm. Interesting thoughts. I understand that contrast detect may not be as fast as phase detection in DSLR but from I have seen on YouTube videos, k01 seems to autofocus pretty fast with the updated firmware ver 1.01. I guess I would really have to try it out myself before I can make a judgement on this. Just curious, how is the handling? I use Tav mode primarily on k5. Does the lack of a second dial in k01 affect usage? With the k5, I can adjust the aperture and shutter speed on the fly. Wonder if that would be a problem with the k01... There really isn't any "on the fly" with the K-01. What it does it does well, what it doesn't do is a long list. If you need to lock focus quickly, even with the updated firmware, the K-01 isn't up to it. I am using it more and more instead of my K-5 for macro, indoor, and anything still life but it just can't handle moving kids, sports, strong direct sunlight on its screen, and on and on.

01-28-2013, 06:24 AM	#7
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	I have considered it, though right now the market is full of K-5ii users letting go of their K-5 bodies. My budget is tight and if it tightens further I may need to let the K-5 go anyway. As noted before they really have many shots in common but some that are far easier with the other body; whether that affects you or any one shooter will vary case by case. I would miss the telephoto stability the K-5 gets from my face to the OVF, the weather seals and probably the battery life - the rest I can manage with manual focus or (relatively) leisurely contrast AF, and using a tripod more often. I had the K-01 and DA70 out in a thick drizzle/rain recently and it did fine, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that often - and in western Oregon that's seven months of the year!

01-28-2013, 07:03 AM	#8
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	The K-01's AF may be slow, but its usually very precise. And for moving objects you might just switch to MF and use peaking/zone focusing to get it right. But generally, the K-01 is not as fast to turn on, to focus, as the DSLRs are. On the other hand, it is a very fun camera with a great sensor, and its significantly more compact than DSLRs. So you will have to weigh your personal pros and cons

01-28-2013, 07:35 AM	#9
Primes4ever Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cambridge, Ontario Posts: 179	I have both and have been pleasantly surprised by its utility as a backup to my K5. It has limitations that have been well covered by others that limit its use in many situations. I would think long and hard before selling the K5.

01-28-2013, 08:45 AM	#10
Doundounba Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Montréal QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,351	Originally posted by Na Horuk [...] But generally, the K-01 is not as fast to turn on [...] I don't have any experience with other Pentax cameras, so I don't know about "as fast", but I do hope that everyone that wants a fast startup on the K-01 remembers to disable the startup welcome screen (under the first setup menu, in "LCD Display"). After doing this, the K-01 starts up much faster. (See also the K-01 recommended settings page.)

01-28-2013, 10:08 AM	#11
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Originally posted by Doundounba I don't have any experience with other Pentax cameras, so I don't know about "as fast", but I do hope that everyone that wants a fast startup on the K-01 remembers to disable the startup welcome screen (under the first setup menu, in "LCD Display"). After doing this, the K-01 starts up much faster. (See also the K-01 recommended settings page.) You are right, good advice, but a DSLR is still faster, its virtually instantaneous. The K-01 is faster than any P&S I ever had, though.

01-28-2013, 11:20 AM	#12
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by Na Horuk a DSLR is still faster, its virtually instantaneous. The K5 does take a little while to get its SR act together.

01-28-2013, 11:38 AM	#13
Khoff2 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas, TX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 84	Just picked up the K-01 last week to compare and see if could replace my K-r. This is what I have discovered. - k-01 is FUN! - images are amazing, much better than K-r. - AF too slow for moving kids - focus peaking is great, but not not with the 40xs lens as the focus ring is too small - the k-01 and K-r fill different needs and both are needed - k-r with the 40mm xs is a great combo, almost as small as the k-01 So, looks like I will be returning the K-01, selling the K-r, and buying a k-30 with a 40mm xs lens. That will be the best of both worlds IMHO.

01-28-2013, 01:46 PM	#14
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	My K-01 Yellow is now on 18.268 clicks, so it is only my mildly used camera. You can make great images with it when you know when to handle it. I have a photo exhibition running at the time about womens soccer and there are 80 images on the wall. From them I made 24 with the K-01, mostly scenery from what is happening around the field and directly after the game. I made 4 off them with K-5 II, since I only had it for the last two games.

01-28-2013, 02:06 PM - 2 Likes	#15
mrbdm99 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 83	I'm going to go off topic just a bit here and say something that I'm sure has been covered on this forum any number of times, but AF isn't needed to take great (in focus!) sports images, keep up with moving kids, etc. That said, seeing as my K-01 is still not here, I'm not sure how practical it would be to do these things (focus peaking or not) on a live view screen, but there are millions of action packed images that were taken well before the advent of AF. I know I used to take a lot of action images with no AF (and no flash for that matter) on high speed B&W film using a hand me down K1000 and Canon AE-1. Of course I'm not saying that a great AF system doesn't help and isn't/wasn't game changing, just that it is not necessary. Sorry, ranting. I get tired of hearing that the AF system is the end all, be all of camerdom. That said, with my aging eyes, it is helpful