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08-25-2014, 07:33 PM   #136
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pentaxaholic Quote
So their loss is OUR GAIN!
But don't you see... failed products won't help us long term? We need Pentax to produce good, successful products so they can continue to develop our K-mount system.

As nice as it was to grab the K-01 at a clearance price, I would rather have had a more successful product. I sincerely hope Pentax will re-visit the concept.

08-25-2014, 08:17 PM   #137
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
But don't you see... failed products won't help us long term? We need Pentax to produce good, successful products so they can continue to develop our K-mount system.

As nice as it was to grab the K-01 at a clearance price, I would rather have had a more successful product. I sincerely hope Pentax will re-visit the concept.
The Q was seen as a failed product too. It really didn't begin to sell until the price was reduced, then Ricoh gave us three more models.

The biggest failing of the K-01 in the eyes of Ricoh is that it was designed by a Gaijin.
08-26-2014, 03:36 AM   #138
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
But don't you see... failed products won't help us long term? We need Pentax to produce good, successful products so they can continue to develop our K-mount system.

As nice as it was to grab the K-01 at a clearance price, I would rather have had a more successful product. I sincerely hope Pentax will re-visit the concept.
But, if you could sell K-01s, for a profit, for 300 or 350 dollars, then it could be successful. Maybe quite a bit more successful than a camera like the K500. My understanding is that mirrorless cameras are cheaper to assemble and produce. Sony's first iterations of the NEX weren't very good, but they continued to work on them. For whatever reason Pentax has chosen to drop this model like a hot potato.
08-26-2014, 05:02 AM   #139
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
The Q was seen as a failed product too. It really didn't begin to sell until the price was reduced, then Ricoh gave us three more models.

The biggest failing of the K-01 in the eyes of Ricoh is that it was designed by a Gaijin.
I had to Google "Gaijin". I wonder what the in-house folks thought of the Newson design...

QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
But, if you could sell K-01s, for a profit, for 300 or 350 dollars, then it could be successful. Maybe quite a bit more successful than a camera like the K500. My understanding is that mirrorless cameras are cheaper to assemble and produce. Sony's first iterations of the NEX weren't very good, but they continued to work on them. For whatever reason Pentax has chosen to drop this model like a hot potato.
At the time the K-01 was released, MSRP was $749 body/$899 with the 40XS. If the price had been $150 less, AND it had the 1.03 FW, reviews would have been more positive. And perhaps reviewers would have been a bit more willing to push aside their preconceptions of how a camera "should" be.

I hope we see another K-mount mirrorless. I'd like to buy one.

08-26-2014, 05:31 AM   #140
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I like my K-01 but I just don't understand why the LCD focus indicator follows the chosen point of focus around without altering the actual focus. That's a real disappointment for me.
08-26-2014, 08:42 AM   #141
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bossa - if you use continuous focus, doesn't it re-adjust the focus?
08-26-2014, 12:56 PM   #142
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QuoteOriginally posted by GXRUser Quote
But, it was being compared to mirrorless system cameras.
It was compared to mirrorless system cameras, because it is a mirrorless system camera.

Consumers only care about the product; most consumers are not interested in the development of the product.

08-26-2014, 01:12 PM   #143
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
But don't you see... failed products won't help us long term? We need Pentax to produce good, successful products so they can continue to develop our K-mount system.

As nice as it was to grab the K-01 at a clearance price, I would rather have had a more successful product. I sincerely hope Pentax will re-visit the concept.
My definition of 'failure' is not trying! I give them credit for 'thinking out of the box'!

I don't think we will ever have a shortage of Pentax lenses to fit this camera! They boast in the millions to date!
Advertisements show they are in the lead over competition in lenses designed specifically for aps-c sensors:
Digital Cameras by RICOH IMAGING
Again, Thanks Ricoh!
08-26-2014, 01:40 PM   #144
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I think the word I have for the K-01 is "bemusing"

It has the sensor of the K5, but the functionality of a P&S. It has SOME K5 advanced features, but the implementation for hardcore photographers is frustrating.

I bought a K-01 when the price was dropped to 249 as a backup to my K5iis. After 2 weeks of experimentation, I gave it to my GF as her first interchangeable lens camera. That lasted 5 months before she went out and bought a K-30 and gave me back the K-01.

The ergonomics of the camera is fine if you use small primes, but any big fast zooms are impossible to deal with, the set up is just too front heavy. The CDAF was worthless for moving objects, literally requiring the user to shoot movies instead of stills and pulling JPEGs off the movie. So pretty much using it for anything other than tripod work was maddeningly frustrating.

So use it for outdoor landscape work? The screen was difficult to see in sunlight. The remote sensor was ONLY in the front (wow really annoying!!) and manual focus was next to impossible. I found metering to be inconsistent, and only shooting to a histogram yielded consistent results. How many P&S transition types you think had a clue what a histogram even is/was?

All debates about looks aside, It was a camera stuck between markets and demographics. It was priced for higher end users yet its appeal should have been P&S tweeners who didn't want a full fledged dslr but grew up on iphones and other shoot from the back screen devices. Even these users, like my GF, quickly outgrow it. What I'll call "serious" photogs simply found its limitations to be flaws with no work around, so it was relegated to a non status (ie stuck on a shelf or sold). At $800 launch price, I would have expected it to have performed much better in at least some aspect, and I would have been seriously peeved had I spent $800, expecting it to be my primary camera.

I have since sold my K-01 to a P&S transition type, and he loves it, because the image quality of the APS-C sensor is such an upgrade from what he was using. He's teaching himself all about the basics of photography, experimenting with Av, TaV and Manual modes, in the mean time taking pics of his kid and pets. I suspect he will love this camera for as long as he doesn't get too serious and stays in the facebook poster, family album realm of shooting. Once his kid gets old enough to get into sports, the K-01 will fail him and he will move on. I have sold him as a package 2 decent low end pentax lenses, so hopefully he will stay with the K-mount.

Maybe that was the purpose of the K-01... Pentax crack. It was only meant to be a hook into the K-mount world, with no intention of ever leaving you satisfied over the long haul.
08-26-2014, 02:52 PM   #145
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pentaxaholic Quote
My definition of 'failure' is not trying! I give them credit for 'thinking out of the box'!

I don't think we will ever have a shortage of Pentax lenses to fit this camera! They boast in the millions to date!
Advertisements show they are in the lead over competition in lenses designed specifically for aps-c sensors:
Digital Cameras by RICOH IMAGING
Again, Thanks Ricoh!
Pentax didn't do anything with the K-01 that hadn't been done already with other mirrorless cameras, other than hire some "famous designer"... and Marc Newson was probably constrained by a corporate mandate than he use primarily off-the-shelf parts.

Failure is only beneficial if the company learns and progresses from it - this isn't t-ball, where you "win" because you "tried" and everybody goes to Mickey D's for a Happy Meal later.

We're a full cycle (and more) beyond the next body design (look at K-5 and K-30), and no mirrorless Pentax. Disappointing. Had the K-01 been reasonaly successful from a sales perspective, perhaps a new and improved successor would have already been launched or announced.

"...lead over competition in lenses designed specifically for aps-c sensors" What's wrong with 35mm (full frame) lenses on APS-C? Nothing! Why isn't Canon or Nikon churning out truckloads of lenses "designed specifically for aps-c sensors"? Because they have full frame cameras, too!

Do you know about the origins of the term "Drinking the Kool-Aid"? Hint: it doesn't end well.

You can be a fan or appreciative or whatever for what Pentax is and does, but to ignore the shortcomings is not helpful to the Pentax ecosphere in the long run.
08-26-2014, 03:04 PM   #146
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QuoteOriginally posted by nomadkng Quote
The ergonomics of the camera is fine if you use small primes, but any big fast zooms are impossible to deal with, the set up is just too front heavy. The CDAF was worthless for moving objects, literally requiring the user to shoot movies instead of stills and pulling JPEGs off the movie. So pretty much using it for anything other than tripod work was maddeningly frustrating.

So use it for outdoor landscape work? The screen was difficult to see in sunlight. The remote sensor was ONLY in the front (wow really annoying!!) and manual focus was next to impossible. I found metering to be inconsistent, and only shooting to a histogram yielded consistent results. How many P&S transition types you think had a clue what a histogram even is/was?
Yes, the K-01 was certainly designed for use specifically with smallish lenses. I can't fault Pentax for that, as it is self-evident. I've no serious complaints about metering, and for landscapish work I've had no problems with the LCD, either - I crank up the brightness to max and it's fine. But I'm in NJ, and I know that in other locations the quality of sunlight is different and maybe the environs are brighter.

While certainly not ideal for wildlife, I shoot quite a bit with a Hoodman Loupe knockoff with lenses up to a 550mm MTO mirror lens. It's usable.

QuoteQuote:
All debates about looks aside, It was a camera stuck between markets and demographics. It was priced for higher end users yet its appeal should have been P&S tweeners who didn't want a full fledged dslr but grew up on iphones and other shoot from the back screen devices. Even these users, like my GF, quickly outgrow it. What I'll call "serious" photogs simply found its limitations to be flaws with no work around, so it was relegated to a non status (ie stuck on a shelf or sold). At $800 launch price, I would have expected it to have performed much better in at least some aspect, and I would have been seriously peeved had I spent $800, expecting it to be my primary camera.
I agree.

QuoteQuote:
Maybe that was the purpose of the K-01... Pentax crack. It was only meant to be a hook into the K-mount world, with no intention of ever leaving you satisfied over the long haul.
I dunno. the K-01 is so much different than a DSLR, I don't know if, say, a K-3 is even a logical upgrade path for K-01 users.

Last edited by luftfluss; 06-08-2016 at 08:23 AM.
08-27-2014, 06:11 PM   #147
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
... the K-01 is so much different than a DSLR, I don't know if, say, a K-3 is even a logical upgrade path for K-01 users.
It's a conundrum for me at least. I was thinking of purchasing a new body for xmas this year, two years after my K-01, but so far I'm really unsure... Bulk-up to a Pentax DLSR? The new K-S1 weighs almost exactly the same as a K-01, but is much more voluminous. You "gain" an optical viewfinder in exchange for a smaller battery, basically. 20MP with no AA filter should make for a very competent photographic machine. But still no tilting LCD!?? I dunno. I'd like to hold one in my hands to see how it feels... K-3 is also a possibility, I guess, but even bigger, bulkier and more expensive... But maybe I'd grow to like DSLRs? Unsurprisingly, I find myself quite tempted by the mirrorless camp, especially Fuji, Olympus & Panasonic. Fairly expensive systems though, and I realize now that one of the things that I really appreciate about Pentax is the abundance of old, k-mount MF lenses. And I'm not sold on the idea of using adapters that have no aperture control. I think the ability to focus wide open provided on a k-mount body (by the aperture lever) for all k-mount native glass is a big plus. Also, there's a dearth of choices in (long, 1:1) macro lenses in the mirrorless camp. With Fuji, the only 1:1 is a 50mm - very short. With m4/3 you get a 60mm 1:1, which at 120mm equivalent, is not bad, but still shorter than the 90-105mm lenses available for Pentax APS-C.

So, maybe I'll get a third K-01 body and strap down for the long(er) haul? I could definitely use something smaller, with faster AF and a tilting LCD though, but not at the expense of losing some of the capabilities that I enjoy now...
08-27-2014, 08:12 PM   #148
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QuoteOriginally posted by Doundounba Quote
It's a conundrum for me at least. I was thinking of purchasing a new body for xmas this year, two years after my K-01, but so far I'm really unsure... Bulk-up to a Pentax DLSR? The new K-S1 weighs almost exactly the same as a K-01, but is much more voluminous. You "gain" an optical viewfinder in exchange for a smaller battery, basically. 20MP with no AA filter should make for a very competent photographic machine. But still no tilting LCD!?? I dunno. I'd like to hold one in my hands to see how it feels... K-3 is also a possibility, I guess, but even bigger, bulkier and more expensive... But maybe I'd grow to like DSLRs? Unsurprisingly, I find myself quite tempted by the mirrorless camp, especially Fuji, Olympus & Panasonic. Fairly expensive systems though, and I realize now that one of the things that I really appreciate about Pentax is the abundance of old, k-mount MF lenses. And I'm not sold on the idea of using adapters that have no aperture control. I think the ability to focus wide open provided on a k-mount body (by the aperture lever) for all k-mount native glass is a big plus. Also, there's a dearth of choices in (long, 1:1) macro lenses in the mirrorless camp. With Fuji, the only 1:1 is a 50mm - very short. With m4/3 you get a 60mm 1:1, which at 120mm equivalent, is not bad, but still shorter than the 90-105mm lenses available for Pentax APS-C.

So, maybe I'll get a third K-01 body and strap down for the long(er) haul? I could definitely use something smaller, with faster AF and a tilting LCD though, but not at the expense of losing some of the capabilities that I enjoy now...
Yeah, it really is a shame that they didn't include a tilting screen on the K-S1 and if it really is going to be $750 for the body it seems a tad too expensive. I think I'd rather go for the K-5IIs with the grip at that price.
09-10-2014, 01:31 AM   #149
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QuoteOriginally posted by Spodeworld Quote
bossa - if you use continuous focus, doesn't it re-adjust the focus?
The indicator follows the subject around quite nicely but the continuous focus mode does not adjust the focus satisfactorily at all. I can move the camera 6 inches closer to a close subject without the camera making any adjustments whereas my D800e follows perfectly in Continuous Servo Mode.
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QuoteOriginally posted by Doundounba Quote
It's a conundrum for me at least. I was thinking of purchasing a new body for xmas this year, two years after my K-01, but so far I'm really unsure... Bulk-up to a Pentax DLSR? The new K-S1 weighs almost exactly the same as a K-01, but is much more voluminous. You "gain" an optical viewfinder in exchange for a smaller battery, basically. 20MP with no AA filter should make for a very competent photographic machine. But still no tilting LCD!?? I dunno. I'd like to hold one in my hands to see how it feels... K-3 is also a possibility, I guess, but even bigger, bulkier and more expensive... But maybe I'd grow to like DSLRs? Unsurprisingly, I find myself quite tempted by the mirrorless camp, especially Fuji, Olympus & Panasonic. Fairly expensive systems though, and I realize now that one of the things that I really appreciate about Pentax is the abundance of old, k-mount MF lenses. And I'm not sold on the idea of using adapters that have no aperture control. I think the ability to focus wide open provided on a k-mount body (by the aperture lever) for all k-mount native glass is a big plus. Also, there's a dearth of choices in (long, 1:1) macro lenses in the mirrorless camp. With Fuji, the only 1:1 is a 50mm - very short. With m4/3 you get a 60mm 1:1, which at 120mm equivalent, is not bad, but still shorter than the 90-105mm lenses available for Pentax APS-C.

So, maybe I'll get a third K-01 body and strap down for the long(er) haul? I could definitely use something smaller, with faster AF and a tilting LCD though, but not at the expense of losing some of the capabilities that I enjoy now...
Suggestion re: long macro lenses.

1. fit a third party viewfinder to the K01 that allows for daylight viewing of the LCD screen
2. get a A*200mm macro (lol - like they grow on trees)

That setup is quite good - in fact - superior to the K5. On that score (K5) I am becoming quite disgruntled with its performance. As LeRolls said, upgrading to a K5IIs is a logical step on a price point basis alone.
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