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11-11-2017, 06:03 AM   #1
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is the pentax k01 still worth buying in 2017 ?

greetings folks ... in my country i can grab a pentax k01 body for around 250$ used ... and the sony a6000 with the kit lens is around 500$ used ... is the k01 will be good buy ? giving that i have a ricoh 50 mm prime ... Thnx in advance

11-11-2017, 06:29 AM   #2
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I bought mine new with a 40 XS which I still own for $399 Canadian. I liked it as a hiking body for landscape with either the 21 ltd. on it or the 40 XS. But it was always a second body for when a long lens was on my DSLR.

I'm still kind of ambivalent about it. It took great pictures, but I'm used to an OVF for taking birds and wild life. Without that function it could never be my "A" camera.

It's an excellent short lens camera. But you are going to deal with the "bright sun on the back screen" issue.

Last edited by normhead; 11-11-2017 at 06:53 AM.
11-11-2017, 06:40 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
I bought mine new with a 40 XS which I still own for $399 Canadian. I liked it as a hiking body for landscape with either the 21 ltd. on it or the 40 XS. But it was always a second body for when a long lens was on my DSLR.

I'm still kind of ambivalent about it. It took great pictures, but I'm used to an OVF for taking birds and wild life. Without that function it could never be my "A" camera.

It's an excellent short lens camera. But you are going ethane to deal with the "bright sun on the back screen" issue.
thnx mate .. but is the camera is still good enough for 2017 ? and would you buy it now ?
11-11-2017, 06:51 AM   #4
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I still have mine and use it as back up to my K-1 or K3. The K-01 has the same 16mp sensor of the K5 I believe. The K5 is certainly still a very capable camera. Many people are still using them and selling photos from them. The downside to the K-01 is simply the lack of an EVF. Like Norm said in bright sunlight it can be very difficult to view the LCD. The menu is also a bit cumbersome as well. If you want to just go on image quality then yes it is still a capable camera. I however personally would look for a used K50 or K5 mysel. The K50 is not much bigger than the K-01 and still has the 16mp sensor. I had a K50 and really enjoyed it. The K-01 is quirky little boxy camera that people either seem to love or hate with nothing in between.

11-11-2017, 06:55 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Abrar420 Quote
thnx mate .. but is the camera is still good enough for 2017 ? and would you buy it now ?
For the IQ, yes, and as a second body yes. But right now my K-1 is my landscape body and my K-3 is my long lens body, so it really wouldn't have place.
11-11-2017, 07:01 AM - 1 Like   #6
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Well, personally I think in the low $200s, the K-01 is still a pretty good buy. Excellent choice for landscapes, for instance, or for IR conversion. The a6000 is twice the price. The a6000 would have way better AF and way better burst shooting - two weaknesses of the K-01 - so if that's important to you you might want to opt for the more expensive option. One thing that annoyed me about the a6000 when I considered it was the aspect ratio of the back LCD. As I recall, it's very wide, so that when you're shooting stills, the image is really much smaller than it would be on the K-01's display.
11-11-2017, 07:09 AM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Abrar420 Quote
is the camera is still good enough for 2017 ? and would you buy it now ?
The newest Pentax camera I own is the K-3II. Great bit of kit. But the camera I most often choose to shoot is a Samsung GX-10 (same as the Pentax K10D). It takes great photos - just as good as the day it was released, back in 2006.

The K-01 was released in 2012. Is it as technologically advanced as some of the latest models? No, not quite. Do you actually need any of the latest technological improvements and features? Only you can decide. Frankly, most people don't.

11-11-2017, 07:13 AM   #8
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So far, the thread seems to be "it's good, but I have better options available". So, since you don't have DSLR or anything, I'd say for that kind of money the K-01 is an ok value. Focus peaking will come in handy with your ricoh lens, just remove the pin first if needed. Of course, if you can get the camera with its 40mm XS lens, that's even better.
11-11-2017, 07:48 AM   #9
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thnx for the reply folks
11-11-2017, 08:05 AM   #10
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Grii?

I had a K-01 and found I was using it almost exclusively with the DA21, as a backup/second body. I then got a GR, which has equal or better IQ, is slightly wider focal length, and about half the size. Just a thought....
11-11-2017, 08:38 AM   #11
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I bought a used K-01 shortly after I purchased my K-1 to have it converted to a full-spectrum camera. About that time, the solar eclipse came along, so I put off the conversion until afterwards and spent that time getting to know the K-01 a bit better. The sensor is just like you cut an APS sized sensor out of the K-1 full-frame sensor (same pixel density), meaning that APS-C cropped frames from the K-1 have the same pixel count. Image quality is very good, but as others have mentioned, it lacks an optical VF (no problem and even an advantage for a converted camera), and the LCD screen is near impossible to use if sunlight is falling on it. It has an HDR mode and some other great functions but not as well developed as in the K-1.

The K-01 fits your hand really well - better than I expected. It has a rather "flimsy" rubber cover for the SD card/electrical connection port area but I've had no issues with it so far. Otherwise, it has a solid, well built feel. You might even consider the K-01 as a compact camera since its footprint isn't all that large, though its bigger than most compact cameras. It fits nicely into smaller cases, especially if you have a compact lens on it.

The conversion I had done by Isaac Szabo, works great and the K-01 does really good IR photography. That's the main use I have for it now and enjoy pairing it up with the K-1 which I use for everything else. I think the K-01 is easily worth the $200 you might pay for it considering the lack of an optical viewfinder suits your use.
11-11-2017, 09:19 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Abrar420 Quote
is the camera is still good enough for 2017 ?
It wasn't "good enough" for 2012, so no. I own several K-01s, and I personally like the camera a lot, but it was very unpopular, even in 2012. I have seen a lot of people buy the K-01 for the low price, and then get frustrated at its limitations.

You haven't said what you want to use the camera for. The IQ is excellent, the shutter fairly quiet, and focus peaking is useful for manual focus lenses. With short, fast primes, the K-01 can be a lot of fun - it is a different experience from a DSLR or an EVF mirrorless. With longer, slower autofocus zooms, it is painfully frustrating. For shooting moving kids or pets indoors in low light, it's almost useless. I personally never had much of a problem shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, but that is a very common complaint.

The K-01 can be handy as a second body, especially with just a wrist strap - I find that getting away from the viewfinder and shooting at arm's length makes me more likely to try shots that I wouldn't bother with a DSLR. But as your only camera, you really have to consider what kind of shooting you will be doing with it.
11-11-2017, 10:45 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
It wasn't "good enough" for 2012, so no. I own several K-01s, and I personally like the camera a lot, but it was very unpopular, even in 2012. I have seen a lot of people buy the K-01 for the low price, and then get frustrated at its limitations.

You haven't said what you want to use the camera for. The IQ is excellent, the shutter fairly quiet, and focus peaking is useful for manual focus lenses. With short, fast primes, the K-01 can be a lot of fun - it is a different experience from a DSLR or an EVF mirrorless. With longer, slower autofocus zooms, it is painfully frustrating. For shooting moving kids or pets indoors in low light, it's almost useless. I personally never had much of a problem shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, but that is a very common complaint.

The K-01 can be handy as a second body, especially with just a wrist strap - I find that getting away from the viewfinder and shooting at arm's length makes me more likely to try shots that I wouldn't bother with a DSLR. But as your only camera, you really have to consider what kind of shooting you will be doing with it.
hmmmm ...nicely pointed out..thnx
11-11-2017, 11:35 AM   #14
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If you do get a K-01, be sure to update the firmware. Auto focus was painful with the 1.0 firmware, but is MUCH improved with the later versions.
11-11-2017, 11:36 AM   #15
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I think that a used K-S1 is so affordable that it might not make sense to go with K-01. Technology keeps improving
I like my K-01 and still use it a lot. It has a good sensor, but the camera is old and I don't think 250euro for body only is a "great" deal, unless it is in pristine condition and you really appreciate it for what it is.
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