[LeRolls]

K-S1 sensor is sightly worse than K30, K5 or K3. I don't get why they got this one. In term of features, it is no better than K30/K50 but noticably more expensive.

There only weight/size/look to justify it.

From the the few reviews/impressions I've seen so far the KS-1 supposedly has the best sensor that Pentax offers for a DSLR but I've never actually tried it out so I can't say from personal experience.

[D1N0]

The lower score is probably due to it having a 12 bit image processor (prime MII) instead of a 14 bit (less colour depth and DR). The 20mp chips is mainly used for budget offerings by Sony and is still better than canon's chip.

[aleonx3]

It probably was the only candidate. The D3300 was announced in January. Canon didn't do anything in the entry level.

Canon is at the stage where they are still loaded with all the entry level cameras from T3/i to T5/i, another entry level will likely affect the sale of previous models with an abundance of inventory, just IMHO.

[Zygonyx]

I already bought two K-S1 : one for my daughter, 1 for me...
So far both of us are very very pleased, the high iso performance is just excellent, actually slightly better than K-3 - and i still wait for DxO to sustain K-S1.
The compactness of the body with DA35mm or DA Limited is just comparable to K-01 - but the (excellent) view finder lacking on K-01.
Just missing - too bad in fact imho : multi-exposure, timelapse and distant flash management...
Battery life a bit short also.


https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=K-S1&user_id=10321525%40N07&sort=date-posted-desc

[Nicolas06]

The lower score is probably due to it having a 12 bit image processor (prime MII) instead of a 14 bit (less colour depth and DR). The 20mp chips is mainly used for budget offerings by Sony and is still better than canon's chip.

The K30 and K3 are slightly better at high iso, dynamic range and color deph than K-S1 and it use 12bit on DxO mark. K5 & K5-IIs get the best scores with more dynamic range.

From the the few reviews/impressions I've seen so far the KS-1 supposedly has the best sensor that Pentax offers for a DSLR but I've never actually tried it out so I can't say from personal experience.

I don't really trust at all that this K-S1 sensor is supposed to be better than the other 2 of that its sensor is the best of whatever:
- it doesn't provide the ultimate resolution
- it doesn't provide the ultimate high iso perf
- it doesn't provide the best dynamic range or color deph.

Even the K3 that is supposedly worse than the K5/K5-IIs sensor at high iso it not easy to say it is really worse overall. K3 provide the sharpest images up to 1600 isos and after that, it continue to maintain more detail (more resolution) but start to have more noise than K30/K5... Properly processed even at 6400 isos, the result are really good.

I'd say guys tend to be happy with their new gear, and that's really nice. I'd say guys also tend to look at 100% crop to check the quality of their picture, and for sure the higher the resolution the more you'll see noise at high isos, softness of your lenses and so... Doesn't mean the picture as a whole is any worse.

All of this anyway is around the same performance. Just to say that I would not replace K5/K30/K01 for K-S1 in the pursue of better low light/dynamic range or whatever related to the sensor except maybe the resolution.

K-S1 is for the new ergonomics and the light/small package and compared to a K30, I'am not sure the light aspect apply that much.

[JPT]

From what I have read and seen so far, the K-3 has potentially higher image quality than the K-S1 overall, but to reach the potential you need to do more PP. The K-S1's files look really good out of camera and are easier to deal with. That's the way it should be for a camera that is, at least in part, aimed at beginners.

Compared to the K-30/50, there are a lot of upgrades - better viewfinder, new processor (faster CDAF), same PDAF system but stranger focusing motor, Flu-card capability. I guess you're talking about DXO when you say the sensor is inferior, but we know that DXO doesn't reflect the presence or absence of an AA filter in it's scores, so I would guess that the K-S1's sensor actually a bit better than the K-50 for all practical considerations.

[mecrox]

The K30 and K3 are slightly better at high iso, dynamic range and color deph than K-S1 and it use 12bit on DxO mark. K5 & K5-IIs get the best scores with more dynamic range.



I don't really trust at all that this K-S1 sensor is supposed to be better than the other 2 of that its sensor is the best of whatever:
- it doesn't provide the ultimate resolution
- it doesn't provide the ultimate high iso perf
- it doesn't provide the best dynamic range or color deph.

Even the K3 that is supposedly worse than the K5/K5-IIs sensor at high iso it not easy to say it is really worse overall. K3 provide the sharpest images up to 1600 isos and after that, it continue to maintain more detail (more resolution) but start to have more noise than K30/K5... Properly processed even at 6400 isos, the result are really good.

I'd say guys tend to be happy with their new gear, and that's really nice. I'd say guys also tend to look at 100% crop to check the quality of their picture, and for sure the higher the resolution the more you'll see noise at high isos, softness of your lenses and so... Doesn't mean the picture as a whole is any worse.

All of this anyway is around the same performance. Just to say that I would not replace K5/K30/K01 for K-S1 in the pursue of better low light/dynamic range or whatever related to the sensor except maybe the resolution.

K-S1 is for the new ergonomics and the light/small package and compared to a K30, I'am not sure the light aspect apply that much.

I would guess that for all except for extreme situations the differences between these sensors are going to be minor, to the point where the lens will make more difference than the sensor. A good lens will take more advantage of no AA filter and more resolution. Perhaps the K3 would edge ahead in reasonable light but at twice the price so it should. Technique + lens can compensate for quite a lot, I think. There are lots of happy 16 mpx folk out there and with some brands that's the only choice.

[Zygonyx]

+1000 mecrox

[Nicolas06]

That's really true when comparing K30 vs K3. Also true when comparing K30 vs K-S1 too... This is more problematic then, no ?

Also counting K3 & K-S1 have quite similar prices now... K-S1 will not take significantly better photos than the other. The fair price is more the price of K50 for this K-S1 to me.

[mecrox]

That's really true when comparing K30 vs K3. Also true when comparing K30 vs K-S1 too... This is more problematic then, no ?

Also counting K3 & K-S1 have quite similar prices now... K-S1 will not take significantly better photos than the other. The fair price is more the price of K50 for this K-S1 to me.

K3 here is 705, K-S1 is 399. That's quite a difference. The K50 is a bargain at 350 or so but the other two are now at very good prices for here (in pounds). I might get both; either deal is almost too good to pass up. For 705 you get a huge amount in the K3, IMHO, which only a few years ago would have been astronomically expensive. And you still get a very nice travel camera with excellent IQ in the K-S1 for the price of a single DA Ltd lens. My K-01 is only 12 bit and I've always been hard pressed to tell any practical difference in output from my 14 bit K5 so this aspect is no worry for me. I suspect we may be in a short period of cheap before the coming storm of shrinking industry sales and the makers all rushing upmarket with prices to match. We may not even see another clearly cheap (in price) camera from Pentax.

[D1N0]

Pentax is DOOOOOOOOOMED and so are all of you



---- The End ---

[Zygonyx]

Doommed, but very happy with K-S1 !!!

[KX5]

Owner of a K5, the K-S1 is far behind knowing it use "only" a 12 bits RAW processing and an old 20MP sensor. A bad choice for me.

[Zygonyx]

Right, owning K-3 i could say the same...

But the compacity/leight weight of K-S1 is just allowing me to have it "always with me", with DA35mm or one of the DA Limited lenses (just as with K-01) ; which is not the case of the K-3.

[clackers]

Owner of a K5, the K-S1 is far behind knowing it use "only" a 12 bits RAW processing and an old 20MP sensor. A bad choice for me.

Yep, it has more resolution than your K5 and no AA filter, plus focus peaking for your manual lenses.

But Pentax are not aiming it as an upgrade for you - that's a K-3 or 645Z. ;-)