[TwoUptons]

will there be a P.F. review of the recent photography trade show?

They usually show up on the home page a week or so after the event...

-Eric

[beachgardener]

ok thanks

[Mountain Vision]

, especially knowing that the K1 in crop mode can shoot 50 raws @ 7FPS, and that the KP can also work for occasional wildlife shots. In fact the KP is better for long lenses than the K3II , and I'll tell you why: electronic shutter in ovf mode and gets sharper images thanks to the absence of vibrations... .

I have to say, on a spec sheet alone, you might be correct - a K-1 is a bargain because it's a K-1 and a K-3II upgrade in the same box. However, it really isn't like that. The K-1 in crop mode has all the focus points jammed together and it's really not designed to be used as a K-3II in disguise. Sure the buffer and frame rate and the pixel density and all the specs look legit, but it's just not really ideally your K-3II replacement for every use.

Also, I wish crop mode gave the option of completely blacking out the full frame. Sometimes it's nice to see outside the frame but other times it's a distraction.

[biz-engineer]

The K-1 in crop mode has all the focus points jammed together and it's really not designed to be used as a K-3II in disguise. Sure the buffer and frame rate and the pixel density and all the specs look legit, but it's just not really ideally your K-3II replacement for every use.

I see your point. If I can share my experience, after using the K1 with battery grip and DFA150450, I've found that the 15Mpixels crops deliver about the same IQ as a K3 24Mp simply because dynamic shooting requires relatively fast shutter speed, hardware a case for low ISO, ISO is usually between 800 and 1600 when the 24Mpixel sensor lost more of its details. So I now have 1 x K1 and 1 x K1 mk II and no apsc (I sold all my apsc bodies and lenses).

---------- Post added 06-03-19 at 08:33 ----------

Also, I wish crop mode gave the option of completely blacking out the full frame. Sometimes it's nice to see outside the frame but other times it's a distraction.

I agree, it's a tradeoff. OTOH, when I am close enough to the subject (depending of the type on subject) I may even switch back the K1 from crop mode to FF mode so that detail+noise is a step better compared to a cropped frame, something that I wouldn't be able to do with a K3 or KP. So for me the K1 is the most versatile camera I ever had: great for landscape and people photos in FF mode, and can provide a boost in frame rate, reach and buffer depth when switched into crop mode. I've also asked about the D850 frame rate in crop mode, and was told that on the D850 there is no difference of frame rate between FF mode (7FPS) and crop mode (also 7FPS), making the K1 still look like a great value.

[OoKU]

This year I was able to go to CP+ on the Friday rather than the Saturday. I was hoping that a weekday would make it easier to get around and see things. It was, but still got busy after midday. The nature of the crowd is a bit different on the Friday. There seemed to be more pros, industry people and elderly people. On the other hand there were fewer couples and casual visitors in general. I guess it is what you would expect of a weekday.



The Ricoh Imaging Booth
The Ricoh booth was the same size and position as the previous year, but the layout was different. The space was divided into three zones with the GR at the front, Theta in the middle and Pentax at the back. There stage area and a small gallery behind it. Overall there was quite a lot to see. You’ve probably seen the revised roadmaps and 85mm mock-up already. The 85mm had a black plastic disk where the glass should be, but a staff member told me this is normal procedure because they don’t want people spying on the optical formula. The booth was busy the whole time I was there.

GR III
The first thing I did was to queue up for a bit and try out the GR III. As a user of the very first GR Digital model, I’m very happy about the smaller dimensions than the GR II. Because it has more weight in it, it has a better feeling of solidity. There is still a huge amount of customisation available. The touch screen is very responsive, and I was pleased to find that you can use the screen one handed with your thumb without too much difficulty - no need to adjust your grip. One aspect I had not heard mentioned before was manual focus. I found this easier and more intuitive now, because the circular wheel around the D-pad can be used for this purpose. It’s still a bit fiddly, but better than up/down buttons. Overall the GR III was every bit as good as I’d hoped for and I’m going to buy one.



KP Custom Model
So far the coverage of this seems completely to have missed the point. These two guys are proposing the idea of a kind of a sub-brand offering bespoke customisation. The KP they are showing is just an illustration of this idea. They’ve even made up a logo for the brand. They are experimenting with the kind of tweaks and tuning that car/bike enthusiasts do to soup up their machines. They realize these will never be mass produced as mainstream cameras, but they are trying to gauge interest. That KP in his hand has a cool replacement mount made of some shiny grey carbon material. It was quite interesting. They were very keen to speak English to me, and seemed to love the fact I was still using a K-01.



Theta Z1
While the whole booth was busy, this part seemed to be busiest, perhaps because it was so small. They had small explanatory presentations and some deconstructed Z1s. It’s really impressive how they use prisms to package so small. The little OLED screen looks cool too. I’d like to see one on a K-mount camera in future.

Pentax 100-year Anniversary
Given that most of the recent releases have been Ricoh products, Pentax was a bit overshadowed by the GR II and the Z1 this time, but they did have reasonable amount of space, with a counter to try out the new lenses. A number of the presentations focused on Pentax and the new lenses in particular. There was also promotion for Pentax 100. Between presentations they were showing was a nice video on the screen with people holding a selection of Pentax cameras over the years. The images changing timed to drum beats. It was bright and cheerful and I hope they make it available online soon. They said they are not planning a specific anniversary model. Their new models will be forward looking, not commemorative. For the celebrations, there will be events around the world in the months leading up to the actual date in November.

Other manufacturers
I looked round all the other manufacturers. The tone of their stands were much the same as previous years (bland corporate), and they are all pretty much the same as each other. Now that all the companies are primarily pushing mirrorless mounts, it feels like they are coming out with near-identical systems. The only thing that differentiates them is FPS, bitrates and so on. The galleries show that all of these cameras are capable of taking fantastic images to be displayed at any reasonable size. So what sets anyone apart now? It seems to me that Ricoh/Pentax is really the only company that is making cameras that feel different to use. As Pentaxians, I think it’s time to stop wishing that Pentax would emulate the other makers and appreciate Ricoh/Pentax for its own strengths.

From my own perspective it was quite a good CP+. I‘m totally positive about the changes to the GR III. Also a new standard zoom for APS-C is something I would potentially be very interested in, so I'm glad it was added to the roadmap. And most of all, I think both Ricoh and Pentax remain unique brands that I can happily associate with.

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av45523445

[Merv-O]

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av45523445

Did you take that Pentax booth video with your KP? It looks fine to me.

[wed7]

I wonder when will Adam up his interview report?

[monochrome]

I wonder when will Adam up his interview report?

I think he said about a week. That was Monday.

[wed7]

I think he said about a week. Tyhatb was Monday.

Thank you.

[JPT]

There was also promotion for Pentax 100. Between presentations they were showing was a nice video on the screen with people holding a selection of Pentax cameras over the years. The images changing timed to drum beats. It was bright and cheerful and I hope they make it available online soon.

Another poster Ben-G found this video on Ricoh Europe's Youtube. This is the 100 Years of Pentax video I was talking about. Posting it here too for the sake of completeness.

You Tube

You Tube

[Merv-O]

may even switch back the K1 from crop mode to FF mode so that detail+noise is a step better compared to a cropped frame, something that I wouldn't be able to do with a K3 or KP. So for me the K1 is the most versatile camera I

Biz: absolutely correct. I don't want to sound blasphemous here, but I sold my K-1ii (I didn't like the present RICOH accelerator settings & couldn't manually disable) so I bought a K-1 instead, upgraded the Firmware and enjoy it more. It has all of the essential ingredient s built in and on several of my DA lenses, I don't even have to crop mode them--giving more dynamic range across the board, having more lens options and less weight all baked into a single body. I love Pentax for the ease of the K-MOUNT compatibility and with 5 bodies across the Pentax spectrum, I'd say I'm in for the long haul.

[biz-engineer]

Biz: absolutely correct. I don't want to sound blasphemous here, but I sold my K-1ii (I didn't like the present RICOH accelerator settings & couldn't manually disable) so I bought a K-1 instead

That, I'm aware, the K1 II doesn't disable the accelerator chip in crop mode, nor with DPS (DPS will proceed to democratizing of the 4 frames after the data have been processed by the accelerator, which is not logical). I have the K1 II, I like the color tweaks and that I don't have the shutter shock problem that I have with the K1, but IMO Ricoh didn't put much thinking into added the accelerator chip to the K1II, in fact the ISO threshold is the same as for the Kp, which also doesn't make sense.

[Merv-O]

That, I'm aware, the K1 II doesn't disable the accelerator chip in crop mode, nor with DPS

Biz: I think future firmware tweaks may address the flexibility issue in the accelerator, but since RICOH Pentax is painfully slow with updates of this nature, I didn't want to wait around for it...Frankly, I don't suffer the same shutter shock on my K-1 as you have. I do however, employ the rigid elbow breathing technique to minimize the reports of the SS that you and other members have noted. The pics I have are pleasing to me and the custom settings I use are not 'colored' by the accelerator in the K-1 ii. But as you said, many others here like the K-1 ii's imaging just fine. Since I also have the KP, I think the slight K-1 differentials is to my liking.

[xandos]

Doesnt the accelerator chip sit between the sensor and the main processor? I doubt there is anything that can be done in firmware if that is the case. I think in order to make the accelerator switchable, if Ricoh did not intend to do so right from the beginning, probably the entire board needs to be redesigned.