[stevebrot]

Saw this link about the K-1's pixel-shift technology on a Nikon FX forum at one of the other camera websites:

diglloyd: Pentax K1: Super Resolution Mode Appears to be Best DSLR Quality Yet

I have high respect for Lloyd Chambers and his technical expertise and was dumbfounded to read how he gushes over the K-1 example images. The cool part is that his analysis and predictions are likely very accurate.


Steve

[Fenwoodian]

I exchanged emails this weekend with Lloyd on Pixel Shift. He's testing a K3ii in pixel shift mode this coming week with a variety of lenses. Then in a few weeks he'll be getting an early copy of the K1 which he'll be testing. He's especially interested in K1's Pixel Shift / High Res mode.

I have no doubt that he'll be investigating just about everything we'd want to know about K1 Pixel shift, how it compares with K3ii pixel shift. Also, how the K1 Pixel Shift IQ compares with Nikon/Canon full frames and medium format digital.

Anyone on the fence about buying the K1 will want to subscribe to Lloyd's detailed reports and recommendations on the K1. I can't wait to read them myself.

---------- Post added 02-21-16 at 08:43 PM ----------

As someone who owns a 645z, a D810 and an A7rii, I will let you know how they compare when I get my K1.

Great, can't wait to see what your findings are! So glad that you've decided to share them with the rest of us here on the Pentax Forum.

[btnapa]

Saw this link about the K-1's pixel-shift technology on a Nikon FX forum at one of the other camera websites:

diglloyd: Pentax K1: Super Resolution Mode Appears to be Best DSLR Quality Yet

Despite it's limitations the SR gives Pentax an almost unfair advantage. Then again Pentax needs that advantage to catch up with the full frame game. I can change my studio lighting to cope with the movement limitation in the SR. I wish there was a way to deal with the issue in landscape work namely moving water and such.

[disco_owner]

Here is a crop from both the official Pixel Shift comparison photos at Sample Image? PENTAX K-1 | RICOH IMAGING .

Both halves of the image are 200% crops from near the bottom of the official photos. Moiré? Now you see it, now you don't... not to mention the increase in fine detail. Some of the leaf detail too is astonishing, yes that's the word.

That's phenominal.The detail in 2nd image compared to the 1st..

[JPT]

Several Japanese camera magazines were published this weekend, and they all had detailed coverage of the K-1, with a wealth of printed samples.

It seems that pixel shift resolution enhancement has an on/off setting, and there is another on/off setting for the suppression of movement. Two of the magazines showed comparisons of a scene with the movement suppression on and off. In one scene of a Ferris wheel, the system was able to freeze the movement of the wheel. The other magazine showed an impressive example where white a flapping flag was was frozen in front of a dark brown temple building. In both examples, they had a crop of the detail in the corrected part and a still part of the image, which showed that the region that was corrected had reverted to the "normal" image quality, while the rest of the image had the extra detail of the pixel shift system.

So, I wouldn't assume that the pixel shift function has the same restrictions that it does in the K-3ii. It seems to be a next generation of the technology.

[todd]

The application that interests me most for p-shifting is for composite work. When I want selective focus, I'll use the p-shifted shot for that focused subject then composite with the standard shot or bracketed/merged set etc... If stuff is moving like a waterfall then I take a standard shot, plus maybe even a bracketed set or whatevs, then also the p-shifted image to composite all that together as fits the vision. fun stuff!

[alamo5000]

As someone who owns a 645z, a D810 and an A7rii, I will let you know how they compare when I get my K1.

Holy crap man. You don't have any other hobbies do you?

[Zephos]

As someone who owns a 645z, a D810 and an A7rii, I will let you know how they compare when I get my K1.

Well aren't you spoiled rotten.

[dsmithhfx]

I actually bought a second, lighter, tripod specifically for trail use.

If I brought along a tripod, my wife would kill me with it.

[normhead]

If I brought along a tripod, my wife would kill me with it.

MY wife doesn't need a tripod to kill me. If she wants me dead, I'm dead.

And besides she often brings a bigger tripod than I do.

---------- Post added 02-22-16 at 09:38 AM ----------

Well aren't you spoiled rotten.

I've met hsteeves, he doesn't seem at all spoiled rotten...

[Oakland Rob]

That is a good question. Long exposures of moving water is problematic with the K-3II. The examples I have seen have significant artifact. It will be interesting to see if the motion detection feature of the K-1 is able to mitigate such that rocks, moss and whatnot are rendered with enhanced detail with the blurred water being masked. If so, that would be super cool


Steve

If you wanna see PS, there are samples of the K-3II shots linked here.

I guess most people posting here aren't K-3II users and so don't have experience with PS, but as you can see from the thread I linked, it's finicky. Small wonder Ricoh serves up a studio shot. And remember that at as far as we know now whatever "motion compensation" there is is done in camera. DCU has no such function now, and is in far rather crippled when it comes to processing PS images. With dcraw you can visualize the amount of movement, and even air currents can produce it, as on a long shot in warm air. And unlike regular images, you can't make use of PS "blur" artifacts, because they aren't blur. They are a psychedelic mix of color and grid effects.

How well the camera can mask movement in JPEG production in camera is an open question, since a decision has to be made about the threshold. I'd prefer a post production solution, so that I could continue to use RAW. With an option to do a more conventional blur of the movement artifacts with a tool. One can get a lot of this done with masking and tools in Photoshop, but it's an effort.

Having said that, with very very still conditions and the proper set up one can get very detailed shots. Whether it's worth it, I dunno. I got some artifacts in the early AM with a longish exposure just due to sun movement, accentuated in a highlight on an object. It would have been totally acceptable in a regular shot. Ditto with artifacts caused by misting rain in low light even with no wind.

But hey, I had a friend who got great landscapes with his view camera and long exposures, so it's gonna be a great tool with a lot of planning and a willingness to accept possible limitations. I'm not trying to be negative, but I think some people who haven't worked with PS may have some unrealistic expectations.

BTW, here's what artifacts look like versus a regular RAW:

[normhead]

The Pixel Shift on the FF is supposed to be more advanced than the pixels shift on the K-3II, and you'd expect that given that the K-3II was the first commercial use of the technology. And the main thing with pixel shift, is not that it gives you a useable image every time, but you will always get virtually the same images as all the other 36 MP images, but you have chance to sometimes get something much better than any other 36 MP camera. You aren'g going to do worse than a D810, but you might do a heck of a lot better.

[RGlasel]

In one scene of a Ferris wheel, the system was able to freeze the movement of the wheel. The other magazine showed an impressive example where white a flapping flag was was frozen in front of a dark brown temple building. In both examples, they had a crop of the detail in the corrected part and a still part of the image, which showed that the region that was corrected had reverted to the "normal" image quality, while the rest of the image had the extra detail of the pixel shift system.

All I can say is wow. Would I use this, no, but somebody, somewhere can and will. It's a relatively small game, but the K-1 is a game changer. There are things you can do with it that can't be done with other cameras on the market, at an attractive price point and even if there are flaws with the K-1, it gives Pentax bona fide cred with a market that obsesses over technology.

[Na Horuk]

[quo

you will always get virtually the same images as all the other 36 MP images, but you have chance to sometimes get something much better than any other 36 MP camera. You aren'g going to do worse than a D810, but you might do a heck of a lot better.

Exactly. Some people are acting like its PS or nothing lol. You still get a great camera for all the non PS shots; where the sensor is probably as good if not better (newer) than the flagships of almost all other brands.

It seems that pixel shift resolution enhancement has an on/off setting, and there is another on/off setting for the suppression of movement.

Great news! So this might give PS use outside of studio, still life. This really makes me think twice about the K-1

[aleonx3]

[quo
Exactly. Some people are acting like its PS or nothing lol. You still get a great camera for all the non PS shots; where the sensor is probably as good if not better (newer) than the flagships of almost all other brands.

Great news! So this might give PS use outside of studio, still life. This really makes me think twice about the K-1

+1, with all these new features built into the k-1 at a very competitive price, I wouldn't even want to spend time looking into other brand's flagship FF models. These new technology/features are more interesting and fascinating that perhaps more benefits to different applications can be uncovered once the product is in the hands of the people who bought into it.