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07-11-2018, 06:25 AM - 1 Like   #1
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K1 Warranty did you need it?

Hi
I'm chewing over the merits of buying a k1 or a K1 mk II.

I'm still biased towards the original K1 over the MK II from Pentax at least the option seems to be €1900 forr a new MK II with 2 year warranty and a K1 refurb for €1600 with 6 months.

Just how reliable are these cameras? So i'm interested to see how many people have had to use the warranty and how many haven't. I have never had a new Pentax and never had an issue that a warranty would have helped (only sensor cleaning to be fair).

I'm really put off by the compulsory noise reduction in the k1 mk II , like the idea of better autofocus but I manually focus most of the time anyway. The hand held pixel mode takes a lot of processing time. The higher iso range is pretty meaningless to me, the IQ is way below acceptable, it always is.

So the idea of paying out another €300 in order to get a longer warranty seems like insurance I hopefully would never need, I have a perfectly fine K5 and K200D already with no reason to believe that the K1 shouldn't be equally long lived.

I have till around the 10th of august before i need to finally decide which way to go.

07-11-2018, 06:40 AM   #2
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Judging by the currency, i presume you are based in EU. A quick look at a german site specialising in pentax i found the K1 at 1500€ brand new.

Here is the link: Pentax K-1 | AFA Fotohandel e.K.

I bought a KP from them as demo, but was actually new, so i am pleased with their services.

edit: sorry for not answering your question, i just wanted to make your decision a bit easier

Last edited by robiles; 07-11-2018 at 06:46 AM.
07-11-2018, 07:20 AM   #3
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I'll answer by saying I have one of the pre-order K-1's and no need for the warranty.

However, what you really want (I think) is a statistical answer of what percentage of K-1's have needed warranty work. Only Ricoh knows that and they are not going to say. Asking the question here will get you some answers but they will be no real indication of how any particular K-1 is going to hold up.


K-1 new in the US is $1,700 and K-1II is $2,000 at B&H. I would guess the ratio is about the same elsewhere. So the choice should not be between a used K-1 and a new K-1II but new versus new. Unless you goal is to buy at the lowest possible price in which the answer is easy: get a used K-1.
07-11-2018, 07:40 AM   #4
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The standard and probably best answer is that extended warranties are usually a waste of money. Of course, if your equipment fails and you do not have one that is not true. But you have to assess your willingness to accept a small risk. Somewhere I have seen reference to a 7-8% failure rate for most camera brands. I see that, combined with my own experience, as a small risk. Others may view it differently.

07-11-2018, 07:48 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mikesul Quote
The standard and probably best answer is that extended warranties are usually a waste of money. Of course, if your equipment fails and you do not have one that is not true. But you have to assess your willingness to accept a small risk. Somewhere I have seen reference to a 7-8% failure rate for most camera brands. I see that, combined with my own experience, as a small risk. Others may view it differently.
I think he is from Europe, where the warranty is 2 years standard (imposed by law), so the question is new K1 mk2 or refurbished K1 mk1 (the law also states that used articles have a 6 month warranty if not sold privately, like we sell our stuff online)
07-11-2018, 07:51 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by robiles Quote
I think he is from Europe, where the warranty is 2 years standard (imposed by law), so the question is new K1 mk2 or refurbished K1 mk1 (the law also states that used articles have a 6 month warranty if not sold privately, like we sell our stuff online)
So an extended warranty has no real value there. Maybe I misunderstood his concern.
07-11-2018, 07:54 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mikesul Quote
So an extended warranty has no real value there. Maybe I misunderstood his concern.
His concern is that if he buys a K1 mk1 refurbished, he has only 6 months of warranty, and wants to be sure that his camera will not kick the bucket after 6 months and a day.

But as i said in a post earlier, in Europe if buying from a shop other than ricoh official store, he can have it for 1500€, 100€ less new than what hes found refurbished.

07-11-2018, 07:57 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by robiles Quote
His concern is that if he buys a K1 mk1 refurbished, he has only 6 months of warranty, and wants to be sure that his camera will not kick the bucket after 6 months and a day.

But as i said in a post earlier, in Europe if buying from a shop other than ricoh official store, he can have it for 1500€, 100€ less new than what hes found refurbished.
Thanks for the clarification.
07-11-2018, 08:03 AM   #9
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I have found the K-1 II to be an excellent performer in all aspects, and that it does not lag behind any other aps-c or full frame Pentax camera model.
07-11-2018, 08:11 AM - 1 Like   #10
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I always prefer a new new product, although I have tons of used lenses hmm.

In my case, I would just save to get the new new K1.
07-11-2018, 08:22 AM   #11
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I prefer buying new also.
07-11-2018, 10:22 AM - 2 Likes   #12
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FWIW from my perspective the K-1 has been one of the most reliable Pentax bodies around. It really is built like a tank, and the shutter is Pentax's most durable to date, with a rating of 300k clicks.

The only recurring issue I've read about is one of the bolts holding the rear screen in place coming loose. Anything else is probably bad luck, which can happen with any camera.

A 2-year warranty sounds like a safe bet regardless of which model you opt for.

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07-11-2018, 11:09 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by blackest Quote
Just how reliable are these cameras?
If I understand your question properly, the thread title is misleading. You are asking how many K-1 owners who read your post have had to have their cameras repaired or replaced.

I can't take part except to offer that Pentax dSLRs run with the rest of the pack (no statistical difference) in the most recent Consumer Reports survey. The bad news is that the incidence of serious fault/failure is disturbingly high across brands. The numbers are:

dSLR breakage rate
(cameras within three years of purchase)
  • Canon 7%
  • Sony 8%
  • Nikon 8%
  • Pentax 10%
Less than 6 points between brands is stated as insignificant. Mirrorless are about the same except for Olympus:

Mirrorless ILC breakage rate
(cameras within three years of purchase)
  • Canon 6%
  • Panasonic 7%
  • Fujifilm 9%
  • Sony 10%
  • Nikon 11%
  • Olympus 14%
Again, less than 6 points between brand is stated as insignificant. If a Sony mirrorless is being considered as a possible alternative to the K-1, it would be good to note the identical failure rate.

Good luck with your survey. If you have special reason for concern (camera used for business or professional purposes), a drop/spills/theft/failure insurance policy might be a good investment. About 1 of 12 dSLR purchasers had problems in the last three years.


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07-11-2018, 11:51 AM   #14
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In my experience you definitely want warranty for lenses, after 2 years I didn't have any warranty issues with my K1 camera.

I believe if the OP is referring to 6 months warranty for a K1 to K1 M2 conversion then the warranty only covers the converted parts, not the whole camera.

If you are buying a used K1 then examine it closely for areas that could be problematic, e.g. check the card slots, cleanliness of sensor and mirror etc.
07-11-2018, 12:51 PM   #15
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I have not had any warranty issues with my K-1. My earlier experience with crop bodies is somewhat different. With both K-10 and K-5 I had to use the warranty. With the K-7 and the K-3 there were no such issues. The K-10 and K-5 cases would have been costly without warranty. Therefore I think it has been worthwhile buying cameras with warranty included.
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