Rent a K-1?

**UncleVanya** · 12-24-2018, 05:59 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Sluggo

Just want to mention that I've been lurking on this thread and am interested in your experience as well. I've been teetering on the edge of a K-1 purchase for some time, partly because of owning an FA31 and A*85 and being curious about how those would perform at their intended field of view. There's also a too-neglected K50/1.2 which would probably be quite a bit more interesting on full frame.

I have only used the A* 85 on film and crop digital. It was stunning... I sold it due to my inability to adequately focus it on my crop sensor bodies. I used the money to fund the Fa77 and Fa31 purchases.

jimr-pdx · 12-25-2018, 04:35 PM

Originally posted by robgski

If you do decide you like the K-1 and want one of your own, it seems that more than a few used models are becoming easily available here on PF. I think you'll have time to decide.

There are some people who don't want a K-1, due to weight, even due to a preference for the DA series of lenses, or even the crop factor.

I hear those siren songs from the Marketplace also - good thing I'm currently poor

At some point I hope to rent a K-1. I've enough good film-era lenses, plus two DA Limiteds and a Sigma 10-20 that I'd like to test-drive in square mode.

**monochrome** · 12-25-2018, 04:51 PM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

I have only used the A* 85 on film and crop digital. It was stunning... I sold it due to my inability to adequately focus it on my crop sensor bodies. I used the money to fund the Fa77 and Fa31 purchases.

One of the most important features of the K-1 is the large, bright optical viewfinder. I can actually manual focus my K lenses on the K-1.

.:

**disasterfilm** · 12-25-2018, 05:19 PM - **1 Like**

All I can say for those of y'all teetering... just go ahead and give in. Find a listing in the Marketplace you can live with, and make it happen.

I was a Day 1 pre-order guy, and my APS-c bodies have seen continued usage along the way too. But now that I've been a month without my K-1 as it gets repaired... I realize how much I miss it. The K-3 and the K-5iis have been doing okay in the meantime, but man am I ready to have the FF body back.

The RAW files are just gorgeous, comparatively. You'll find that adjustments in LR just seem to look better, the files are more receptive to changes, and there's a pronounced difference in the color bit depth.

**aslyfox** · 12-25-2018, 06:21 PM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by disasterfilm

All I can say for those of y'all teetering... just go ahead and give in. Find a listing in the Marketplace you can live with, and make it happen.

I was a Day 1 pre-order guy, and my APS-c bodies have seen continued usage along the way too. But now that I've been a month without my K-1 as it gets repaired... I realize how much I miss it. The K-3 and the K-5iis have been doing okay in the meantime, but man am I ready to have the FF body back.

The RAW files are just gorgeous, comparatively. You'll find that adjustments in LR just seem to look better, the files are more receptive to changes, and there's a pronounced difference in the color bit depth.

trouble maker

**UncleVanya** · 01-02-2019, 12:47 PM - **1 Like**

The monster has arrived. WOW - I don't think I was mentally prepared for how LARGE and HEAVY the K-1 and a DFA 24-70 is vs. the K-3 with the 16-50. Numbers:

K-1 + 24-70 = 1010 + 787 = 1797 (Roughly 4 lbs.)
K-3 + 16-50 = 800 + 565 = 1365 (Roughly 3 lbs.)

Frankly a 25% increase doesn't seem like a lot - but I also don't use the 16-50 frequently so it may be an apples to oranges comparison. A more common pairing is the 18-135 or 20-40 or a prime.

The person loaning this to me wisely invested in an Optech strap so there is a nice cushioned pad to rest this on when it is around my neck or shoulder.

Time to put an SD card in and pop the FA 31 on or the FA 77.

**UncleVanya** · 01-02-2019, 02:24 PM

And the outside world is gray and uninteresting... back in a minute

allexinwonderland · 01-03-2019, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

The monster has arrived. WOW - I don't think I was mentally prepared for how LARGE and HEAVY the K-1 and a DFA 24-70 is vs. the K-3 with the 16-50. Numbers:

K-1 + 24-70 = 1010 + 787 = 1797 (Roughly 4 lbs.)

K-3 + 16-50 = 800 + 565 = 1365 (Roughly 3 lbs.)

Frankly a 25% increase doesn't seem like a lot - but I also don't use the 16-50 frequently so it may be an apples to oranges comparison. A more common pairing is the 18-135 or 20-40 or a prime.

The person loaning this to me wisely invested in an Optech strap so there is a nice cushioned pad to rest this on when it is around my neck or shoulder.

Time to put an SD card in and pop the FA 31 on or the FA 77.

The K1 with 24-70 is what I now carry daily. I hadn’t noticed what an increase the weight was from the K3. That’s quite a bit

**UncleVanya** · 01-03-2019, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by allexinwonderland

The K1 with 24-70 is what I now carry daily. I hadn’t noticed what an increase the weight was from the K3. That’s quite a bit

It is - but it feels like much more than a simple 25% bump. I'm surprised. I may find it not an issue after the shock wears off. Put in my sling bag I don't feel a huge bump in weight. But that depends a lot on the total kit right now in the sling bag I have the FA 31, FA 50 1.4, the FA 77 and the DA 200 along with the K-1. No zooms. This covers moderate wide angle, normal, portrait, and telephoto.

FA 31 f1.8 = 345g
FA 50 1.4 = 220g
FA 77 f1.8 = 270g

It adds up to 835g total which is HEAVIER than the DFA 24-70 but each individual lens is lighter when shooting, and the faster aperture is a nice to have. Still early days on learning what works and what is foolish.

**UncleVanya** · 01-29-2019, 03:18 PM

Well... Despite a very kind rent free loan of a K-1, my health limited my use but overall I concluded that desire some advantages the cost of upgrading to the K-1 is just too high. I really disliked the size and weight of the DFA 24-70 and K-1 vs my K-3 and 16-50 or 20-40.

The one revelation was the FA 31 - while I like this lens on crop, on FF it really shone. The DA 200 also was more useful since it was no longer effectively 300mm.

Overall I'm not over the idea of FF. but I'm not in a hurry and I'm not certain it is for me.

jake14mw · 02-15-2019, 09:25 AM

I did the same as you. I rented the K-1 and had the same impressions. Was surprised with the size too. My photography is mostly portraits and sports. I enjoyed it, and thought it was a nice camera, but it was not earth shattering for me. It is certainly not designed for sports, so I suppose that was part of it. I would like one, but just not willing to make the additional investment right now over my existing K-5iis.

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12-24-2018, 05:59 PM - 1 Like	#46
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,452 Original Poster	Originally posted by Sluggo Just want to mention that I've been lurking on this thread and am interested in your experience as well. I've been teetering on the edge of a K-1 purchase for some time, partly because of owning an FA31 and A85 and being curious about how those would perform at their intended field of view. There's also a too-neglected K50/1.2 which would probably be quite a bit more interesting on full frame. I have only used the A 85 on film and crop digital. It was stunning... I sold it due to my inability to adequately focus it on my crop sensor bodies. I used the money to fund the Fa77 and Fa31 purchases.

12-25-2018, 04:35 PM	#47
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	Originally posted by robgski If you do decide you like the K-1 and want one of your own, it seems that more than a few used models are becoming easily available here on PF. I think you'll have time to decide. There are some people who don't want a K-1, due to weight, even due to a preference for the DA series of lenses, or even the crop factor. I hear those siren songs from the Marketplace also - good thing I'm currently poor At some point I hope to rent a K-1. I've enough good film-era lenses, plus two DA Limiteds and a Sigma 10-20 that I'd like to test-drive in square mode.

12-25-2018, 04:51 PM	#48
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by UncleVanya I have only used the A* 85 on film and crop digital. It was stunning... I sold it due to my inability to adequately focus it on my crop sensor bodies. I used the money to fund the Fa77 and Fa31 purchases. One of the most important features of the K-1 is the large, bright optical viewfinder. I can actually manual focus my K lenses on the K-1. .:

12-25-2018, 05:19 PM - 1 Like	#49
disasterfilm Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Texas Posts: 406	All I can say for those of y'all teetering... just go ahead and give in. Find a listing in the Marketplace you can live with, and make it happen. I was a Day 1 pre-order guy, and my APS-c bodies have seen continued usage along the way too. But now that I've been a month without my K-1 as it gets repaired... I realize how much I miss it. The K-3 and the K-5iis have been doing okay in the meantime, but man am I ready to have the FF body back. The RAW files are just gorgeous, comparatively. You'll find that adjustments in LR just seem to look better, the files are more receptive to changes, and there's a pronounced difference in the color bit depth.

12-25-2018, 06:21 PM - 2 Likes	#50
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,583	Originally posted by disasterfilm All I can say for those of y'all teetering... just go ahead and give in. Find a listing in the Marketplace you can live with, and make it happen. I was a Day 1 pre-order guy, and my APS-c bodies have seen continued usage along the way too. But now that I've been a month without my K-1 as it gets repaired... I realize how much I miss it. The K-3 and the K-5iis have been doing okay in the meantime, but man am I ready to have the FF body back. The RAW files are just gorgeous, comparatively. You'll find that adjustments in LR just seem to look better, the files are more receptive to changes, and there's a pronounced difference in the color bit depth. trouble maker

01-02-2019, 12:47 PM - 1 Like	#51
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,452 Original Poster	The monster has arrived. WOW - I don't think I was mentally prepared for how LARGE and HEAVY the K-1 and a DFA 24-70 is vs. the K-3 with the 16-50. Numbers: K-1 + 24-70 = 1010 + 787 = 1797 (Roughly 4 lbs.) K-3 + 16-50 = 800 + 565 = 1365 (Roughly 3 lbs.) Frankly a 25% increase doesn't seem like a lot - but I also don't use the 16-50 frequently so it may be an apples to oranges comparison. A more common pairing is the 18-135 or 20-40 or a prime. The person loaning this to me wisely invested in an Optech strap so there is a nice cushioned pad to rest this on when it is around my neck or shoulder. Time to put an SD card in and pop the FA 31 on or the FA 77.

01-02-2019, 02:24 PM	#52
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,452 Original Poster	And the outside world is gray and uninteresting... back in a minute

01-03-2019, 10:29 AM	#53
allexinwonderland Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 137	Originally posted by UncleVanya The monster has arrived. WOW - I don't think I was mentally prepared for how LARGE and HEAVY the K-1 and a DFA 24-70 is vs. the K-3 with the 16-50. Numbers: K-1 + 24-70 = 1010 + 787 = 1797 (Roughly 4 lbs.) K-3 + 16-50 = 800 + 565 = 1365 (Roughly 3 lbs.) Frankly a 25% increase doesn't seem like a lot - but I also don't use the 16-50 frequently so it may be an apples to oranges comparison. A more common pairing is the 18-135 or 20-40 or a prime. The person loaning this to me wisely invested in an Optech strap so there is a nice cushioned pad to rest this on when it is around my neck or shoulder. Time to put an SD card in and pop the FA 31 on or the FA 77. The K1 with 24-70 is what I now carry daily. I hadn’t noticed what an increase the weight was from the K3. That’s quite a bit

01-03-2019, 11:26 AM	#54
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,452 Original Poster	Originally posted by allexinwonderland The K1 with 24-70 is what I now carry daily. I hadn’t noticed what an increase the weight was from the K3. That’s quite a bit It is - but it feels like much more than a simple 25% bump. I'm surprised. I may find it not an issue after the shock wears off. Put in my sling bag I don't feel a huge bump in weight. But that depends a lot on the total kit right now in the sling bag I have the FA 31, FA 50 1.4, the FA 77 and the DA 200 along with the K-1. No zooms. This covers moderate wide angle, normal, portrait, and telephoto. FA 31 f1.8 = 345g FA 50 1.4 = 220g FA 77 f1.8 = 270g It adds up to 835g total which is HEAVIER than the DFA 24-70 but each individual lens is lighter when shooting, and the faster aperture is a nice to have. Still early days on learning what works and what is foolish.

01-29-2019, 03:18 PM	#55
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,452 Original Poster	Well... Despite a very kind rent free loan of a K-1, my health limited my use but overall I concluded that desire some advantages the cost of upgrading to the K-1 is just too high. I really disliked the size and weight of the DFA 24-70 and K-1 vs my K-3 and 16-50 or 20-40. The one revelation was the FA 31 - while I like this lens on crop, on FF it really shone. The DA 200 also was more useful since it was no longer effectively 300mm. Overall I'm not over the idea of FF. but I'm not in a hurry and I'm not certain it is for me.

02-15-2019, 09:25 AM	#56
jake14mw Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 977	I did the same as you. I rented the K-1 and had the same impressions. Was surprised with the size too. My photography is mostly portraits and sports. I enjoyed it, and thought it was a nice camera, but it was not earth shattering for me. It is certainly not designed for sports, so I suppose that was part of it. I would like one, but just not willing to make the additional investment right now over my existing K-5iis.