[Enigmaticca]

I suspect the VL Color-Ultron will be a strong contender!

[Fenwoodian]

I'll check your photo posts. By the way, check if you can get a MacBeth Color Chart (even an old one is useful for exposure and color rendition, white-balance and exposure).

I just checked Ebay, and this little color chart is $55.

If you have one, would you care to loan it to me for this test?

[Fenwoodian]

UPDATE...

My K1 camera arrived today from Roberts Camera in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA !!

Got the battery charging up, and am reading the operating manual. Already installed my quick release RRS L-bracket - fits fine...

Because of my prior experiences with Pentax digital cameras, I don't believe that my K1 learning curve will be very long. I now hope to have my first pictures uploaded to my Flickr page in a couple of days.

P.S. I purchased another 50mm lens (MAMIYA SEKOR AUTO 1:1.4 55mm) so now I've got 14 50mm ish lenses that I'll be reviewing.

[bxf]

I can only test those lenses that I have.

What a wimp

[stevebrot]

Pity no SMC M 50 f1.7 is available to you. Probably the largest selling Pentax 50 ever made, and an excellent performer.

I can only test those lenses that I have...

...or mail it to me for inclusion in my test...

An excellent suggestion.


Steve

[Fenwoodian]

Looks like between my collection of 50mm lens and the lenses DCShooter will be sending over we'll collectively have over thirty 50mm lenses to test!

This is turning out to be a much better test than I thought. Not only is DCShooter sending his huge collection of 50mm lenses over for testing, but more importantly, he's giving me all kinds of great advice on testing protocol. Thanks so much Brian!

With so many lenses, I expect that I will not have all of the tests completed until the end of the month. Although, I will be posting notices here immediately after uploading each new batch of photos to my Flickr.

Attached are a couple photos of my new K1 on the tripod that I'll be using for the tests. This Gitzo steel tripod weights a ton, and will serve as an extremely stable platform to shoot from.

[Fenwoodian]

Shot about 50 test shots tonight with the new K1 with my SMC Pentax-D FA 50/2.8 macro lens. Below are a few random "first impressions" of the K1

1. Heavy! Especially with the RRS L-bracket. I will only use this camera on a tripod.
2. If you've shot a K3 or K3ii you'll be able to pick up this camera and start using it right away without even looking at the K1's operating manual. Very intuitive to use for most experienced Pentax shooters.
3. Pleasing Pentax colors.
4. Love the tilt screen and button layout and new buttons
5. Auto focus is faster than K3 and K3ii - however, not as accurate. I had more keepers with my K3 and K3ii when auto focusing.
6. Out of camera K1 JPGs are not very good - K3 and K3ii JPGs are better! More noise on K1 JPGs than on K3 and K3ii out of camera JPGs. This is not a good JPG camera. If you shoot JPGs, use your Pentax APS-C cameras, or better yet use a Fuji X camera (they have the best out of camera JPGs - I've got 3 Fuji X cameras)
7. I will only shoot RAWs with my new K1 camera. I'm starting to feel comfortable, and dare I say starting to actually like doing RAW processing with "Digtal Camera Utility" software that came with the K1. The 16-bit TIFF files that DCU produces from a RAW image are huge (200 MB) and just blow away the out of camera JPGs of that same image (even when using the largest JPG file size that the camera can capture). TIFFs produced from K1 RAW files have incredible detail. I can't wait to see how Pixel Shift improves on that - but I'm sure that it will.

---

Last edited by Fenwoodian; 06-01-2016 at 05:59 PM.

[Fenwoodian]

I just did some Pixel Shift tests (both with motion correction on and off). My new K1 performed PS perfectly.

I now figure that I've tested out and fully inspected every single feature of the new K1 I received today. I have found Pentax's quality control to be very effective as the fit and finish and all operational aspects of my K1 are fully functional and work as they should.

Also, the camera arrived from Roberts Camera in Indianapolis Indiana with ZERO shutter actuations on it, so it was indeed a brand new camera.

Very happy with the K1, and I'd certainly buy it again knowing what I know now.

My only criticism is that the JPGs are a disappointment to me. They are not bad, but I did expect more. But the disappointment that I have with the JPGs is more than made up for by the excellent IQ of the RAW image files!

Also, since writing the above post critical of my K1's auto focus keeper rate. Well, I changed the AF settings, and now it's performing a bit better, with a slightly higher AF keeper rate that is almost what it was with my K3 and K3ii cameras.

[Fenwoodian]

I just uploaded photos I just took of the twelve 50mm lenses of mine that I will be testing. There's one more 50mm lens that I just purchased that's on the way to me and it should arrive tomorrow.

Click here to see these lens photos - https://www.flickr.com/photos/72309835@N02/albums/72157669213758175/with/27417219865/

When DCShooters' lenses arrive, I will take photos of them too, and will add those photos to our "lens gallery".

I have assigned a number to each lens. All of the test photos that I post to Flickr will only be identified by their lens number. That way, when you are reviewing the test results, you will not be influenced or prejudiced by the lens' name (e.g. Zeiss vs Pentax vs Voigtlander, etc.).

---------- Post added 06-02-16 at 10:23 AM ----------

I just noticed something with my K1 that I've never seen on any other brand of camera that I've ever used. A unique, original, new, little feature that none of the Pentax APS-C cameras had, nor do Nikon, Canon or Fuji cameras.

The unique little feature that I'm referring to is a body cap that locks in place onto the camera when installed. To remove it one needs to press the lens release button. While seemingly a petty feature, I think it's a great idea. In the past, I've had body caps (especially the generic ones) work loose and fall off. This neat little feature will certainly help to keep the K1 sensor clean.

Thanks Pentax, you do the little things right!

[rawr]

The unique little feature that I'm referring to is a body cap that locks in place onto the camera when installed.

I noticed that too. It is indeed unique. Too unique.

When I first got the camera, I struggled to get the body cap off, and almost used a pipe wrench to twist the thing off. Pentax should warn people about it. But now that I have figured it out, I do like the idea of a locking body cap.

[willeisner]

very interesting your test, particularly curious as will be the performance of the 55mm 1.2. Congratulations k1

[Fenwoodian]

Quick update...

The lenses that DCShooter is sending me will arrive here later this week.

Next week Mr. DC and I will be finalizing the test shooting protocol.

The week of July 20th my wife will be out of town!! So that's when I'll be doing the actual test shooting and posting the test images to Flickr.

Stay tuned...

[Fenwoodian]

6 Days ago my main computer went down. It may be another couple of weeks until I get it back from IT and am able to reload all of my software.
Meanwhile, I have my wife's little laptop, and this week I'm proceeding with taking some test photos.

For phase one, I thought that I'd concentrate on testing just my 13 50mm lenses. I've asked DCShooter to hold off on sending me his many 50mm lenses for testing until I see how the first part of this testing goes.

In the next day or two I'll be posting some initial observations here. Whether or not I also post the many supporting photos to my Flickr page will depend on my time and your responses.

Anyway, here's a few initial "general" impressions:

1. The SMC Pentax -D FA 50mm f/2.8 macro has very poor "manual" focusing.
2. I just love using older manual lenses with the "green button". I almost prefer shooting my K1 in the "green button" mode for landscapes.
3. The Zenitar 50mm f/2 is difficult to manually focus and set it to the appropriate aperature. Horrible ergonomics.
4. Using M42 lenses with a genuine Pentax M42 adapter on the K1 is a real pain. You waste lots of time skrewing them in, and removing the adapter is delicate and finicky. The whole process exposes the K1's sensor for far too long to the air. I've already tested so many M42 lenses that I've had to clean my K1's sensor. If I do choose to keep and use any of the many M42 lenses that I am testing I will permanently glue a dedicated adapter to each M42 lens. I've already done that to my MOG Trioplan, and it makes it faster to put it on and take it off of my K1.

[stevebrot]

You waste lots of time skrewing them in, and removing the adapter is delicate and finicky. The whole process exposes the K1's sensor for far too long to the air. I've already tested so many M42 lenses that I've had to clean my K1's sensor.

I don't have a K-1, but I do have a long history of using the genuine Pentax M42 adapter on both APS-C digital and K-mount film bodies. With practice, adapter removal should become easier and should take no more than a second or so. As for mounting, I strongly suggest putting the adapter on the lens first and mounting the assembly to the body as a regular K-mount lens. When doing a lot of lens changes, using two adapters this way will allow lens change times with mirror box exposed only marginally longer than with a regular K-mount.


Steve

[Fenwoodian]

I don't have a K-1, but I do have a long history of using the genuine Pentax M42 adapter on both APS-C digital and K-mount film bodies. With practice, adapter removal should become easier and should take no more than a second or so. As for mounting, I strongly suggest putting the adapter on the lens first and mounting the assembly to the body as a regular K-mount lens. When doing a lot of lens changes, using two adapters this way will allow lens change times with mirror box exposed only marginally longer than with a regular K-mount.


Steve

I used to own a K3ii and a K5. Indeed, using a M42 adapter on the K1 is exactly the same as it was on these two APS-C cameras.

I certainly agree that the preferred M42 mounting method is as you describe (put adapter on lens and THEN put the lens on the camera). I didn't do that during today's testing because I had 7 M42 lenses to test and only one genuine Pentax M42 adapter.