[pinholecam]

I like to review a camera/lens over a photo trip whenever possible in real World usage to see how it checks out.
No theories or test charts that may/not be so on the field or a pain to use in reality.


So here is a link to my running review on the K1 (still on going)
6days, a rather grueling 3.30am-10pm for 3days and 4.30-10pm for others.
One of the practical reasons why I like to use the smallish lenses from Pentax.

Bali Reverie - A Pentax K1 real World review

[pathdoc]

Great review and lovely shots!

I see you took the Pentax WR test one step further than even @Heie dared.

[bertwert]

Great review!

I see you took the Pentax WR test one step further than even @Heie dared.

Well, it's not that easy to find a pool in Afghanistan...

[biz-engineer]

Neat. Great pictures. Nothing better than getting your gear out to exotic places and enjoy the scenery and photographing it with a camera like the K1.

[pinholecam]

Thanks.

The review is still on-going, so do check back for more now and then.

I'd like to take a user/Pentax slant to the reviews.
Try to work out the features as best as I can (at time of writing).
If I think I ran into usage issues, I try to find/try out and make sure its really true and/or is there a work around or does it really matter in real use, rather than just lament about it.

I just feel that many review sites, the reviewer is just given the camera with a short review time.
They are sometimes not even keen about the camera/brand and they don't bother/or have time to learn the ins/outs of the camera.


Usually, no really bad camera out there, just what the user expects and is willing to work around or compromise with.
So I try to review in that frame of mind.

[pathdoc]

Thanks.

You're welcome. Bench tests are all very well and good, but I know as well as anyone else that this thing is going to run rings around my K-5 in every spec that matters. So I'd rather hear about the camera from someone who's bought it and is using it on a daily basis - and even better if they're travelling with it.

[jeffshaddix]

Nice work pinholecam, love the style of your review. And your sample photos are fantastic!

One question for you since I know you are also a Foveon user: I'm trying to decide between getting a Sigma DP0Q (14mm f/4 APS-C), or just settling with something like your M20/4 on the K-1 (essentially the same FOV). I'm looking for specifically landscape needs. Any thoughts? A Zeiss 21mm on a K-1 would be the ideal, but I don't have the budget.

As a follow on question, will you still be going after the Foveon look now that pixel shift is here?

[peggers]

Hi all
I can't work out how to start a thread myself so I will reply to the thread closest to the one I wanted to start. Today in the Melbourne Age there was a review on the K1. Thought you may want to see it, so from the Melbourne Age:
REVIEW





Price: $2800, body only

THE LOW-DOWN

The K-1 is the first full frame Pentax DSLR. Inside the weather-sealed body there is a 100 per cent field-of-view prism viewfinder and an LCD with a novel swivelling system that allows for the screen to be put into more orientations than any other camera provides. The designers have made an amazing array of functions (HDR, exposure compensation, WiFi, bracketing, ISO etc) accessible through two body-top knobs. Resolution multiplication by sensor shift is one of the few functions requiring a plunge into the menu system. There are two SD card slots that can be configured for continuous overflow, or for recording different formats. Both Adobe’s universal DNG and Pentax’s own PEF RAW formats can be used. Camera control by smartphone works flawlessly. The anti-aliasing filter has been removed from the 36mp sensor, but if there is a need to cope with unwanted patterns an electronic simulation can be turned on. The camera is compatible with legacy Pentax lenses from film days, sans automation.

LIKE

The true prism viewfinder is superb, beautifully bright and clear. And the free moving LCD is an object lesson in how it should be done.

DISLIKE

The camera is large and heavy. The body alone weighs almost a kilo.

VERDICT

The Pentax K-1 has the largest feature set of any camera we have tested. Absolutely everything that a photographer is likely to need by way of camera control is built in. It surpasses the feature set of the Canon and Nikon full frame DSLRs at similar prices. This is a lot of camera for the money.


Copyright © 2016 The Age

[pinholecam]

Nice work pinholecam, love the style of your review. And your sample photos are fantastic!

One question for you since I know you are also a Foveon user: I'm trying to decide between getting a Sigma DP0Q (14mm f/4 APS-C), or just settling with something like your M20/4 on the K-1 (essentially the same FOV). I'm looking for specifically landscape needs. Any thoughts? A Zeiss 21mm on a K-1 would be the ideal, but I don't have the budget.

As a follow on question, will you still be going after the Foveon look now that pixel shift is here?

Thanks.

On the Foveon/Quattro question, what I say will be just my opinion, so take it with a large dose of salt....


When I modded my Sony A7 with the Kolari thin filter modification (thin filter stack + no AA filter), I felt that the writing was on the wall for my DP1m.
Here was a FF 24mp with no AA filter and thin filter than worked a bit better with my older wides (and some RF wides too).
When I downsampled the 24mp to 12mp, the IQ was 'like' my DP1m (I say 'like' here loosely wrt it being looking sharp as a tack too at 12mp without me really wanting much more for my needs which includes printing to A3+)
This coupled with the better DR, easier processing in Lightroom, high iso flexibility and choice of lenses just pushed everything to the A7K favor.

The Foveon is also a good light camera generally and has to be shot like slide film.
Magenta cast shadows, come out real soon if the file is pushed in the shadows and even when under exposed (for blending purposes) when light conditions are low.
Get it right, and foveon is incredible of course as many better photographers have shown.


The K1 with the 36mp sensor and PixS is in another league, especially if we consider downsampling to 16mp.
Even w/o downsampling and good lenses, its amazing IQ imo.

The problem that I found so far are lenses on the wide end for the K1.
So far, most old UWA and wides are poorer on the edges.
The M20/4, nice as it is, is a compromise at the 1/9 of the edges (I value portability, and I work around it with a 5x7 aspect ratio if need be; or often I don't care about that 1/9th)

The Samyang 14/2.8 with PixS is amazing, but the setup will be larger than the DP0Q.

Basically, I think that if one wants the best IQ from UW to wide, at this time, its either :
Samyang 14 + FA31ltd (with a gap in the middle to be filled)
or
DFA15-30

I'm waiting to see what Pentax releases as the wide prime based on the 2017 roadmap.

IMO, DP0Q is not the way to go.
Its less flexible, its not really small, it can't be moved over to a new camera body in the years to come.

[jeffshaddix]

Thanks.

On the Foveon/Quattro question, what I say will be just my opinion, so take it with a large dose of salt....


When I modded my Sony A7 with the Kolari thin filter modification (thin filter stack + no AA filter), I felt that the writing was on the wall for my DP1m.
Here was a FF 24mp with no AA filter and thin filter than worked a bit better with my older wides (and some RF wides too).
When I downsampled the 24mp to 12mp, the IQ was 'like' my DP1m (I say 'like' here loosely wrt it being looking sharp as a tack too at 12mp without me really wanting much more for my needs which includes printing to A3+)
This coupled with the better DR, easier processing in Lightroom, high iso flexibility and choice of lenses just pushed everything to the A7K favor.

The Foveon is also a good light camera generally and has to be shot like slide film.
Magenta cast shadows, come out real soon if the file is pushed in the shadows and even when under exposed (for blending purposes) when light conditions are low.
Get it right, and foveon is incredible of course as many better photographers have shown.


The K1 with the 36mp sensor and PixS is in another league, especially if we consider downsampling to 16mp.
Even w/o downsampling and good lenses, its amazing IQ imo.

The problem that I found so far are lenses on the wide end for the K1.
So far, most old UWA and wides are poorer on the edges.
The M20/4, nice as it is, is a compromise at the 1/9 of the edges (I value portability, and I work around it with a 5x7 aspect ratio if need be; or often I don't care about that 1/9th)

The Samyang 14/2.8 with PixS is amazing, but the setup will be larger than the DP0Q.

Basically, I think that if one wants the best IQ from UW to wide, at this time, its either :
Samyang 14 + FA31ltd (with a gap in the middle to be filled)
or
DFA15-30

I'm waiting to see what Pentax releases as the wide prime based on the 2017 roadmap.

IMO, DP0Q is not the way to go.
Its less flexible, its not really small, it can't be moved over to a new camera body in the years to come.

Thank you for all the detailed feedback! I agree that the weakness is in the 21mm and below lenses - a DFA 20/4 refresh of the old M would be great.

The thing that gets me thinking about the DP0Q is the cost. Superb 21mm eq f/4 for $800 is not bad. That said, I suppose a cropped samyang 14 on the K-1 (or the K-3ii for that matter) with pixel shift would be in the same league. I've also got the FA 20-35/4 I could try...

Enough rambling... Thanks again!

[Poit]

Great rolling review, and some great shots!!! I will keep checking in.

Quick question the astro-tracer shot (with boat in foreground). I take it you took a separate single shot to expose for the boat (without AT) and layered it into the shot in post? I'm in the 'learning' phase of astro-work.