[Wheatridger]

It finally occurred to me to try the new square crop mode with my three Pentax lenses designed for the crop sensor. I'm delighted to report that my initial tests show the DA 50-200 and the DA* 50-135 perform very well indeed within the central square portion of the full frame. The DA* lenses hold sharpness all the way into the corners, the other lens less so. My DA*16-50 leaves the far corners of the square frame dark, so this images would require a little more cropping in post (but not much).

If you appreciate the square format like I do, with years of happy Rolleiflex usage behind me, this is something of a revelation. Those top-rank, weather-resistant, smudge-resistant zoom lenses that topped my crop toolkit are able to create richly detailed square images on the K-1, using the full height of the sensor and the sweet spot of the horizontal dimension. So there's no reason to purchase new FF lenses for square-format work.

Anybody who's hesitating to buy a K-1 because they can't budget a few grand more for the latest FF lenses should take heed. And those who delay will pay-- more as, we've seen. Fact is, the K-1 offers more lens alternatives than any other DSLR, and here's another.

IN order: 16-50, 50-135, 55-200

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[MadMathMind]

Cool! I may use some of the 1:1 as well. I've realized that you need to work with a medium; I publish on Instagram a lot but not all my photographs work there. Some of my favorites just flop because you need to see them larger for the photo to have the proper impact. I see the value of crafting some images specifically for Instagram to take advantage of its audience. 1:1 crop helps a lot turn that into a creative vision instead of an after-edit effect.

[Wheatridger]

Note- Those shots were made without lens hoods. The hood for the DA*16-50 crops down the image a lot, so it's not useable in 1:1 crop mode. The two other telezooms I tested, however, still cover the 1:1 frame with hoods attached.

[rawr]

The hood for the DA*16-50 crops down the image a lot, so it's not useable in 1:1 crop mode.

Time to hit eBay for some new hoods. Those collapsible rubber hoods should provide some shade, not matter what aspect ratio you shoot.