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08-03-2018, 08:14 AM - 11 Likes   #1
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From a k-1 user real world impressions about the k-1 II

I'm a k-1 owner and I bought the k-1 II. What Pentax stated about the Mark II is all true, they did various tricks to improve the k-1 and all of them have effectiveness:
- Handheld pixel shift is a real thing, really improve a bit the resolution and the noise in dark areas. You need only a bit of care to take advantage of it. Also is intelligent, aren't 4 shots one behind the other, you can ear that the camera wait for the right position like cluck,cluck....cluck..cluck.
- AF is better, I think that they have allowed the internal motor to use more power... "z1p feeling" here. External motors in AF-S seems that have the same behavior, but I'm not sure. I don't have tried the AF-C. Stay tuned to new impressions about AF.
- They have done some tricks on the JPEG processor, there are differences on the sharpening's base setting and in the colors. I see more color fidelity and a better way to manage the high saturated reds.
- High ISO pictures have really less noise without noticeable loss of details.

The only negative impression is that the camera seems a bit more slow on the start procedure and on the come back from standby.

I think that also for the k-1 users the change is a win-win!


Last edited by Andrea K; 08-03-2018 at 02:38 PM.
08-03-2018, 08:52 AM   #2
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Thank you for sharing your real world experience! It’s a lot more useful to me than shooting charts sometimes.

Last edited by LightBug; 08-03-2018 at 10:20 AM.
08-03-2018, 10:31 AM - 3 Likes   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Andrea K Quote
I'm a k-1 owner and I bought the k-1 II. What Pentax stated about the Mark II is all true, they have do various tricks to improve the k-1 and all of them have effectiveness:
- Handheld pixel shift is a real thing, really improve a bit the resolution and the noise in dark areas. You need only a bit of care to take advantage of it. Also is intelligent, aren't 4 shots one behind the other, you can ear that the camera wait for the right position like cluck,cluck....cluck..cluck.
- AF is better, I think that they have allowed the internal motor to use more power... "z1p feeling" here. External motors in AF-S seems that have the same behavior, but I'm not sure. I don't have tried the AF-C. Stay tuned to new impressions about AF.
- They have done some tricks on the JPEG processor, there are differences on the sharpening's base setting and in the colors. I see more color fidelity and a better way to manage the high saturated reds.
- High ISO pictures have really less noise without noticeable loss of details.

The only negative impression is that the camera seems a bit more slow on the start procedure and on the come back from standby.

I think that also for the k-1 users the change is a win-win!
As a K-1 K-1ii owner I fully agree with your comments. After seeing the real world improvement in my new K-1ii I upgraded my K-1 to the k-1ii. Now I have two! Color fidelity and AF are real upgrades. Handheld pixel shift is great and is likely to improve with firmware updates. I am a happy camper 😊
08-03-2018, 10:37 AM - 1 Like   #4
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It's really nice to hear this feedback from people who have shot with both cameras. All the FUD that got pushed around has left me wondering if upgrading my K-1 was really a good idea. What I'm reading here and other posts from real users is indicating that the negativity really is FUD in real life shooting. Now the only question will be do I wait to see if I can win a K-1 II in the August raffle or just send my K-1 in.

08-03-2018, 12:17 PM - 1 Like   #5
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More confirmation that we need to wait for real, experienced users to give their reports before deciding about equipment. The reviewers look at a zillion cameras and rarely take the time to understand the one under review.
08-03-2018, 01:19 PM   #6
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Thank you Andrea K
08-03-2018, 01:31 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mikesul Quote
More confirmation that we need to wait for real, experienced users to give their reports before deciding about equipment. The reviewers look at a zillion cameras and rarely take the time to understand the one under review.
From what I can tell, it seems some reviewers who are down on pixel shift may not be going through the right procedures e.g.producing an in camera .tiff for hand held pixel shift files.

08-03-2018, 01:35 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by clickclick Quote
From what I can tell, it seems some reviewers who are down on pixel shift may not be going through the right procedures e.g.producing an in camera .tiff for hand held pixel shift files.
Exactly. Reviewers generally only test what they know. Only experienced users of the equipment can offer useful evaluations that go beyond the obvious specs. That takes time and is usually only available at places like PF.
08-03-2018, 01:57 PM   #9
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It all depends how you look at it. Few past weeks have been optimal for hanging out inside air-conditioned car stuck in local traffic jams due to insane heat wave. Usually that is not much fun. I have only few uses for digital camera - ultimate pixel level quality and ability to work in hard weather conditions. Former is like 3 steps backwards (ISO100 pushes magenta, ISO800+ have useless NR applied, Pixel-Shift multiplies damage done with NR-ridden ISO values) and zero forwards for the mk2 model.

Why is baked-in NR useless? Well if I take 5 exposures in average per shooting I can work the NR on my own. Current ISO100 handling for pushing shadows reminds me of old Canon sensor tech and Pixel-Shift then...combining blurred images for extra sharpness is like knitting mittens made of one's own hair. They look like mittens BUT do not keep you warm in cold.

For some mk2 works, for some it does not. It is possible that few firmware fixes could do wonders.
08-03-2018, 02:02 PM   #10
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I am enjoying my K-1 II.
08-03-2018, 03:58 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Andrea K Quote
I'm a k-1 owner and I bought the k-1 II. What Pentax stated about the Mark II is all true, they did various tricks to improve the k-1 and all of them have effectiveness:
- Handheld pixel shift is a real thing, really improve a bit the resolution and the noise in dark areas. You need only a bit of care to take advantage of it. Also is intelligent, aren't 4 shots one behind the other, you can ear that the camera wait for the right position like cluck,cluck....cluck..cluck.
Interesting comment about "handheld pixel shift". Thanks for sharing! Personally, this is the one new feature that I would upgrade my K1 for. If not too much trouble, I would love to hear more about this feature from someone who has upgraded. Can you easily tell the difference between an image taken with the K1, and that same image taken with the K1 II in the handheld pixel shift mode?
08-03-2018, 05:56 PM - 1 Like   #12
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Great post Andrea K - you’re a credit to the PF community!
08-04-2018, 06:51 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by MJKoski Quote
It all depends how you look at it. Few past weeks have been optimal for hanging out inside air-conditioned car stuck in local traffic jams due to insane heat wave. Usually that is not much fun. I have only few uses for digital camera - ultimate pixel level quality and ability to work in hard weather conditions. Former is like 3 steps backwards (ISO100 pushes magenta, ISO800+ have useless NR applied, Pixel-Shift multiplies damage done with NR-ridden ISO values) and zero forwards for the mk2 model.

Why is baked-in NR useless? Well if I take 5 exposures in average per shooting I can work the NR on my own. Current ISO100 handling for pushing shadows reminds me of old Canon sensor tech and Pixel-Shift then...combining blurred images for extra sharpness is like knitting mittens made of one's own hair. They look like mittens BUT do not keep you warm in cold.

For some mk2 works, for some it does not. It is possible that few firmware fixes could do wonders.
The concept of a heat wave in Finland is delightful and disorienting (from the perspective of an Arizonan!) It explains a lot.
08-06-2018, 03:34 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
Interesting comment about "handheld pixel shift". Thanks for sharing! Personally, this is the one new feature that I would upgrade my K1 for. If not too much trouble, I would love to hear more about this feature from someone who has upgraded. Can you easily tell the difference between an image taken with the K1, and that same image taken with the K1 II in the handheld pixel shift mode?
About Dynamic Pixel Shift there are two main purposes: high resolution and better high ISO management. The first is more difficult to obtain due, I think, two factors: subject staticity and correct use of this function by the photographer. Due to this isn't pretty sure that the DPS shot has every time more resolution than the normal shot. Sadly I deleted all the test shots that I made, where is clearly visible the details improvements, and today is a bit difficult to me to reshoot a panorama with DPS (but also Pixel Shift) due to very hot temperature that "moves" the air. Ah, I have to add that I can't find the ugly artifacts that are on the "amazon advertising site" 's shots about this function.
This is what I can show today, all SOOC jpeg, I will add more examples when I can.

FA 50 f/5,6 ISO 100 1/640s. Check the tower's bricks and the trees.

Normal mode:


Dynamic pixel shift:


These were from this scene:


FA 50 f/8 ISO12800 1/50s. Check the dark areas and the red areas. I included a crop but is better to open the files at full size.
Normal mode:

Link to image

Dynamic pixel shift:

Link to image

Crops.
Normal:


DPS:

Last edited by Andrea K; 08-07-2018 at 07:53 AM.
08-06-2018, 02:49 PM   #15
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Mixed feelings: some reviewers state worse results from the K1-II and some others state the opposite.
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