[barondla]

Keep hearing the K-1 is a beast size and weight wise. Is the K-1 body as big and heavy as a K10 or 20D with battery grip? I own both and find them fairly comfortable to carry and use.

Thanks,
barondla

[Adam]

The K-1 without the grip will be both lighter and less tall than the K10D with a grip. You'll probably be very happy with the way it handles if you already like the latter combo.

An easy way of looking at it, IMO, is that the K-1 on its own is about 20% bigger and heavier than a flagship APS-C model.

[jatrax]

I went from the K-3II to the K-1 and the weight increase was noticeable. However, the grip on the K-1 is so much better that holding the K-1 for a long time is actually easier than the K-3II (for my hands anyway).

[ffking]

A lot's been made of the size and weight of the K-1 - mostly I think early reviwers looking for negatives and getting endlessly parroted. It's not big for a FF DSLR, and the weight is not excessive, though it might feel heavier because it's not that big. 'Excess' weight largely comes from robustness and shake reduction magnets etc.

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Last edited by ffking; 06-14-2019 at 07:38 AM.

[MarkJerling]

Keep hearing the K-1 is a beast size and weight wise. Is the K-1 body as big and heavy as a K10 or 20D with battery grip? I own both and find them fairly comfortable to carry and use.

Thanks,
barondla

It's noticeably heavier than the K5 which is not unlike the K10, but it does not feel that much heavier than the K5. I use my K-1 with the battery grip all the time as I find that, as with the K5, my right hand 'rests' nicely against the battery grip / body right side, and that makes the K-1 very comfortable to hold in one hand while controlling and holding the lens with the left hand. So much so, that I never remove the battery grip.

[barondla]

Thanks for the replies. Still trying to decide between KP and K-1.
Thanks,
barondla

[officiousbystander]

What makes the biggest difference is the lens you attach to it. I've been using the DA40 Ltd and the A 50 1.4 and it's hardly a beast at all. But when I put on a zoom like the D FA 28-105 then I start to feel I'm carrying around a big camera.

[Saltwater Images]

I’m sure the K1II is awesome. I handled a K-1 a year ago and didn’t find to to be much bigger tan my K-5II. That said when I upgraded a few months ago the KP was my choice. I have all 5 HD DA Ltd primes and with the KP I can only describe the match as perfection!

[Lowell Goudge]

I got a K1MKII last Christmas, and have found it to be a great camera, is it heavier than my other bodies, of course it is. I shoot always with 2 bodies, and still own all the DSLRs I ever had because the resale value does not seem to justify selling them off, I have always shot flagships, *istD, K10D, K7D, K5D, and now the K1MKII

When I set down the K1 and pick up any of the APS-C bodies, you can feel the difference, but it is not too heavy nor uncomfortable, although I’d shoot with relatively heavy lenses also, so the combined impact is not that much. Consider for example an early sigma APO EX 70-200/2.8 and 2x sigma converter, that’s about 1.8 kilos on its own, so a few hundred grams additional in the body actually improves balance

I spent a long time in Ireland a few weeks ago with the Tammy 28-75/2.8 attached again no big deal in my opinion in terms of weight

Although my daughters K50 seems like a toy when I pick it up now

[biz-engineer]

It depends if you come from a K7 / K5 or K3. The K-3 was a little larger than the K5, so the difference between a K3 and K1 isn't that much. The K1 is essentially taller than the K3, making it more comfortable to handle. Anyway, the K1 is the smallest 36Mpixels full frame DSLR. The K1 with the D-FA 28-105 fits in the Pentax camera bag I had for free with a K5 or K3 kit. What makes the K1 feel big is when attaching a large lens to it.

[MaineNative]

I am on vacation in Colorado right now with my K-1. I usually bring my K-5, but I wanted the full-frame for Rocky Mountain National Park.

When I am using the camera, I don’t notice the weight of the K-1. It is very comfortable to hold and well-balanced. I do notice the extra weight in my camera bag. I am shooting primarily with the DFA 28-105. For walking around I use a Lowepro Toploader bag and the weight on my neck/shoulder is fine.

[btnapa]

Is the K-1 body as big

With K1, I don't feel the need for a grip. K1 has a solid grip and feel without the additional bulk and weight of the grip. Battery life is pretty good on K1 so the added battery in the grip is not a selling point for me either.

As far as KP vs. K1, I would get both if I could afford it. If you had to get one, start with KP first. You can always add the K1 later. Pentax has more choices for APSc lenses giving more flexibility to KP. I loved my K3 when I had it. The image quality is fantastic but high ISO beyond 1600 was not so good. Pentax solved that problem with KP. I would not hesitate shooting with KP at ISO 6400 all day. If I did not have my K1 and was starting over with Pentax, I would probably start with KP and then build from there.

[kiwi_jono]

As everyone else is saying - its a little bigger (than K-5 / K-3) but not that noticeable and definitely more comfortable to use. Weight increase is noticeable but still good and personally I prefer it for the feel.
The capability of the K-1 is impressive especially compared to my K-5 in terms of ergonomics, features and performance (well except for frame rate which I don't care about).

[acoufap]

I own both, K-1 and KP, and find the difference in size and weight significant. I guess all depends on your personal constitution and which lenses you use (lightweight or heavy). By example I love using the DA*11-18 lens much more with the K-1 than with the KP. It simply balances much better with the K-1.

Another point you should consider is that the KP don‘t offers an integrated grip like traditional Pentax DSLRs. I always use the smallest of the delivered three. This individually installed grip may require that you change the manner how you hold the camera-lens combo. If you ever worked with an old film SLR like the ME Super and enjoyed it, you IMO shouldn‘t have a problem with the KP.

KP plus DA55-300PLM compared to K-1 plus DFA150-450 offers the same field of view on the long end and broader on the short end, but it‘s only half the weight ... ~1.170g vs. 3.340g! - Something you may also take into consideration.

If you need assurance for your decision I’d suggest to try to get your hands on both cameras and test them with your preferred lenses. Then you’ll realize which handles better for you. I’m sure you know you have to feel comfortable with your setup to have fun using it a lot. Wish you all the best for your decision!

[c.a.m]

Sorry, I have not used a K10 or K20, so can't comment on their size relative to the K-1.

My baseline for comparison purposes is my K-3 II and DA* 50-135mm lens, which I find to be relatively lightweight and quite manageable.

Although I don't own a K-1, I did play with one for a sufficient period at a photo expo. The K-1 itself, or the camera plus a 'small-ish' lens, did not present any issues to me weight-wise. However, I found the K-1 plus D-FA 70-200mm -- comparable to K-3 + 50-135 -- to be too heavy and bulky for my liking -- my reaction was sort of "woah, this is a heavy beast." I think the K-1 plus my Sigma 70-200 HSM (lens approx. 1.4 kg) would also be outside my comfort level for routine hiking.


I'd recommend that the intended lenses also be considered when comparing weight and size.

- Craig