Pentax K-1 reputation for "bulky and heavy" - is it deserved vs. competing cameras?

tokyoscape · 04-16-2021, 05:03 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by OldChE

The reviewers usually make several negative comments in the reviews about the large size and heavy weight of the Pentax camera.

Those people confused and try to compare a DSLR vs Mirrorless body? As far as FF DSLR goes, I think K1 is one of the, if not the most compact body and the ruggedest built in the market today. Maybe you can ask the person, what he/she comparing it to?

**MrNPhoto** · 04-16-2021, 06:33 PM - **2 Likes**

To me, holding the body of a K-1 feels just right for a full-frame camera. The battery grip makes it a little bulkier, but it still remains a very comfortable setup. Yes, it might be a little heavier body, but I'm willing to carry a little extra weight if it means having superior build quality and WR.

**Rondec** · 04-17-2021, 03:04 AM - **2 Likes**

Pentax could make a smaller, lighter body for full frame that is still an SLR. They would just need to use more plastic materials and less metal. I don't know that they are really interested in doing that. "Solid build" seems to be a big selling point for them.

**Serkevan** · 04-17-2021, 03:23 AM

Originally posted by tokyoscape

Those people confused and try to compare a DSLR vs Mirrorless body? As far as FF DSLR goes, I think K1 is one of the, if not the most compact body and the ruggedest built in the market today. Maybe you can ask the person, what he/she comparing it to?

It's certainly a fair bit smaller than the Canon 6D (and by extension any canon FF DSLR), it's just very heavy which probably makes it feel bigger... though I prefer a dense body.

gatorguy · 04-17-2021, 04:27 AM - **2 Likes**

I rented the K-1 twice and both times I felt it was just too large for me. I would stay with my (at the time) compact KS2's. Then one day a deal on the FF Pentax came around that I would have been dumb to pass up. Figured at worst I'd resell it.

So after owning and using it for just a couple of shoots it didn't feel large or cumbersome at all. It just fits and an absolute joy to use. It just took a little getting used to. Now I never leave for a shoot without it.

texandrews · 04-17-2021, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by Serkevan

Yeah, the moment you add anything other that a pancake "pocketable" goes out the window...
I'd be happy to settle for a GRiii or so, though... for its use case it sounds fantastic.

Which is why that old Fuji 645 series was great
Eliminate some of its flaws, and it would be killer. Pocketable in the sense of the pockets of a Barbour jacket.

**Rondec** · 04-17-2021, 06:38 AM

Originally posted by gatorguy

I rented the K-1 twice and both times I felt it was just too large for me. I would stay with my (at the time) compact KS2's. Then one day a deal on the FF Pentax came around that I would have been dumb to pass up. Figured at worst I'd resell it.

So after owning and using it for just a couple of shoots it didn't feel large or cumbersome at all. It just fits and an absolute joy to use. It just took a little getting used to. Now I never leave for a shoot without it.

I think so much depends on what lenses you are using. Use a telephoto lens or a fast zoom and suddenly, the whole thing feels nicely balanced.

house · 04-17-2021, 07:06 AM

The K-1 is a great size for ergonomics when handling. Small for FF but large enough. It's on a strap or in a bag it feels large in moments when doing something other that photographing. I do the neckstrap hand wrap thing when out and about because it doesn't fall right when cross chest strapping. The annoying thing is that your hand is then fixed to the camera cyborg cannon style making it useless.

A K-1 with the K-3III depth profile would be amazing. It's the depth that makes the k-1 a bit awkward, sometimes it feels like a spherical camera

A more potruding viewfinder would also be more comfortable. I feel like prying that whole rubber rim thing that holsds the screen off the camera

edit: One reason it feels awkward is that I tend to opt for smaller prime lenses. People shooting zooms will have an unwieldy camera anyway. When I mount my rather large and heavy samyang 24 the size and balance of the camera gets so messed up anyway the camera makes very little difference.

**Serkevan** · 04-17-2021, 08:25 AM

Originally posted by house

The K-1 is a great size for ergonomics when handling. Small for FF but large enough. It's on a strap or in a bag it feels large in moments when doing something other that photographing. I do the neckstrap hand wrap thing when out and about because it doesn't fall right when cross chest strapping. The annoying thing is that your hand is then fixed to the camera cyborg cannon style making it useless.

A K-1 with the K-3III depth profile would be amazing. It's the depth that makes the k-1 a bit awkward, sometimes it feels like a spherical camera

A more potruding viewfinder would also be more comfortable. I feel like prying that whole rubber rim thing that holsds the screen off the camera

edit: One reason it feels awkward is that I tend to opt for smaller prime lenses. People shooting zooms will have an unwieldy camera anyway. When I mount my rather large and heavy samyang 24 the size and balance of the camera gets so messed up anyway the camera makes very little difference.

I don't know, for me it feels perfectly balanced with a small prime. The thing with the weight of the setup being centered on the camera is that the downward force tries to rotate your forearm, instead of bending the wrist down (which is the case for front-heavy setups). This holds for any of my lenses except the Sigma 400/5.6... For storage, I'm inclined to agree; I always carry the camera on a belt system

. Sling strap works but I'm not all too comfortable with it because of the camera jumping around on my hip, the K-7 adjusted better there.

*The 400mm is lightweight for its focal length (~850 g) but the front element is pretty large and the lens is 25 cm long, so it pulls forward a fair bit.

**savoche** · 04-17-2021, 09:39 AM - **2 Likes**

The K-1 is among the heavier FF cameras, but more compact than most. Would I like a lighter camera? Sure. But not if it compromises ruggedness. Would I like an even more compact camera? Maybe, but good ergonomy is far more important. If I need small and light I have my little Ricoh GR, the perfectest companion to a K-1

tokyoscape · 04-17-2021, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by Serkevan

It's certainly a fair bit smaller than the Canon 6D (and by extension any canon FF DSLR), it's just very heavy which probably makes it feel bigger... though I prefer a dense body.

Yes, It has a thicker bone which make it strong and all the rubber used for weather sealing also seem to be thicker too.

gatorguy · 04-18-2021, 04:01 AM

Originally posted by Rondec

I think so much depends on what lenses you are using. Use a telephoto lens or a fast zoom and suddenly, the whole thing feels nicely balanced.

Good mention.

In that vein a heavy lens is still a heavy lens, a point made clear to me yesterday. I shot an event with my K-1 from 11am until 8:00 pm yesterday, over 1400 images.....

With a D FA70-200! As my 2nd said yesterday mid-afternoon after using it for just 10 minutes. "You are the man!" Dang it's a beast.

**Serkevan** · 04-18-2021, 05:44 AM

Originally posted by gatorguy

Good mention.

In that vein a heavy lens is still a heavy lens, a point made clear to me yesterday. I shot an event with my K-1 from 11am until 8:00 pm yesterday, over 1400 images.....

With a D FA70-200! As my 2nd said yesterday mid-afternoon after using it for just 10 minutes. "You are the man!" Dang it's a beast.

Phew, that's almost 3 kg of o front-heavy setup... I'm not gonna be in the mood to handhold that thing in the foreseeable future, I'd have to work out much more

house · 04-18-2021, 06:17 AM

Originally posted by Serkevan

I don't know, for me it feels perfectly balanced with a small prime. The thing with the weight of the setup being centered on the camera is that the downward force tries to rotate your forearm, instead of bending the wrist down

You missed that I was referring to carrying it on a strap. Whilst actually shooting I have no issues with the K-1 what so ever. I also prefer the smallest possible lens. Chunky body small lens is very nice to handle.

**Serkevan** · 04-18-2021, 06:28 AM

Originally posted by house

You missed that I was referring to carrying it on a strap. Whilst actually shooting I have no issues with the K-1 what so ever. I also prefer the smallest possible lens. Chunky body small lens is very nice to handle.

That's why I commented that I use a belt, to avoid the awkwardness on a sling strap

. I thought the comment (on the edit part) about small primes being more awkward was in general, not only while carrying.

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04-16-2021, 05:03 PM - 1 Like	#61
tokyoscape Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,256	Originally posted by OldChE The reviewers usually make several negative comments in the reviews about the large size and heavy weight of the Pentax camera. Those people confused and try to compare a DSLR vs Mirrorless body? As far as FF DSLR goes, I think K1 is one of the, if not the most compact body and the ruggedest built in the market today. Maybe you can ask the person, what he/she comparing it to?

04-16-2021, 06:33 PM - 2 Likes	#62
MrNPhoto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Boston Photos: Gallery Posts: 276	To me, holding the body of a K-1 feels just right for a full-frame camera. The battery grip makes it a little bulkier, but it still remains a very comfortable setup. Yes, it might be a little heavier body, but I'm willing to carry a little extra weight if it means having superior build quality and WR.

04-17-2021, 03:04 AM - 2 Likes	#63
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	Pentax could make a smaller, lighter body for full frame that is still an SLR. They would just need to use more plastic materials and less metal. I don't know that they are really interested in doing that. "Solid build" seems to be a big selling point for them.

04-17-2021, 03:23 AM	#64
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by tokyoscape Those people confused and try to compare a DSLR vs Mirrorless body? As far as FF DSLR goes, I think K1 is one of the, if not the most compact body and the ruggedest built in the market today. Maybe you can ask the person, what he/she comparing it to? It's certainly a fair bit smaller than the Canon 6D (and by extension any canon FF DSLR), it's just very heavy which probably makes it feel bigger... though I prefer a dense body.

04-17-2021, 04:27 AM - 2 Likes	#65
gatorguy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,092	I rented the K-1 twice and both times I felt it was just too large for me. I would stay with my (at the time) compact KS2's. Then one day a deal on the FF Pentax came around that I would have been dumb to pass up. Figured at worst I'd resell it. So after owning and using it for just a couple of shoots it didn't feel large or cumbersome at all. It just fits and an absolute joy to use. It just took a little getting used to. Now I never leave for a shoot without it.

04-17-2021, 06:23 AM	#66
texandrews Moderator Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Baltimore Photos: Albums Posts: 3,390	Originally posted by Serkevan Yeah, the moment you add anything other that a pancake "pocketable" goes out the window... I'd be happy to settle for a GRiii or so, though... for its use case it sounds fantastic. Which is why that old Fuji 645 series was great Eliminate some of its flaws, and it would be killer. Pocketable in the sense of the pockets of a Barbour jacket.

04-17-2021, 06:38 AM	#67
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,650	Originally posted by gatorguy I rented the K-1 twice and both times I felt it was just too large for me. I would stay with my (at the time) compact KS2's. Then one day a deal on the FF Pentax came around that I would have been dumb to pass up. Figured at worst I'd resell it. So after owning and using it for just a couple of shoots it didn't feel large or cumbersome at all. It just fits and an absolute joy to use. It just took a little getting used to. Now I never leave for a shoot without it. I think so much depends on what lenses you are using. Use a telephoto lens or a fast zoom and suddenly, the whole thing feels nicely balanced.

04-17-2021, 07:06 AM	#68
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	The K-1 is a great size for ergonomics when handling. Small for FF but large enough. It's on a strap or in a bag it feels large in moments when doing something other that photographing. I do the neckstrap hand wrap thing when out and about because it doesn't fall right when cross chest strapping. The annoying thing is that your hand is then fixed to the camera cyborg cannon style making it useless. A K-1 with the K-3III depth profile would be amazing. It's the depth that makes the k-1 a bit awkward, sometimes it feels like a spherical camera A more potruding viewfinder would also be more comfortable. I feel like prying that whole rubber rim thing that holsds the screen off the camera edit: One reason it feels awkward is that I tend to opt for smaller prime lenses. People shooting zooms will have an unwieldy camera anyway. When I mount my rather large and heavy samyang 24 the size and balance of the camera gets so messed up anyway the camera makes very little difference.

04-17-2021, 08:25 AM	#69
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by house The K-1 is a great size for ergonomics when handling. Small for FF but large enough. It's on a strap or in a bag it feels large in moments when doing something other that photographing. I do the neckstrap hand wrap thing when out and about because it doesn't fall right when cross chest strapping. The annoying thing is that your hand is then fixed to the camera cyborg cannon style making it useless. A K-1 with the K-3III depth profile would be amazing. It's the depth that makes the k-1 a bit awkward, sometimes it feels like a spherical camera A more potruding viewfinder would also be more comfortable. I feel like prying that whole rubber rim thing that holsds the screen off the camera edit: One reason it feels awkward is that I tend to opt for smaller prime lenses. People shooting zooms will have an unwieldy camera anyway. When I mount my rather large and heavy samyang 24 the size and balance of the camera gets so messed up anyway the camera makes very little difference. I don't know, for me it feels perfectly balanced with a small prime. The thing with the weight of the setup being centered on the camera is that the downward force tries to rotate your forearm, instead of bending the wrist down (which is the case for front-heavy setups). This holds for any of my lenses except the Sigma 400/5.6... For storage, I'm inclined to agree; I always carry the camera on a belt system . Sling strap works but I'm not all too comfortable with it because of the camera jumping around on my hip, the K-7 adjusted better there. *The 400mm is lightweight for its focal length (~850 g) but the front element is pretty large and the lens is 25 cm long, so it pulls forward a fair bit.

04-17-2021, 09:39 AM - 2 Likes	#70
savoche Master of the obvious Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Lowlands of Norway Posts: 18,311	The K-1 is among the heavier FF cameras, but more compact than most. Would I like a lighter camera? Sure. But not if it compromises ruggedness. Would I like an even more compact camera? Maybe, but good ergonomy is far more important. If I need small and light I have my little Ricoh GR, the perfectest companion to a K-1

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04-17-2021, 05:01 PM	#71
tokyoscape Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,256	Originally posted by Serkevan It's certainly a fair bit smaller than the Canon 6D (and by extension any canon FF DSLR), it's just very heavy which probably makes it feel bigger... though I prefer a dense body. Yes, It has a thicker bone which make it strong and all the rubber used for weather sealing also seem to be thicker too.

04-18-2021, 04:01 AM	#72
gatorguy Moderator Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,092	Originally posted by Rondec I think so much depends on what lenses you are using. Use a telephoto lens or a fast zoom and suddenly, the whole thing feels nicely balanced. Good mention. In that vein a heavy lens is still a heavy lens, a point made clear to me yesterday. I shot an event with my K-1 from 11am until 8:00 pm yesterday, over 1400 images..... With a D FA70-200! As my 2nd said yesterday mid-afternoon after using it for just 10 minutes. "You are the man!" Dang it's a beast.

04-18-2021, 05:44 AM	#73
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by gatorguy Good mention. In that vein a heavy lens is still a heavy lens, a point made clear to me yesterday. I shot an event with my K-1 from 11am until 8:00 pm yesterday, over 1400 images..... With a D FA70-200! As my 2nd said yesterday mid-afternoon after using it for just 10 minutes. "You are the man!" Dang it's a beast. Phew, that's almost 3 kg of o front-heavy setup... I'm not gonna be in the mood to handhold that thing in the foreseeable future, I'd have to work out much more

04-18-2021, 06:17 AM	#74
house Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 3,306	Originally posted by Serkevan I don't know, for me it feels perfectly balanced with a small prime. The thing with the weight of the setup being centered on the camera is that the downward force tries to rotate your forearm, instead of bending the wrist down You missed that I was referring to carrying it on a strap. Whilst actually shooting I have no issues with the K-1 what so ever. I also prefer the smallest possible lens. Chunky body small lens is very nice to handle.

04-18-2021, 06:28 AM	#75
Serkevan Site Supporter Join Date: May 2019 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,976	Originally posted by house You missed that I was referring to carrying it on a strap. Whilst actually shooting I have no issues with the K-1 what so ever. I also prefer the smallest possible lens. Chunky body small lens is very nice to handle. That's why I commented that I use a belt, to avoid the awkwardness on a sling strap . I thought the comment (on the edit part) about small primes being more awkward was in general, not only while carrying.