[Gimbal]

The back LCD of my first digital camera consumed enormous amount of power (yes I measured it), so I got used to not turn it on unless it was necessary and then quickly turn it off again. Especially while hiking in the mountains with a limited supply of batteries I had to be very careful with the back LCD usage.

So when I got the K10d I sort of continued in the same way and loved the top LCD which gave me all the info I needed without illuminating the "large" back LCD for viewing basic settings, and the battery lasted for ever. So much that I never felt the need to buy a second battery.

Today the penalty for using the back LCD isn't that large anymore, but the top lcd is often in a better position and fully readable even in direct sun light. I like it.

[pathdoc]

It's more discreet to be able to check settings etc without lifting the camera to the eye.

Isn't that what the rear screen is for?

Most of my people photography is of active kids who for the most part are so distracted by what they're doing that they'd barely notice if I were pointing a 1000mm Takumar at them. Even then, I tend not to look at the top LCD much.

[micromacro]

I tested AF.S with 70mm ltd at local nursery. It's great! Focus/recompose is a joy with sensitive shutter button. Adjusting ISO, exposure compensation, and metering between shots is so convenient, and makes it fast and easy. It just takes the learning curve to feel that K-1 was build with creative photography in mind.
And SR is just totally amazing.
Here is one drawback actually, I'm not so crazy about vintage glass like before, so it triggers NLBA.

[arcterex]

Hey, I'm the author of the review at A Real World Review of the Pentax K-1 ? Alan Bailward Photography Blog, wondering why my server was being hammered and found the link here from PF! Glad you guys are liking the images and comments, please throw me any questions (or corrections or typos if you see them), and I'll answer and respond as best I can. Need to go through the thread as well to see if anyone had any questions

[pathdoc]

Thanks for the attention guys!

You're welcome!

I thought it was a good review. Pros and cons are well laid out and discussed/qualified sufficiently for people to decide whether they are enough to make or break the deal.

For me, coming from the K-5, the loss of resolution in crop mode shouldn't be sufficient for me to worry about, your initial issues with Wi-Fi I have interpreted as first-try jitters (your ongoing success as soon as you'd first got it right supports this contention IMO), and there should be plenty of compensation in other respects, while burst mode is not something I engage often. I suspect the shutter button issue is going to be akin to discussions of trigger pull among sporting shooters, and may come down to individual preference and acclimatisation. And that price tag... so much less than competitors' DSLRs with comparable features...

Most importantly, your review encapsulated what you actually thought about USING the camera, which ultimately is what we should be doing with it. Cameras and their lenses were not made to sit on a tripod in DxO-mark HQ shooting test charts all day. I can't wait to get to a camera store that has one for me to handle.

[arcterex]

Excellent review, thanks very much for providing the link. Love his photos.

Thanks Venom, appreciate the kind words!

[asp1880]

Good to hear that you can now review shots before everything's written to the card. The predecessor cameras have always annoyed me with their hourglass behaviour.

Regards,
--Anders.

I really miss to see shooting mode and metering mode on the top LCD.

[HopelessTogger]

Shutter button is mushy. Probably the only mild disappointment. It seems daft to have gone backwards regards this. Shutter button needs to have "feedback". Reminds me a bit of the A7r's shutter button.

[monochrome]

Nice review - found it on FB too.

I've only fiddled with WiFi so far. I think when the 3rd wheel is thumbed to the right WiFi turns on and left turns it off - but I also thought the behavior was erratic at first. More experimentation called for.

[geomez]

That was a good review with some new points I haven't seen mentioned before, like the loss of the EV bar scale in the top LCD. That’s a bummer.

Agreed. Big time.

---------- Post added 05-12-16 at 02:04 PM ----------

Shutter button is mushy. Probably the only mild disappointment. It seems daft to have gone backwards regards this. Shutter button needs to have "feedback". Reminds me a bit of the A7r's shutter button.

When I've played with higher-end Canikons in the store, I noticed they have mushy shutter buttons as well. My problem with all of Pentax's other shutter buttons is when I'm trying to be super still to take a picture, I feel like the hard press needed to release the shutter causes too much vibration. The mush is perfect for those scenarios. So I imagine Pentax changed it for that reason, or they just want to be like Canon and Nikon.

---------- Post added 05-12-16 at 02:06 PM ----------

Hey, I'm the author of the review at A Real World Review of the Pentax K-1 ? Alan Bailward Photography Blog, wondering why my server was being hammered and found the link here from PF! Glad you guys are liking the images and comments, please throw me any questions (or corrections or typos if you see them), and I'll answer and respond as best I can. Need to go through the thread as well to see if anyone had any questions

I feel the same way you do about the new dials at the expense of the top LCD. I feel that the new mode dial is kind of gimmicky.

[Class A]

Hey, I'm the author of the review at A Real World Review of the Pentax K-1 ? Alan Bailward Photography Blog,..

Welcome to the forum!
Very nice of you to come by and say "hello".

I liked your review a lot. Very down to earth and it highlighted some relevant aspects.

I share your thoughts about the articulating display as far as the angles supported by the rods are concerned. The achievable angles seem so limited, I wonder why they bothered to include such an elaborate mechanism at all. Maybe I'll change my mind when I'm going to use the camera myself, but currently it seems the best use of the sideway articulation is to have a means to shine the back-LEDs on the camera buttons. However, I believe that the vertical articulation achievable through the extra hinge is very useful. It supports waist-finder-type shots and lets you get the camera very low to the ground without having to lie down on the ground yourself. AFAIC, a vertical articulation would have been sufficient.

I also agree that it is strange to fill up the new option dial with so many functions that only have ON/OFF settings or a small set of values only. Setting such function through the configurable menu should be as quick and omitting them from the dial would have increase the clarity of the UI and allowed quicker changes between functions that really make sense to be supported by the new adjustment dial on the top. To bad that the top-LCD can not support more feedback regarding the option dial settings. However, I also prefer a segment LCD over a pixel LCD, so I accept that the options are limited.

I don't think your comparison to the K-3 with respect to the frame rate is fair. The K-1's resolution is so much higher and the K-1's FF peers are not significantly faster than the K-1 (i.e., they are also slower than the K-3). I think it is a 100% appropriate to observe that the K-1 is not a sports camera, but a direct comparison to a K-3 is a bit of an apples and oranges comparison (and misses the fact that the K-1 fps frame rate improves significantly in APS-C mode).

Regarding the gallery: It would be nice to see which lens you have used for a particular shot (I personally don't need the settings, but the lens model would be interesting).

Finally, I noticed you are using Cactus V6 triggers. You may be interested to hear that an Mk II version of the V6 has been announced. It will support HSS without workarounds.

P.S.: I suspect the shutter release button characteristic just needs some getting used to. I don't like mushy feedback myself, but I guess it can help with avoiding camera shake.

[pathdoc]

My problem with all of Pentax's other shutter buttons is when I'm trying to be super still to take a picture, I feel like the hard press needed to release the shutter causes too much vibration. The mush is perfect for those scenarios. So I imagine Pentax changed it for that reason, or they just want to be like Canon and Nikon.

Similar problems lead to convergent solutions. Used to be for some of the K film bodies that you could order them through the dealer with a choice of focusing screens. Pity you can't order this one with your choice of shutter button. An excellent case for buying one of each! If you can afford it, of course...

"Would Sir like his shutter button firm or mushy?"

"Mushy today, I think, Jeeves."

[Rupert]

A couple of things I "don't get"? My shutter button is perfect....half press and you get focus..instantly...full press and you have the shot. It feels solid and there is nothing mushy about it. Smooth and easy...perfect. Maybe he did have a bad one?

Second, he left the AF question unanswered. I can't imagine this! The AF on the K1 is so fast and accurate, it is simply amazing. No Pentax I have ever owned even comes close. Since this is a most asked question, he should have addressed it, in my opinion.

I mainly shoot with my big ol' slow Bigma HSM OS and for many years and many Pentax bodies I have struggled with Bigma focus. They hunt like an old lazy hound. I've learned many new cuss words over the years to address the shots I've missed trying to gain focus...in particular in low light.

So you might imagine how absolutely amazed I was to find that my Bigma is now as fast as a cat and accurate too...even in low light. No hunting, no delay, just fast and easy!

The new SR is just as amazing.....simply wonderful...but this entire camera is wonderful, and that is no BS or hype. Try one and you will quickly agree!

A wet and dark morning.....Focused instantly!

1/100 handheld f7.1 @ 500mm ISO 10,000 - No noise reduction in or out of camera.


Now imagine good light, ISO 100 and a fast shutter speed and stopped down a little......you get the idea!

People ask me..."Rupert, are you some kind of newfangled K1 fanboy?" Damn right I am!

Regards!

[pathdoc]

Does this mean we are to be inundated with pin-sharp close-ups of a far-off squirrel's left... eyeball?

You can have your squirrel shots, Rupert, but we want ACTION - show us how that beast of a camera tracks and locks on a moving target. Prove that it's the sports camera of choice (if only for rampaging squirrels), and you'll have done your bit for the brand.