[grahame]

At the risk of sounding snarky, which was it, accuracy or precision? It is difficult to evaluate the former if the latter is lacking, at least not without a little statistics. (/snarky ) If I remember correctly, you also shoot an A7II. Do you find the hybrid AF on that camera easier to work with?


Steve

Steve, you got my point actually. Among the 3 K1s I had problem with, the 1st one had inconsistency problem, the 2nd had consistent front focusing for most of my lenses, and 3rd back focuses with most of my lenses, and the the amount of adjustment requested changed a lot within 2 weeks, so this one had both consistency and accuracy problem I tried to keep the 3rd one since most lenses could be adjusted at the beginning, but now many of them were back focused so badly that max adjustment is not enough.

I use A7. Thought of A7II, tried it, and bought an used one and quickly resold it with all FE lenses since K1 came out. But from NEX-5N, NEX7, then 6, and now A6000 and A7/A7II, sony's AF works great. AF on A6000 or A7II, even A7 or next-6 are really fast! AF accuracy is also wonderful, not complain at all. Of course mistakes still happen, camera misunderstood me sometime, but we know it could happen and just adjust the frame a little and retry focusing. Tracking AF-C is waayy better. I use a6000 for video exclusively and no pentax camera can do same job.

And I really like the EVF on Sony's cameras, which many hight disagree. I found it reacting fast enough and color is OK. It is a dream for MF lenses. enlarging the image in EVF to conform the focusing is the golden standard for me.

A pentax camera with sony's AF system and EVF is THE camera for me. The only better option will be pentax camera with sony's AF and upgraded K1 overlay VF, which can switch from OVF to EVF with single click -- I know I am day dreaming.

[HopelessTogger]

Steve, you got my point actually. Among the 3 K1s I had problem with, the 1st one had inconsistency problem, the 2nd had consistent front focusing for most of my lenses, and 3rd back focuses with most of my lenses, and the the amount of adjustment requested changed a lot within 2 weeks, so this one had both consistency and accuracy problem I tried to keep the 3rd one since most lenses could be adjusted at the beginning, but now many of them were back focused so badly that max adjustment is not enough.

I use A7. Thought of A7II, tried it, and bought an used one and quickly resold it with all FE lenses since K1 came out. But from NEX-5N, NEX7, then 6, and now A6000 and A7/A7II, sony's AF works great. AF on A6000 or A7II, even A7 or next-6 are really fast! AF accuracy is also wonderful, not complain at all. Of course mistakes still happen, camera misunderstood me sometime, but we know it could happen and just adjust the frame a little and retry focusing. Tracking AF-C is waayy better. I use a6000 for video exclusively and no pentax camera can do same job.

And I really like the EVF on Sony's cameras, which many hight disagree. I found it reacting fast enough and color is OK. It is a dream for MF lenses. enlarging the image in EVF to conform the focusing is the golden standard for me.

A pentax camera with sony's AF system and EVF is THE camera for me. The only better option will be pentax camera with sony's AF and upgraded K1 overlay VF, which can switch from OVF to EVF with single click -- I know I am day dreaming.

Yeah, I also use the A6000 (and A7r MkI, but we won't go there). I always wished Sony had bought Pentax and they'd made the best of both world's for both K-mount and A-mount (same camera, different mounts). Basically, Pentax make the body/menu/special bits and Sony do the sensor/AF.

This strategy would have made sense. A single body branded Pentax in K-mount and Sony in A-mount.

Sony A-mount users have been stuffed, I feel for them. They see the K-1 and want it in A-mount. We see Sony's ever advancing AF and want it in K-mount.

[awscreo]

Damn it, the more I read this forum them more I get upset xD researching about K-1, thinking to purchase. Completely new to the system, wanted to buy the body and gradually build a lens collection, but I have few legacy manuals that I wanted to use with it first, one is a K mount Helios, one of the later/sharper ones. Now I see that it seems that K-1 has white/hot pixels during long exposures, and that I really need to buy an AF lens with it right away (possibly two-three?) to test if my camera is one of the "good batch" ones and focuses properly. That's a lot of cash I'd need to drop right off the bat, which I wasn't planning on. I noticed K-1 was out of stock today on adorama, maybe they've received a fresh batch from the factories that doesn't have those issues? (with my luck, I'd say that's not likely..)

[gaweidert]

Damn it, the more I read this forum them more I get upset xD researching about K-1, thinking to purchase. Completely new to the system, wanted to buy the body and gradually build a lens collection, but I have few legacy manuals that I wanted to use with it first, one is a K mount Helios, one of the later/sharper ones. Now I see that it seems that K-1 has white/hot pixels during long exposures, and that I really need to buy an AF lens with it right away (possibly two-three?) to test if my camera is one of the "good batch" ones and focuses properly. That's a lot of cash I'd need to drop right off the bat, which I wasn't planning on. I noticed K-1 was out of stock today on adorama, maybe they've received a fresh batch from the factories that doesn't have those issues? (with my luck, I'd say that's not likely..)

Well, a lot of us have had no problems with the K1. I own a K5, K5-IIs, K3 and a K1. The K1 is definitely the best of the lot and I have ad no problems with any of them.

BTW awscreo. Did you used to work for a company called Creo out of Vancouver. BC. Best company I ever worked for.

[tomO2013]

So today I handed back the K1 regretfully. It's an amazing camera capable of really astounding medium format image quality in portable body.

Unfortunately I couldn't wait for a fix/replacement and was unable to rent another body. I've rejected two jobs as a result and been unlucky with 3 bodies.

I've ended up going back to Canon but I do hope and want to see Pentax thrive, I think they are a great company with great engineers who do a lot with a little. It just didn't work out for me this time but I sincerely did try.

I'll be sticking around as this is a great community and I still have a k3ii and some glass that I'm going to enjoy.

[awscreo]

I'm genuinely scared of buying the K-1 now lol. I was so hyped about it just two hours ago. I mean it could be one of those internet things when you read highly concentrated negative feedback (I found that people that experience issues usually post more than people that are happily use their equipment), but I definitely want the expensive new shiny camera that I buy work right out of the box..

I wonder, has Pentax/Ricoh take notice at all? Or the issue is not wide-spread enough?

---------- Post added 08-12-16 at 07:58 PM ----------

So today I handed back the K1 regretfully. It's an amazing camera capable of really astounding medium format image quality in portable body.

Unfortunately I couldn't wait for a fix/replacement and was unable to rent another body. I've rejected two jobs as a result and been unlucky with 3 bodies.

I've ended up going back to Canon but I do hope and want to see Pentax thrive, I think they are a great company with great engineers who do a lot with a little. It just didn't work out for me this time but I sincerely did try.

I'll be sticking around as this is a great community and I still have a k3ii and some glass that I'm going to enjoy.

Have you by any chance noticed which serial numbers those 3 bodies had? I mean, were they earlier produced models?

[tomO2013]

Yup of memory serves the first two were literally picked up day one and day 3 that they were released in Canada

[grahame]

I'm genuinely scared of buying the K-1 now lol.

Please do let us scare you from buying a new K-1. as you have noticed, people don't post when they are happy, they are just enjoying the wonderful camera. think how many member here bought K1 and how many cameras were reported to have issue. When I got the 1st K1 that worked great, I didn't post a positive statement.

Just make sure you buy from good stores like B&H. worst case, you can return for exchange or refund.

[awscreo]

Please do let us scare you from buying a new K-1. as you have noticed, people don't post when they are happy, they are just enjoying the wonderful camera. think how many member here bought K1 and how many cameras were reported to have issue. When I got the 1st K1 that worked great, I didn't post a positive statement.

Just make sure you buy from good stores like B&H. worst case, you can return for exchange or refund.

I guess I'll have to get an AF lens together with the camera, otherwise I won't be able to test the AF. Maybe will have to wait a bit longer and make budget for a lens as well. People suggest that DA* 55 1.4 works on K-1 in full frame mode, but the af system on that camera is the older one if I'm remembering correctly. I wonder if for testing purposes getting the new 28-105 zoom would be better? Certainly won't have a budget for the 24-70 for now. 55 1.4 and 28-105 seem to be very similar in price. I want the shallow dof from the 55, but again, maybe newer af from the zoom is better to test the body for bugs/defects?

[tomO2013]

I would also suggest asking the store if you can rent the camera that you intend to buy / try it out for a few days before purchase.

See how you get on...

[Class A]

I'm genuinely scared of buying the K-1 now lol.

There is no reason to be scared.

Ricoh cannot keep up with the production of the K-1; it is selling very well. What you see here, are a few reports of a few cases having gone wrong. Unfortunately, there are always bound to be such cases.

We Pentaxians experienced systemic problems before (K-7 "green line syndrom", K-5 "string of pearls", K-5 "lens release button falling off") and believe me the forum looks different if a large number of people experience such a systemic problem. In all these cases Pentax of course provided fixes free of charge.

Chances are you'll just join the hundreds and thousands of happy K-1 owners who do not experience any issues. Should you come across an issue, you have the warranty period to get it fixed. So you wouldn't necessarily need an AF lens straight away. Even if you discovered an AF issue late, as long as you report it in the warranty period, it won't incur repair costs.

N.B., the focus drive should not matter w.r.t. AF, other than causing some noise (screw drive) or being a bit faster or slower. To test AF, any AF lens should do (unless you specifically want to test the SDM contacts in the body in which case you will have to use a lens with a built-in motor, e.g., a Pentax SDM lens or a Sigma HSM lens). BTW, some AF hesitation with very fast (f/1.4) lenses can be normal. No consumer DSLR AF system on this planet is perfect. They all work within limitations and produce results with certain tolerances.

Summarising, your chances of getting a K-1 copy that will make you smile, are way higher than you think.

[Tas]

I'm genuinely scared of buying the K-1 now

My K-1 has the mirror issue, but I've found it to be a great camera that creates great pictures, despite my best efforts.

It's kept going despite whatever's going on with the mirror and I don't expect it will stop before I send it into Pentax in early October. Actually I don't think it would stop anyway just continue to annoy me, but getting it sorted out is more logical.

I could complain about this problem when you consider what I've spent but I don't regret buying this camera for one instance and my entries in threads like this are to ensure that if there is something I'm experiencing that I share it. And by this I mean to share both good and bad, and by far my expereinces have been good.

Tas

[awscreo]

I've not given up yet) Hope if I end up with the K-1 I won't have any significant issues with it. a fast prime like the da* 55 should be a perfect fit for such an amazing body. And pretty cost efficient

[stevebrot]

I mean it could be one of those internet things when you read highly concentrated negative feedback (I found that people that experience issues usually post more than people that are happily use their equipment)

There is some of that going on as well as cross-posting. I won't comment directly on the specifics of the OP's experience (fully discussed above) except that I am glad he had a system that he was happy with and confident of to fall back on.

but I definitely want the expensive new shiny camera that I buy work right out of the box..

The chances of that happening are excellent. It is my practice to give a new camera a very thorough going through (charging the battery first) to make sure that everything functions properly and that there are no issues with loose parts or poorly fitting panels and such. If anything is amiss, the dealer is our friend and an exchange is usually graciously and speedily offered.

Or the issue is not wide-spread enough?

There have been a few hiccups, but overall the launch has been pretty smooth and with a exception of a few things, most have not been actionable in a systemic sense. It is hard to tell when a company is taking action on a QA or design issue. After all, they don't usually issue press releases on that sort of thing. The only time we know for sure is when there is a recall or when there is a targeted firmware update.

In regards to the K-1 initial quality, I would be most concerned about fatal issues (parts falling off, dead-on-arrival, mirror not right) and less about complaints of "compared to camera X, I can't get this K-1 to do Y". The former are actionable and should disappear quickly over time. If they don't, a different camera may be the best choice. As for the latter type of issues...they never go away.


Steve

[awscreo]

There is some of that going on as well as cross-posting. I won't comment directly on the specifics of the OP's experience except that I am glad he had a system that he was happy with to fall back on.



The chances of that happening are excellent. It is my practice to give a new camera a very thorough going through (charging the battery first) to make sure that everything functions properly and that there are no issues with loose parts or poorly fitting panels and such. If anything is amiss, the dealer is our friend and an exchange is usually graciously and speedily offered.



There have been a few hiccups, but overall the launch has been pretty smooth and with a exception of a few things, most have not been actionable in a systemic sense. It is hard to tell when a company is taking action on a QA or design issue. After all, they don't usually issue press releases on that sort of thing. The only time we know for sure is when there is a recall or when there is a targeted firmware update.

In regards to the K-1 initial quality, I would be most concerned about fatal issues (parts falling off, dead-on-arrival, mirror not right) and less about complaints of "compared to camera X, I can't get this K-1 to do Y". The former are actionable and should disappear quickly over time. If they don't, a different camera may be the best choice. As for the latter type of issues...they never go away.


Steve

Yup, I'm hoping for the best. I'm sure IQ-wise it'll blow me away coming from a crop system, just always anxious before dropping serious cash on a hobby purchase