[lithedreamer]

I'm not sure how my partner will react but...it arrives tomorrow.

What have you guys set your custom user modes to on your K-1s? I never used them on the K-30, but I think that might change. I was thinking...

U1 - Astro
B + IR remote, minimum ISO
Astrotracer and GPS on

U3 - Pixel Shift + Motion Correction
Tv

U4 - 'Instagram' Mode
Av
Wifi + Geotagging On
RAW+ Medium JPEG

U5 - 'Spotmatic'
Program Mode with Back-button AF turned off for when I hand my camera to other people.

[Dan]

Where did you get that price on the K-1? Those look like B&H product codes, but I'm seeing $1,946.95 everywhere I look, including B&H.

[lithedreamer]

Where did you get that price on the K-1? Those look like B&H product codes, but I'm seeing $1,946.95 everywhere I look, including B&H.

They agreed to match their old advertised price in the catalog they sent me, plus Adorama's grip bundle discount plus a student discount on the T-Mount adapter.

[blan01]

They agreed to match their old advertised price in the catalog they sent me, plus Adorama's grip bundle discount plus a student discount on the T-Mount adapter.

That's a very nice deal!

[ffking]

re user modes - it's really whatever you photograph most, or is most different to your normal settings - I currently have a fully manual landscape mode with a two second delay, and also a landscape on TAV without the timer for incorporating moving elements - I also have an action mode, a portrait mode and a wildlife mode. I do a lot of macro, but I do that on the K-3. The number of variables you can set and record within each U mode is also big, so your landscape mode isn't likely to be exactly the same as mine - but I find myself spending most of my time on one of the U settings.- very useful, as there are so many things you have to change and can forget to change if you don't store them.

[normhead]

Congrats, I hummed and hawed and broke down a month a go, and I use the camera way more than I thought I would. It has some addictive features. I haven't set up my user modes yet, but Pixel shift will definitely be one of them The there will be 5 stop bracketing, and the AF setting for birds in flight.

[BigMackCam]

I'm not sure how my partner will react but...it arrives tomorrow.

Yep, she's gonna flip over those Eneloops

Congratulations

[kiwi_jono]

To quote Grace Hopper "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission".

Enjoy the K-1! I'm quite jealous - I have saved half the money for one so far.

[lithedreamer]

I came clean and offered the DA* 16-50, 50-135 and DA 35 Ltd as tribute. My K-1 stays!

[bdery]

U1 - Astro
B + IR remote, minimum ISO
Astrotracer and GPS on

Careful with that, I created such a custom mode, but Astrotracer would not activate even though everything was set properly. It worked as a bulb mode for me, whatever I tried. Better to just switch to bulb and use the INFO button (that one is a marvel!!!) to set everything for astro.

What have you guys set your custom user modes to on your K-1s?

I notice a lot of the user modes you think about sing can be easily set by using INFO and switching one setting (you are aware that you can customize the INFO menu, right?). I humbly recommend using user modes for scenarios where multiple settings must be changed. For instance, I have a "sports" mode where I use continuous shooting (with different priorities than regular), continuous AF, a higher ISO value, and different AF patterns. I have another for the studio, with all my go-to settings pre-programmed. another is set to force the camera to use APS-C lenses in FF mode (for the DA40 in particular).

Just my two cents, and congratulations on your purchase!

[lithedreamer]

Careful with that, I created such a custom mode, but Astrotracer would not activate even though everything was set properly. It worked as a bulb mode for me, whatever I tried. Better to just switch to bulb and use the INFO button (that one is a marvel!!!) to set everything for astro.



I notice a lot of the user modes you think about sing can be easily set by using INFO and switching one setting (you are aware that you can customize the INFO menu, right?). I humbly recommend using user modes for scenarios where multiple settings must be changed. For instance, I have a "sports" mode where I use continuous shooting (with different priorities than regular), continuous AF, a higher ISO value, and different AF patterns. I have another for the studio, with all my go-to settings pre-programmed. another is set to force the camera to use APS-C lenses in FF mode (for the DA40 in particular).

Just my two cents, and congratulations on your purchase!

My K-30 didn't let me customise the Info menu, so I hadn't thought of doing that, good point! Also, thanks for letting me know about the Astrotracer bug.

As an update, overnight shipping doesn't beat adverse weather, and UPS' shipping center is closed over the weekend, so they're not delivering until Monday...

[lithedreamer]

First Impressions:

• Autofocus is WAY faster than the K-30.
• The K-1 (with or without the grip) is substantially heavier than the K-30 or the PZ-1P. With the battery grip, some eneloops and an FA 77 Limited, it weighs about 1/3 of my Maine Coon cat.
• The kind of noise in my images in more...filmic than the K-30? The increase in image quality didn't blow me away in the same way that the jump from the K-x to the K-30 did, oddly enough.
• The wifi is...very frustrating. I'll long-press an image to try and save it, and the radial share menu will appear for a second before disappearing. I can save DNGs through to the app, but can't seem to get them into my camera roll. Eventually I just grabbed my iPad's Camera Connection Kit. Unfortunately, that doesn't support multiple SD cards, so you have to remove whichever one you're not importing from at the time.
• Tethering is very slow, so take your time. Let it be an aid to your workflow (checking for focus, space invaders) rather than trying to use it as a way to speed up your process.
• Selecting AF points appears to be much easier, now that there's a button to switch between that and things like drive mode. I'm so used to focus and recompose, that it's difficult to use so many AF points. I'd appreciate tips in that direction (I use back-button AF, if that makes a difference).
• The dust removal system is SO QUIET! So is the shutter!
• I think I'll try out the Astrotracer tonight.
• I didn't think I'd like the articulating screen as much as I do. It's actually very practical for turning it in any direction except to take a selfie.
• ISO noise is very well controlled. I would shoot the K-x up to about 1600, the K-30 up to about 3200, but this I'm willing to shoot 12,800 and possibly beyond. Very nice.

Some things I haven't seen in reviews:

• Batteries do not need to be in the body to power the camera if there are batteries in the grip.
• The grip power switch doesn't seem to affect the battery usage by the grip, just whether the
• The grip can make having a QR plate more awkward, as without one you're usually not grasping the bottom of your camera. If I was taking the camera + grip
• Only the Li-on battery tray has room for an SD card.
• While choosing illumination settings, the highlighted area (lens port, LCD panel, etc) lights up. The indicator lamps for things light wifi, GPS and infrared will blink.
• Movie mode allows for up to 99'99" with a large enough SD card. It's nice to finally break through the old EU tariff on cameras that record for longer than 30 minutes, I guess, for things like uncut vlogs and events.
• The camera feels more solid than the K-30 in a way that I wasn't expecting. Both the PZ-1P and K-30 feel sturdy, but hollow. The K-1 feels like there's not a centimeter of wasted space inside.
• Connecting to a TV via micro-HDMI is much easier than with Pentax cameras of the past. It also shows your status screen, which can be helpful when teaching a class about the basics like the exposure triangle.

[birdman59]

and bought the K1, an HD DFA 24-70 and HD DFA 70-200. All at the same time. Used $ from an insurance settlement. Need to make some time this weekend to run through it all and get some shots under my belt.

[lithedreamer]

and bought the K1, an HD DFA 24-70 and HD DFA 70-200. All at the same time. Used $ from an insurance settlement. Need to make some time this weekend to run through it all and get some shots under my belt.

I think you're going to like it.

[jbinpg]

@bdery - Would an Astrotracer user mode work if you turned on the GPS first then activated the user mode?