K-1 upgrade circuit board or not?

derekkite · 02-24-2018, 08:33 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Ronald Oakes

I honestly don't think you will see any noticeable difference at ISO 6400 or below. I could be very wrong , though I hope not ..... JMHO.
Geeze......why is anyone shooting at those speeds anyway ? I hardly ever even go half that ISO on a really bad day. Just curious where this comes into play ??

Pentax KP Review - High ISO Low Light Performance | PentaxForums.com Reviews

I shot the K3 for a few years. I shoot wildlife mostly. The images are almost always cropped. Iso 1200 or thereabouts was the typical top limit, in some situations where most of the frame was used I could double that. To shoot in low light situations in the winter I would carry a flash.

The K1 has about a stop and a half better performance on noise. That means that at iso 2000 I don't worry about quality, and in some conditions I can go up to 6400, and regularly get good shots at iso 4000. That means I can stop movement with a higher shutter speed. Long lenses have a very narrow depth of field, and I can stop down which improves the end results as well.

Earlier in this thread I posted a shot taken at iso 4000.

If, and we shall see, this upgrade gives me a stop of noise performance, all else being equal I can double my shutter speed.

Simen1 · 02-24-2018, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by D1N0

The new circuit board is needed for the noise canceling chip. Just give us Sr II through a firmware update. It will work better.

What exactly is a noise cancelling chip? If the noise is digitalized (on sensor), it would be a conditional smearing chip that does nothing more then can be done in post processing.

D1N0 · 02-24-2018, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Simen1

What exactly is a noise cancelling chip? If the noise is digitalized (on sensor), it would be a conditional smearing chip that does nothing more then can be done in post processing.

There is no smearing. You can deal with noise by different means. Like colour noise is dealt with through desaturation. This chip cleans up raw image data in some way before it is written to a file.

tax · 02-24-2018, 12:16 PM

I wish, I could buy this upgraded board directly from Ricoh and then let my local camera repair shop upgrade my K-1 to Mark II specs. It would cost me much less than proposed $550 upgrade through Precision Camera option. By that time my camera will be out of warranty anyway, and I don't care about updated K-1 II SR logo either.

**clackers** · 02-24-2018, 01:18 PM

Originally posted by tax

I wish, I could buy this upgraded board directly from Ricoh and then let my local camera repair shop upgrade my K-1 to Mark II specs. It would cost me much less than proposed $550 upgrade through Precision Camera option. By that time my camera will be out of warranty anyway, and I don't care about updated K-1 II SR logo either.

A tradeoff is that the resulting handiwork is being done by non-authorized technicians. A warranty voider right there.

tax · 02-24-2018, 01:48 PM

Originally posted by clackers

A tradeoff is that the resulting handiwork is being done by non-authorized technicians. A warranty voider right there.

But my K-1 camera is going to be already out of its original 1 year warranty then. Will upgrading K-1 to Mark II specs restart its original 1 year warranty or only this particular upgrade will be warranted?

**clackers** · 02-24-2018, 01:52 PM

Originally posted by tax

But my K-1 camera is going to be already out of its original 1 year warranty then. Will upgrading K-1 to Mark II specs restart its original 1 year warranty or only this particular upgrade will be warranted?

Well, I'd assume only the mainboard would come with a newer warranty, not the rest of the camera, such as the shutter.

But you could enquire from your dealer once they have details from Ricoh, not just a press release.

In any case, I thought that in the States only Precision or authorized repairers are allowed to source parts from Ricoh these days.

**mtngal** · 02-24-2018, 05:14 PM

Oh, I so want to upgrade my K1, mine doesn’t have as much resale value as most because it’s been scraped on rocks while hiking/scrambling and so on. It works great but it’s rough looking now. Sending it in would be a no-brainer except for one little problem - I’m leaving for Alaska on June 1st and won’t be back until the end of September. It would be great to have the upgrade done before I go. I thought of ordering the new camera, but it makes more sense for me to stick with my original plan to buy the D FA 150-450 lens for the trip. But I sure wish I could upgrade mine.

heydavemyers · 02-24-2018, 05:39 PM

Originally posted by Ronald Oakes

And You will ! The PS with motion in the image is one thing my K-1 cant do !

On the spec sheet I know that's true. But, show me an image that could not be done without it. I think all these new specs are overkill. I'm not a professional photographer, maybe I'm just missing the boat...

alvaro_garcia · 02-24-2018, 05:53 PM

I'd buy the new K-1 II in addition to my K-1, rather than upgrading the mother board.

Ronald Oakes · 02-24-2018, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by alvaro_garcia

I'd buy the new K-1 II in addition to my K-1, rather than upgrading the mother board.

That's what I did !

---------- Post added 02-24-18 at 07:07 PM ----------

Originally posted by heydavemyers

On the spec sheet I know that's true. But, show me an image that could not be done without it. I think all these new specs are overkill. I'm not a professional photographer, maybe I'm just missing the boat...

Just go shoot a landscape PS image on your K-1 with a slight breeze blowing..... notice some fuzzy blur in places ?
Yes the new specs are overkill to a degree.....but if it works as advertised....Wow !

Transit · 02-24-2018, 06:38 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Craig66

I have not decided yet. Have to see what the cost will be here in Australia. I'd like to see/hear how much improvement over the K1 the K1-ll upgrade would offer for the price.

at least you jokers have Kennedys rather than the tender mercies the yanks face

biz-engineer · 02-24-2018, 11:42 PM

I'll not update the K1. I am not convinced of the meaningful performance improvement of the K1 II over the K1. So I'll wait to see real life comparisons between K1 and K1 II and decide if I keep the K1 or sell it and buy a K1 II. I am especially looking for an improvement on shutter shock, if that's not the case with K1 II, I'll keep the money for another piece of equipment.

Gimbal · 02-25-2018, 01:27 AM

Originally posted by Ronald Oakes

That's what I did !

---------- Post added 02-24-18 at 07:07 PM ----------

Just go shoot a landscape PS image on your K-1 with a slight breeze blowing..... notice some fuzzy blur in places ?
Yes the new specs are overkill to a degree.....but if it works as advertised....Wow !

That they said they could do with the K1, PS with motion correction. That isn't new.

Then of course it doesn't work perfectly in camera, there is often artefakts left that ruins the image. However using Rawtherapee it pretty much does work perfectly.

biz-engineer · 02-25-2018, 01:41 AM

Originally posted by Gimbal

Then of course it doesn't work perfectly in camera, there is often artefakts left that ruins the image. However using Rawtherapee it pretty much does work perfectly.

It is an interesting concept to do pixel shift for the purpose of increasing image resolution and then replace area of the image where pixel shift does work by normal resolution. For me, that's a flawed concept.

View Poll Results: Will you service upgrade your K-1 to K-1 II?
Yes	74	31.36%
No	29	12.29%
I have not decided yet	96	40.68%
Not relevant to me (I have another camera etc)	28	11.86%
No. I have a K-1 but will buy a new K-1 II	9	3.81%
Voters: 236. You may not vote on this poll

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02-24-2018, 08:33 AM - 1 Like	#46
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by Ronald Oakes I honestly don't think you will see any noticeable difference at ISO 6400 or below. I could be very wrong , though I hope not ..... JMHO. Geeze......why is anyone shooting at those speeds anyway ? I hardly ever even go half that ISO on a really bad day. Just curious where this comes into play ?? Pentax KP Review - High ISO Low Light Performance \| PentaxForums.com Reviews I shot the K3 for a few years. I shoot wildlife mostly. The images are almost always cropped. Iso 1200 or thereabouts was the typical top limit, in some situations where most of the frame was used I could double that. To shoot in low light situations in the winter I would carry a flash. The K1 has about a stop and a half better performance on noise. That means that at iso 2000 I don't worry about quality, and in some conditions I can go up to 6400, and regularly get good shots at iso 4000. That means I can stop movement with a higher shutter speed. Long lenses have a very narrow depth of field, and I can stop down which improves the end results as well. Earlier in this thread I posted a shot taken at iso 4000. If, and we shall see, this upgrade gives me a stop of noise performance, all else being equal I can double my shutter speed.

02-24-2018, 08:53 AM	#47
Simen1 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tromsø, Norway Photos: Albums Posts: 1,031 Original Poster	Originally posted by D1N0 The new circuit board is needed for the noise canceling chip. Just give us Sr II through a firmware update. It will work better. What exactly is a noise cancelling chip? If the noise is digitalized (on sensor), it would be a conditional smearing chip that does nothing more then can be done in post processing.

02-24-2018, 12:16 PM	#48
D1N0 Pentaxian Join Date: May 2012 Location: --- Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,802	Originally posted by Simen1 What exactly is a noise cancelling chip? If the noise is digitalized (on sensor), it would be a conditional smearing chip that does nothing more then can be done in post processing. There is no smearing. You can deal with noise by different means. Like colour noise is dealt with through desaturation. This chip cleans up raw image data in some way before it is written to a file.

02-24-2018, 12:16 PM	#49
tax Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Photos: Albums Posts: 113	I wish, I could buy this upgraded board directly from Ricoh and then let my local camera repair shop upgrade my K-1 to Mark II specs. It would cost me much less than proposed $550 upgrade through Precision Camera option. By that time my camera will be out of warranty anyway, and I don't care about updated K-1 II SR logo either.

02-24-2018, 01:18 PM	#50
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by tax I wish, I could buy this upgraded board directly from Ricoh and then let my local camera repair shop upgrade my K-1 to Mark II specs. It would cost me much less than proposed $550 upgrade through Precision Camera option. By that time my camera will be out of warranty anyway, and I don't care about updated K-1 II SR logo either. A tradeoff is that the resulting handiwork is being done by non-authorized technicians. A warranty voider right there.

02-24-2018, 01:48 PM	#51
tax Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Photos: Albums Posts: 113	Originally posted by clackers A tradeoff is that the resulting handiwork is being done by non-authorized technicians. A warranty voider right there. But my K-1 camera is going to be already out of its original 1 year warranty then. Will upgrading K-1 to Mark II specs restart its original 1 year warranty or only this particular upgrade will be warranted?

02-24-2018, 01:52 PM	#52
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by tax But my K-1 camera is going to be already out of its original 1 year warranty then. Will upgrading K-1 to Mark II specs restart its original 1 year warranty or only this particular upgrade will be warranted? Well, I'd assume only the mainboard would come with a newer warranty, not the rest of the camera, such as the shutter. But you could enquire from your dealer once they have details from Ricoh, not just a press release. In any case, I thought that in the States only Precision or authorized repairers are allowed to source parts from Ricoh these days.

02-24-2018, 05:14 PM	#53
mtngal Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Wherever I’m Parked Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,003	Oh, I so want to upgrade my K1, mine doesn’t have as much resale value as most because it’s been scraped on rocks while hiking/scrambling and so on. It works great but it’s rough looking now. Sending it in would be a no-brainer except for one little problem - I’m leaving for Alaska on June 1st and won’t be back until the end of September. It would be great to have the upgrade done before I go. I thought of ordering the new camera, but it makes more sense for me to stick with my original plan to buy the D FA 150-450 lens for the trip. But I sure wish I could upgrade mine.

02-24-2018, 05:39 PM	#54
heydavemyers Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: southeast Pennsylvania Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 29	Originally posted by Ronald Oakes And You will ! The PS with motion in the image is one thing my K-1 cant do ! On the spec sheet I know that's true. But, show me an image that could not be done without it. I think all these new specs are overkill. I'm not a professional photographer, maybe I'm just missing the boat...

02-24-2018, 05:53 PM	#55
alvaro_garcia Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 185	I'd buy the new K-1 II in addition to my K-1, rather than upgrading the mother board.

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02-24-2018, 06:03 PM	#56
Ronald Oakes Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,582	Originally posted by alvaro_garcia I'd buy the new K-1 II in addition to my K-1, rather than upgrading the mother board. That's what I did ! ---------- Post added 02-24-18 at 07:07 PM ---------- Originally posted by heydavemyers On the spec sheet I know that's true. But, show me an image that could not be done without it. I think all these new specs are overkill. I'm not a professional photographer, maybe I'm just missing the boat... Just go shoot a landscape PS image on your K-1 with a slight breeze blowing..... notice some fuzzy blur in places ? Yes the new specs are overkill to a degree.....but if it works as advertised....Wow !

02-24-2018, 06:38 PM - 1 Like	#57
Transit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Whanganui NZ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,624	Originally posted by Craig66 I have not decided yet. Have to see what the cost will be here in Australia. I'd like to see/hear how much improvement over the K1 the K1-ll upgrade would offer for the price. at least you jokers have Kennedys rather than the tender mercies the yanks face

02-24-2018, 11:42 PM	#58
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,228	I'll not update the K1. I am not convinced of the meaningful performance improvement of the K1 II over the K1. So I'll wait to see real life comparisons between K1 and K1 II and decide if I keep the K1 or sell it and buy a K1 II. I am especially looking for an improvement on shutter shock, if that's not the case with K1 II, I'll keep the money for another piece of equipment.

02-25-2018, 01:27 AM	#59
Gimbal Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 2,106	Originally posted by Ronald Oakes That's what I did ! ---------- Post added 02-24-18 at 07:07 PM ---------- Just go shoot a landscape PS image on your K-1 with a slight breeze blowing..... notice some fuzzy blur in places ? Yes the new specs are overkill to a degree.....but if it works as advertised....Wow ! That they said they could do with the K1, PS with motion correction. That isn't new. Then of course it doesn't work perfectly in camera, there is often artefakts left that ruins the image. However using Rawtherapee it pretty much does work perfectly.

02-25-2018, 01:41 AM	#60
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,228	Originally posted by Gimbal Then of course it doesn't work perfectly in camera, there is often artefakts left that ruins the image. However using Rawtherapee it pretty much does work perfectly. It is an interesting concept to do pixel shift for the purpose of increasing image resolution and then replace area of the image where pixel shift does work by normal resolution. For me, that's a flawed concept.