[clickclick]

I wan't to stay with Pentax, but I can't afford to stay with a sinking boat, my bail bucket isn't that big. Biting the bullet and reinvesting isn't the greatest option. Not to mention the cost but the reinvestment of time, learning a new system. Pentaxians, where do you stand, what have you found to be factual, where would you put your hard earned dollar ?

My father had an SV (still does actually), and because of Pentax awareness and the realization I could use his lenses, I bought a K1000 when they were first new on the market. From there, I upgraded to an ME Super that still serves me well and is sitting just out of reach as I type this. The digital age hit, life was complicated (have since jettisoned her...), DSLRs were expensive, and sadly, photography went by the wayside for too many years. In 2016, I decided enough was enough. I looked around at a combination of vintage K mount and M42 Pentax lenses and without hesitation went looking to see what Pentax had to offer. The K3II had recently been released, I read a few reviews, which were all pretty positive, did some quick price/feature comparison checks with Canikon, realized they didn't come close for dollar spent, and ordered the K3II. What a great camera. Wow. As I was getting to know the K3II, the K-1 entered my field of view. It went on the short list. I knew I wanted a sensor the same size as my 35mm film. This was something else I had been waiting for years before shelling out the big camera bucks. I shot what seemed to me a lot of Kodachrome 64 - remember getting a chuckle when the guy at the local photo shop asked me if I was a pro (am not) because he didn't have too many people who showed up and bought a dozen rolls of Kodachrome all at once. So, I was kinda addicted to the stuff and what it had to offer, and for years, that was my digital holy grail - would it give me what I perceived Kodachrome did in resolution and detail and range? Well, the answer is yes, and more.

So the short answer is, Pentax will not hold you back, only you will. There really isn't much you can't do with these cameras, and when you think of things like the astrotracer, and pixel shift, and IBIS, there's a lot these cameras can do that none of the competition does out of the box. Yes, Canikon can beat the AF and FPS stats, but that will not make you a better photographer. So, leverage the glass you have, stop worrying about troll bait, buy a current Pentax, and enjoy the good life knowing you are part of the select few that have figured it out and have a clue.

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Last edited by clickclick; 03-05-2018 at 07:38 PM.

[teiki arii]

../.. There really isn't much you can't do with these cameras, and when you think of things like the astrotracer, and pixel shift, and IBIS, there's a lot these cameras can do that none of the competition does out of the box. Yes, Canikon can beat the AF and FPS stats, but that will not make you a better photographer. So, leverage the glass you have, stop worrying about troll bait, buy a current Pentax, and enjoy the good life knowing you are part of the select few that have figured it out and have a clue.

I agree 100%...

[aslyfox]

M. . . . So, leverage the glass you have, stop worrying about troll bait, buy a current Pentax, and enjoy the good life knowing you are part of the select few that have figured it out and have a clue.

The few

The proud

US

[Wild Mark]

Here is a relavent contribution to virtues of the k1

Image sensor quality Pentax K1 vs Nikon D850 vs Sony A7rIII - PentaxForums.com

[jcdoss]

I was trying to get some information from K1 users as how the camera was performing, have they found it true about to few of lenses.

Personally, I think the K-1 is easily the best camera I've ever owned, and now I own two. It's as perfect as a FFDSLR can be as far as I'm concerned. I chose Pentax way back due to the number of legacy manual focus lenses that were available, and the fact that they all maintain pretty much full compatibility with all cameras (so far). Frankly, I am personally not that interested in modern lenses, as it looks like Pentax is not making lenses with compact size as a priority anymore. Plus, I just like the fit/feel of manual focus lenses with aperture rings so much... it just feels natural to me. Being a K1000 user as you say you are (were?), if you still have your lenses, they'll work fine on a K-1. If you liked using your K1000, then you'll like the K-1 too, even though it's a bit bigger.

One last thing... Pentax is somewhat of a rarity, and I see precious few on the street (except that one time I went thru the Hall of Mirrors... then they were all over the place). It's kind of cool to have such a fine and rare product to play with. If I were a professional needing guaranteed product support and widespread availability, that's a diff't story, but I'm just a dude who likes cameras, so I'm pretty happy with it. Well, maybe not pretty, but definitely happy.

Also, who ever heard of a product HARDWARE upgrade?? I haven't (although I am prepared to be corrected on that). It says a lot for such a small company to offer such a service to their customers. I'll definitely be doing so.

There, I'm done. Hope you stay on board!

[Class A]

Are there truly just a few lenses for the K 1 ?

In addition to the links Adam provided, you may also want to look at this list of
FF lenses for the K-1 that can be bought new. In addition to that, there are many, many more lenses that you can buy on the used market, some of them being excellent performers despite being developed for film.

If there is an issue with lens selection choices for Pentax, it is when you need primes with silent focusing. For those who are fine with -- or even prefer -- screw drive lenses, there is plenty of choice.

Currently available new FF (not including legacy lenses or crop sensor lenses that have been proven to work fine on FF):

...Sony: 70
Pentax: 60

How do you arrive at "60"?

The "FF lenses for the K-1 that can be bought new" list features about 98 lenses.

[Alex645]

How do you arrive at "60"?.

As I had posted, I was counting currently available (to me in the US) new FF (NOT including legacy lenses or crop sensor lenses that have been proven to work fine on FF). That figure came from looking at what BHphotovideo had in the way of Pentax mount FF lenses.

My point wasnʻt to give an exact number, either 60 or 78 or whatever. The point was I found sixteen for the 645 good enough for me and that 60 or 78 or 200 is like wanting a more powerful car in a world with speed limits, traffic, and photo radar. Iʻd rather Pentaxʻs growth be sustainable for the long term rather than to try to compete with Nikon and Canon in ways they canʻt sustain.

[Class A]

As I had posted, I was counting currently available (to me in the US) new FF (NOT including legacy lenses or crop sensor lenses that have been proven to work fine on FF).

The list I pointed to does not include legacy lenses either.

It does include a few lenses that do not carry an FF designation but are actually FF lenses. These lenses do not include APS-C lenses like the DA 40/2.8 that many regard as "working on FF" but which clearly are not up to the standard of a true FF lens.

That figure came from looking at what BHphotovideo had in the way of Pentax mount FF lenses.

Fair enough.

It is no surprise, however, that B&H do not carry all FF K-mount lenses that can be bought new.

I do agree with you that 60 is already a high number but if the actual number is 98, it is even a better argument for why "lack of lenses" is a silly argument most of the time. Notwithstanding, there are some areas (modern wide-angle primes, for instance) where the K-mount lineup could be better. Overall, I agree with you, though, that few people should have an issue with the current Pentax lens selection and that Pentax should be growing sustainably.

[teiki arii]

The issue actually does not concern the number of lenses... it has to do with the neighbour: grass grows greener next door..
Everyone wants a f:1.4 aperture lens because it's the must have. That's nothing to do with photography.
Doisneau worked with Rolleiflex (75/80 eq 50mm for FF) and Leica 50mm... And for sure, I prefer taking photo with versatile small lenses than with a Bazooka. It's my opinion, it's my concern so...

[MarkJerling]

60, 70 or 98; Would be many wedding shots or whatever you shoot to pay for that lot!

[aslyfox]

The issue actually does not concern the number of lenses... it has to do with the neighbour: grass grows greener next door..
Everyone wants a f:1.4 aperture lens because it's the must have. That's nothing to do with photography.
Doisneau worked with Rolleiflex (75/80 eq 50mm for FF) and Leica 50mm... And for sure, I prefer taking photo with versatile small lenses than with a Bazooka. It's my opinion, it's my concern so...

the full quote is

" The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank "

the one who dies with the most toys win

keeping up with the Jones

I want the biggest, brightest and the newest

______________________________________

all common reasons to get more " stuff "

any type of " stuff "

not all buy stuff for those reasons

or those reasons alone

but some of us do, at least from time to time

IMHO, YMMV

[Rondec]

I guess I will give my two cents.

Pentax isn't a tech company, they are a photographic company. As such, they release cameras with excellent ergonomics and still photo qualities. The feature sets on their cameras are interesting and they seem to look for places in the market where they don't match up directly with Canon and Nikon offerings, but rather target their cameras between those of their competitors.

As far as their sales force in North America, it isn't very robust. Pentax has pretty much decided that they will be more aggressive in Asia and particularly in Japan at selling cameras, but in the United States they primarily do it through online sales. They are a small company and keep their prices cheaper by not investing a lot in a sales force. It works for me, but may not work for everyone.

It is clear that Ricoh (who owns the Pentax camera brand) is a good sized company (bigger than Nikon, smaller than Canon) that has made some investment in cameras and will continue to do so. If you need spec monster cameras that are doing 15 to 20 frames per second and 4K video, then Pentax is probably not the brand for you. But if you like cameras with excellent ergonomics, solid builds, and top notch image quality then Pentax will continue to be one of the top brands out there.

[robgski]

FWIW, pairing a good quality older lens on a K-1 will produce great results.

[BrianR]

Are there truly just a few lenses for the K 1 ?

The question to ask is - what lens capability will you need/want for the K-1 that isn't available? It doesn't matter if brand X has 100 lenses in their catalog if they don't have the lens you need and brand Y does. Conversely, if brand X has 10 lenses in their catalog and these 10 fully complete your photographic needs, you're set.

I've no comment on your landscape requirement. Still life? Usually nothing exotic required. Macro? The DFA100mm macro is (IMO) a reason to use Pentax, nothing comes close to its size with other brands. The DFA50mm is also top notch. Pentax lacks a current 200mm macro (but has world class options occasionally available used) and it lacks Canon's fancy MPE65mm specialty lens. If you need/want either of those, look elsewhere. For most users, I'd suggest Pentax has all they need. Plus it's nice to not have those $10k telephoto options available for Pentax - I can then moan about Pentax holding me back (even though I can't afford one and would probably never buy one even if I could, it's nice to have something pointless to complain about).

[texandrews]

The question to ask is - what lens capability will you need/want for the K-1 that isn't available? It doesn't matter if brand X has 100 lenses in their catalog if they don't have the lens you need and brand Y does. Conversely, if brand X has 10 lenses in their catalog and these 10 fully complete your photographic needs, you're set.

Sigh...it's sooooo hard when someone reasonable posts something reasonable....

I've no comment on your landscape requirement. Still life? Usually nothing exotic required.

Exactly.

Macro? The DFA100mm macro is (IMO) a reason to use Pentax, nothing comes close to its size with other brands.

Glad someone else noticed that! It's amazing!

The DFA50mm is also top notch. Pentax lacks a current 200mm macro (but has world class options occasionally available used) and it lacks Canon's fancy MPE65mm specialty lens. If you need/want either of those, look elsewhere. For most users, I'd suggest Pentax has all they need. Plus it's nice to not have those $10k telephoto options available for Pentax - I can then moan about Pentax holding me back (even though I can't afford one and would probably never buy one even if I could, it's nice to have something pointless to complain about).

LOL. Yes, who are these legions of people who must have $10K lenses? To shoot BIF of common seagulls....sorry, couldn't help myself. Shame on me.