[MJKoski]

A year has soon passed since the release of MK2 back in 2018. There has been no firmware updates other than support for the new 50mm lens. How so? I see a lot of issues that needs to be fixed:

- option to disable RAW filtering (at least remove it for pixel shift above current triggering ISO value, now PS and accelerator fight against each other)
- option to bracket with sensor shifting (yes huge gains in image dimensions and aspect ratio after panorama stitching)
- option to use built-in intervalometer to shoot longer than 30 second images
- option to use EFCS and/or fully electronic shutter when using the intervalometer (PS already uses fully electronic shutter)
- option to use pixel shift for longer than 30 second exposures (no reason to not allow this)
- option to use the extra wheel for LCD brightness (KP HAS THIS), super important for night shooting
- option to enable live view by default when powering on the camera (KP HAS THIS)
- option to drop FPS but gain live view brightness in near dark situations OR massive display gain with extra noise like Magic Lantern for Canon
- add working live view histogram when using fully manual lenses in fully manual mode (now it just does not work properly), most competitors allow this
- fix random delay between ~30 second exposures when shooting images with the intervalometer

Pentax, finish the work you started with ultimate tripod and night shooting camera please.

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Last edited by MJKoski; 01-22-2019 at 06:28 AM.

[08amczb]

- minimum shutter speed in auto ISO (KP HAS THIS)

[biz-engineer]

- minimum shutter speed in auto ISO (KP HAS THIS)

- option to use the extra wheel for LCD brightness (KP HAS THIS), super important for night shooting

- option to enable live view by default when powering on the camera (KP HAS THIS)

Nice.

If I'm not wrong, the KP also allow to use EFCS in combination with OVF.

---------- Post added 22-01-19 at 15:38 ----------

Any firmware updates coming for K-1 MKII?

I've come to realize that some valuable software features can really make a camera competitive, even without high performance AF. I don't know how to have Ricoh Imaging listen, too bad they don't organize a users' meeting.
Like for example, all Pentax DSLR have SR, but exposure calculation acts as if there is no SR, TAv doesn't allow fixed ISO, so the only way to take advantage of SR is to use M-Manual exposure. But I don't think it would be too difficult to have the auto exposure calculation parameters modified by a custom value (user defined) when SR is enabled => that would make the K1 clearly outperform other camera models.

- minimum shutter speed in auto ISO (KP HAS THIS)

Setting minimum shutter speed is nice. Setting max shutter speed would also be nice to take advantage of SR, based on known lens focal length, with shutter speed / ISO setting based on SR performance (1stop, 2stop, 3 stops, 4 stops)

[Class A]

- option to disable RAW filtering (at least remove it for pixel shift above current triggering ISO value, now PS and accelerator fight against each other)

Would be cool, but given for how long it hasn't been made available, probably they either cannot or do not want to make this available.

- option to bracket with sensor shifting (yes huge gains in image dimensions and aspect ratio after panorama stitching)

I'm not sure you really want this.

The sensor will be shifted away from the centre of the image circle resulting in reduced image quality. Physically moving the camera while taking multiple shots would result in better image quality, in particular when orienting/shifting the camera so that the weakest image areas (near the vertical edges limiting the longer side) are kept out of the centre of the image.

- option to enable live view by default when powering on the camera (KP HAS THIS)

Yuck!

(just joking; wouldn't be for me )

[biz-engineer]

Any firmware updates coming for K-1 MKII?

+ indicator of highlight over exposure or shadow overexposure in OVF (substitute to the only small benefit of MILC).

[Adam]

The K-1 family has already gotten quite a bit through firmware. I feel that the rate of future updates going forward will therefore be slower.


I don't think it's possible to disable the accelerator processing, since that's built into the K-1 II's board.

[Rondec]

My expectation is that the next firmware update will come when the DFA 70-200 f4 is released this summer. It will have no stated improvements other than including a lens profile for the new lens.

[biz-engineer]

Ideas for the next model(s)

[AstroDave]

fix random delay between ~30 second exposures when shooting images with the intervalometer

If you are trying to use the intervalometer for 30 second shots, you need to allow a few extra seconds. For starters, such an exposure is actually 32 seconds long (!) and then the camera needs a second or two to reset itself for the next exposure. Therefore, you have to pick an interval of 33 or 34 seconds, or you miss every other shot.

See Pentax q10 qs1 interval shoot bugs - PentaxForums.com for some more info.

[Not a Number]

- option to use pixel shift for longer than 30 second exposures (no reason to not allow this)

I can see sensor heat related noise being a problem here. Each successive "shift-frame" being noisier than the previous. Sort of defeats the purpose of pixel shift. Not to mention subject motion and atmospheric distortions.

[biz-engineer]

- fix random delay between ~30 second exposures when shooting images with the intervalometer

If you are trying to use the intervalometer for 30 second shots, you need to allow a few extra seconds. For starters, such an exposure is actually 32 seconds long (!) and then the camera needs a second or two to reset itself for the next exposure. Therefore, you have to pick an interval of 33 or 34 seconds, or you miss every other shot.

There is an option in C menu to have successive exposures taken at fixed interval or as soon as possible. Interval stops working reliably with camera default and exposure time value set at the limit of interval time values.

[MJKoski]

If you are trying to use the intervalometer for 30 second shots, you need to allow a few extra seconds.

It does not skip anything if I select minimum delay between the exposures in the options. I just set number of photos and I get that number of photos with any exposure time up to 30 seconds. Setting a delay of 1s or more is guaranteed to mess star trail stack so I have to use that minimum option. That is very nice but the minimum delay is not consistent - it sometimes causes multisecond delay - and star trail stacks do not form 100% perfect trails. Possibility to use longer than 30 seconds per exposure would make things easier for storage space as well. I would prefer 60s x 60 stack instead of 30s x 120 stack.

But anyway, If I had to pick two from my list above, they would be accelerator off/on switch and live view brightness enhancement option for composition in the darkness. If I had to pick one it would be live view brightness enhancement as I can shoot below accelerator triggering ISO and push later. The brightness enhancement is something what makes or breaks the camera for night shooters.

[biz-engineer]

The brightness enhancement is something what makes or breaks the camera for night shooters.

The bottom button of the 4-ways controller does by default set the brightness of the LCD display for outdoor shooting, the brightness can be increased for sunny condition, or decreased for night condition. It is also possible to change LCD settings in the menus. So what is the difference between KP and K1II? Wheel control only?

[MJKoski]

I mean boosting the live view signal, not the actual LCD brightness. Currently there are two ways to do it properly. Sony uses a feature called "Bright Monitoring" which significantly drops display refresh rate but gains huge boost to image brightness shown in EVF/LCD by combining frames together. Magic Lantern for Canon has "Display Gain" feature which allows boosting liveview image up to +6EV to see in the darkness at the cost of increased noise. These are killer features every night shooting camera should have.

[biz-engineer]

I mean boosting the live view signal, not the actual LCD brightness.

Ok, I see what you mean. Last time I needed to focus on star with LV on the K1, I boosted the ISO and exposure compensation, it brighten the stars so I could focus comfortably. Then I pressed the greem button to reset the exposure compensation to zero and dialed down ISO and dialed up exposure time for proper exposure, it's not instant but it worked.