Pre-Raw Noise Reduction in K1 II

johnkrumm · 05-08-2018, 07:50 AM - **5 Likes**

With my Ricoh GRll it originally came with raw based vignetting correction. Some people found that this could lead to clear circular banding with some photos, so Ricoh released a firmware update to allow users to turn this feature off.

I would like the accelerator-based noise reduction in the K1 ll to also be user controlled. Ideally, we could have different levels, from strong to completely off, and be able to set the iso level at which it turned on. I would like to upgrade my K1, but I am unsure if I should do so without this kind of control.

Andrea K · 05-08-2018, 09:29 AM

Same here.

stevebrot · 05-09-2018, 08:06 PM

What they said ^ ^ ^

timautin · 05-20-2018, 04:25 PM

+1. Hopefully they will do it before September...

Leoi · 08-30-2019, 10:44 PM

Same here. There are some nasty artifacts, specially in low-light photos...

**jbinpg** · 08-31-2019, 11:49 AM

K1-II automated raw noise reduction does not kick in until ISO640. How do you define low ISO?

Leoi · 08-31-2019, 09:00 PM

Originally posted by jbinpg

K1-II automated raw noise reduction does not kick in until ISO640. How do you define low ISO?

Who said something about low ISO?

**jbinpg** · 08-31-2019, 10:54 PM

Sorry, I misread your post. But I am surprised since you are the first person I have heard of seeing nasty artifacts in low light photos with the K-1 II. Unless you are into the astronomically high ISOs.

Adam · 08-31-2019, 11:24 PM

Originally posted by johnkrumm

With my Ricoh GRll it originally came with raw based vignetting correction. Some people found that this could lead to clear circular banding with some photos, so Ricoh released a firmware update to allow users to turn this feature off.

I would like the accelerator-based noise reduction in the K1 ll to also be user controlled. Ideally, we could have different levels, from strong to completely off, and be able to set the iso level at which it turned on. I would like to upgrade my K1, but I am unsure if I should do so without this kind of control.

I think at this point is has been concluded, through various reviews and user experiences, that the image quality of the K-1 II is no worse than that of the K-1. On the K-1 II, the additional noise reduction is done in hardware, so they can't just disable it through a firmware option.

However, I'd be willing to bet that future models will offer more flexibility in this regard.

Leoi · 08-31-2019, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by jbinpg

Sorry, I misread your post. But I am surprised since you are the first person I have heard of seeing nasty artifacts in low light photos with the K-1 II. Unless you are into the astronomically high ISOs.

Check the Dpreview review of the camera. They say something about it there.

**jbinpg** · 08-31-2019, 11:51 PM

I am allergic to that website.

**Rondec** · 09-01-2019, 02:33 AM - **1 Like**

I own a K-1 and K-1 II. The K-1 II has less noise at higher isos, but otherwise I couldn't tell the difference. If I shoot landscapes, I'm typically at iso 100 in which case they should be dead even. iso 800 and above are typically more snap situations. Even DP Review didn't say that they saw artifacts, they said that there was some detail lost with the accelerator chip. This is a normal trade off -- less noise, slightly less detail.

Personally, the lack of detail is not significant and I have never seen any kind of artifacts with the K-1 II. For those who have awesome noise reduction skills, they can probably produce similar results themselves, but for me, it makes me able to use iso 6400 and 12 K without a whole lot of adjustments.

But this is a discussion that has been worked over. The accelerator chip is not adjustable. It's a piece of hardware that is factory set to do what it does and in my opinion it does it pretty well with minimal penalty.

Kunzite · 09-02-2019, 01:48 PM

Originally posted by Leoi

Check the Dpreview review of the camera. They say something about it there.

They say a lot of BS about Pentax cameras (and some other brands, except then it's appreciatively). One such example is their "Star Eater on steroids" - except they didn't even test the K-1 II at astrophoto (because it was cloudy or something).

Every detail difference I've seen was marginal under pixel peeping - to the point of being unsure it's not normal variation. That, after eliminating BS claims (see above), different processing parameters, etc.
The noise difference is visible though.

After much deliberation and pixel peeping until my eyes bled trying to see a non-existent issue, I've sent my K-1 for upgrade. The so-called RAW files consist of processed data, and Pentax better keep up than be seen as having noisy, ugly images you have to work a lot on in post.

biz-engineer · 09-03-2019, 01:01 AM

Originally posted by Kunzite

DPR say a lot of BS about Pentax cameras

Amazon negotiate purchase deals with camera brands, DPR does the promotion. Not really a professional review site, more like a consumer camera promotion site geared towards amazon sales volumes. DPR reviews are now "mass produced" and the content is pretty much always the same "bla bla bla". Whenever I start to watch a DPR video review, my attention drops in the first 2 minutes, my reaction is like "Oh, the same bla bla again".

Kunzite · 09-03-2019, 07:43 AM

My guess is:
- they are flooded with new toys to test (sometimes in nice locations) by certain brands, and they're very gear-centric so the new features are always a huge bonus - so they'd naturally and without realizing become partial to said brands. Pentax is seen as failing for not being Sony.
- they feel good having an "Other" brand to compare favorably their popular-brands-of-choice against ("Star Eater on steroids"...)
- their reader base by large is favoring other brands, and feel good to have an "Other" brand to compare favorably their popular-brands-of-choice against

In other words, it's plain old bias. I don't believe it has anything to do with Amazon sales.

05-08-2018, 07:50 AM - 5 Likes	#1
johnkrumm Senior Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Duluth, MN Posts: 141	Pre-Raw Noise Reduction in K1 II With my Ricoh GRll it originally came with raw based vignetting correction. Some people found that this could lead to clear circular banding with some photos, so Ricoh released a firmware update to allow users to turn this feature off. I would like the accelerator-based noise reduction in the K1 ll to also be user controlled. Ideally, we could have different levels, from strong to completely off, and be able to set the iso level at which it turned on. I would like to upgrade my K1, but I am unsure if I should do so without this kind of control.

08-31-2019, 11:24 PM	#9
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Originally posted by johnkrumm With my Ricoh GRll it originally came with raw based vignetting correction. Some people found that this could lead to clear circular banding with some photos, so Ricoh released a firmware update to allow users to turn this feature off. I would like the accelerator-based noise reduction in the K1 ll to also be user controlled. Ideally, we could have different levels, from strong to completely off, and be able to set the iso level at which it turned on. I would like to upgrade my K1, but I am unsure if I should do so without this kind of control. I think at this point is has been concluded, through various reviews and user experiences, that the image quality of the K-1 II is no worse than that of the K-1. On the K-1 II, the additional noise reduction is done in hardware, so they can't just disable it through a firmware option. However, I'd be willing to bet that future models will offer more flexibility in this regard. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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05-08-2018, 09:29 AM	#2
Andrea K Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rome, Italy Posts: 822	Same here.

05-09-2018, 08:06 PM	#3
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	What they said ^ ^ ^

05-20-2018, 04:25 PM	#4
timautin Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 346	+1. Hopefully they will do it before September...

08-30-2019, 10:44 PM	#5
Leoi Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Lima Posts: 49	Same here. There are some nasty artifacts, specially in low-light photos...

08-31-2019, 11:49 AM	#6
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	K1-II automated raw noise reduction does not kick in until ISO640. How do you define low ISO?

08-31-2019, 09:00 PM	#7
Leoi Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Lima Posts: 49	Originally posted by jbinpg K1-II automated raw noise reduction does not kick in until ISO640. How do you define low ISO? Who said something about low ISO?

08-31-2019, 10:54 PM	#8
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	Sorry, I misread your post. But I am surprised since you are the first person I have heard of seeing nasty artifacts in low light photos with the K-1 II. Unless you are into the astronomically high ISOs.

08-31-2019, 11:32 PM	#10
Leoi Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Lima Posts: 49	Originally posted by jbinpg Sorry, I misread your post. But I am surprised since you are the first person I have heard of seeing nasty artifacts in low light photos with the K-1 II. Unless you are into the astronomically high ISOs. Check the Dpreview review of the camera. They say something about it there.

08-31-2019, 11:51 PM	#11
jbinpg Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Prince George, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,546	I am allergic to that website.

09-01-2019, 02:33 AM - 1 Like	#12
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	I own a K-1 and K-1 II. The K-1 II has less noise at higher isos, but otherwise I couldn't tell the difference. If I shoot landscapes, I'm typically at iso 100 in which case they should be dead even. iso 800 and above are typically more snap situations. Even DP Review didn't say that they saw artifacts, they said that there was some detail lost with the accelerator chip. This is a normal trade off -- less noise, slightly less detail. Personally, the lack of detail is not significant and I have never seen any kind of artifacts with the K-1 II. For those who have awesome noise reduction skills, they can probably produce similar results themselves, but for me, it makes me able to use iso 6400 and 12 K without a whole lot of adjustments. But this is a discussion that has been worked over. The accelerator chip is not adjustable. It's a piece of hardware that is factory set to do what it does and in my opinion it does it pretty well with minimal penalty.

09-02-2019, 01:48 PM	#13
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	Originally posted by Leoi Check the Dpreview review of the camera. They say something about it there. They say a lot of BS about Pentax cameras (and some other brands, except then it's appreciatively). One such example is their "Star Eater on steroids" - except they didn't even test the K-1 II at astrophoto (because it was cloudy or something). Every detail difference I've seen was marginal under pixel peeping - to the point of being unsure it's not normal variation. That, after eliminating BS claims (see above), different processing parameters, etc. The noise difference is visible though. After much deliberation and pixel peeping until my eyes bled trying to see a non-existent issue, I've sent my K-1 for upgrade. The so-called RAW files consist of processed data, and Pentax better keep up than be seen as having noisy, ugly images you have to work a lot on in post.

09-03-2019, 01:01 AM	#14
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,232	Originally posted by Kunzite DPR say a lot of BS about Pentax cameras Amazon negotiate purchase deals with camera brands, DPR does the promotion. Not really a professional review site, more like a consumer camera promotion site geared towards amazon sales volumes. DPR reviews are now "mass produced" and the content is pretty much always the same "bla bla bla". Whenever I start to watch a DPR video review, my attention drops in the first 2 minutes, my reaction is like "Oh, the same bla bla again".

09-03-2019, 07:43 AM	#15
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	My guess is: - they are flooded with new toys to test (sometimes in nice locations) by certain brands, and they're very gear-centric so the new features are always a huge bonus - so they'd naturally and without realizing become partial to said brands. Pentax is seen as failing for not being Sony. - they feel good having an "Other" brand to compare favorably their popular-brands-of-choice against ("Star Eater on steroids"...) - their reader base by large is favoring other brands, and feel good to have an "Other" brand to compare favorably their popular-brands-of-choice against In other words, it's plain old bias. I don't believe it has anything to do with Amazon sales.