K-R or K-01

MacG · 10-28-2012, 12:19 PM

Hi,
I'm new to digital cameras other than a small point P&S. I used a Nikon FG for years but have never been more than an avid amateur with photos. I have a Pentax 80-320 lens in great condition. I was planning on getting a K-R body but have recently learned of the K-01. It appears that the K-01 may be a better choice due to the size but I am unfamiliar with the mirrorless set-up. My main use of the camera will be extended trips on a motorcycle in the back country. Nature and wildlife will be the main focus of my pictures. Will my lens fit these cameras without an adapter?
Any guidance or input on which camera may suit me best will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Kona · 10-28-2012, 12:26 PM

A K-30 would be much better suited for regular/constant outdoor use, as the weather resistant body will hold up a good bit better. It's also an all-round better bit of kit.

ihasa · 10-28-2012, 12:37 PM

In order of preference - K30, Kr, K01. Shooting wildlife via the lcd screen would be awkward I would have thought. For general shooting and landscape it would be fine though. Your lens will work fine on any of these options.

**jatrax** · 10-28-2012, 12:42 PM

Image quality will be similar.

Yes your lens will work, no adapter needed.

Which one is more an ergonomics, personal choice. I would never consider k-01 as I do not like taking images using the LCD screen. If you are coming from a P&S background then it may be more comfortable for you. But wildlife with an lcd? Not sure I would want to try that. But k-01 is supposed to be a good little camera if you like the body shape / format.

jimr-pdx · 10-28-2012, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by MacG

Hi,
My main use of the camera will be extended trips on a motorcycle in the back country. Nature and wildlife will be the main focus of my pictures. Will my lens fit these cameras without an adapter?
Any guidance or input on which camera may suit me best will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Here's a site you should look over, from a motorcyclist. I don't think wildlife is his thing, but John's page is a great resource.
These are all search results for K-01 on his blog, but he also uses K-5 and some micro-43 (and now a Nikon J-type too).

MacG · 10-28-2012, 02:04 PM

Thank you for the quick,detailed replies!
Many things I hadn't considered such as the LCD vs. viewfinder on wildlife.
The K30 is nice but I should have mentioned price is somewhat an issue. However it may be something to consider in the long run.
From the input it looks like the benefits of the Kr may outweigh the size of the K-01. I may be doing this backwards but I got(what I felt)was a good deal on 2 lenses,the other is a Pentax 50mm 1:2 that apparently came with the camera package. I am trying to keep this as a low budget,yet decent project.
Thanks jimr for the link. Great work and resources there.

kaiserz · 10-28-2012, 02:08 PM

I'm Motorcyclist and I also have a k-01, I love my k01 but to tell you the truth I would get a camera with a viewfinder, so the K5, k30 or the kr would be a very good choice. Indeed the k01's image quality is awesome, but the problem is in broad daylight you're going to have a hard time shooting with the k01 unless you have an extra tshirt or somekind of cloth on you and you're willing to shoot like this.

Or you can invest on something like this Amazon.com: LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER: Camera & Photo

Also be warned that they say that the AF of the k01 is not all that. but to be honest it doesn't bother me that much because of how I shoot and what I shoot. I love the IQ of the k01, but if the only reason you wanted it is the size, I would consider something else, because it's not really smaller than the k5 and is almost the same size as the kr, here take a look, Compare camera dimensions side by side

Good luck

Na Horuk · 10-28-2012, 03:27 PM

I have a K-01 and a K-r. My opinion is that the K-01 has better image quality and the focus peaking can be a very useful feature. With the new firmware, its AF has been improved, as well. The K-r, however, has the optical viewfinder, so you don't have to look at the LCD screen to take photos, and it has PD AF. Phase detect AF is generally faster, especially when the target is moving or if you have a slow lens.
The K-r is pretty tiny, but the K-01 is smaller and can fit into bags better, with its blocky shape. Its a hard choice to make, for sure.
That lens will fit your camera, as will any other Pentax K lens. You can look at the lens reviews on this website for more information, pretty much all lenses are listed and reviewed, including sample photos.
The only thing I would suggest to you for motorcycle use is to invest in a good, soft camera bag, because the vibrations of a motorcycle can potentially rattle the camera. The K-01, being mirrorless, might actually be better in that regard. Fewer mechanical pieces.
The K-30 actually has OVF and the same sensor as K-01, but is also WR, which can be great when you drive in the rain or something I dunno
But hey, the K-r has all the features you need and its not too expensive, get it with warranty and have fun. There is a thing known on these forums as buying addiction, when a person always wants the next better camera or lens, even though they don't even need all of that

I've had my K-r for a long while now and its been great.

top-quark · 10-28-2012, 03:47 PM

K-01 is the same weight as a K-r. Both are quite inexpensive these days. Given the size, it would be more comfortable to hold the camera up to eye level to compose than to work at arms' length. The K-r is good, but I'm with the others here: save up a bit more and get a K-30.

Medium FormatPro · 10-28-2012, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by Na Horuk

The only thing I would suggest to you for motorcycle use is to invest in a good, soft camera bag, because the vibrations of a motorcycle can potentially rattle the camera. The K-01, being mirrorless, might actually be better in that regard. Fewer mechanical pieces

Might I add in on this one... In addition to what's already been written on this one... Don't turn on the camera while even on the bike - unless you have the built in SR turned completely off by default - via the menu's.The vibration from most bikes could even permanently damage the in-body SR in short order. I've seen this happen in more than one Pentax body. I've also even seen it happen in quite the variety of other cameras versions of their lens only SR's. Not only does this happen on motorcycles, also boats, but especially on board airplanes - especially smaller (private type) planes.

Not even sure if that could qualify as a warranty item (??) if the SR got damaged.

As for carrying the camera in a soft sided bag - I'd also agree on that one, but... Whether to have the bag carried on the bag or possibly as a backpack?? It would work if carried in a saddle or bike bag and then offered extra protection in the form of a camera bag. But if using a backpack - use extra caution on two items. Be sure to remove any and all straps from the bag - to ensure they don't get caught on any part of the bike. Also remember that if one happens to go down with the bike when using pack attached to onesself that naturally even the bag and it's contents will also end up injuring the user. I can attest to this happening in no matter what type of bag one happen to use when snow skiing

MacG · 10-28-2012, 06:20 PM

Originally posted by Medium FormatPro

Might I add in on this one... In addition to what's already been written on this one... Don't turn on the camera while even on the bike - unless you have the built in SR turned completely off by default - via the menu's.The vibration from most bikes could even permanently damage the in-body SR in short order. I've seen this happen in more than one Pentax body. I've also even seen it happen in quite the variety of other cameras versions of their lens only SR's. Not only does this happen on motorcycles, also boats, but especially on board airplanes - especially smaller (private type) planes.

Not even sure if that could qualify as a warranty item (??) if the SR got damaged.

As for carrying the camera in a soft sided bag - I'd also agree on that one, but... Whether to have the bag carried on the bag or possibly as a backpack?? It would work if carried in a saddle or bike bag and then offered extra protection in the form of a camera bag. But if using a backpack - use extra caution on two items. Be sure to remove any and all straps from the bag - to ensure they don't get caught on any part of the bike. Also remember that if one happens to go down with the bike when using pack attached to onesself that naturally even the bag and it's contents will also end up injuring the user. I can attest to this happening in no matter what type of bag one happen to use when snow skiing

I wasn't aware the internals (SR) were so sensitive. Most of the time the camera would be in a tank bag or in padded luggage. Taking pics from the bike(stopped) is very common. Single cylinder thumpers ,so there is some vibration.
I really appreciate all the great advice here. I am leaning a bit toward the K-r but still open. I will need to do some price searching to see what is out there. Maybe the P&S is best for my use,I just thought I would step up a bit in quality of recording my travels. I have $35 in the lenses so I'm not in very far at this time.

Thanks again for all the great replies

Medium FormatPro · 10-29-2012, 08:30 AM

A bit more about bikes and the like... That unless one has a truly heavy hauler bike (I'm really thinking an Aspencade 1800, liquid filled seat and all - and then being careful not to contact the frame if taking a pic with the engine running) one could easily damage the SR <in a number of ways> on most motorcycles, but... Especially with a Harley Davidson - the engines have options to specificallly balance themselves out that way.

The SR would either be damaged physically, or would not be able to deal with the vibration - especially long term. It's also interesting though - I've never read anything of this in any of the Pentax manuals.

Na Horuk · 10-29-2012, 09:57 AM

Oh, if you will be taking photos with your helmet on you should definitely go for K-01. You'd have a difficult time getting an OVF to your face if you have a helmet on.

cyclone3d · 10-30-2012, 02:59 PM

Originally posted by MacG

I wasn't aware the internals (SR) were so sensitive. Most of the time the camera would be in a tank bag or in padded luggage. Taking pics from the bike(stopped) is very common. Single cylinder thumpers ,so there is some vibration.
I really appreciate all the great advice here. I am leaning a bit toward the K-r but still open. I will need to do some price searching to see what is out there. Maybe the P&S is best for my use,I just thought I would step up a bit in quality of recording my travels. I have $35 in the lenses so I'm not in very far at this time.

Thanks again for all the great replies

P&S, even the higher end ones cannot even begin to touch the picture quality of even an older-ish DSLR camera.

My sister in law wanted a really nice P&S with a good zoom. Picked her up a $350 Panasonic Lumix (16.1MP with 24x optical zoom) which was rated really high. The picture quality it produces, even at 16.1MP, is nothing compared to what my K10D gives me.

My wife wanted a P&S that would fit in her purse so I got her a Fuji 16MP with 10x optical zoom. She has gone back to using my K10D whenever it is available.

10-28-2012, 12:19 PM	#1
MacG New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 3	K-R or K-01 Hi, I'm new to digital cameras other than a small point P&S. I used a Nikon FG for years but have never been more than an avid amateur with photos. I have a Pentax 80-320 lens in great condition. I was planning on getting a K-R body but have recently learned of the K-01. It appears that the K-01 may be a better choice due to the size but I am unfamiliar with the mirrorless set-up. My main use of the camera will be extended trips on a motorcycle in the back country. Nature and wildlife will be the main focus of my pictures. Will my lens fit these cameras without an adapter? Any guidance or input on which camera may suit me best will be appreciated. Thanks in advance

10-28-2012, 12:26 PM	#2
Kona Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Victoria Photos: Albums Posts: 201	A K-30 would be much better suited for regular/constant outdoor use, as the weather resistant body will hold up a good bit better. It's also an all-round better bit of kit.

10-28-2012, 12:37 PM	#3
ihasa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Midlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,066	In order of preference - K30, Kr, K01. Shooting wildlife via the lcd screen would be awkward I would have thought. For general shooting and landscape it would be fine though. Your lens will work fine on any of these options.

10-28-2012, 12:42 PM	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Image quality will be similar. Yes your lens will work, no adapter needed. Which one is more an ergonomics, personal choice. I would never consider k-01 as I do not like taking images using the LCD screen. If you are coming from a P&S background then it may be more comfortable for you. But wildlife with an lcd? Not sure I would want to try that. But k-01 is supposed to be a good little camera if you like the body shape / format.

10-28-2012, 12:55 PM	#5
jimr-pdx Pentaxian Join Date: May 2010 Location: now 1 hour north of PDX Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,897	Originally posted by MacG Hi, My main use of the camera will be extended trips on a motorcycle in the back country. Nature and wildlife will be the main focus of my pictures. Will my lens fit these cameras without an adapter? Any guidance or input on which camera may suit me best will be appreciated. Thanks in advance Here's a site you should look over, from a motorcyclist. I don't think wildlife is his thing, but John's page is a great resource. These are all search results for K-01 on his blog, but he also uses K-5 and some micro-43 (and now a Nikon J-type too).

10-28-2012, 02:04 PM	#6
MacG New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 3 Original Poster	Thank you for the quick,detailed replies! Many things I hadn't considered such as the LCD vs. viewfinder on wildlife. The K30 is nice but I should have mentioned price is somewhat an issue. However it may be something to consider in the long run. From the input it looks like the benefits of the Kr may outweigh the size of the K-01. I may be doing this backwards but I got(what I felt)was a good deal on 2 lenses,the other is a Pentax 50mm 1:2 that apparently came with the camera package. I am trying to keep this as a low budget,yet decent project. Thanks jimr for the link. Great work and resources there.

10-28-2012, 02:08 PM	#7
kaiserz Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: NoVa The "burg" Photos: Gallery Posts: 899	I'm Motorcyclist and I also have a k-01, I love my k01 but to tell you the truth I would get a camera with a viewfinder, so the K5, k30 or the kr would be a very good choice. Indeed the k01's image quality is awesome, but the problem is in broad daylight you're going to have a hard time shooting with the k01 unless you have an extra tshirt or somekind of cloth on you and you're willing to shoot like this. Or you can invest on something like this Amazon.com: LVF32 Swi-View 3" CARRY SPEED LCD VIEW FINDER 3:2 FITS T2i 60D LCDVF Z-FINDER: Camera & Photo Also be warned that they say that the AF of the k01 is not all that. but to be honest it doesn't bother me that much because of how I shoot and what I shoot. I love the IQ of the k01, but if the only reason you wanted it is the size, I would consider something else, because it's not really smaller than the k5 and is almost the same size as the kr, here take a look, Compare camera dimensions side by side Good luck

10-28-2012, 03:27 PM	#8
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	I have a K-01 and a K-r. My opinion is that the K-01 has better image quality and the focus peaking can be a very useful feature. With the new firmware, its AF has been improved, as well. The K-r, however, has the optical viewfinder, so you don't have to look at the LCD screen to take photos, and it has PD AF. Phase detect AF is generally faster, especially when the target is moving or if you have a slow lens. The K-r is pretty tiny, but the K-01 is smaller and can fit into bags better, with its blocky shape. Its a hard choice to make, for sure. That lens will fit your camera, as will any other Pentax K lens. You can look at the lens reviews on this website for more information, pretty much all lenses are listed and reviewed, including sample photos. The only thing I would suggest to you for motorcycle use is to invest in a good, soft camera bag, because the vibrations of a motorcycle can potentially rattle the camera. The K-01, being mirrorless, might actually be better in that regard. Fewer mechanical pieces. The K-30 actually has OVF and the same sensor as K-01, but is also WR, which can be great when you drive in the rain or something I dunno But hey, the K-r has all the features you need and its not too expensive, get it with warranty and have fun. There is a thing known on these forums as buying addiction, when a person always wants the next better camera or lens, even though they don't even need all of that I've had my K-r for a long while now and its been great.

10-28-2012, 03:47 PM	#9
top-quark Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Aylesbury, Bucks Photos: Albums Posts: 492	K-01 is the same weight as a K-r. Both are quite inexpensive these days. Given the size, it would be more comfortable to hold the camera up to eye level to compose than to work at arms' length. The K-r is good, but I'm with the others here: save up a bit more and get a K-30.

10-28-2012, 04:52 PM	#10
Medium FormatPro Banned Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Charleston & Pittsburgh Photos: Albums Posts: 1,668	Originally posted by Na Horuk The only thing I would suggest to you for motorcycle use is to invest in a good, soft camera bag, because the vibrations of a motorcycle can potentially rattle the camera. The K-01, being mirrorless, might actually be better in that regard. Fewer mechanical pieces Might I add in on this one... In addition to what's already been written on this one... Don't turn on the camera while even on the bike - unless you have the built in SR turned completely off by default - via the menu's.The vibration from most bikes could even permanently damage the in-body SR in short order. I've seen this happen in more than one Pentax body. I've also even seen it happen in quite the variety of other cameras versions of their lens only SR's. Not only does this happen on motorcycles, also boats, but especially on board airplanes - especially smaller (private type) planes. Not even sure if that could qualify as a warranty item (??) if the SR got damaged. As for carrying the camera in a soft sided bag - I'd also agree on that one, but... Whether to have the bag carried on the bag or possibly as a backpack?? It would work if carried in a saddle or bike bag and then offered extra protection in the form of a camera bag. But if using a backpack - use extra caution on two items. Be sure to remove any and all straps from the bag - to ensure they don't get caught on any part of the bike. Also remember that if one happens to go down with the bike when using pack attached to onesself that naturally even the bag and it's contents will also end up injuring the user. I can attest to this happening in no matter what type of bag one happen to use when snow skiing

10-28-2012, 06:20 PM	#11
MacG New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 3 Original Poster	Originally posted by Medium FormatPro Might I add in on this one... In addition to what's already been written on this one... Don't turn on the camera while even on the bike - unless you have the built in SR turned completely off by default - via the menu's.The vibration from most bikes could even permanently damage the in-body SR in short order. I've seen this happen in more than one Pentax body. I've also even seen it happen in quite the variety of other cameras versions of their lens only SR's. Not only does this happen on motorcycles, also boats, but especially on board airplanes - especially smaller (private type) planes. Not even sure if that could qualify as a warranty item (??) if the SR got damaged. As for carrying the camera in a soft sided bag - I'd also agree on that one, but... Whether to have the bag carried on the bag or possibly as a backpack?? It would work if carried in a saddle or bike bag and then offered extra protection in the form of a camera bag. But if using a backpack - use extra caution on two items. Be sure to remove any and all straps from the bag - to ensure they don't get caught on any part of the bike. Also remember that if one happens to go down with the bike when using pack attached to onesself that naturally even the bag and it's contents will also end up injuring the user. I can attest to this happening in no matter what type of bag one happen to use when snow skiing I wasn't aware the internals (SR) were so sensitive. Most of the time the camera would be in a tank bag or in padded luggage. Taking pics from the bike(stopped) is very common. Single cylinder thumpers ,so there is some vibration. I really appreciate all the great advice here. I am leaning a bit toward the K-r but still open. I will need to do some price searching to see what is out there. Maybe the P&S is best for my use,I just thought I would step up a bit in quality of recording my travels. I have $35 in the lenses so I'm not in very far at this time. Thanks again for all the great replies

10-29-2012, 08:30 AM	#12
Medium FormatPro Banned Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Charleston & Pittsburgh Photos: Albums Posts: 1,668	A bit more about bikes and the like... That unless one has a truly heavy hauler bike (I'm really thinking an Aspencade 1800, liquid filled seat and all - and then being careful not to contact the frame if taking a pic with the engine running) one could easily damage the SR <in a number of ways> on most motorcycles, but... Especially with a Harley Davidson - the engines have options to specificallly balance themselves out that way. The SR would either be damaged physically, or would not be able to deal with the vibration - especially long term. It's also interesting though - I've never read anything of this in any of the Pentax manuals.

10-29-2012, 09:57 AM	#13
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Oh, if you will be taking photos with your helmet on you should definitely go for K-01. You'd have a difficult time getting an OVF to your face if you have a helmet on.

10-30-2012, 02:59 PM	#14
cyclone3d Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 511	Originally posted by MacG I wasn't aware the internals (SR) were so sensitive. Most of the time the camera would be in a tank bag or in padded luggage. Taking pics from the bike(stopped) is very common. Single cylinder thumpers ,so there is some vibration. I really appreciate all the great advice here. I am leaning a bit toward the K-r but still open. I will need to do some price searching to see what is out there. Maybe the P&S is best for my use,I just thought I would step up a bit in quality of recording my travels. I have $35 in the lenses so I'm not in very far at this time. Thanks again for all the great replies P&S, even the higher end ones cannot even begin to touch the picture quality of even an older-ish DSLR camera. My sister in law wanted a really nice P&S with a good zoom. Picked her up a $350 Panasonic Lumix (16.1MP with 24x optical zoom) which was rated really high. The picture quality it produces, even at 16.1MP, is nothing compared to what my K10D gives me. My wife wanted a P&S that would fit in her purse so I got her a Fuji 16MP with 10x optical zoom. She has gone back to using my K10D whenever it is available.