[ZombieArmy]

Hello everyone.

The k-01 was my very first (interchangable lens) camera purchased about a year ago at this point. I've learned almost everything I know about photography on this yellow brick and I feel like I've improved quite a bit!

My question is in what ways could only having the k-01 hold me back? What things are remarkably more difficult than with a standard dslr?

[Adam]

The main thing that comes to mind is AF for moving subjects / telephoto shooting, and composing/framing via the viewfinder, which is more appropriate in certain scenarios and certainly more convenient when it's really bright. But as far as image quality and features go, the K-01 isn't far behind the current bodies.

[ZombieArmy]

The main thing that comes to mind is AF for moving subjects / telephoto shooting, and composing/framing via the viewfinder, which is more appropriate in certain scenarios and certainly more convenient when it's really bright. But as far as image quality and features go, the K-01 isn't far behind the current bodies.

Yah I can feel the limitations of the af, especially on especially mobile targets... I can only imagine what really good af feels like :P

[DeadJohn]

The answer depends on the type of photography you do. Birds in flight: the K-01 would be a nightmare to work with trying to follow a subject and focus while shooting in burst mode. Landscapes on a tripod: the K-01 is a great camera for that.

[K57XR]

Continuous/Burst shooting if you use it is one thing I can think of the K-01 will hold you back versus a DSLR. I use CS quite a lot on a K5 for sports and action photography. I generally take the K-01 w/18-135 if I expect to shoot both video and stills. IQ wise K5 and K-01 are the same to my eyes.

[Quicksand]

I sold my K-5 in mid-2014 after owning it for about three years, then used only a K-01 for about a year until I picked up a new K-3 II last month. Here are the things I missed most during the last year:

As Adam said, K-01 autofocus is absolutely incompetent on moving objects. And in dim light it struggles mightily, racking noisily back and forth until it gives up.

I missed having two control dials, front and back. If you're not used to that it might not be as big an issue for you.

TAv mode is great, but on the K-01 you can't dial in any EV compensation in that mode, which is a pretty annoying limitation.

Burst mode on the K-01 is very slow, but you can work around that (a little) by using bracketing at +/- 0.3 EV intervals. It's much faster on pretty much any DSLR and you don't need to fake it with bracketing.

I would much rather have user-definable modes (as on the higher level DSLRs) than scene modes (as on the K-01 and lower end DSLRs). Again, your mileage may vary based on what you're used to.

The grip! For me, a DSLR is much more comfortable to hold.

But the image quality with the K-01 is fantastic, and I'm keeping mine as a backup. On stationary objects it focuses much better and more consistently than my K-5 ever did, in general. And the small size of the body is nice too.

[luftfluss]

The more skilled you are, the less the camera "holds you back".

[VoiceOfReason]

I have a K5, K-01, and K3 that I use quite a bit. The K3 is the best of them, with better and faster AF, especially in low light, no AA filter so things are a bit sharper, and better burst mode if you use it (I don't). In every way the K3 is the better camera, and you can probably do better with it, but as far as the K-01 holding you back? Probably not since you can still get great images from it. In fact I had mine converted to full spectrum because live view works better for that and for infrared when I use it for that.

[Macario]

it shouldn't hold you back. No camera will hold you back if you have a vision what you want to phtograph

[Billy Joe]

I have the K-01 and I find it pretty sharp... does the lack of the AA filter really improve on sharpness that much
Here is a shot and then a crop of the shot with me on my knees reflected in the eyes...

How much sharper is the K3?
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/61320-billy-joe/albums/7732-da-40...ture68419.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/61320-billy-joe/albums/7732-da-40...ture68420.html

[DeadJohn]

The more skilled you are, the less the camera "holds you back".

it shouldn't hold you back. No camera will hold you back if you have a vision what you want to phtograph

Skill and vision help you get the most out of a camera but they can't bestow your gear with magical abilities. Some scenes are much more difficult to shoot with the K-01 than with a DSLR. If ZombieArmy is limited by the K-01 AF then a DSLR seems like a worthwhile upgrade.

In other words, get the tool that enables you to reach your vision. Some photography specialties need specialized equipment.

[luftfluss]

Skill and vision help you get the most out of a camera but they can't bestow your gear with magical abilities. Some scenes are much more difficult to shoot with the K-01 than with a DSLR. If ZombieArmy is limited by the K-01 AF then a DSLR seems like a worthwhile upgrade.

In other words, get the tool that enables you to reach your vision. Some photography specialties need specialized equipment.

I manual focus, including for wildlife shots. I guess it all depends on one's commitment. I can MF wildlife on my K-01 and get as many keepers as I could with AF on a Pentax DSLR + consumer-level zoom.

Edit: Oh, and I don't mean to imply that I am anti-AF, anti-mega FPS, etc. Those things are all good and necessary and to be expected in 21st century cameras. But there's a difference between a camera "holding me back" and "I don't want to learn and practice and exploit my camera's full capabilities".

[Wildbunch]

During the years I have used it, I remember few situations where I really wished I still had my K-7 with me which I sold while getting the K-01.
First one was during (very) sunny days, in my experience, the sun reflections on the LCD screen make it very hard to use. I got the K-01 to take with me on hikes as it's smaller than a DSLR, I had counted on less convenience, but did not expect it to be so much.
Second one was the every now and then action shot I tried, where the AF.C on moving subjects is just too slow.
Third was a family event (in a low lit tent) where the camera, in low light, really struggled to get focus. Manual focus peaking partly saved me that night, but even that was difficult to see on the back screen.
I also noticed that screwdriven lenses like the F 70-210 are much slower on the K-01 than on my K200D.

I have enjoyed the K-01 the time I had it, I think it looks nice and definetly the image quality is up there with the best. For stills photography it's great.
But as said there have situations where i wished for an OVF, faster focussing, better low light focus.
No doubt, if performance is what you need for your type of photography, there's much better camera's out there.
Does it mean the K-01 holds you back... well no, of course it does not. No camera does that, they are all tools which enable you to do certain things.

[Rondec]

As others have said, it depends on what you shoot. I find that with landscape photos, the K-01 is as easy (or easier) to use than an SLR. I mainly use manual focus, the rear LCD is fine and you don't need speedy operation. I'm not great at manual focus when I'm not on a tripod and have a moving target and so those time, I really notice the lack of speedy (or any tracking) auto focus.

Image quality is great, the camera fits into any odd space and is super portable.

I guess the question really comes down to where you feel like you need improvement in your camera in order that you not hold back your photographic skills.

[Macario]

Skill and vision help you get the most out of a camera but they can't bestow your gear with magical abilities. Some scenes are much more difficult to shoot with the K-01 than with a DSLR. If ZombieArmy is limited by the K-01 AF then a DSLR seems like a worthwhile upgrade.

In other words, get the tool that enables you to reach your vision. Some photography specialties need specialized equipment.

there are three things that can get everything out of your camera. Skill, Vision and the abillity to work around the camera's "weaknesses".

Yes a DSLR is "better" at some things than the K-01 like you wrote. But that doesn't mean it should be holding you back, because like you wrote, it is more difficult, but it is not impossible. But that is the age of today. A camera that is fantastic now, will be "holding you back" a year later (probably because there is a newer model with more this and that).

and yes some photography needs specialized equipment. But for most part, that lies in the lens choice rather than camera choice.