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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-26-2016, 03:21 PM
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I'm primarily a birder and had thought that there couldn't be any advantage to going with a full 35mm format. I was wrong, and that's why just relying on numbers on a spec sheet can be so misleading. I see a lot of post where people assume that the 15MP crop mode of the K1 will be essentially the same as the 16MP K5II, and that just doesn't take into account advancements in sensors and the in-camera processing engine. For my purposes, the K1 in crop mode is almost as big a step forward from the K5II/K3 in high ISO performance as was the K5 from the K7. AF-S is noticeably quicker and more positive to lock focus, the center focus point seems to be a bit smaller and more discreet, and fine focus lock seems to be more consistent. This includes performance at lower light levels -- faster and more accurated. Add the wider FOV in the VF which helps me acquire my subject faster with ultra and super tele lenses, this is simply a better body for what I do. Being able to quickly change from 35mm to APS-C has also helped in a few instances where I was actually too close. I shoot with primes primarily, so being able to "step back" without actually moving has improved my ability to get the whole bird in frame in such instances.
I also have a Sony A7S for indoor candids without flash. The K1 is proving to be close enough in performance at ridiculously high ISO (12800 and up) that I can use it in most cases where I'd normally use the A7S. Since I already had a good Tamron 28-75/2.8, I can use the K1 for these situations unless I want completely silent operation, and that's really the main reason why I plan on keeping the Sony. The K1's shutter is pretty inconspicuous though, but the Sony can be shot totally silent. I've also found that my DA 12-24 covers the full frame from @ 18mm to 24mm, so if I need something wider, I have it.
I'm finding that I get a significantly higher percentage of shots with good to excellent feather detail. This is due to a number of things.
1. My main birding lens kit is an FA* 300/4.5 + F1.7x AFA, so it's slow (510mm f7.7 wide open). With significantly higher ISO (about 2 stops), I have both the luxury of higher shutter speeds or being able to stop down the lens for a little more sharpness.
2. Faster subject acquisition and faster AF lock gives me a fraction of a second advantage to get a shot off, and that's even more important as age slows down my reaction time.
3. I feel that the SR is more effective, and this definitely helps because I mostly shoot handheld, and a tiny bit of camera shake just destroys fine feather detail.
4. I could be wrong, but the jpegs seem to show a bit more shadow deinition than previous sensors, so it seems that the jpeg processing in the camera has been improved a bit.
5. The files seem to be a bit more flexible in PP, even though I shoot mainly jpeg.
Bottom line, even just shooting in crop mode, the K1 is a significant step up for me, and I've upgraded bodies at almost every generation -- DS, K100DS, K10, K20, K7, K5, K5II, K3, and now K1 so I am aware of just about all of the incremental upgrades Pentax has made with their bodies.
Scott
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