Pentax K-1 Mark II vs K-1 Review
Construction and Handling
The Pentax K-1 II is physically identical to the previous K-1, apart from the model name (on K-1 II's purchased new) or SR logo (on K-1 II's upgraded from a K-1). The physical layout will thus be immediately familiar to anyone used to shooting with the K-1.
Body
The K-1 II is a extremely robust camera. Its magnesium alloy and stainless steel chassis, rugged construction and full weather sealing make it a trustworthy photographic tool. Only the pentaprism housing is made of polycarbonate (plastic) to allow the GPS antenna to function properly. Multiple surfaces are covered in grippy rubber.
Size and Heft
The K-1 II is large and imposing. Placing it side by side with a K-3 (flagship APS-C model), it is not dramatically larger, but the difference is visible. The K-1 II is the largest current Pentax DSLR (excluding medium format), but its size is close to that of, say, the much older K20D (the K-1 II is a bit taller and thicker, but not as wide).
The camera weighs in at one kilogram (1010 g with the battery and two SD cards). It is the same D-Li90 battery as the one used by all flagship models since 2009.
The grip is superb. Well shaped, with a natural location for all fingers, it is an evolution of the K-3's grip made even deeper thanks to the larger full frame body. Textured with grippy rubber, it allows operation one-handed for short periods of time as long as the lens is not too heavy.
Buttons and Dials
The K-1 II features a large number of buttons and controls, some of them unique in the industry.
The top plate follows the current trend for Pentax DSLRs. To the left of the viewfinder bump is the exposure mode dial which includes five user mode as well as the Pentax classics P (with hyper program), Sv, and TAv, as well as the usual Tv, Av, M and B. This dial can be locked, requiring the center button to be pressed to rotate it, or allowed to spin freely.
To the right of the pentaprism bump is the GPS toggle button. Right next to it is the rotating dial first introduced with the K-1, and now also found on the KP. This dial allows the user to select one of nine functions that can then be toggled or selected via the third e-dial to the far right. This highly customizable tool lets the user change things like ISO, exposure compensation, bracketing, as well as toggle wifi or SR or change the grid display in the viewfinder, for instance. Most of these settings can also be changed through the menu, but the dedicated dial can be used to speed up shooting while out in the field.
Around the selection dial is the stills/video switch and to the right is the backlight/LEDs toggle.
The shutter button is located at the front. Like all modern DSLRs, it is a two-step affair, with a half-press setting for focusing. Around the shutter button is the power switch which doubles as a customizable depth of field preview button. Just below are the ISO and exposure compensation toggles which can be coupled to either e-dials (one to the front of the shutter button, one to the back of the camera).
Below the selection dial is the top LCD. To make room for the settings dial, this LCD is smaller than on other Pentax models. It shows the basic exposure information, battery state and selected memory cards. More information is available using the back LCD or the viewfinder.
The back of the camera shows a plethora of buttons. At the top left are located the live view toggle and metering selection button. To the right of the viewfinder are the back e-dial, the AF and exposure lock buttons. Below the e-dial are found the Pentax green and playback buttons. Still below is the small toggle allowing the user to change the 4-way controller from AF point selection and settings. This 4-way controller is just below. The last buttons, right at the bottom, are Info and Menu.
The left side of the camera (seen from the back) holds the typical Pentax controls. From bottom to top, they are the AF/MF switch and the AF mode button (coupled with the e-dials). Above is the programmable RAW button, which can be remapped to one of several options. At the top is the lock button, which sadly cannot be reprogrammed.
Handling of the K-1 II is identical to the K-1, which is to say as good as it gets if you are fine with the weight. Buttons are arranged logically and are easy to find and immediately intuitive to anyone who has used a Pentax DSLR in the last few years. If you are new to Pentax, the layout does have a learning curve, but you will likely find that it makes a lot of sense.
The amount of external controls means that it is generally possible to operate the camera without ever diving into menus.
Rear Monitor
The rear monitor is one of the most unique elements of the K-1 family. Large, at 3.2 inches, this screen is mounted on struts and can be pulled away and pivoted with a high level of flexibility. To make it even more adaptable, it can tilt up to 90° using an additional pivot. It can also tilt down by approximately 45° and to each side by approximately 30°.
Pivoting the LCD lets the user shoot at waist level, close to the ground, or above head. It is invaluable for creative photography, when using a tripod or when shooting at awkward angles.
The screen's brightness and color balance can be finely adjusted in-camera, either via programmed color schemes or manually. Furthermore, the screen's brightness can be adjusted for outdoor use via a button shortcut to make it brighter (in direct sunlight for instance) or darker (for night photography). Last, a "red" mode is available to preserve night vision, which is useful for astrophotography.
Ports and Doors
The battery door is located at the bottom and is secured via a pivoting tab, to preserve weather sealing. The camera takes the same D-LI90 that has been used for many years (since the K-7). This battery is readily available (we recommend the use of OEM batteries for best performance, especially since the K-1 II has a slightly shorter battery life than the K-1 due to its enhanced image processing).
The battery door is located far enough away from the tripod socket that the battery can be exchanged with the camera on a tripod even if the tripod has a good sized quick release plate.
The sliding SD card door is of the usual reliable slide-to-open design and pretty robust. It is located on the right side, and holds two cards.
Below the card door is the remote shutter connection, behind a rubber cap.
To the left is a large rubber plug type port for the USB 2.0, HDMI and DC in ports. Higher are the microphone and earphones ports, also behind rubber flaps. Higher and near the front is the flash socket to trigger external flashes.
The front and back of the camera both offer infrared receivers, to trigger the camera remotely.
Care must be taken when closing the ports to ensure that the rubber plugs are fully inserted. Otherwise the weather sealing is compromised.
Flash
Like the K-1, the K-1 II does not offer a built-in flash. The space usually taken by a flash is occupied by the GPS antenna.
Battery Grip
The K-1's D-BG6 works on the K-1 II. It can take an extra D-LI90 or 6 AA batteries. Using a battery grip can improve handling with heavier lenses.
Unique Features
Instead of fighting a battle for specs when designing the original K-1 and the K-1 II after it, Pentax decided to explore new ways to make its camera different. The result is a number of innovative elements that generally improve usability.
Some of these, like the struts-mounted pivoting LCD and customizable third dial, have been mentioned above. Others are presented here.
In addition to the top LCD backlight found on most advanced DSLRs, the K-1 II features numerous white LEDs distributed in strategic locations on the body. Four of these LEDs are mounted behind the back monitor and can be used to illuminate the back of the camera (to operate buttons, for instance) or objects in the photographer's hands or the ground. Another LED is placed above the lens mount, allowing the photographer to easily switch lenses even in total darkness. Even more unique are the LEDs placed inside the memory cards slots and the cabled remote plug.
While not limited to the K-1 II, the inclusion of the Astrotracer mode, coupled with the GPS, is unique to Pentax. With it, the camera can track stars in the night sky and realize longer exposures than what would be possible otherwise.
Pixel shift is a function introduced by Pentax which has been emulated or adapted by other manufacturers on the market. The K-1 II introduces a new element to Pixel Shift, called Dynamic Pixel Shift, where the camera compensates for the photographer's natural movements to capture handheld composite images. As long as the scene remains static, this should result in improved resolution.
The K-1 II also introduces a higher maximum ISO range, with an astounding 819,200 maximum, two stops more than the K-1, thanks to the new accelerator unit.
Elements like horizon correction, sensor shift (duplicating the effect of a shift lens), static pixel shift and five-axis image stabilization are all made possible by the stabilized sensor assembly.
Verdict
While the K-1 II is a fairly large and heavy camera, it is generally similar to its main full-frame competitors and also APS-C cameras from a few years back. It is hard to find anything to fault regarding its handling, external controls, customization options and features. Extremely rugged and durable, the K-1 II can take a beating. As is typical for Pentax, buttons placement is logical and easy to learn. The number of external controls means that diving in the menus is almost never required.
The one improvement we would like to see is a dedicated jog dial for selecting AF points. Toggling the 4-way controller between AF point selection and controls is cumbersome and can lead to errors if the wrong mode is activated. At the very least, a pivoting switch would be a better choice than a button.
