Pentax K-1 Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only)

Comment

I made the transition from enthusiast to professional recently & needed a full frame camera. Since I exclusively work w/ Pentax this camera fit the bill perfectly. To unlock its full potential, I did buy 2 full frame (Pentax-FA K-mount) lenses. Its image quality is stunning especially in low light conditions. Since it was released in April 2016, it is pricey but totally worth it. I would recommend it ONLY to serious photographers. If youre considering buy it, I say go for it you wont be disappointed.

Show more

Comment

Many thanks goes to the camerabox for helping me out with my order. As for the camera, its awesome. I have been with Pentax for many years going back to a K1000 film camera. I did have another favorite and that was Ricoh. They have always put image quality above everything else and it shows here. This camera is a low light beast and I am glad to finally own it. With my old lenses from film working, I tried 2 aps-c lenses the da 40mm and da 70 mm and they both work on full frame flawlessly. It is all I ever wanted thanks for the Ricoh/Pentax merge I believe its the best.

Show more

Comment

What to say? This is the first Pro Digital camera made by Pentax/Ricoh. Just being full-frame, it brought back the film days to me. I can again see the depth of field like I used to. The only thing they did not put in is a USB 3.0 port. Dont know why. Wish they did.This camera lets a Pentax user be a professional photographer in the real sense, with low light capabilities like other photographers carry in their bags.

Show more

Comment

A feature packed camera with a gorgeous image quality. However, like other reviewer pointed out, I could do without the function dial and the wheel on top, it is redundant and useless. This is my first full-frame DSLR, since I have always been a pentaxian. I really was expecting some degree of similarity to the glorious K5 IIs, which has been my camera for the last two years. To my surprise, there is little, if any, in common with previous Pentax models as far as the interface and menu systems. The manual, unfortunately, was printed with very small letters so I had to download it and print it larger so I could read it. You will really have to read the manual, even if you are a loyal Pentax shooter, no way around it. Metering and focusing are totally different to what I was used to.. As usual in Pentax bodies, the build is solid, like a little tank, yet the camera feels comfortable and firm in my hands. Excellent ergonomics. And now to the point. I tested the camera with the Pentax smc 24mm FA*, a lens from the film era, since Pentax does not really offer many choices for this camera as of yet, and I am not willing to pay a small fortune for the D FA 24-70mm that many folks have uncovered as a Tamron re-brand. So please keep in mind that I tested it with a film-era lens. At f/2 the image was as soft as a petal, but that is due to the lens, of course. At f/5.6 it began to really shine, reaching the "sweet spot" at f/8, like most lenses do. The image was gorgeous. My test shots included tree barks and tree branches, house roofs and a metal fence. At f/8 the image was impeccable, with those lovely Pentax colors and a very decent contrast, even untouched in post. I shoot RAW, by the way. One thing that certainly made me very happy was the Dynamic Range of this camera. If you are a landscape photographer, you will surely appreciate this. Highlight recovery and shadow recovery in post is a breeze, and simply amazing. Then later that evening, I took a few shots of my professional model, Nikki, my cat. I used an off camera flash, and...boy, the photos came out so good that I might send them to "Cat Fancy" magazine, just kidding. At that moment, I knew I had made a great purchase and even my "nikonian" friend said they were simply impressive. Those shots were taken with the legendary Tamron DG 70-300 mm, my favorite portrait lens. In image quality, I dare to say this camera competes with bodies from other brands that cost 2 or 3 times as much. I really cant be more pleased with the results. Yes, the K5 IIs renders spectacular photos, but the K1 definitely takes the cake, by far. I would just like there were more digital lenses available for this body, but in the meantime, I will get by with film era primes. I also wish Pentax would have included an USB cord in the box. Oh well, a minor little sin. Lastly, the detachable LCD screen is a joke. If you are on the market for a full frame camera, please consider this weather-sealed body. It wont let you down.

Show more

Comment

30+ years Pentax user here. The K-1 is my 3rd Pentax digital camera. Positives are image quality, price point for full frame, and the wide variety of older lenses I can use or adapt. A minor negative is that the camera + lens weight is often a little much for casual shooting without a tripod. My one complaint, for which I deducted a star, is that after 8 months of light careful use my K-1 stopped powering on. Itd try but fail. And sometime after Id bought it, info about whether Amazon is an authorized seller disappeared from Amazons product listing and Ricohs website. But I neednt have worried. Kudos to Amazon, UPS, and Precision Camera for making the warranty service painless. I initiated a return for repair service through my Amazon order. Amazon provided a prepaid UPS shipping label to Precision Camera. And 3 weeks later I have my repaired camera back with no charge. "Replacing mainboard has resolved power issues." For what its worth, photo forums suggest that mainboard short circuit has been a rare problem with some other Pentax models. One day the camera is working, the next day wont power on.

Show more

Comment

I have owned the K-1 for about a year and love it. It is extremely well built, east to operate and takes great pictures. Pros: 1. It is an engineers dream come true and obviously they were given full leeway in design and functionality. You have to read the manual and invest the time to learn how to use all the h/w and s/w buttons. Once you are familiar with it, the layout will make sense. Be aware that it is a very geeky camera. 2. Very good and sturdy build quality and I have used it in the rain. 3. A full frame high quality camera at a fair price. Cons: 1. Limited digital and/or truly full frame lens options. 2. There is a small lag for auto-focus. I have compared this feature to full frame Nikon and Canon models that do a better job but you also pay much more for them. I have had several Pentax cameras and lenses over 20 years and never felt that I had to go with the herd and switch to the better known brands. You will be pleasantly surprised with the purchase.

Show more

Comment

The K-1 is an awesome camera for a bargain price. The ergonomics are outstanding, the image quality is astounding and the feature list almost never ending. The built-in image stabilisation means that all lenses (even old legacy ones) are image stabilised. That alone is incredible. But the moving sensor can do more like automatic horizon correction (optically, not through processing), limited shifting (like a tilt/shift lens, for composition adjustments on a tripod), and compensation for the earths rotation during star shoots. The moving sensor is also used for an on-demand AA filter simulation (you choose whether you want an AA filter or not) and for pixel shift (increase the resolution even beyond the massive 36MP for scenes with no or limited motion). The extra dial on the top is very handy for changing settings without accessing menus. The only way it could be better is if the top LCD provided visual feedback for the settings. The top LCD is also a tad small but it does the job. The cameras WiFi is too slow to transmit raw files with a useful speed but it allows you to use a phone or tablet as a remote monitor which can be extremely useful when setting up a scene or observing a scene. The corresponding app also allows one to remotely control the K-1. Using a cable for image transfer is hampered a bit by the absence of USB 3.0 support. This does not affect me though as I do not need live tethering and always transfer photos using a card reader. The dynamic range is incredible (see DXOMARK results) and the camera is properly weather-sealed. The AF is precise and more than fast enough for most applications. Continuous AF is not as good as the best top dollar models from Nikon or Canon but you do not buy this camera for shooting fast action. As a landscape or portrait camera it is pretty much flawless. Too bad Sigma is not offering their latest Art glass for Pentax anymore but there is a ton of great lenses available for the K-1. There are fabulous pre-loved Pentax jewels (FA* 85/1.4, ...), the wonderful metal Limited lenses (FA 31/1.9, ...), modern Pentax glass (FA* 70-200/2.8, ...) and a ton of alternatives from companies like Samyang, Laowa, Tamron, Sigma, Irix, etc. The most fun from using the K-1 apart from enjoying the stellar image quality comes from handling it. So solid but compact and every control is easy to reach. Try it once and you will be a believer as well.

Show more

Comment

It was no more than half a year ago, that I picked up my first dslr. A Pentax K-S2. That was not without weeks and weeks of research. It was my first one after all and like for many, we tend to want that to be something special. What started of as a hunt for a bridge camera, the Nikon P-900 to be exact, ended up becoming a journey of learning and an unrelenting welcome obsession. After almost three months of studying dslrs, delving into the world of photography, finding out that the best instrument of expression I could utilize wasnt my phone or some glorified point and shoot--not even a bridge one--, I pulled the trigger and had my first transaction with B&H. A week later the K-S2 was in my hands. Its been a long journey since. I learned a lot with it. Shot tons with it. Been asked to shoot with it and got paid for it. Ive grown with my Pentax camera at an alarming rate, but it just goes to show the capability and dependability of these well designed tools. Ive got events lined up for the rest of spring and all through this coming summer. It goes without saying that I needed a second body. I suppose I joined the Pentax fold and ranks in just the right time; meaning I didnt have to wait long for the release of their first full-frame dslr. It came at just the right time too. If youre looking for a full-frame dslr or are in the market for one, chances are youre on the hunt and youve been canvasing all the available brands. Youre doing your research, reading the reviews, if youre near a store, you might even get to demo a few. You may or may not factor in the cost. But in truth, with regards to the K-1, theres no loss there. This camera is jam-packed with features. Made just as so to compete with other full-frame dslrs within its range. The thing about Pentax that got me from the get-go, eventhough I was leaning towards the mainstream brands like Nikon or Canon, is their customizability--they provide you with such an intuitive set of controls and fine crafted cameras. These are tools designed with the photographer in mind. These are tools you can grow with. These are tools that will help you better your art and realize your vision. Im not telling you to go and get a Pentax if youre in the market for a dslr. Im telling you that if you do, you wont regret it and youll be the better for it. Out of the box, I resumed to pair the K-1 with an FA 77mm F1.8 Limited. Conducted a test that started in my kitchen and living room and eventually out into the nighttime streets of Glenwood Springs, then finally in a nightclub/bar where everyone is enveloped in darkness. I had done well and at times amazing with the K-S2. The K-1 clearly has taken me to another level... something beyond the dictates of a simple upgrade to a full frame. It is inspiring, driving confidence, a wicked penchant for allowing you to attain the images that you imagine and desire, it carries the same fuel that lit a fire in your heart that endeared you to photography and photography to you. I understand this isnt a conventional review, but Im not conventional. In a way, neither is Pentax. So cheers to you fellow photographer and cheers to Pentax on the release of the K-1. In the end, whatever choice you make, be it this camera or that camera, it would still be a very good choice. After all, you will still be creating. And that is beautiful.

Show more

Comment

I waited and waited for Pentax to come out with a full frame digital, and wow, did they deliver!! I just love this sensor for its Dynamic Range and lack of noise at low ISOs. The camera has all the manual controls to make photography a joy again, for someone who came from all manual Pentax Cameras. I hate it when the Camera makes the picture alone and you just point and shoot. It does have all the modern automatic features of a modern camera, but I only use them when Im not inspired to shoot. They claim that the auto focus is not up to par with its modern competition, but for someone used to all manual lenses, I can use the auto-focus as an aid and get much better shots than before. For Landscape and Still photography, auto focus is very accurate, if you set it up right and use it correctly. If you point and shoot and expect the camera to read your mind, then you may be somewhat disappointed. I did get the 28-105 modern lens and its much better than the competitors "kit lenses", in build, color rendition and edge to edge sharpness. Now all my manual lenses can be used on this camera and get image stabilization, since its built into the camera body instead of the lens. There are new features that are just not available in the competition that reviews ignore, but to me are just brilliant. 1. Mechanical dial for most common changes to settings, instead of fumbling in menus. 2. Pixel shift to increase color accuracy and reduce noise 3. Astro-tracer for night sky photography with longer exposures 4. Automatic horizon leveling using sensor rotation for small corrections 5. Backward compatibility with K mount lenses from the 1970s. That is almost 50 years worth! 6. Tilting back screen for most macro, landscape and studio type photography. No selfies! 7. A Rugged rain resistant body, leave your plastic bag at home and shoot with confidence. This is major problem for landscape where a rain shower and ruin your day and force you to keep your camera in a plastic zip-lock or rain cover if you venture outside. With competitive cameras, you take a risk as to what damage you could do in rain. With Pentax, the manufacturer designed for this eventuality. Nice! There are other features too but I listed the ones that I consider unique. I have shot over a 1000 pictures, a lot of landscape and some people, pets and flowers, and this 36 MP sensor blows 15-20+ MP sensors away in sharpness and color, leave alone printing big. You just cant compare the two unless you print small and/or look at it on a computer screen only (without 1:1 views). At $1K less than any equivalent competition, its a real steal for me. Although Pentax Lenses and accessories cost as much as the competition now.

Show more

Comment

What can I say that hasnt been said? This is an amazing camera. I upgraded from a k5 iis and notice an increase in sharpness using my same old lenses. Of course the new sensor is nice but the biggest difference is in the software. The K1 is screaming fast. My lenses autofocus much faster (all of them!), images process noticeably faster using the same SD card, an added wheel allows me to change the ISO while looking in the viewfinder without needing to use the ISO button, and the screen pops out and articulates with a really cool mechanism. Wow, the engineering that must have gone into that! The screen is much more accurate and live view performs much better. Full manual video mode is now available and it is awesome. 2 jacks allow simultaneous mic and headphone use. 1080p24 with Pentax glass is comparable and often exceeds the quality of all the 4k nonsense you see these days. If you are thinking about it, get this camera. You will be amazed. And get the 100mm f2.8 macro WR lenses to go with it. The combination is incredible (still my favorite lens even after I dropped it in a half frozen alpine lake and fished it out)

Show more