In summary
There’s no denying the K-1 is good value for money. It’s well built, offers plenty of user-adjustable controls (most of them genuinely useful) and comes with a relatively ‘affordable’ price tag, when compared with similar cameras in its category. In addition, our tests show it to be a competent performer when shooting still photos.
While its resolution isn’t as high as Canon’s EOS 5D S/R models (both 50 megapixels) ““ or Sony’s ILCE7R Mark II (42.4 megapixels), it’s roughly half their price. And it’s a cut above the 24-megapixel mid-level ‘full frame’ cameras from Canon, Nikon and Sony in build quality and performance (for stills).
As far as lenses are concerned, there are plenty of Pentax lenses that hark back to the days of film photography. Although they won’t have electronic contacts that support auto focusing and auto exposure, they’re still usable on the K-1.
Full review
Announced on 17 February, the Pentax K-1 is Ricoh Imaging’s first DSLR with a ‘full-frame’ sensor and offers a resolution of 36.4 effective megapixels. Like the Pentax K-3 II we reviewed in November 2015, there’s no anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor. Instead, the built-in SRII stabilisation system provides an AA filter simulator, which effectively eliminates moirø© and can be switched in and out when required. Pixel Shift Resolution, which was introduced in the K-3 II is also available in the K-1, with a small but significant addition.
Angled front view of the Pentax K-1 with the new HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
The SR II Shake Reduction has been ‘refined’ since the K-3 II to handle the K-1’s larger sensor chip. It now offers five-axis stabilisation with up to five EV of compensation. The system is also used for the Composition Adjustment function, which lets users simulate the effect of a tilt/shift lens in Live View mode. Other features shared with the K-3 II include:
– Dust and weather-sealed magnesium alloy body
– The D-LI90 rechargeable lithium-ion battery
– Dual SD slots
– Built-in GPS modules that support Pentax’s Astro Tracer function
– 86,000-pixel metering with Pentax Real-Time Scene Analysis System
Upon launch, Pentax will have 12 full-frame compatible lenses in its portfolio, including two new models being announced concurrent with the K-1 camera: the HD Pentax-D FA 15-30mm f.2.8 ultra-wide angle zoom lens and the HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 compact, lightweight zoom lens. Interestingly, the review camera was supplied with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens, which we reviewed in September, 2014.
Who’s it For?
Existing owners of Pentax DSLRs who have been waiting for a ‘full frame’ model will doubtless cheer that their wait is over. Pentax is renowned for packing a lot of technology into its cameras and offering them at competitive prices. This is certainly true for the K-1 and, although it’s larger and heavier than previous Pentax DSLRs, it provides the same user-friendly controls in a serious imaging device.
Compared with Canon and Nikon, Pentax has a relatively small range of lenses in its portfolio, most of them designed for cameras with cropped-format sensors. However, as well choosing from 12 full-frame compatible lenses, current Pentax DSLR users can match their existing cropped-sensor lenses to the K-1 by selecting the camera’s Crop Mode. Users can manually select either APS-C or Full-Frame sized shooting or choose the Auto setting that can detect which type of lens is attached and set the crop accordingly. Neat!
Like all Pentax cameras we’ve reviewed, the K-1 is competitively priced in Australia, particularly when compared with full frame DSLRs with similar resolution. Check out the body-only prices in the table below for high-resolution DSLR cameras with ‘full frame’ sensors from Pentax, Canon and Nikon.
|
|
Pixels |
Dimensions |
Weight (body only) |
$AU price* |
|
Pentax K-1 |
36.4 MP |
136.5 x 110 x 85.5 mm |
925 grams |
$2899 (RRP) |
|
Nikon D810 |
36.3 MP |
146 x 123 x 81.5mm |
880 grams |
$3400 |
|
Nikon D750 |
24.3 MP |
140.5 x 113 x 78 mm |
750 grams |
$2300 |
|
Nikon D610 |
24.3 MP |
141 x 113 x 82 mm |
760 grams |
$1900 |
|
Canon EOS 5D III |
22.3 MP |
152 x 116.4 x 76.4 mm |
860 grams |
$3589 |
|
Canon EOS 5DS |
50 MP |
152 x 116.4 x 76.4 mm |
845 grams |
$4839 |
|
Canon EOS 5DR |
50 MP |
152 x 116.4 x 76.4 mm |
845 grams |
$5179 |
|
Canon EOS 6D |
20.2 MP |
144.5 x 110.5 x 71.2 mm |
690 grams |
$1909 |
* Since neither Canon nor Nikon will supply RRPs to journalists, we’ve provided prices from Canon’s Australian online store and used average selling prices based on five re-sellers for the Nikon cameras.
The new camera provides some valuable features for photographers interested in night photography. Its built-in GPS module records the shooting location, facing direction and date and time into the camera’s image metadata data, while the Electronic Compass records the shooting direction. Pentax’s Astro Tracer combines this information with SRII shake reduction to capture images of objects in the night sky without streaking or blurring during long exposures.
What’s New?
The K-1 comes with a new SAFOX 12 AF sensor module that has 33 AF sensors, 25 of them cross-type and positioned in the middle of the array. The central sensor and the two sensors located just above and below it are designed to detect the light flux of an f/2.8 lens. When using a very fast lens with a shallow depth of field, these sensors improve the focusing accuracy.
The AF sensor array in the K-1’s SAFOX 12 module, showing the positions of the cross-type and high-sensitivity sensors. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
Two new AF area selections, Zone Select and Select-area Expansion have been developed to improve focus tracking accuracy. Zone select lets users select a set of nine points forming a square. This zone can be shifted by moving the centre point. Subjects within the square will be tracked and kept in focus.
Select-area Expansion lets users select one of 33 AF points to focus on the subject. The camera’s AF system will automatically track the subject and refocus on it with the help of the neighbouring points, even when it moves away from the initial point. Nine, 25 or 33 points can be chosen for the expansion area.
The shutter mechanism is also new and has been tested for 300,000 cycles. This is in line with other cameras in its class, although lower than the 400,000-cycle ratings for the flagship pro cameras from Canon and Nikon.
The Pentax Real-time Scene Analysis System, which was introduced in the K-3, uses data from the 86,000 pixel RGB light-metering sensor to improve focus tracking by detecting various factors including colour and automatically shifting the in-focus point. The algorithms in this system are also used in the K-1’s Scene Analyse AUTO mode, which automatically optimises exposure settings and selects the most appropriate finishing for the type of subject detected.
This diagram shows the directional movements of the SR II (Shake Reduction II) mechanism for correcting camera shake. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
The new integrated SR II (Shake Reduction II) mechanism, mentioned above, compensates for camera shake caused by pitch and yaw, horizontal and vertical shift and roll. The latter is difficult to handle by lens-integrated stabilisers. Other technologies that use the SR II mechanism include the Pixel Shift Resolution System and AA filter simulator, both carried over from the K-3 II.
Unlike similar systems in the Olympus E-M5 II and PEN-F cameras, which are designed to increase resolution by recording more pixels, the Ricoh system is designed primarily to obtain all colour data within each pixel. It works by moving the sensor in four full pixel-sized steps to capture all the colour information at each pixel position.
When colour is derived through interpolation, as it is in other Bayer-filtered cameras, images become very slightly softened. By capturing full colour data for each pixel, this softening is eliminated, resulting in sharper looking images, without increasing the overall pixel count. Images will also have lower noise, more detail, more accurate colours and significantly lower risk of artefacts like moirø© than normal image files.
A new motion correction setting has been added to the Pixel Shift Resolution System options. This setting automatically detects a moving object during continuous shooting and applies appropriate corrections. This removes one of the limitations of the system found in the Pentax K-3 II (which only worked with static subjects) and provides potential for shooting with the camera hand-held.
We found you still need to use a tripod to stabilise the camera in most situations, although hand-held shooting is possible if you can keep the camera steady (and the integrated SR II system is certainly helpful in this respect). The Pixel Shift Resolution system must be able to isolate the areas where subjects are moving and prevent adjustments from being applied there. Your brain expects movement to be slightly soft and will interpret detected softness as motion.
New Operation Assist Lights have been installed to illuminate the rear panel controls, lens mount and card slot/ connector. These small, white LEDs make it much easier to change lenses, swap memory cards and adjust rear panel controls in low light levels. You can select which lights to turn on and set the levels of the LCD panel and rear controls lights to High or Low.
This illustration shows the Operation Assist Lights around the LCD monitor. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
Two new settings have been added to the Custom Image sub-menu: Auto Select and Flat. The Auto Select mode lets the camera detect the type of scene or subject and select the most appropriate finishing touch. The Flat setting (which is becoming increasingly popular in new DSLRs) produces a base image most tolerant to retouching. All Custom Image modes allow tweaking of parameters such as saturation, shade, key, contrast and sharpness.
Other new in-camera functions include Clarity control and Skin Tone correction. Clarity control is designed for adjusting textures and definition by tweaking mid-tone contrast. It’s useful for reproducing the glossy texture of metals and defining clouds in the sky or emphasising splashing water.
The Skin Tone correction function can only be used when the Face Detection mode is selected. It smoothes skin texture and adds a ‘healthy’ (warm) tone to the subject’s skin, while retaining definition in hair and clothing.
The HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting mode captures three consecutive images at different exposure levels and combines them to deliver an optimal tonal balance. Unlike most cameras, the K-1’s HDR function can be with RAW-format recording and is usable for handheld shooting. It can’t be used with Pixel Shift Resolution (or obviously incompatible drive and flash modes).
Build and Ergonomics
The magnesium alloy of the K-1 is weather- and cold-resistant, with 87 seals to keep dust and moisture out. Physically it’s a little smaller than its main rival, the Nikon D810, but it’s also slightly heavier, indicating more metal in the body construction and, possibly, greater durability.
Front views of the Pentax K-1 and Nikon D810 without lenses, showing their relative sizes.
Although noticeably taller than the K-3, the front panel of the K-1 is otherwise virtually identical in configuration. However, its grip is deeper and slopes more steeply forward providing a little more separation between the main power switch and the front e-dial. A textured leatherette-like cladding adds a refined finish.
Front view of the K-1. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
The controls on the front panel are identical to the K-3’s, with a self-timer LED and remote controls receiver embedded in the grip moulding, a separate AF assist LED between the grip and pentaprism housing and the lens release button low down between the lens mount and grip. On the opposite side of the lens mount, facing outwards, is an an array of buttons and levers, the upper one of which locks dial and buttons to prevent accidental re-setting.
Below it is the RAW/Fx1 button, which customisable but is by default assigned for temporarily switching to raw file format. Next in line is the AF mode selector button, followed by the focus mode switch. An X-synch socket for connecting a flashgun is located on the side of the pentaprism housing directly above these buttons.
The top panel of the K-1. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
The top panel conforms to the standard Pentax layout, with a mode dial located to the left of the pentaprism housing. It has a push-down locking button to prevent accidental resetting. On the other side of the pentaprism housing is a Smart Function dial, which is completely new.
It carries 10 settings covering exposure compensation, ISO, continuous/single frame shooting, bracketing, HDR capture, grid display, shake reduction, crop setting, Wi-Fi and a setting that disables the dial. A capture mode selector below this dial sets the camera to still picture or movie mode. Camera settings can be quickly changed by using the function dial to select the setting and then toggling through the options with the setting dial in the rear right hand corner of the top panel.
Behind the Function dial is an LCD data panel, which extends across to the setting dial. Just in front of it are Wi-Fi lamp and illumination button, which lights up the LCD panel and switches on the Operation Assist Lights.
The exposure compensation and ISO selection buttons are located at the rear of the grip moulding between the shutter button and the main body of the camera. The shutter release is located near the forward edge of the hand grip and has a rotating lever switch for switching power on and off.
The rear panel has the same 3.2-inch TFT colour LCD with approx. 1,037,000 dots as the K-3 II. But it has been upgraded with a flexible-tilt mechanism that lets you adjust the orientation of the screen horizontally, vertically and diagonally without deviating from the lens’s optical axis, making it easier to shoot at tricky angles.
Angled rear view of the K-1, showing the mechanism that operates the flexible tilting screen. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
This screen has a tempered-glass front panel for added durability and features air gap-free construction that reduces reflections. A new Outdoor View Setting mode lets users match the monitor brightness level to the ambient lighting, brightening it in brilliant sunshine or darkening it under starlit skies.
The rear panel of the K-1 with the status screen displayed on the monitor. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
The viewfinder features a new transparent display that allows users to see useful data like the AF array, grid overlay and digital level while shots are being composed. The Digital Level displays the K-1’s horizontal and vertical tilt with two bar scales and the transparent data display items can be turned on and off independently .
All the controls are clustered to the right of the screen and there’s been a fair bit of button shuffling. Buttons that remain unchanged since the K-3 include the Green button (which resets the value being adjusted), three of the four arrow pad directional keys (the fourth changes from a flash button to a programmable function button), the AE Metering/Delete and AF Mode buttons and the rear e-dial. The Info and Menu buttons are also unchanged.
The Playback button has moved to above the arrow pad, its place being taken by a Live View button, which removes the need for the Red button on the K-3. The Change AF Point/Card slot switch shifts from below the arrow pad to above it.
The viewfinder is a solid glass pentaprism that covers ‘nearly’ 100% of the sensor’s field of view with approximately 0.7x magnification. It’s been designed specifically to match the camera’s sensor and provides a dioptre adjustment of -3.5 to 1.2 dpt. The camera comes with the same Natural-Bright-Matte III screen as used in the K-3 II.
To minimise the size of the mirror box without compromising viewfinder brightness, Pentax has developed a floating mirror system that retracts the main mirror as it swings upwards. This enables a shorter mirror box than would otherwise be possible for a full frame camera.
The side panels are much the same as the K-3’s. On the right hand side panel are dual SD card slots, located beneath a slide and lift cover, which is very solidly built. Below it lies a cable switch terminal.
Side views of the K-1 without a lens, showing the dual SD card slots and the interface terminals. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
Close-up view of the dual SD card slots. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
On the left side just below the mode dial you’ll find the microphone and headphone terminals beneath lift-up rubber covers. Below them in a separate compartment are the interface ports, which consist of a micro-USB port, with HDMI and DC-input ports below it. The base plate contains contacts for an optional D-BG6 battery grip, along with the battery compartment, which has a lockable cover. A metal-lined tripod socket is located on the optical axis of the lens near the middle of the base plate.
Sensor and Image Processing
The sensor in the K-1 is a ‘newly developed’ 35mm-format CMOS chip with 36.77 million photosites, which offers an effective resolution of 36.4 megapixels. We don’t know which fabricator made this chip but its resolution is close enough to the chip in the Nikon D810 to suggest they might have come from the same factory. If that’s the case, it’s likely to be the Sony IMX-094-AQP chip, which delivers a 4 fps burst rate.
Sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to ISO 204800 for still images and ISO 100 to ISO 3200 in movie mode. Manual extension to ISO 204800 goes two stops higher than the K-3 offered.
Image formats are largely unchanged from previous Pentax DSLRs, with support for standard JPEGs and a choice between the Pentax proprietary PEF and ‘open’ DNG raw file formats. RAW+JPEG capture is available. The K-1 adds a new XS (extra small) image size and provides the option of a 1.5x crop (APS-C) format. Typical image sizes and compression ratios are shown in the tables below.
|
35mm Frame Size |
|||||
|
Image size |
Pixels |
File format |
Compression |
||
|
*** |
** |
* |
|||
|
L 36M |
7360 x 4912 |
RAW |
79.2MB |
||
|
JPEG |
22.9MB |
11.8MB |
6.9MB |
||
|
M 22M |
5760 x 3840 |
14.0MB |
7.3MB |
4.3MB |
|
|
S 12M |
4224 x 2816 |
7.6MB |
2.18MB |
4.0MB |
|
|
XS 2M |
1920 x 1080 |
1.7MB |
0.9MB |
0.6MB |
|
|
APS-C Crop Size |
|||||
|
Image size |
Pixels |
File format |
Compression |
||
|
*** |
** |
* |
|||
|
L 15M |
4800 x 3200 |
RAW |
37.2MB |
||
|
JPEG |
9.7MB |
5.1MB |
3.0MB |
||
|
M 12M |
4224 x 2816 |
7.6MB |
2.18MB |
4.0MB |
|
|
S 8M |
3456 x 2304 |
5.1MB |
2.7MB |
1.6MB |
|
|
XS 2M |
1920 x 1080 |
1.7MB |
0.9MB |
0.6MB |
|
Note: These figures are approximate, based upon information in the Operating Manual. Actual file sizes will vary with the subject, shooting conditions, selected capture mode and memory card, etc.
Video
Video wasn’t a priority for the K-1’s designers so the new camera has similar recording capabilities to the K-3. It uses MPEG-4 AVC with the efficient H.264 video compression for regular movie clips, which can be recorded in either Full HD or HD frame sizes.
The camera supports the regular frame rates for the NTSC and PAL standards and users can choose 60i (NTSC) or 50i (PAL) as well as 30p, 25p and 24p for 1080 recording or 60p or 50p rates for 720p movie clips. The APS-C crop mode can be used for movie recording, where it covers the same angle of view as an APS-C image sensor.
The K-1 also offers a number of multi-frame and interval movie recording options. The Multi-exposure mode offers four settings: Multi-exposure, Multi-exposure + Continuous Shooting, Multi-exposure + Self-timer and Multi-exposure + Remote Control. Users can choose between Average, Additive and Bright compositing and select between 2 and 2000 shots to composite.
Interval shooting options include time-lapse, composite, movie and Star Stream recording.
The movie and Star Stream options use the Motion JPEG (AVI) codec to create recordings that are played as movie clips. Users can choose between 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels), Full HD and HD frame sizes.
Star Stream recording creates a composite image by only stacking the bright star portions of successive frames. This enables users to produce a movie showing traces of star trails against a dark sky.
Wi-Fi and Remote Control
Instead of requiring a separate card, like the K-3 and K-3 II, the K-1 has a Wi-Fi module built-in and it can integrate with data from the built-in GPS module. Wi-Fi lets you connect the K-1 with a smart device (phone or tablet), which has the dedicated Image Sync app installed.
Operating the K-1 remotely from a smartphone. (Source: Ricoh Imaging.)
Image Sync can be downloaded free of charge from App Store or Google Play. It enables users to capture images and browse them on the smart device’s screen and permits the camera to be operated remotely. Users can adjust various shooting parameters, focus, release the shutter, and check the captured images.
Pentax has also created optional IMAGE Transmitter 2 tethering software for connecting the camera to a computer via USB ports. Designed primarily for studio shooting, it enables photographers to operate the camera from the computer, automatically transfer and save recorded images and check photographic data.
Playback and Software
The K-1 provides all the standard playback settings that are common to other Pentax DSLRs, including single and multi-image (6, 12, 20, 35 or 80 thumbnails) display, up to 16x magnification, rotation (auto/manual), five grid overlay options, brightness and RGB histograms, highlight alerts, copyright embedding, GPS data, folder and calendar displays and slideshow playback. Users can delete single images individually or select some or all images as well as deleting an entire folder.
Editing functions include rotation, resizing, cropping (both aspect ratio changes and tilt correction), movie editing (dividing clips and removing unwanted segments), grabbing a JPEG frame from a movie, colour moirø© correction and raw file development (into JPEG or TIFF format). Digital filters include Base Parameter Adjustment, Extract Colour, Replace Colour, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Colour, Unicolour Bold, Bold Monochrome, Tone Expansion, Sketch, Watercolour, Pastel, Posterisation, Miniature, Soft, Starburst, Fish-eye, Slim and Monochrome.
The bundled software is the latest version of Pentax’s Digital Camera Utility (v.5), which combines a browser with a raw file converter based on Silkypix Developer Studio (an application we don’t recommend). DNG files from the camera can be converted into editable TIFFs with most versions of Adobe Camera Raw and PEF.RAW files have been supported by Adobe Camera Raw 9.5.1, Lightroom CC 2015.5.1 and Lightroom 6.5.1 since late April.
Performance
As is our normal practice when reviewing Pentax DSLRs, we set the Custom Image mode to the Natural colour setting, rather than the default Bright setting, which tends boost saturation. This tends to produce test images with slightly reduced overall saturation, thereby providing a little more scope for subsequent editing.
All tests were conducted with the AA filter simulator switched off to enable the camera to display its full potential. Our Imatest test shots covered JPEGs as well as DNG.RAW files.
We also tested the Pixel Shift Resolution System with both JPEGs and DNG.RAW files using the setting without motion correction (since test shots are taken with the camera tripod mounted). All raw files were converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
It’s a big ask to expect a 36-megapixel to meet resolution expectations in our Imatest tests and much depends upon the performance of the lens used for testing. Fortunately, the supplied Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens was up to the task and the results we obtained were quite impressive.
Imatest showed the review camera and supplied lens were able to meet, and in most cases, exceed, expectations with both JPEG and raw files when the Pixel Shift Resolution System was switched off. With Pixel Shift Resolution enabled, resolution was a little higher, although image sizes remained fixed at 7360 x 4912 pixels.
Colour accuracy was better than average in all test shots. Engaging the Pixel Shift Resolution System resulted in a small improvement to colour accuracy for JPEGs but no significant differences to raw files. We also found no significant differences between DNG.RAW and PEF.RAW files so have used the former for all the results presented.
Resolution tailed off steadily as sensitivity was increased, as shown in the graph of our test results across the camera’s sensitivity range below. (Note: Pixel Shift Resolution was not used for these tests.)
Autofocusing was generally fast and accurate for still photography and the review camera had no problems focusing in very low light levels. In movie mode, there were times when the AF system hesitated and hunted for roughly a second before finding focus. This occurred in bright conditions as well as in low light levels.
Long exposures after dark showed little evidence of noise at ISO settings up to ISO 6400, even when noise-reduction processing was disabled. Thereafter, traces of noise became visible at ISO 12800, along with very slight softening. Applying noise reduction processing suppressed this noise with only a slight increase in softening.
Noise was quite noticeable in shots taken at ISO 25600 and ISO 512,000 and the latter were quite granular looking. There was also some loss of contrast and colour rendition, although shots would be printable at small output sizes.
By ISO 102400 the image had begun to break up. Grain was obvious and both contrast and colour saturation were suppressed. At ISO 204800 these defects were further exacerbated. We wouldn’t recommend using either of these settings unless no other options were available.
Auto white balance performance was similar to the K-3 II’s. Shots taken under fluorescent lighting has a close-to-natural colour balance, while the slight orange cast in shots taken under incandescent lighting was easily correctable with even basic image editors.
The Multi Auto white balance setting, which is designed for use in mixed lighting and automatically adjusts colour according to the light on each area in a scene, made no difference to the colour balance in our test shots but worked quite well in actual shooting situations. This function appear only to work with JPEGs.
As expected, the pre-sets for fluorescent lighting tended to dial in different colour casts to match the different types of fluorescent lighting. The three we tried were able to correct the small amounts of colour cast in the relevant light source. Unfortunately, the Tungsten pre-set over-corrected incandescent lighting and introduced a moderate blue cast. Plenty of in-camera adjustments are available for tweaking the colour balance.
We tried out using the motion correction function in the Pixel Sift Resolution setting with the camera hand-held and found it possible to obtain acceptably sharp images at shutter speeds as slow as 1/80 second. We suspect this has some relationship to the exposure time for each of the four exposures that are composited, which was probably took roughly a second. Sensor-shift stabilisation made it possible to hand-hold the camera during this time. Since success largely depends upon whether you can hold the camera still enough during the total exposure time, we think individual photographers will need to test their own capabilities. In general, the best results will come from having the camera tripod mounted.
Video quality was similar to the clips we shot with the K-3 II. We noticed fewer occasions when autofocusing faltered noticeably than we found with the previous camera but tracking AF was unable to keep pace with subjects that moves quickly across the field of view, most of which were slightly blurred. Clips recorded in the 1080/50i and 720/50p modes appeared smoother than the slower recording speeds. No evidence of moirø© was seen.
Audio quality was acceptable, although the built-in stereo microphones delivered limited stereo ‘presence’. Significantly better performance should be possible if an external mic is fitted.
We carried out our timing tests with a 64GB Lexar Professional SDXC U3 memory card, which boasts read/write speeds of 300 MB/second. This is the fastest card in our collection and should reveal the actual capture speeds and buffer capacities for the camera.
The review camera took just under a second to power up but shut down almost instantly. When the viewfinder was used for framing shots, we measured an average capture lag of 0.25 seconds, which was eliminated with pre-focusing. In live view mode, average lag time was 0.7 seconds, reducing to 0.2 seconds when shots were pre-focused. It took 1.6 seconds, on average to process each JPEG file, 2.3 seconds for a DNG.RAW file and 3.1 seconds for a RAW+JPEG pair.
Shot-to shot times averaged 0.4 seconds with the viewfinder. In live view mode, shot-to shot times averaged 2.2 seconds, largely because the camera re-focused the lens between shots. With manual focusing, shot-to-shot times averaged 0.45 seconds.
In the high-speed mode, the camera recorded 82 large/fine JPEG images in 17.5 seconds, which works out at roughly 4.7 frames/second. This is slightly better than specified for ‘full frame’ capture. Processing took more than 30 seconds.
With DNG.RAW files, the buffer filled after 18 frames, which were recorded in 3.8 seconds, a marginally faster rate of capture. It took 24.8 seconds to process this burst. When we swapped to recording RAW+JPEG pairs, the buffer filled after 14 frames, which were recorded in 2.9 seconds at a frame rate of 4.8 frames/second. It took 26.9 seconds to process the burst.
Conclusion
Ricoh Imaging hasn’t promoted the Pentax K-1 as a ‘professional’ camera, although it could be used for some professional assignments since it meets many of the necessary criteria. But it doesn’t compete with the flagship pro cameras from Canon and Nikon.
There’s no denying the K-1 is good value for money. It’s well built, offers plenty of user-adjustable controls (most of them genuinely useful) and comes with a relatively ‘affordable’ price tag, when compared with similar cameras in its category. In addition, our tests show it to be a competent performer when shooting still photos.
If you want to shoot high-resolution movies, the K-1 isn’t for you. It is best suited to stills shooting. Nor will it suit anyone who wants a lightweight kit; a body weight of more than 900 grams can not be seen as lightweight. (We wouldn’t choose it as a bushwalking camera, despite its weatherproofing.)
While its resolution isn’t as high as Canon’s EOS 5D S/R models (both 50 megapixels) ““ or Sony’s ILCE7R Mark II (42.4 megapixels), it’s roughly half their price. And it’s a cut above the 24-megapixel mid-level ‘full frame’ cameras from Canon, Nikon and Sony in build quality and performance (for stills).
As far as lenses are concerned, there are plenty of Pentax lenses that hark back to the days of film photography. Although they won’t have electronic contacts that support auto focusing and auto exposure, they’re still usable on the K-1. Most current Pentax lenses are designed for the cropped-sensor format and, although they are usable, they will probably vignette the full 35mm frame.
Lens adapters won’t be a viable solution unless they have been designed to accommodate the camera’s long flange-back distance. Third-party lenses from Tamron and Sigma are a possibility but, again, models with KAF2 mounts seem to be fairly thin on the ground.
The addition of the HD Pentax-D FA15-30mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR and HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WR models to the HD Pentax D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 and FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 announced last year provide some nice choices for a basic shooting kit. And, if you want a nice standard prime lens, we can recommend the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens we used for our review.
It’s early days for the K-1 but in the week since we began writing this review, local online prices have already begun to fall. A survey of nine outlets offering the camera (including for pre-order) found prices ranging from AU$2750 to $2915 (which is higher than the current RRP) for the body alone. Expect further discounting to compete with off-shore prices.
Interestingly, while we were conducting this review. Sigma issued the following statement:
Use of Pentax mount SIGMA interchangeable lenses when attached to the Pentax K-1
We have found that some SIGMA interchangeable lenses for Pentax mount could leave a small scratch on part of the camera body when they are attached to the PENTAX K-1, released by RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. on April 28th, 2016. In this circumstance, please do not use the following lenses for Pentax mount on the PENTAX K-1.
We are planning to provide a repair service for this issue. We will make a further announcement on our website when specific details, such as the service period, are finalized.
In addition, please also refer to the usage notice related to this announcement below.
Phenomenon
When some SIGMA interchangeable lenses for Pentax mount are attached to the PENTAX K-1, the upper part of the mount can be scratched.
“»This phenomenon is due to the interference with the shape of the upper part of the mount on the PENTAX K-1 camera body and it does not occur to any cameras other than PENTAX K-1.
Applicable products:
Current Line-Up: 30mm F1.4 DC HSM| Art, 35mm F1.4 DG HSM| Art, APO 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Discontinued Lenses: 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM, 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM, 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM, APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM, APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM, APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM, APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Usage Notice for customers who are using Pentax mount SIGMA lenses on a PENTAX K-1: In some cases, depending on the lenses to be attached on the camera, the angle-of-view cannot be recognized automatically. Please select an angle-of-view that is appropriate for the lenses to be attached from “Crop” in the camera’s menu.
When DG lenses are attached, please select “FF”.
When DC lenses are attached, please select “APS-C”.
We appreciate your continued support for our company and products.
We contacted the local Pentax and Sigma distributor, which supplied the review products, for a comment on Sigma’s announcement. A company spokesperson told us it only affects three current lenses of which only one was currently in stock.
SPECS
Image sensor: 35.9 x mm 24.0 sensor with 36.77 million photosites (36.4 megapixels effective)
Image processor: PRIME IV
A/D processing: 14-bit
Lens mount: Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount (AF coupler, lens info contacts, K-mount w/ power contacts); KAF3, KAF and KA compatible
Focal length crop factor: 1x (1.5x APS-C crop available)
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (PEF, DNG); Movies: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (MOV); Motion JPEG (AVI) for interval movie recordings
Image Sizes: Stills ““ Full frame: 7360 x 4912, 5760 x 3840, 4224 x 2816, 1920 x 1080; APS-C crop: 4800 x 3200, 4224 x 2816, 3456 x 2304, 1920 x 1080; Movies: [Full HD] 1920 x 1080: 60i/ 50i, 30p/25p, 24p; [HD] 1280 x 720 60p/50p
Image Stabilisation: SRII sensor-shift shake reduction with 5-axis electronic level function: displayed in VF/LCD
Dust removal: Ultrasonic DR II (sensor vibration)
Shutter (speed range): Electronically controlled vertical-run focal plane shutter (electronic w/ Pixel Shift Resolution); 1/8000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV of 1/2EV steps (+/-EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: +/- 5EV; 2, 3 or 5 frames in 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps
Multi-exposure options: Composite mode (additive/average/bright), 2 to 2000 images; Interval shooting (still frames or composite); Interval movie (4K/Full HD/HD), Star stream (4K/Full HD/HD)
Self-timer: 2 or 12 seconds delay
Focus system: TTL Phase-matching AF with SAFOX 12 sensor; 33 points (25 cross type in centre); Brightness Range: EV -3 to 18 (ISO 100)
Focus modes: Single AF (AF.S), Continuous (AF.C); Spot, Select, Expanded Area (S, M, L), Zone select, Auto (33 AF Points)
Exposure metering: TTL open aperture metering using 86,000-pixel RGB sensor; Multi-segment, Centre-weighted and Spot metering patterns
Shooting modes: Scene Analyse Auto, Program, Sensitivity Priority, Shutter Priority,
Aperture Priority, Shutter & Aperture Priority, Manual, Bulb, Flash X-sync Speed, User (x5)
Custom Image modes: Auto Select, Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Flat, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing (Random, Preset 1-3, Favourite 1-3)
Digital Filter modes: Extract Colour, Replace Colour, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Colour, Unicolour Bold, Bold Monochrome
Other in-camera capture modes: Clarity: adjustable +/-4 steps; Skin tone: Type 1/Type 2; HDR: Auto, HDR1, HDR2, HDR3, Advanced HDR; Automatic composition correction function; D-RANGE compensation: highlight correction, shadow correction; Lens Correction (distortion, peripheral illumination, lateral chromatic aberration, diffraction); Composition adjust: +/-1.5mm up, down, left or right (1mm when rotated); 1 degree of range
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
Custom Functions: 26
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100 to ISO 204800 in 1EV, 1/2EV or 1/3EV steps
White balance: Auto, Multi Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light (D: Daylight Color, N: Daylight White, W: Cool White, L: Warm White), Tungsten Light, CTE, Manual WB (up to 3 settings), Colour temperature configuration (up to 3 settings); +/-7 steps of Blue/Amber, Magenta/Green bias adjustments
Flash: External flashguns only
Flash modes: Auto flash discharge, auto flash + red-eye reduction, flash on, flash on+ red-eye reduction, slow speed sync, slow-speed sync + red-eye, P-TTL, trailing curtain sync, contrast-control sync*, high-speed sync*, wireless sync (*requires 2 or more dedicated external flashes) Sync speed: 1/200 sec.
Flash exposure adjustment: -2.0 to around +1.0 EV
Sequence shooting: Max. 4.4 shots/sec. [35mmFull Frame]; 6.5 shots/sec. [APS-C size]
Buffer capacity: Max. 70 Large/Fine JPEGs/ 17 RAW [35mmFull Frame] or 100 JPEG/50 RAW [APS-C size]
Storage Media: Dual slots for SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (conforms to USH-I standards)
Viewfinder: Pentaprism with 100% FOV coverage, approx. 0.70x magnification, approx. 20.6mm eye relief (from the view window), approx 21.7 mm (from the centre of lens); Natural-Bright-Matte III focusing screen; -3.5 to +1.2 dioptre adjustment
LCD monitor: 3.2 inch (3:2 Aspect) wide viewing angle TFT colour LCD with 1,037,000 dots, Air-gapless glass, Flexible tilt, brightness, saturation and colours adjustable
Live View: TTL method using image sensor, Contrast AF (Face Detection, Tracking, Multiple AF points, Select, Spot), Focus peaking : On/Off
Playback functions: Single frame, multi-image display (6,12, 20, 35, 80 segmentation), display magnification (up to 16, 100% display and quick magnification available), grid display (4×4 grid, golden section, scale display, square 1, square 2, grid colour: black/white ), rotating, histogram (Y histogram, RGB histogram), bright area warning, auto image rotation, detailed information, copyright information (photographer, copyright holder), GPS information (latitude, longitude, altitude, coordinated universal time) , orientation, folder display, calendar filmstrip display, slide show
Interface terminals: USB 2.0 (Micro B), external power supply terminal, external cable switch terminal, X-sync socket, HDMI output terminal (Type D), stereo microphone input terminal, headphone terminal; built-in GPS
Wi-Fi function: IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN; authentication, WPA2, encryption: AES
Power supply: D-LI90 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack; CIPA rated for approx. 760 shots/charge
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 136.5 x 110 x 85.5 mm (body only)
Weight: Approx. 925 grams (body only); 1010 grams with battery and card
Pentax Australiahttps://pentax.com.au/
TESTS
Based on JPEG image files.
Based on DNG.RAW image files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
Based on JPEG image files taken with Pixel Shift Resolution.
Based on DNG.RAW image files taken with Pixel Shift Resolution and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.
SAMPLES
All test images were captured with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens.
Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.
Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.
30-second exposure at ISO 100 at f/4.5.
10-second exposure at ISO 400 at f/5.
6-second exposure at ISO 1600 at f/8.
4-second exposure at ISO 6400 at f/11.
2.5-second exposure at ISO 12800 at f/13.
1.6-second exposure at ISO 25600 at f/14.
0.8-second exposure at ISO 51200 at f/14.
1/2-second exposure at ISO 102400 at f/16.
1/5-second exposure at ISO 204800 at f/16.
Close-up; ISO 100, 1/8000 second at f/1.6.
Dynamic range with Auto setting; 1/60 second exposure at ISO 200 at f/6.3.
Pixel Shift Resolution, hand-held shot; ISO 200, 1/80 second at f/2.
Portrait; ISO 800, 1/25 second at f/2.
ISO 200, 1/80 second at f/2.
ISO 200, 1/60 second at f/1.4.
ISO 200, 1/60 second at f/4.
ISO 1600, 1/13 second at f/8.
ISO 6400, 1/200 second at f/14.
ISO 200, 1/20 second at f/7.1.
Auto white balance, normal setting; ISO 3200, 1/30 second at f/8.
Auto white balance, Multi Autosetting; ISO 3200, 1/40 second at f/8.
ISO 51200, 1/125 second at f/11.
ISO 102400, 1/200 second at f/14.
ISO 204800, 1/250 second at f/16.
Still frame from Full HD movie clip recorded at 1080 50i.
Still frame from Full HD movie clip recorded at 1080 25p.
Still frame from Full HD movie clip recorded at 1080 24p.
Still frame from HD movie clip recorded at 720 50p.
Rating
RRP: AU$2899; US$1800 (body only)
- Build: 9.0
- Ease of use: 8.8
- Autofocusing: 8.5
- Still image quality JPEG: 8.9
- Still image quality RAW: 9.1
- Video quality: 8.5
