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

Hi, I've writing this review as someone who has been shooting with the K-1 for a few weeks. I also own a Pentax K3 ii, and K5 iis. Finally, I bring to the table experience with shooting most of the latest "semi pro" offerings, including Nikon's D610, D750, D800 and Canon's 6D and 5D mk-iii and Sony's A7R. For a summary of my thoughts, feel free to skip to the last section. --- General Impressions: The camera is extremely well built with a perceived build quality that comfortably rivals anything else even close in price. Nearly everything is metal and tolerances are tight. Ergonomics are like a K3 (generally excellent) but with a bit more bulk and a better grip; now my pinky can grip the camera without a battery module installed :) Buttons are the same as the K-3 but the live view and playback buttons are swapped; this required a temporary adjustment period. Pentax/Ricoh also added additional buttons and dials. One is a "lamp" button that can turn on little LEDs around the camera for nighttime use. It seems like a great feature to me. Another added control is a "third top dial" with a selector that decides what that dial does. It's very innovative but comes with a trade-off: a smaller top LCD that displays less data. Speaking of the back monitor, Pentax now makes it convenient to change the brightness. Pentax K3/K5/K7 accessories, like the battery, IR remote, etc, all "just work" so those who already shooting Pentax might literally be able to just buy the camera and be good to go. The camera also has good support for "DA" APS-C lenses. Versus an APS-C camera like the K3, you lose some resolution (15.3 MP vs 24), body compactness and that nice low price. You gain better autofocus coverage and the ability to see outside the frame. Also, many DA lenses can actually support full frame - the camera will let you try. I did some tests with in body shake reduction (which is now reportedly improved from 3 to 5 axis) and I'm VERY impressed. Shooting at speeds like 0.5 seconds is giving me usable shots. This tech has really evolved into something special. --- Autofocus My original K-5 had issues with auto focus consistency. Ever since the K5-iis however, single shot auto focus with Pentax has been excellent for me. I'll note that I've done many "head to heads" with cameras like the E-M1 and D750 and, for still subjects the Pentax is just as good and sometimes better (at least in dim light vs the E-M1). The K-1 feels like a slight improvement to the K-3. Moving subjects. My experience with Nikon cameras, particularity the D750, show that Nikon is still ahead in moving subject tracking. I'll note that mastering a camera's auto focus tracking system is not trivial and I'm no expert. I'm sure that I could improve with practice and settings experimentation. That said, the default setup with the D750 gives me an extremely high hit rate of kids and pets running through the frame. I'll also note that I've seen impressive K-1 results online from other photographers so there's definitely potential there when not focusing on comparison aspects. --- Usecase: Macro For Macro, the camera is "as good as it gets", arguably the best. For starters, the macro lens selection is superb with many options. This includes the 100mm f/2.8 WR which is insanely good for the price (and, like the camera, it's weather sealed). I currently have 4 macro lenses and each seems to have it's use. The camera offers (optional) focus peaking and convenient 100% magnification in live view. Live view is smooth and responsive. There is also a near-instant 100% magnification playback review which is more uncommon in high end cameras than it should be. That tilting monitor comes to great utility when the camera is near the ground or in another awkward position. Sometimes I wish it was even more tillable but appreciated nonetheless. When it can be used (which can be often in macro), "pixel shift" mode brings out a level of detail that no other camera can match.. UPDATE (2016/10/12): Starting with firmware 1.3, Ricoh added a fully electronic shutter option. Complimenting pixel-shift, this allows another way to get completely vibration-free images. Using the mechanical shutter is fine in many cases, but one always has to think about motion blur when using a mechanical shutter regardless of camera brand - this is especially true with long lenses at macro distances where even the slightest movements can register in the image. Electronic shutter is only available in live view. All that said, the K3-ii is also an excellent choice for marco with a comparable feature set. The K-3 (and K3-ii) happen to have a tighter pixel pitch - meaning you can get a bit more "practical magnification" with the same lenses. It's also significantly cheaper making it a stronger value proposition. If macro work is the main usecase, the K3-ii might even be the better overall choice - with trade-offs of course. --- Usecase: Landscape For landscape the K1 is an incredible body, strongly arguable "as good as it gets". It has weather sealing. It has a tiltable LCD for high and low tripod setups. There are LED lights for night work. There's built in GPS for location astrotrace for clear star images. It has image stabilization for a better hit rate on "opportunity" shots that are off the tripod. Lens selection is behind Canon and Nikon but honestly good enough for non-specialists (e.g. someone who needs tilt-and-shift options). The most modern choices are the 15-30mm, 24-70mm and 28-105mm. I personally prefer the smaller size of primes which currently means older designs for me. In primes, I'm finding the 31mm f/1.8 to be an excellent choice; pixel-sharp even though it was designed for film. I also have the 20mm FA 2.8 which requires more attentiveness for good corners. I also happily found the 10-17mm fisheye works well at 15mm and above (where it looks like 10mm on a K3). There are many more options as well, too many to list them all. Also, If you are willing to explore the used market for legacy Pentax lenses (M and A series), the choices becomes even greater. Most of these older lenses work best stopped-down but landscape images are generally shot this way anyway. --- Usecase: Portrait Portrait is solid with good focus and excellent IQ. There are some hold backs though. One is the auto focus point coverage; it's not bad but a bit more spread would be ideal. A second thing is that a dedicated focus point joystick would help make point selection more fluid. I'd also love to see modern 85mm, 105mm, and/or 135mm portrait-focused prime lens. In the mean time, one can do well with the 77mm limited, 100mm macro, 70-200mm and many legacy options. --- Usecase: Sports & Wildlife The Pentax K-1 is not designed to be a sports camera and it shows in multiple aspects. The frame rate of 4.4 FPS (full frame) is OK but not competitive with a sports camera Lenses cover the basics (with a 150-450 and a 560 plus many legacy options) but lack the comprehensive telephoto lineup of Canon and Nikon. Auto focus is fine for still subjects but sports camera's (such as Nikon D5, D500, D750. Canon 1 DX II, 7DII, 5DIII) are better-equipped for tracking moving subjects. One can definitely get nice sports and wildlife shots with the K1 and many have demonstrated this by posting excellent images. Still, with the large amount of $$$ needed for top sports lenses, I hesitate to recommend a camera that is not custom built to support those lenses - it just comes down to individual priorities. --- Usecase: Video Video capability is incrementally improving with audio monitoring and improved ergonomics. That said, recording specs are dated for 2016 (1080 60i) and clearly not where engineers placed their efforts. Similar to sports, if you occasionally need video, it will accomplish the task but there are better options for those who are serious about video. --- Wrapping Up As this review covers many aspects I think it's important to wrap up with my general feelings. This is an excellent all-around camera that is a very strong contender in most applications. The weak point is currently sports and wildlife, where I would call it a "good" camera but not a clear choice dedicated sports shooters. This appears to be exactly inline with the goals Ricoh had when designing this camera, so well-done Ricoh!

I needed a camera to make prints that might be as large as five feet in length. My older K-7 couldn't cut it unless limiting the ISO to very low levels (like 100 or 200) and even then, due to the size of the APS-C sensor it simply couldn't cut it. I'm not knocking the K-7, it was an excellent camera in it's day but that day was twelve years ago! The large full frame of the K-1, plus the fact that the noise present at higher ISO speeds makes this a worthy buy. Even at higher ISO settings, such as 1600, a RAW image is barely showing noise when blown up. Needless to say, if the picture is smaller ( less than 5 feet in its maximum dimension) the noise will be even less of a concern. Since anything I do seriously is done using RAW images, I am referring to the image quality without post processing. Images can obviously be tweaked using post processing apps. Other things great about this camera are as follows: 1. It's compatible with really old Pentax K-mount lenses. I have many that are in great shape, and even though they can't be used in automatic mode, using them in manual mode is really no more difficult than using an older film camera. You can get a lot of great lenses for these cameras at a fraction of their prices. 2. It's built like a tank. It's weather sealed and can take a fair amount of abuse, just make sure any lenses you use can do likewise. 3. The interfaces and controls are intuitive and very, very well laid out. 4. The battery life, in my opinion is very good to excellent. 5. It's completely compatible with Pentax's old flash units. 6. The screen has a decent level of articulation. 7. You can configure the image to be full frame, square, or APS-C sized. The latter is useful if you're using a lens intended for an APS-C camera as there may be vignetting (it depends on the lens). 8. When using non-autofocus lenses (or an autofocus lens in manual mode) the focus sensors, which show up in the viewfinder, indicate when the image is in focus. Overall, the camera is great. This is a quick review but I'm very happy with the purchase.

So, last year, almost to this date, I purchased my K1. I have been SO happy with this body and my lens's that I have used for it. This is not the be all end all of bodies (there will never be, but the Nikon D850 is trying it's best, but I don't want to spend three thousand dollars on a camera body when i am an enthusiast and not a professional). This was an upgrade over a K50 which was an admirable crop sensor camera that took very good photos for a sub five hundred dollar kit. I had bought a 35mm 2.8 for it but I was itching to have something a little better. Enter in the K1. I was not actually trying to enter the full frame market per say. I wanted a camera with more options, and better features than the K50. Pentax was coming out with the K70 I knew, and I had known that Pentax had the K1 out for over half a year when I was looking at cameras. I could have bought used Nikon or Canon bodies for less than I spent on the Pentax, BUT WHEN I TRIED OUT THE K1 I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT'S SIMPLE USE, EASY FEATURES, AND INTUITIVE DESIGN. Since we are talking purely about the body here, let me reiterate that. If you are a user of another brand, and you get a K1, you will indeed feel like things are simpler. If you already are a Pentax user, you will love the design and it will be easy to learn. The color and detail on this 36 MP sensor are incredible. The modern lens autofocus with the body work great. The ISO is about the best ISO for the price point I've seen. Wow. The K1 has useful options too. I've used Astrotracer a few times now and it really work well. This camera is a dream for landscape, still portraits, and astrophotography. I have a 14mm Roki and it's exposures are amazing. Even on a full-moon night, the galaxies bleed through. Another useful feature, though very limited and takes a little bit of cross software to utilize, is PixelShift, created huge files but awesome images to blow up on canvas, etc. You can thank me now, but when the K1 first came out, users were frustrated that in stills taken with slight wind or movement, the Pixelshift (4 images taken in sequence) image would have distortions in it. Lightroom did not support a correction for this. But, RawTherapies now supports this feature. The native software that comes with the K1 does too, but its' a mess and buggy. RT is easy to use and then you can export as a TIFF file to then be edited in LightRoom. I am so pleased with the image results of this body paired with my 77mm Limited, 35mm 2.8 cheapy-but-goodie, 14mm Roki, and Tamy 90mm macro. That 90mm macro produces INSANE detail. If you are not shooting fast moving objects, the K1 will be a dream. There are now more FF modern lens than before, so it is indeed a good purchase to make. Support Pentax. They are really a camera-man-woman's camera maker. Video is 'ok'. If I were anyone who wanted 4K video and all the bells and whistles, I'd tell you get a real Video Camera then. Less than two thousand spent on this camera allowed me to get a line up of lens to use immediately with the K1 and I am more than happy so far.

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 earth's 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 camera's 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.

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. It'd try but fail. And sometime after I'd bought it, info about whether Amazon is an authorized seller disappeared from Amazon's product listing and Ricoh's website. But I needn't 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 it's 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 won't power on.

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 dslr's, delving into the world of photography, finding out that the best instrument of expression I could utilize wasn't 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. It's 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. I've grown with my Pentax camera at an alarming rate, but it just goes to show the capability and dependability of these well designed tools. I've 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 didn't have to wait long for the release of their first full-frame dslr. It came at just the right time too. If you're looking for a full-frame dslr or are in the market for one, chances are you're on the hunt and you've been canvasing all the available brands. You're doing your research, reading the reviews, if you're 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, there's no loss there. This camera is jam-packed with features. Made just as so to compete with other full-frame dslr's 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. I'm not telling you to go and get a Pentax if you're in the market for a dslr. I'm telling you that if you do, you won't regret it and you'll 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 isn't a conventional review, but I'm 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.

Regretful purchase. Camera lasted less than 2 years. The body is a rugged build but the design is sloppy. Autofocus is the worst I've ever seen on a camera. I expect cameras of this price range to last longer than a couple years. Almost everyone i know who purchased one has had non stop problems with the camera from minor issues to major electronic failures.

I really enjoy the feel and operation of this camera, but software and image quality are a different story. My first K-1 lasted a few months before it just stopped saving images — if I took fifty pictures it might save the first 3. After extensive testing and reformatting of both camera and memory cards, and using different cards, the issue still remained, and I exchanged that K-1 for a functioning replacement. Other software “glitches” would occur on occasion, but nothing repeatable. I purchased this camera because I wanted full frame quality without paying the Canon/Nikon premium. What I got instead, with both bodies I used, was image quality on par or slightly lesser than that of my Olympus OM-D EM-1 - a camera not only three years older, but with a significantly smaller than full frame micro 4/3 sensor. This image quality was extremely disappointing, but the Pentax K-1 body also suffers from the worst autofocus and focusing if any ILC I’ve ever used. On the plus side, the controls feel great and are positioned excellently, and this may be the toughest-feeling camera body on the planet. If you want a camera that can take literally anything you can throw at it and isn’t an Olympus (and will give you lots and lots and LOTS of missed shots even on a tripod), this is your guy.

Got a good price on Amazon, shipped amazingly quickly despite being backordered everywhere else, and fulfills a 10-year long wait for a Pentax FF. Upgrading from a K100D and *ist D and the differences are drastic in a good way. I'm pleased with the body and it works great with my assortment of Pentax SMC lenses spanning K series to DA, and from basic primes (50/1.4, 28/2.8) to Star and Limited lenses (31/43/77, FA24/A85/FA80-200). Note that while quite compact (it's impressive how much Ricoh has fit into its dimensions, although the *ist D is clearly smaller), the biggest difference is the weight. The K-1 weighs over a kilo, and it has substantial heft. Coupled with live view when you hold the camera in front of you, it's much easier to generate camera shake, and SR can't always cover for it. Given the much higher pixel density (about 1.5x that of my 6MP cameras when you compare resolution net of crop factor 7000 / 3000 / 1.5), it's much more important to either use a fast shutter speed or tripod to get maximum sharpness from the camera+lens combination. The video mode is a bit mediocre but passable. I didn't really consider it a priority although I've been using it on occasion now that I have it. The video has quite a bit of "jello" to it which I don't think my iPhone has. 4k would be nice too, or even 1080p60; the K-1 offers 1080p30 or 720p60. On the other hand, there's very little noise/grain, and to be able to shoot with much larger apertures than a smartphone enables nice depth of field effects even with a wide angle lens. I've decided to stick with manual focus lenses for movies since the focus is smoother and it's more natural to have direct control over the aperture via a ring. The best combination is a short focus throw with good damping; I have a 28/3.5 which possesses this combination and I usually have to stop down to F5.6 anyway to get enough subject isolation while smoothing out my focusing. I haven't rigorously tested battery life but I'm generally happy with 500-1000 shots so I think the K-1 should do OK. I would prefer a charger with a folding plug rather than a cord, but the only camera I have with this type of charger is an old Canon point shoot; a quick Google search reveals that Canon seems to be the best at this and that other brands I've used (Nikon and Olympus) also use cords which may save on manufacturing multiple chargers, but adds the hassle/bulk of carrying a cord and losing it. One peculiar behaviour is that upon first mounting a lens (I think it was a 50/1.2), I was very worried because the viewfinder looked awfully dim given the lens, and I could not achieve focus in the viewfinder at any focus distance (e.g. nowhere in the focusing range yielded what looked like a sharp picture). I then made sure my lens wasn't defective by putting it on my older DSLR and it looked fine (could focus properly, and was much brighter). Some sort of initialization must be happening because once I charged the battery and actually turned it on, the viewfinder was normal, even when powered off again. I have no idea what the cause was but it's never been an issue since first powering it on.

I have waited for the full frame Pentax for years !. It uses ALL of my old Pentax lenses while providing anti shake built into the body; that means even my no name telescopic lnses have anti shake at no extra cost. Just love the controls; extremely well thought out and intuitive to use. The availability of 200,000 ASA sensitivity allows me to take hand held photos even on a cloudy night with my standard f / 1.4 lense - I've been photographing the rabbits feeding at my birdfeeeders. The Live view is an absolute charm- it allows you to see a 16 time magnification oreview. I use this feature to "test" my lenses at various apertures for sharpness; a lot faster than having to shoot a photo and magnify it on my PC. The articulating viewer is really clever, and sturdy; I use it for waist level and ground level shots; while installing a faucet under my kitchen sink, the Live View, and articulating viewer, gave me a nice preview of what work had to be done. The only negative I found was that it does not provide TTL flash control with my old Pentax 240 flash.

I can use all my old lens now.

I've been waiting for a Pentax full frame for a while. I'm upgrading from a K5 which I love. This camera is everything I imagined and more. Still learning how to use all the functions. I like the ability to still use my crop sensor lenses on this, Looking forward to getting some quality glass for this FF beast.

Fantastic professional camera, it works with the old Pentax lens (k- mount) as well as with the DA lens I have with my previous dslr Pentax cameras. Great quality camera and if you have the Pentax K-7 it uses the same battery which helps.