Pentax K1 - 36.4MP full frame, Spring 2016

[fathergll]

So photos and specs were leaked for the new Pentax full frame camera to be released in the coming months. Pentax is late to the market with a full frame DSLR but it's probably going to be very good body.

36.4MP full frame CMOS sensor,
6.5fps continuous shooting,
an ISO range of 100 to 204800,
built-in GPS,
SD/SDHC/SDXC,
weight of 925g (~32.6oz).

Starting price is rumored at around $2,400 but I am hearing they are expecting it to fall under $2k not that long after the launch(Maybe later in the year). Other features like in-camera image stabilization, weatherproofing, pixel shifting probably make it a contender for those who already have Pentax glass.


I have a K5 and FA 77 limited lens. This camera might be on my radar when the price drops. I'd be tempted to be able to use the full frame Pentax lens in their full frame lengths and not 1.5 crop. Especially like the idea of the 31 Limited.

 

[fathergll]

http://us.ricoh-imaging.com/product/k-series/k1/


Price is $1799 starting. Not that anyone cares judging by the lack of comments lol

 

[Elbert C]

http://us.ricoh-imaging.com/product/k-series/k1/


Price is $1799 starting. Not that anyone cares judging by the lack of comments lol

$200 cheaper than the current price of a D750 body, nice. If the AF of the K-1 is better than the K-3, K-3II bodies I just might get one once the price drops to around $1500.

Especially like the idea of the 31 Limited.

If I only knew the price of the 31 Limited was going to double I would've bought me a couple of them 7-8 years ago when they were going for about $650 - $700 new.

 

[fathergll]

$200 cheaper than the current price of a D750 body, nice. If the AF of the K-1 is better than the K-3, K-3II bodies I just might get one once the price drops to around $1500.

I think Pentax is trying to deploy a similar strategy to what they had with the 645Z in the medium format area by basically offering top notch image quality low prices(which means they cut corners in other areas). They are pretty crafty at sharing R&D and parts among all of their cameras and I suspect thats how they are able launch the the K1 so cheap. Im in the same boat as you...ill probably wait for prices to drop and grab one. Image quality will probably be similar to the D810 or even slightly better in some aspects. I'd like to see the AF reviews though.

If I only knew the price of the 31 Limited was going to double I would've bought me a couple of them 7-8 years ago when they were going for about $650 - $700 new.

They did drop again....you can get the 31 Limited for $718 now. I'm pretty sure Pentax is releasing updated versions of the limited series though...i thought I read that.

 

[AZhappyjack]

So photos and specs were leaked for the new Pentax full frame camera to be released in the coming months. Pentax is late to the market with a full frame DSLR but it's probably going to be very good body.

36.4MP full frame CMOS sensor,
6.5fps continuous shooting,
an ISO range of 100 to 204800,
built-in GPS,
SD/SDHC/SDXC,
weight of 925g (~32.6oz).

Starting price is rumored at around $2,400 but I am hearing they are expecting it to fall under $2k not that long after the launch(Maybe later in the year). Other features like in-camera image stabilization, weatherproofing, pixel shifting probably make it a contender for those who already have Pentax glass.


I have a K5 and FA 77 limited lens. This camera might be on my radar when the price drops. I'd be tempted to be able to use the full frame Pentax lens in their full frame lengths and not 1.5 crop. Especially like the idea of the 31 Limited.

I learned basic photography on a Pentax K-1000... that thing was a tank, and despite the somewhat spartan feature set, I loved that camera. When I went digital, I sold it several lenses and went Nikon. I will always have a place in my heart for Pentax.

 

[robgendreau]

Yeah, looks pretty nice, but probably not enough to get me to upgrade from APS-C.

Great value though, and they really seem to hit the right buttons on features. I love the built in GPS, and that Astrotracer feature is the bomb if you do star shots. Crappy video, but they are spot on figuring that anybody that wants 4k isn't gonna buy this anyway.

 

[photocat2005]

I'm a Pentaxian but admittedly not going to go full-frame. It does look like a very nice camera for them to enter the FF market with. I have the K-5, which is a great cam but it rarely gets used now that I have my Fuji X-T10. I'm glad they finally got a FF in their line-up because there seems to be a demand for it. Hope all those chomping at the bit for so long actually buy it.

 

[TheReef]

Yay they finally did it! The Pentaxians out there with nice collections of FA Ltd glass are going to be stoked

They deserve to do well, I think they build the most intuitive, solidly built and best value cameras out there.

Just so hard to go back from the ever so portable mirrorless form factor Might pick one up when prices fall though!

 

[bhtwo]

I learned basic photography on a Pentax K-1000... that thing was a tank, and despite the somewhat spartan feature set, I loved that camera. When I went digital, I sold it several lenses and went Nikon. I will always have a place in my heart for Pentax.

Super... I started my SLR photography with a Pentax MX (apre Zenith)... a super little camera... went over to Nikon though.

 

[MCAsan]

Relative to Sony, Nikon, and Canon....Pentax has what 35mm marketshare? How many lens are available for their body vs available for Nikon or Canon?

I don't see the point in purchasing from a minor player, no matter if the price is perceived as a bargain and the specs are good. If you want raw converter support, a wider choice of lenses, and accessories, stick with the major brands.

Years ago I had Pentax ME Super and Super Program. They were nice cameras. But today, I would stick with the big 3.

 

[robgendreau]

Relative to Sony, Nikon, and Canon....Pentax has what 35mm marketshare? How many lens are available for their body vs available for Nikon or Canon?

I don't see the point in purchasing from a minor player, no matter if the price is perceived as a bargain and the specs are good. If you want raw converter support, a wider choice of lenses, and accessories, stick with the major brands.

Years ago I had Pentax ME Super and Super Program. They were nice cameras. But today, I would stick with the big 3.

I would think the same logic would have caused you to buy a PC instead of a Mac, although the price structure is inverse.

And they have exactly 0% of the digital 35mm market, since the camera hasn't been released yet. But they have done well with their medium format, which isn't competing as much with Canikon.

True, their digital lens selection for FF is behind the Big Two, but there's huge selection of older glass, which admittedly is for the non-casual user since it's manual.

But Pentax/Ricoh is rather happily selling to their base, if you will, and doesn't presume to be the Windows of DSLRs, if you follow this line of reasoning: http://www.dpreview.com/opinion/4721880615/the-long-difficult-road-to-pentax-full-frame

As for me, I buy the best tools with the features I need. Whether they are the more popular tools is a factor, but not determinative. I like Pentax mainly because it uses IBIS, and I won't buy another camera without it, and because all that Pentax glass works great with my M43 bodies. I like Sony too though, although they aren't exactly as heavy hitters as Canikon either. I also like Pentax cause they are more innovative than Canikon; I think it isn't an accident that Oly and Pentax are pioneering stuff like pixel shift and Astrotracer technologies. And Pentax uses DNG, so unlike Canikon you've got RAW support the day the camera lands.

 

[MCAsan]

I bailed out of 35mm over 2 years ago to avoid the cost, size, and weight. The wife and both shoot m43 E-M1 bodies with Pro lenses. So in the world of m43, we are very mainstream.

 

[fathergll]

Relative to Sony, Nikon, and Canon....Pentax has what 35mm marketshare? How many lens are available for their body vs available for Nikon or Canon?

Majority of these are still in production I think. There's a bunch of auto focus legacy glass not listed such as..."FA 28mm F2.8, FA 24mm F2, FA 20mm F2.8, FA 50mm F1.7 FA 85mm F1.4"


Pentax

• FA 31mm f1.8 Limited
• FA 35mm f2.0
• FA 43mm f1.9 Limited
• DFA 50mm f2.8 macro
• FA 50mm f1.4
• DA 50mm f1.8
• FA 77mm f1.8 Limited
• DFA 100mm f/2.8 macro
• HD Pentax-D FA 15-30mm F2.8 ED SDM WR
• HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm F2.8 ED SDM WR
• HD Pentax-D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR
• HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm F2.8 ED DC AW
• HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW

Sigma

• Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM
• Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM
• Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro
• Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro
• Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM (Art)
• Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM
• Sigma 300mm F2.8 APO EX DG
• Sigma 500mm F4.5 EX DG APO

Tamron

• Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 AF XR Di LD Macro SP
• Tamron 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 XR Di AF
• Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD Macro
• Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 AF Di LD Macro
• Tamron SP AF 90mm F2.8 Di Macro

Samyang

• Samyang 14mm F2.8 ED AS IF UMC (visible vignetting)
• Samyang 24mm F1.4 ED AS
• Samyang 24mm F3.5 ED AS UMC Tilt/Shift
• Samyang 35mm F1.4 AS UMC
• Samyang 50mm F1.4 AS IF UMC
• Samyang 85mm F1.4 Aspherical IF
• Samyang 100mm F2.8 Macro
• Samyang 135mm F2.0 ED UMC

Others

• Schneider-Kreuznach 28mm F4.5 PC-TS Super-Angulon HM Aspheric
• Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm F2.8 PC-TS Super-Angulon HM Tilt/Shift
• Schneider-Kreuznach 90mm F4.5 PC-TS Makro-Symmar HM Tilt/Shift
• Mitakon Creator 35mm F2
• Mitakon 85mm F2
• Mitakon Creator 135mm F2.8 Mark II
• Venus / Laowa 15mm F4 1:1 Macro
• Venus 60mm F2.8 2:1 Macro
• Lensbaby Velvet 56mm F1.6
• Lesbbaby Composer Pro
• Lensbaby Composer Pro II

I don't see the point in purchasing from a minor player, no matter if the price is perceived as a bargain and the specs are good. If you want raw converter support, a wider choice of lenses, and accessories, stick with the major brands.


Years ago I had Pentax ME Super and Super Program. They were nice cameras. But today, I would stick with the big 3.

Depends on what you actually need. If you are a Landscape shooter, urban…etc on paper this is a pretty solid system for the money as well as some wedding shooters or some glamour /fashion shooters outside could also like it with shake reduction, Super Resolution mode, superior weather sealing, super flexi screen, high iso sensitivity, GPS/Astrotracer additional controls and buttons for less menu searching. It’s not going to get a Nikon user to drop their entire system in the studio setting in favor of Pentax for example but it’s a viable option for some if you want to put together a system for certain uses.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My first two SLR cameras were by Pentax, - an ME Super and a Pentax P30T. They were two superb cameras, and I loved them both, and had them for years. Neither of them ever gave me a minutes difficulty.

For some years after that, I had Nikon cameras, but never felt the same about Nikon as I did about the lovely and reliable Pentax.

Delighted to see them entering this market, as they always made rugged, yet small and elegant cameras.
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I learned basic photography on a Pentax K-1000... that thing was a tank, and despite the somewhat spartan feature set, I loved that camera. When I went digital, I sold it several lenses and went Nikon. I will always have a place in my heart for Pentax.

Couldn't agree more.