Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

Camera test 28

Pentax K-1 It has been a long time coming but the Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR

Specs

Price £1599 body only Sensor

36.4 megapixels, 7360x4912pixels, CMOS no anti-aliasing filter but AA Filter Simulate available. Sensor cleaning with ultrasonic system Sensor format 35.9x24mm, 14-bit Raws (PEF or DNG) ISO range 100-204,800 Shutter range 30secs to 1/8000sec, Bulb, flash Max up to 4.4fps, up to 17 frames in Raw. Single, continuous H, M, L, self-timer (2s, 12s, continuous, mirror-up, multi exposure, interval shooting, interval composite, star stream Metering system TTL using 86k pixel RGB sensor, multi-segment, centre-weighted and spot Exposuremodes PASM, 5 user modes, scene analyze mode auto, sensitivity priority, shutter & aperture-priority Exposure compensation –/+5 EV, in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV Monitor 1037k dots, 3.2in, flexible tilt Focusing TTL phase detect, SAFOX sensor, working range EV-3-18 (ISO 100), AF-S and AF-C. AF assist lamp Video Full HD at 60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p Connectivity Wi-Fi, GPS, USB 2.0, HDMI (type D), microphone input, headphone Storagemedia 2x SD Dimensions (wxhxd) 136.5x110x85.5mm Weight 1010g with battery body only Contact ricoh-imaging.co.uk sync 1/200sec Drivemodes

has arrived and at £1599 body only, it’s temptingly priced but how does it perform? We try it out

ReviewbyWill Cheung

If you want a 35mm full-frame camera, Canon, Nikon and Sony all offer great products and have done for some time. Pentax has focused on different areas of the camera market notably, medium-format. The K-1 is the first full-frame DSLR from the brand even though a prototype was shown back in 2000 at Photokina, but it never made it to market. In the fast-churn of digital cameras, 16 years is an eternity but a Pentax full-frame camera is finally here. The first question that springs to mind is are there enough dedicated (incredibly patient!) Pentax system users to buy the K-1? Then is it good enough to tempt non-Pentax users to switch systems or will aspiring full-framers go for the K-1 amid the other options? Is there even an opportunity for a full-frame SLR when the buzz is all about CSCs? So many questions, but meanwhile let’s see what the K-1 offers. Pick it up and there is no doubting the product’s robust build quality. Look at its specifications and you can’t but helped be impressed.

The body has 87 seals to protect its innards from dust and water, so when used with an AW (All Weather) orWR (Weather Resistant) lens you have a pairing that will cope with extreme conditions. I got the K-1 drenched twice and the camera did not malfunction at all. I was using the flexible monitor out from its resting position so water got into the monitor’s support rail mechanism with no ill effects. Speaking of this feature, my long- term concernwould be grit and sand getting into the tracks in which the monitor supports run and ruining their smooth travel. It is possible to get at the tracks with the nozzle of a can of compressed air so maybe it’ll be okay, but I didn’t feel inclined to test it with a handful of sand. The monitor image itself is good, there is lots of key camera setting info available. Push the INFObutton and you scroll through three options – the camera status screen, a mode selection screen and a third screen that provides options that include Electronic Compass, Electronic Level and Display Off. There is no eye-activated monitor on/off facility although a half-press of the shutter release does turn the monitor off. Built into the body is Pentax’s SR II shake reduction mechanism that claims a 5EV benefit for handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds. Of coursewhat a 5EVbenefit means depends on where you start counting from. With the 24-70mm f/2.8 I’d say 1/125sec is the minimum for hand-holding – 5EV from that is 1/4sec so I started there. Out of five shots at that speed with the lens at 50mm, I got three out of five pin- sharp which I’d consider a decent return so it works well enough and it does so without the ‘floaty’ effect that you can get with lens-based IS.

One control knob I really liked was the Smart Function dial that lets you access some key features quickly

Below A grab shot taken using the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens on the K-1. The exposure was 1/125sec at f/2.8, ISO 1000. Aperture-priority mode and multi-zone metering were used.

The sensor is an anti-alias filter- free CMOS unit that can capture 14-bit images at a 36.4-megapixels resolution with data handling by Pentax’s new PRIME IV engine. With the camera having to deal with so much data, you won’t be surprised to learn the K-1 is no speed machine with a maximum shooting rate of 4fps. Having fast SD cards loaded – there are two slots – is a good idea especially if you are doing lots of Raw exposure bracketing or using Pixel Shift Resolution mode. The K-1 is easy to get used to and key controls have been sensibly positioned. The on/off switch around the shutter release with the ISO and exposure compensation controls nearby is excellent.

One control knob I really liked was the Smart Function dial that lets you access some key features quickly – drive mode and bracketing for example. Other are less useful – Crop, Grid and Shake Reduction can be left buried in a menu somewhere as far as I’m concerned. That is a personal thing, so perhaps having a couple of custom options would have been nice. Generally, though, theK-1’s design is sound, with some nice touches not seen on rivals. The monitor on four supports we have already discussed, but there is also the option to have the camera’s lens mount, card slots and the rear of the monitor light up at touch of a button, which is handy when working in the dark.