Photography News Issue 33

Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com

Camera test 29

The K-1 joins that growing band of cameras offering six figure ISO settings, topping out at ISO 204,800. Our test images were shot using the Pentax 15-30mm f/2.8 lens on a tripod mounted K-1 – the base ISO 100 exposure was 1sec at f/8. The images originated as DNG Raws, processed using Lightroom with default sharpening and noise reduction. I also put the same Raws through Phase One’s Capture 1. At the low and medium end of the ISO range, images quality are very clean and even at ISO 800 there’s barely any discernible noise. At ISO 1600, noise starts to appear but this is still fine and smooth, and colour reproduction is identical to that seen at lower ISO settings. ISO 3200 is good enough for critical use and there’s no problem getting big prints from files at this speed, even without any software noise reduction. This is impressive stuff and certainly comparable to rival full-frame models. Noise and impact on fine detail starts to become more apparent from ISO 5000 onwards but Performance: ISO

Full-frame image

even here the files are perfectly useable for critical purposes. From here on in, though, the mottling of noise is readily apparent, colours get muddy and smudgy, and poorer resolution of fine detail are key characteristics. ISO 12,800 is still useable for subjects like stage performances and low-light street work where noise can add to the mood of the results. It’s probably the last fast ISO suitable for quality use, because the quality at ISO 25,600 and beyond is nothing to write home about. From ISO 51,200 onwards images have a reticulated patterning and straight lines are no longer straight but rather ragged and colours are desaturated bearing no relation to reality. Artefacting and noise is very heavy from this point onwards so the six figure ISOs are not for critical use. In summary, the K-1’s noise performance is very good and easily comparable to its full- frame rivals – the Canon EOS-1D XMark II and Nikon D5 are better but they’re not direct rivals.

Above Shot with a K-1 and a 15-30mm f/2.8, mounted on a Benro Mach3 TMA48CL carbon-fibre tripod.

ISO 100

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

ISO 6400

ISO 12,800

ISO 25,600

ISO 51,200

ISO 102,400

ISO 204,800

Performance: Noise reduction

ISO 12,800 No NR

ISO 12,800 Auto NR

ISO 12,800 LowNR

We shot pictures from ISO 3200 right up to 25,600 at the K-1 High ISO NR settings – auto, low, medium and high. The shots here are all JPEGS, straight out of the camera. If you want in-camera noise reduction, then Low is the best setting to use in most situations. The Auto setting is pretty good too but slightly on the aggressive side and there is detail loss compared with the Low setting. The high NR setting has a seriously strong impact on detail and it’s best avoided on the evidence of this test.

ISO 12,800MediumNR

ISO 12,800 High NR

ISO 12,800 CustomNR

Images The K-1’s integral High ISO Noise Reduction feature works well in Auto or Low but seems aggressive at higher settings and detail is severely impacted.