Pentax K-01, Still relevant in 2019?

I currently own 3 K-01’s and thought I’d P/x one of them along with a few bits and bobs towards a new lens at a well known camera store,

Anyway to cut a long story short myself and the sales manager started comparing the basics of the k-01 compared to more modern equivalents, large sensor with a great dynamic range, IBIS, weather sealed, superb build quality and not missing anything in the way of controls or features, it was only when we got to autofocus and video modes which to be fair still holds true with Pentax’s current cameras, all in a camera built 8 years ago.

The sales manager bought it from me for himself, the manager was still at school when the K-01 was first announced.

Yep, that core content is still very much as relevant and capable today as it always was.

Video wise, the K-01 and K-30 were the first of the new video format. It was very capable for the time and introduced new few features over the K-5 etc (but also took away the use of ibis during video too). Sadly that's almost exactly relevant today also, as Pentax have done almost nothing to progress their video offering since those cameras back in 2012.

It's an interesting discussion all round really, as the bones are very solid. That's all you need for a lot of photography styles, especially if you're using it in manual mode on a tripod for example. Modern developments have tended to focus more on supporting aspects like AF speed, tracking, eye AF, mobile connection via wifi, dual card slots, larger batteries and grips, video capabilities etc. It's over to the end user to decide if they need those enhancements or not.

I had a lot of fun with my K-01, learned my craft on it, and loved (I still do) the resulting image quality. It has unfortunately developed a sticky shutter syndrome, and I now use it only for the odd video (in which mode the shutter stays open with no problem). The expense of fixing it may be worth it, but I happened upon a new K-70 + 5 year warranty for a good price, so... Funds allowing, I would do the fix, no question!