Pentax K-01

sony makes a $350.00 evf for the nex 5n.... that is $350.00 us for a tiny vewfinder, where the pros are buying zacuto eye finders for the back lcd's on d-slrs to get a bigger viewfinder... for about the same price... I think Pentax made the right choice here..

as for exposure comp... I think the dynamic range of the sensor allows enough "Fix it in post" lattitude for most shooters... plus you can set the iso manually, so I'm not sure you need to go plus/minus 3 or more stops ev comp... in fact other than when shooting for HDR (which is on speed dial with k-01) I never use that much exp comp... so easy to live without.. hardly a deal breaker... I think this cam is going to sell once people drop thier preconcieved ideas of who it is for...

Pentax send me two I'll make a film, you'll see what this camera can really do whenI'm done!

I like the design a lot and if this sells well in the Far East (Japan and China) then it may well do the job for Pentax. Over here in the West, on the far side of the world, we are yesterday's news and I doubt this is really designed for us.

I doubt I would buy one, though. No EVF or tilt-screen is fine on a very compact camera because, hey, it's compact and largely for snaps and I can put it in my pocket. But on something that's nearly full size with a top-line sensor and which costs quite a few bob - no way ever, a single fixed LCD is too limiting especially if you use glasses or wish to use a larger lens. The only way I'd be able to see the LCD clearly on this is by holding it at full arms' length. And with a heavy lens on - I think not.

Stunned, really, that Pentax haven't made provision for either but I guess they must have done their research and concluded that lack of demand for such features meant they weren't needed. And that could easily be absolutely correct. Oh well, we'll soon find out. The new Prime M engine is an exciting development. I do wish this camera every success. Pentax needs it after all.

Set the ISO manually in Tv or Av mode and the camera tries to compensate in the opposite direction by shifting Aperture or Shutter speed respectively... so it doesn't replace exposure comp. When shooting hand-held at night I usually have the ISO set manually and quite high in any case, so that the shutter speed doesn't become undesirably slow.

I think it depends what you shoot. As mentioned I shoot at night a lot, often hand-held and with no flash. Sodium Vapour street lighting is hardly the ideal light source, but I like the feel and atmosphere of it, undiluted by adding flash. I frequently go to around -3 or even slightly more. The dynamic range of the sensor is not so forgiving when it comes to highlight clipping. Also underexposing a little more than is strictly necessary helps keep the shutter speed reasonably fast too. I'm not generally looking for a ton of motion blur in my shots. Unlike with clipped highlights, the ability to lift detail out of underexposed shadows with the K-5 sensor is little short of miraculous. (And with Lightroom's awesome noise reduction the shots still look great).

With the +/-2 limitation I'd probably just find myself shooting in Manual instead of Av most of the time. However I would miss the immediacy of shooting in Av with the exposure comp set where I want it. It just feels more natural to me.

I could live with +/-3.

link

No viewfinder.
I hope this isn't the direction Pentax is taking with it's CSC line. I was keen to buy a 35mm frame CSC WITH viewfinder. Without one I'm not interested.

40% thicker and 20% heavier than the Fuji. It makes me wonder what it has over the Fuji? The same kind of questions I was asking when comparing the D7K and the K-5. What can the D7K have more that adds all that extra bulk.

I wouldn't lament the lack of an EVF as even the best EVFs are pretty poor. Given the choice, when I tesed the Sony SLTs A33 and A55 the back screen was the far better choice.

If Pentax added an EVF you end up with something just about the same as a DSLR but with a poorer viewfinder and I really don't see the point of that.

EVFs are certainly usable, but only just and they are not exciting to view with.

The camera in my phone just about does what the ko1 does why would i want to lug this around as well.

Because the camera in your phone doesn't produce professional quality images that could be used in the most prestigious magazines and books, or enlarged to make stunning exhibition prints.

Yes, we have at the moment, but how in the future? K-r is discontinuing, K-5 ???

Held at arms length on a sunny day how do we know that this will?

Because the K01 only makes sense as 'compact' if it has a very compact lens. The DA40Ltd is already very compact so would be good to use on the K01 anyway. The choice at 30-35mm is not very compact. Put a 31 on it and you might as well use a K5 as neither is remotely pocketable.

I really see this camera being a very useful high quality street shooter (perfect for grab shots with a silent shutter), ideal for places where they don't like professional looking cameras (the Duplo look helps here), for travelling to places where discretion is important. A superslim 30mm would be a very versatile focal length and I would use the combination as a go everywhere option. And because of the Kmount it's a second body and backup. Really useful, potentially. Hopefully the K02 will be weather sealed and will sport a viewfinder (or at least an articulated screen) and a cable socket. Come to think of it my Canon G3 had an articulated screen and I used it a lot.

As a single camera proposition I just don't get it at all. I can't imagine how to use it with say the 55-300, trying to hold it steady while holding it up to look at the LCD screen. Does anyone take photos with a large lens like that? I don't think this was thought through by a photographer, not at all.

So once again, as with the Q it seems neither one thing nor another.

The K-mount, and thus sweating your Pentax lens investment!

I'd like to see you stick a 77 Ltd on an iPhone & that's what the K mount in the K-01 is all about.

For what it's worth it's not the MP of a camera (my iPhone 4s has 8MP I believe and takes nice pics) that makes the big difference (unless you plan on a lot of cropping) but the IQ produced by the combination of sensor & lens. Some of my best underwater shots (printed very large) have been taken with an Olympus 5040 which only boasted 3.3MP but had a lovely bright lens on it. Hence why the iPhone can't compete at any level except convenience.

Now there's a thought - has anyone produced an UW housing for the iPhone yet

Re the lack of EVF, I was looking recently to buy a small 'slave' monitor for use with my PC. Found a number available, several of which would also work with DSLR's.

So, how about looking at the K-01 as a tool to be used either (a) tethered to a laptop, or (b) using an auxiliary screen? Ok, not great handheld (although rigs would be available for this), but seems to me perfect (with a tripod) for studio, landscapes, architecture...

Also, it's just a box containing electronics and hardware. How easy is it to make another box to take the same electronics and hardware, with an extended 'pentaprism' to take an EVF? Very