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Posts Tagged ‘Pentax’

Pentax K-1’s Pixel Shift challenges medium-format dynamic range

10 May

The Pentax K-1 has produced one of the best dynamic range performances we’ve yet seen. As our testing of the camera continues, we’ve been looking through the results of our Raw dynamic range test and we’ve been very impressed. And that’s before we looked at the benefits brought by Pixel Shift Resolution mode.

Raw Dynamic Range

Exposure Latitude

In this test we look to see how tolerant of pushing exposure the Pentax K-1’s Raw files are. We’ve done this by exposing our scene with increasingly lower exposures, then pushed them back to the correct brightness using Adobe Camera Raw. Examining what happens in the shadows allows you to assess the exposure latitude (essentially the dynamic range) of the Raw files.

Because the changes in this test noise are primarily caused by shot noise and this is mainly determined by the amount of light the camera has had access to, the results are only directly comparable between cameras of the same sensor size. However, this will also be the case in real-world shooting if you’re limited by what shutter speed you can keep steady, so this test gives you an idea of the amount of processing latitude different formats give.

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Compared with the Nikon D810, the Pentax does a great job. There’s less chroma noise visible after a 5 and 6EV push, suggesting the Pentax is adding even less noise to its images than the already very good Nikon. It’s a similar story when compared with the Nikon D750$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2463”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2463); }); }). The difference compared to the Sony a7R II$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2464”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2464); }); }) is even greater, marking the K-1 as one of the best results we’ve ever seen.

The picture is slightly muddied by the D810 offering an ISO 64 mode$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2467”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2467); }); }), which can tolerate around 2/3EV more exposure before clipping, allowing longer shutter speeds that provide a shot noise benefit commensurate with that. This allows the D810 to pull almost imperceptibly ahead in brighter, shot-noise limited tones$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2468”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2468); }); }), but doesn’t stop the K-1’s result (from a camera with a list price roughly half as much) from being hugely impressive.

The difference is even bigger in Pixel Shift Resolution mode. Because it samples the scene multiple times, it effectively collects more total light, which means less shot noise. As you might expect, the result from the four 1/320 sec exposures used to create the 1/320 + 6EV image$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2465”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2465); }); }) show similar levels of noise to the 1/80th second exposure shot in single image mode (a 2EV advantage), only with the greater sharpness that Pixel Shift mode brings. This lower noise means you can push the files to a tremendous degree – far beyond what the Nikon D810’s ISO 64 mode allows$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#imageComparisonLink2466”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(2466); }); }).

ISO Invariance

A camera with a very low noise floor is able to capture a large amount of dynamic range, since it add very little noise to the detail captured in the shadow regions of the image. This has an interesting implication: it minimizes the need to amplify the sensor’s signal in order to keep it above that noise floor (which is what ISO amplification conventionally does). This provides an alternate way of working in situations that would traditionally demand higher ISO settings.

Here we’ve done something that may seem counter-intuitive: we’ve used the same aperture and shutter speed at different ISO settings to see how much difference there is between shooting at a particular ISO setting (and using hardware amplification) vs. digitally correcting the brightness, later. This has the advantage that all the shots should exhibit the same shot noise and any differences must have been contributed by the camera’s circuitry.

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You can see all the K-1’s full ISO Invariance results here and its pixel shift results here. The K-1 is as close to being ISO Invariant as we’ve seen, meaning there’s no cost to shooting at ISO 100 and pushing the files later, rather than using a higher ISO. This means you can keep the ISO down and protect multiple stops worth of highlight information that would otherwise be pushed to clipping by the hardware amplification.

ISO invariance isn’t an end in itself: there are cameras such as the Sony a7R II that are ISO variant because their higher ISO results are so good, not because their low ISO DR is deficient. However, a look at our standard test scene shows its high ISOs are extremely good, so you’re not losing much in comparison with these dual-mode sensors. The K-1’s files have a very high level of flexibility when it comes to processing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the K-1 gives one of the best Raw dynamic range results we’ve ever seen, when shooting in single shot mode and absolutely outstanding results in circumstances where you can use the pixel shift mode. The multiple sampling of the same scene effectively gives a 2EV dynamic range boost, meaning it out-performs both the D810 and the 645Z by a comfortable margin. Less noise (though multiple captures) and multiple 14-bit values at every pixel mean it can give outstanding levels of DR for static scenes where you can use the Pixel Shift mode.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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No alias: Pentax K-1 Pixel Shift shows impressive early results

06 May

It’s been a long wait for the arrival of our Pentax K-1, but it finally is here. We wasted no time taking Ricoh’s new flagship DSLR to our studio to see how the long-awaited full frame 36MP sensor stacks up to the competition. Huge thanks to LensRentals for renting us the lens for these tests.

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Pixel Shift

It’s worth calling out in particular one of the major highlights of the K-1: its Pixel Shift Resolution mode that debuted in the APS-C format K-3 II last spring. We’re only showing you this mode at ISO 100 for the time being, but we’ll be updating our widget with higher ISOs once ACR support is updated.

The K-1’s Pixel Shift Resolution mode takes four consecutive shots and moves the sensor by a single pixel each time. This means that each of the original pixel positions gets sampled by a red, a blue and two green pixels. This has a few major benefits. First, it removes the need to demosaic: you don’t have to interpolate data from the surrounding area to build up color information, which leads to less color aliasing. It also brings a modest increase in resolution because you’re sampling luminance (green) information at every pixel position and not effectively blurring it by borrowing it from surrounding pixels. The increased resolution can easily be seen by looking at the color resolution targets, or looking at the text in the center of the studio scene, which shows no aliasing and can be read down to the very last line.

Another benefit to Pixel Shift is better noise performance: because you’re taking four shots, the camera essentially captures four times as much light, which decreases relative shot noise contributions. The decreased noise levels lead to better high ISO performance, and increased dynamic range.

There’s yet another benefit to Pixel Shift: the camera locks up the mechanical shutter and mirror, and uses a fully electronic shutter instead. This removes any risk of vibrations that might be caused by the mechanical shutter. For example, there’s a very tiny amount of blur in single shot mode at 1/40 sec, although it’s near-imperceptible without a direct comparison to a sharper, Pixel Shift image.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Camera Raw 9.5.1, Lightroom updates add Pentax K-1 support

29 Apr

Adobe has released updates for ACR as well as standalone and CC versions of Lightroom, providing Raw support for the Pentax K-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III. Adobe Camera Raw 9.5.1, Lightroom CC 2015.5.1 and Lightroom 6.5.1 are all available for download and offer some minor bug fixes along with the new camera support. Updates are also available for Adobe DNG Converter for Windows and Mac.

Lightroom Mobile for iOS also gets an update. Version 2.3 brings improvements to editing workflow by making it easier to start editing a single photo from the device’s camera roll. The latest version is available for iPhones and iPads at the App Store.

Bugs Fixed in Camera Raw 9.5.1

  • EXIF lens name not visible for some camera models.
  • Camera Raw would not launch under Mac OSX 10.7 and 10.8.
  • Errors when using Camera Raw to tone HDR images from Photoshop. This occurred when converting 32-bit files to 16 or 8-bit files.

Bugs Fixed in Lightroom CC 2015.5.1 / 6.5.1

  • Droplets not working as export actions 
  • Issues with incorrect folder permissions.  Please see instructions to help correct user permissions issues.
  • EXIF lens name not visible for some camera models.  Please see instructions to reparse the Lens metadata after installing the update.
  • Focus lost in the keyword panel when navigating to the next image
  • Error when merging to HDR or Panorama from a collapsed stack 
  • Removed dependencies on QuickTime for some video codecs on Windows. Please see https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/quicktime-uninstallation-impact.html for more information

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2016: shooting the Pentax K-1 in Yokohama

03 Mar

Introduction

Yes, we have already posted a fair amount about the full-frame Pentax K-1, and no, this does not mean that we are in Ricoh’s pocket. But what Ricoh did offer us was a pre-production K-1 at CP+ 2016 in Yokohama, and the freedom to do whatever we wanted to with it (except post full-resolution images, for now). How could we not take advantage of that? 

The full-frame Pentax K-1 has been years in the making, and they’ve made it pretty darn good.

I am not a Pentaxian, just to get that out of the way. In fact, I’m not really a ‘fanboi’ of any particular brand, though I do continue to own, use and abuse Nikons of the not-so-distant past. That said, I’ve spent a lot of time with the K-3 II and 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited lens, and the feature set combined with value for money make that camera pretty cream-of-the-crop. I loved the fast continuous shooting speed, large (for APS-C) optical finder, comfy grip, in-body image stabilization, and the confidence of shooting with a truly weather-sealed camera and lens in your typical Seattle downpours.

But it just didn’t click with me. Maybe it was the shutter sound. Maybe it was the inconsistencies I experienced with the autofocus. Regardless of any quirks, and regardless of how technically great a camera might be, I admit that I find little photographic inspiration through using a device I don’t truly love and enjoy. I’m always searching for cameras that I connect with on some intangible level that makes me want to go out shooting, and unfortunately, the K-3 II didn’t fit that bill. Back onto the gear shelf it went.

And then, on the last day of CP+, Barney handed me a Pentax K-1 and told me I had until the end of the day to shoot with it. So I did. I didn’t come away with my greatest work ever, which I’ll blame more on the jet lag than the camera. No, more importantly, I liked the K-1, I had fun with it, and it made me want to keep wandering and keep shooting, even as I approached my end-of-day deadline and crossed the 10-mile mark on my phone’s sketchy pedometer. 

Pentax digital, all grown up

That firmware version is why we aren’t allowed to publish any full-res samples from the camera.

It’s true at this point that a great many mirrorless cameras are highly capable, represent fantastic value, and are home to some pretty impressive tech. Despite this, for a lot of my more serious work, I keep coming back to the good old-fashioned DSLR. That’s something that Pentax excels at, and it shines through with the K-1.

I will try to keep from repeating too much information that’s already been well-covered in our Pentax K-1 First Impressions review, but a little repetition is necessary, if only for context. The body feels extremely well-built and sealed. The grip is excellent and makes holding this heavy camera a breeze. The control system is customizable, but even without much customization, everything is sensibly laid out. It reminds me of a mix of some of the best bits of both Canon and Nikon thrown onto a single camera body. If that sounds a bit confusing, it can be. But after some time with the camera, it comes together nicely.

The colors from the Pentax K-1, particularly reds, are very nice indeed. Watch for white balance that strays to the cool side, though, which has been corrected here. Photo by Carey Rose. Taken on an old Pentax SMC 24mm F2.8 lens, processed to taste from Raw. F4 | 1/200 | ISO 100

The actual shutter might be bigger than previous Pentax DSLR’s, but it isn’t appreciably louder – in fact, it’s soft but not silent, though still with some of that Pentax-ness from APS-C models thrown in. It’s nice in that you get an affirmative, audible signal that you’ve taken a photograph, but you don’t have to deal with a loud ‘clack’ that you get from many other high-end full-frame bodies (though admittedly, many of those have a ‘quiet’ mode that sometimes helps).

What’s new, what stands out and what actually matters

So, we’re only allowed to show you VGA samples, but let’s see what we can do with that.

Dynamic range

First of all, as to be expected, dynamic range from this sensor is excellent. For the image below, I used a base ISO of 100 and exposed for the sky, pulled the overall exposure up over two-and-a-half stops, lowered the highlights back down, and raised the shadows even more. Though there is some grain in the shadow areas, it isn’t obtrusive, and there is no banding of any kind. (Ignore that pretty heavy vignetting from the non-spec hood on the old manual Pentax 24mm F2.8 I was using).

I could have gone even more overboard with the HDR look by not pulling those blacks so far down, but this way of processing is a personal preference. I find that adding some contrast back in can partially negate the flatness that can occur with heavy shadow pushing.

Original, out-of-camera JPEG. F8 | 1/640 | ISO 100 Processed through Adobe Camera Raw, with the following adjustments: exposure +2.65, highlights -100, shadows +85, whites +15, blacks -67.

That weird screen

The tilting screen may seem gimmicky, and it kind of is. But it still works really well.

After watching Barney dangle the K-1 from its screen on the trade show floor (Ricoh said I could do it! – Ed.), I had a little more confidence in the design of Pentax’s new screen articulation mechanism. After pulling it around, slamming it back in, and treating it more or less like the tilting and articulating screens on any other DSLR, I’ve got to say that it’s really no more or less fiddly than a screen that fully articulates out to the side. In certain situations, such as having the camera on a low tripod and at an odd angle for astrophotography, I could see how it could be an advantage over more traditional mechanisms. Still, for a camera as sealed as the Pentax K-1 is purported to be, I’d be a little wary of getting too much moisture, dirt or mud behind there, if for no other reason than what some well-placed grit might do to the tiny ball joints. But overall durability over time still remains to be seen.

The articulating screen allowed me to get a lower angle in portrait mode without forcing me to crane my neck like an OVF or traditional tilting screen would. Photo by Carey Rose. Cropped and resized out-of-camera JPEG, taken on the Pentax 28-105 F3.5-5.6. F5.6 | 1/500 | ISO 200

Focusing

There’s not really much point in showing you samples at VGA resolution of autofocus tracking from a slow-aperture kit zoom. So I won’t. But I will say that for me, it worked better than or on par with previous Pentaxeses, with a high degree of accuracy. This isn’t a sports camera and it won’t keep up with fast action or erratic subjects, but tracking, say, individuals walking down the street works just fine.

In what will go down as the worst product photo of all time, you can see the lenses I was able to use with the K-1 around Yokohama. I’m not a particularly big fan of kit zooms, but this one was sharp and felt better-built than I’m used to. It goes without saying that the all-metal primes felt great, even if I had to stop them down a bit for optimal performance.

One thing to note – the autofocus points are somewhat few for today’s market (33), and the spread is a little strange. With the camera in landscape orientation, there’s more than enough flexibility across the horizontal axis, but the vertical spread seemed limiting to me. Your mileage may vary.

Single-AF works quickly and accurately as well. For this, I pre-focused on the railing and fired off a quick burst. 4.4fps is a bit faster than you might think, but if you’re used to the blazing speed of the K-3 II, you might be a bit disappointed. Taken on the Pentax 28-105 F3.5-5.6 lens. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. F5.6 | 1/640 | ISO 100

So, then, let’s talk about what it’s like to use some old manual-focus primes on this 36MP digital beast. In two words, it’s pretty good.

Manual-focusing using only the viewfinder and confirmation light works fairly well, if not as well as using an actual split prism, or maybe live-view focus with peaking. Of course, the K-1 has live view with peaking, but since I had such limited time with the camera, I opted to use a method Pentax users are quite proud of. It’s called ‘catch-in-focus.’

This method, enabled through a custom menu function, allows you to hold down the shutter release as you rack the lens through the range where the image would be in focus. Make sure you’re in continuous shooting mode, and the camera will fire a burst when it detects you’ve reached the ‘in-focus’ range, and assuming a high enough shutter speed and moderate enough focus-racking speed, this method works very well, even for candids.

As far as metering with primes pre-dating even the SMC-A lenses, you place the camera in manual, dial in your desired aperture, and hit the green button on the rear of the camera. It will stop down and meter a shutter speed for you. Of course, you’ll still need to remember your apertures – it doesn’t record them in the Raw file. But, as I said, these are really old primes. Later SMC-A lenses may (and probably will) offer more functionality. One other downside of older primes, as we’ve mentioned before, is that they might not seem as amazing on 36MP as they did on film. But you can always downsize your files, stop the lens down, or do what I did: ignore it and get on with shooting.

For the ‘catch-in-focus’ feature, I held down the shutter button, and racked focus on the old manual-focus 24mm F2.8 lens until the camera detected focus and fired off this candid portrait. Because I was mistakenly only in single-shot mode, the resulting shot was very slightly front-focused. But for 36MP paired with a lens older than I am, I found it more than acceptable. Photo by Carey Rose and processed to taste from Raw. F2.8 | 1/125 | ISO 200

The moving sensor

The Pentax K-1 isn’t the first full-frame camera to have a moveable sensor for stabilization, but it is the first to offer a mode that Ricoh calls Pixel Shift Resolution. As we’ve explained before, this mode works by taking four offset shots that increase color resolution by shooting the scene with a different colored capture pixel for each shot. The end result should be that you end up with better resolution, and potentially less noise at medium/high ISO sensitivities.

The video below gives you an idea of how long the whole process takes – and thus why it may work with things like rustling leaves, but not larger movements such as cars driving through your scene. It also shows a noticeable increase in fine detail.

As for stabilization, it works, as expected, rather well. And it’s not just for stabilizing telephoto shots: stopping down (a lot), I was able to pull off a 1/30 exposure in daytime for some blur on the carnival ride, while maintaining details elsewhere in the frame. Of course, shooting at F29 will rob you of some overall sharpness. I should have remembered some ND filters.

Slight motion blur on the ride while maintaining detail elsewhere courtesy of a stabilized sensor and slower-than-normal shutter speed. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. 1/30 | F29 | ISO 200

The wrap

As so often happens with these shooting experience pieces, it comes down to two fairly simple questions. Who is this camera for, and will they buy it? It seems there’s a bit of variety here.

Old-school lenses and old-school motorcycles have a lot in common. Yes, they’re often imperfect and idiosyncratic. But they’re also charming, with character that can be hard to find in the modern age. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. Taken on the SMC Pentax 50mm F1.7. F-something (forgot this one) | 1/400 | ISO 100

Pentax has said that the K-1 is primarily targeted at existing Pentax owners. But then they priced it at an MSRP of $ 1,799. At that price, it seems to me they might be targeting just about anyone.

Whether you need a full-frame camera is a matter of personal choice, and needs. Many people don’t, and that is totally fine. In fact, for a good number of photographers, the increase in depth-of-field control is as much a disadvantage as it is an advantage. 

But for Pentaxians especially, who may have a good number of lenses that are inherently limited by the crop factor of the company’s APS-C DSLR cameras, the K-1 is a godsend. It represents a return to glory for all those Pentax primes. And for those of us on the sidelines who perhaps shoot different systems, the Pentax K-1 represents a great many things. 

It represents an increase in competition, which always bodes well for the consumer. It offers some features, such as sensor-shift capability for increased color resolution, Astrotracer, and its uniquely articulating rear screen, that no other manufacturer can meet in any form. 

If you’re a Pentaxian, time to pop that cork – the K-1 is the camera you’ve been waiting for, and then some. Photo by Carey Rose. Taken on the SMC Pentax 24mm F2.8, processed to taste from Raw. F4 | 1/125 | ISO 200

And Pentax has a few decent modern prime lenses and a growing number of professional-grade zoom lenses to help make the K-1 even more relevant. Hell, given a Pentax K-1 and a 43mm F1.9 Limited, your average prime-lens shooter (this photographer included) would have a killer combination for just about anything. 

From what I’ve seen from its files, the Pentax K-1 has earned its position as a flagship camera for the Pentax brand (excluding the 645Z of course). Not so long ago, if you were an advanced amateur photographer and looking to break into the ‘full frame’ DSLR market, I would have told you to go put your hands on a Canon 6D or Nikon D610 and pick what feels best. Now, for a very similar price, I’m comfortable adding the Pentax K-1 to that list as well.

Until next time, Yokohama. Thanks for hosting us. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. F5.6 | 1/500 | ISO 200

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CP+ 2016: Pentax K-1 past and present

28 Feb

With CP+ 2016 in full swing, we stopped by a very crowded Ricoh booth to get our hands on the hotly anticipated Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR. During our visit, we couldn’t help but notice something very special hiding in the back – the original Pentax full-frame DSLR prototype from Photokina 2000. Take a look, as we take a peek at Pentax full-frame – both past and present. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Here at last: Ricoh unveils the Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR with 36MP sensor for $1800

20 Feb

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After years of development, not to mention months of teasers, Ricoh has made its Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR a reality. The first 35mm format Pentax-branded DSLR (the first to make it to market, anyway), the K-1 offers a 36.4MP CMOS sensor, 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization, a ‘nearly 100%’ optical viewfinder and 33-point AF system with 25 cross-type points. The 3.2″ 1.04M-dot LCD uses a new flexible tilting design which allows for horizontal, vertical and diagonal movement while keeping the screen in alignment with the lens axis.

The Pentax K-1 doesn’t have a conventional anti-aliasing filter, instead, like the K-3 II, offering a simulated AA filter by way of minute sensor vibrations. The K-1’s sensor is capable of moving in all directions, supporting Ricoh’s Pixel Shift Resolution system. This does not increase linear resolution, but as in the K-3 II, it shifts the sensor slightly to record full color information at each pixel, utilizing a motion correction function in an effort to neutralize the effect of moving subjects in the frame.

The K-1 provides a dustproof and weather-resistant construction along with built-in Wi-Fi, 1080/30p video, 14-bit Raw capture, 4.4 fps burst shooting for up to 23 images in Raw or 70 in JPEG.

The long-awaited Pentax K-1 will cost $ 1799 body-only when it ships it in April.

Click here to read our Pentax K-1 First Impressions Review

Press release:

Ricoh defines full-frame benchmark with new PENTAX full-frame DSLR offering

PENTAX K-1 camera offers innovations not available in any other DSLR

DENVER, Colo. February 17, 2016 – Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the PENTAX K-1 full-frame digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. The K-1 combines the performance of a full-frame sensor with unique, user-friendly PENTAX technology and convenience features loved by professional and serious amateur photographers the world over.  

The foundation of the PENTAX K-1 is its large, full-frame image sensor. This AA-filterless CMOS sensor with 36.4 effective megapixels sets the stage for ultimate creativity, facilitating super-high-resolution images rich in gradation and superb in high-sensitivity rendition. 

Built around the full-frame sensor is a compact, high-performance weather-sealed and dustproof body with features only found in PENTAX cameras. “The K-1 is a blend of advanced, full-frame performance with the kind of features and advancements that PENTAX users have come to know and love,” said Jim Malcolm, president, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation. “As a result, the K-1 creates a solution for full-frame shooters that is unique in the industry.”

Within its compact body, the PENTAX K-1 features several advanced technologies that help the photographer to produce top results in a wide variety of challenging conditions. SR II Shake Reduction is a newly refined and highly sensitive five-axis shake-reduction system that is capable of reducing camera shake with a compensation range of up to five exposure steps, allowing photographers to freely move and compose – and to focus on their subjects, not the gear. SR II also facilitates other advanced PENTAX-unique features such as AA Filter Simulator, which effectively eliminates moiré effect without the need for an anti-aliasing filter, while increasing sharpness and overall image quality. Key to great autofocus performance on the K-1 is the new SAFOX 12 autofocus mechanism with 33 autofocus points, assuring fast and accurate autofocusing, even in the most demanding shooting situations.  A newly-designed optical viewfinder equipped with the famous PENTAX Pentaprism boasts a bright, nearly 100-percent field of view.

In addition to a long list of technological advancements, the PENTAX K-1 also features a number of convenience features, making camera operation fast and easy. Designed to move in ways never before imagined is the new Flexible-tilt LCD monitor—a first for any DSLR camera. This rugged yet highly adjustable display can be positioned to the desired angle horizontally and vertically, making it easy to shoot at challenging angles. Other significant firsts include the K-1’s Operation Assist Lights – small, white LEDs that facilitate camera operation in low-light environments, making it easy to change lenses, swap memory cards and adjust back-of-camera controls, and a Smart Function dial that allows photographers to easy select frequently-used functions without going into the LCD menu. 

Current PENTAX lens owners will appreciate that they can incorporate their APS-C lens collection into their new PENTAX K-1 full-frame camera kit by utilizing the K-1’s Crop Mode, which offers settings in-camera for either APS-C or Full-Frame sized shooting, regardless of the attached lens. There is also an “auto” mode that detects the lens type and sets the camera accordingly. 

Upon launch, PENTAX is offering 12 full-frame compatible lenses, including two new models being announced concurrent with the K-1 camera: the HD PENTAX-D FA 15-30mm f.2.8 ultra-wide angle zoom lens and the HD PENTAX-D FA 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 compact, lightweight zoom lens. (Note: separate news releases have been issued today to provide details on each lens).

| Pricing and Availability | 

The PENTAX K-1 camera will be available April 2016 at www.ricohimaging.com and retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $ 1,799.95.

For further information, please visit www.ricohimaging.com/pentaxff

Main Features

1.  High-resolution, fine-gradation images supported by approximately 36.4 effective megapixels 

The K-1 features an AA (anti-aliasing) filterless design that prioritizes image resolution, as well as the new PRIME IV imaging engine, which is capable of 14-bit RAW-format image recording. The    K-1’s unique full frame sensor and imaging engine design also allows for super-high-sensitivity shooting up to ISO 204800, producing beautiful, high-resolution images.

2. New-generation SR II five-axis system

  • In-body SR II mechanism assures optimal shake reduction performance
    The SR II (Shake Reduction II) five-axis mechanism enables accurate control of the large full-frame image sensor with all compatible PENTAX interchangeable lenses.* In addition to camera shake caused by pitch and yaw, it effectively compensates for camera shake caused by horizontal and vertical shift, as well as camera shake caused by roll, which is difficult to deal with by lens-installed shake reduction mechanisms. Even when taking a panning shot, this system automatically detects the direction of the camera’s movement, and efficiently controls the SR II unit to always produce the best image possible.
  • Pixel Shift Resolution System with a new motion correction function
    This system uses the latest super-resolution technology, which captures four images of the same scene by shifting the image sensor by a single pixel for each image, then synthesizes them into a single composite image. Compared to the conventional Bayer system, in which each pixel has only a single color data unit, this innovative system obtains all color data within each pixel. It incorporates a new motion correction function, which automatically detects a moving object during continuous shooting.
  • Innovative AA filter simulator to minimize moiré
    By applying microscopic vibrations to the image sensor, the K-1’s AA (anti-aliasing) filter simulator provides the same level of moiré reduction as an optical AA filter.
  • Supportive shooting functions
    Since the K-1’s SR II unit has a flexible design that tilts the image sensor unit in all directions, it provides a host of handy shooting functions, including auto level compensation, image-composition fine-adjustment, and AstroTracer, which simplifies advanced astronomical photography using a built-in GPS module.

3. Flexible tilt-type LCD monitor to accommodate various shooting angles

The K-1 features a newly designed, Flexible-tilt LCD monitor, which tilts horizontally, vertically or diagonally with a single action, without deviating from the lens’s optical axis. 35 degrees of horizontal and 44 degrees of vertical adjustment can be achieved; the LCD panel can even be laid flat up or down. The 3.2-inch LCD monitor features a tempered-glass front panel for added durability, a unique air-gapless construction effectively reduces reflection, and a new Outdoor View Setting mode allows the user to instantly choose the desired monitor brightness level.

4. Newly developed SAFOX 12 with 33 sensor points and full-frame-proportioned AF frame

The SAFOX 12 AF sensor module features 33 AF sensors (25 cross-type sensors positioned in the middle). The center sensor and the two sensors located just above and below it are designed to detect the light flux of an F2.8 lens, making it easy to obtain pinpoint focus on a subject when using a large-aperture lens. 

5. Upgraded PENTAX Real-Time Scene Analysis System, with application of artificial  intelligence technology 

The K-1’s advanced PENTAX Real-Time Scene Analysis System performs near-instant analysis of exposure, color, movement and other factors. Combined with a breakthrough artificial intelligence technology called deep learning, the K-1 instantly optimizes settings for even the most difficult shooting situations.

6. Easy-to-focus optical viewfinder with nearly 100-percent field of view

Newly developed for its 35mm full-frame design, the K-1’s optical viewfinder provides a nearly 100-percent field of view and an approximately 0.7-times magnification. A Natural Bright Matt III focusing screen allows ease of focusing and a true-to-life rendition of defocused areas in the viewfinder image.

7. High-speed continuous shooting with a top speed of approximately 4.4 images per second

The K-1 has a larger shutter unit that easily accommodates the camera’s full-frame image sensor and provides high-speed, high-accuracy control of the mirror unit. A high-speed data transmission system incorporated in the PRIME IV imaging engine allows the user to continuously record as many as 17 images in the RAW format (or a maximum of 70 images in the JPEG Best format) in a single sequence, at a top speed of approximately 4.4 images per second. 

8. Supportive shooting functions to improve picture-taking efficiency and operational comfort

  • Operation assist light function, which provides LED lights above the lens mount, behind the LCD monitor, at the memory car slot, and at the cable switch terminal to facilitate fast and easy operation in poorly lit settings.
  • Key lock function, which prevents erroneous operation of the four-way controller and other exposure-related control buttons.
  • Smart function, which allows the user to swiftly choose and set desired functions using just the function dial and the set dial on the camera’s upper panel, without referring to the menu screen on the LCD monitor.
  • Control panel customize function allows the user to change aspects of the on-screen menu.

9. Compact, solid body with dustproof, weather-resistant construction

Constructed of sturdy yet lightweight magnesium alloy with the inclusion of 87 sealing parts in the body, the K-1 also boasts a dustproof, weather-resistant and cold-resistant construction.

Other Features 

  • Wi-Fi operation allowing camera control and image transfer to tablet or smartphone via the free ImageSync app
  • Full HD movie recording at 1920 x 1080 pixels in the H.264 recording format
  • Built-in GPS module and electronic compass
  • High-grade DR II (Dust Removal II) mechanism for effective elimination of dust on the image sensor using ultrasonic vibration
  • Crop mode with a choice of image area from AUTO, FF (Full Frame) and APS-C, to accommodate different types of lenses
  • Clarity control and Skin Tone correction functions, a pair of the latest image processing technologies developed by RICOH Central Laboratory
  • HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting mode with RAW-format data filing, usable in handheld shooting
  • The PENTAX-invented hyper operating system for quick, accurate response to the photographer’s creative intentions
  • Dual SD card slots for memory card flexibility (compatible with SDXC UHS-1 speed class in SDR104 buss speed mode)
  • Compensation of various parameters: lens distortion, lateral chromatic aberration, diffraction, and brightness level at image-field edges. Fringe effect compensation is also available in RAW-format processing.
  • Compatibility with PENTAX Image Transmitter 2 tethering software (Software update required from RICOH IMAGING official website) 
  • Digital Camera Utility 5 software (latest version) included

Optional Accessory

  • D-BG6 Battery Grip
    This battery grip is designed to facilitate vertical-position shooting with the PENTAX K-1 camera body. It provides a shutter release button, a set of control buttons (AE lock, AF, ISO, exposure compensation, green), a preview lever, and dual electronic dials — just like those provided on the camera body. It also features the dustproof, weather-resistant construction identical to the PENTAX K-1 camera body. In addition to the dedicated lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, it also accepts six AA-size batteries.

Ricoh Pentax K-1 Specifications

Price
MSRP $ 1799/£1599 (body only)
Body type
Body type Mid-size SLR
Body material Magnesium alloy
Sensor
Max resolution 7360 x 4912
Image ratio w:h 3:2
Effective pixels 36 megapixels
Sensor photo detectors 37 megapixels
Sensor size Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm)
Sensor type CMOS
Color space sRGB, Adobe RGB
Color filter array Primary color filter
Image
ISO Auto, 100-204800
White balance presets 8
Custom white balance Yes (3 slots)
Image stabilization Sensor-shift
Uncompressed format RAW
JPEG quality levels Best, better, good
File format
  • JPEG (Exif v2.3)
  • Raw (PEF/DNG)
Optics & Focus
Autofocus
  • Contrast Detect (sensor)
  • Phase Detect
  • Multi-area
  • Center
  • Selective single-point
  • Tracking
  • Single
  • Continuous
  • Face Detection
  • Live View
Autofocus assist lamp Yes
Manual focus Yes
Number of focus points 33
Lens mount Pentax KAF2
Focal length multiplier 1×
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD Tilting
Screen size 3.2″
Screen dots 1,037,000
Touch screen No
Screen type TFT LCD
Live view Yes
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7×
Photography features
Minimum shutter speed 30 sec
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 sec
Exposure modes
  • Program
  • Aperture priority
  • Shutter priority
  • Aperture and shutter priority
  • Sensitivity priority
  • Manual
Built-in flash No
External flash Yes (via hot shoe or flash sync port)
Flash modes Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
Flash X sync speed 1/200 sec
Drive modes
  • Single Frame, Continuous, Self-timer, Remote Control, Bracketing, Mirror- up, Multi-Exposure, Interval Shooting, Interval Composite, Interval Movie Record, Star Stream
Continuous drive 4.4 fps
Self-timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Metering modes
  • Multi
  • Center-weighted
  • Spot
Exposure compensation ±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
AE Bracketing ±5 (2, 3, 5 frames at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV steps)
Videography features
Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Format MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Stereo
Speaker Mono
Storage
Storage types Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Connectivity
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI Yes (micro-HDMI)
Microphone port Yes
Headphone port Yes
Wireless Built-In
Wireless notes 802.11b/g/n
Remote control Yes (wired, wireless, or smartphone)
Physical
Environmentally sealed Yes
Battery Battery Pack
Battery description D-LI90 lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery Life (CIPA) 760
Weight (inc. batteries) 1010 g (2.23 lb / 35.63 oz)
Dimensions 137 x 110 x 86 mm (5.39 x 4.33 x 3.39″)
Other features
Orientation sensor Yes
Timelapse recording Yes (Still or video)
GPS BuiltIn

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The long, difficult road to Pentax full-frame

19 Feb

Pentax’s road to full-frame has been long, winding and not without a few wrong turns. But it could all have been so different. 

Way back in 2000, when the 21st Century was just beginning to find its feet and photography journalists were starting to get used to putting a ‘D’ into ‘SLR’, Pentax announced that it was making a full-frame (D)SLR. Had it shipped, that camera – which was developed out of the company’s then-flagship film model the MZ-S – would have predated anything from Canon, Nikon, Kodak or (unthinkable at the time) Sony. And Contax, too, but the less said about that, the better. 

Ambitious, powerful, innovative and ultimately doomed, the original Pentax full-frame DSLR was in some ways the Spruce Goose of cameras, but tragically it never even achieved the short, thrilling first and final flight of Howard Hughes’ most famous creation. 

The progenitor. The original, unnamed Pentax full-frame DSLR, which was to be based around a 6MP Phillips CCD sensor, and was originally intended to ship in spring 2001. Officially, the camera (which has become known as the MZ-D) was canceled due to concerns over cost, but it’s likely that the poor performance of the sensor (which made it into the very poorly received Contax N1) played a part.

Instead, like Hughes himself the camera withdrew from public view amid a swirl of rumors. Whispers around the glass case at PMA in 2001 hinted at problems with the troubled 6MP Phillips CCD sensor (later confirmed in the woeful Contax N1). The camera would be too costly to produce, became the official line. The brash confidence behind its announcement at Photokina the previous autumn faded into memory. Meanwhile, Pentax’s projected ship date of spring 2001 came and went, and other full-frame cameras stole the headlines. A nurse was called for, the screens were drawn, and they remained drawn for almost 15 years. 

And we never even knew its name.

Over time, people forgot about the Pentax full-frame DSLR. Pentax representatives (and later, representatives from Hoya and Ricoh) didn’t seem to like talking about it, when they admitted to remembering it at all. A whole generation of tech journalists emerged whose only experience of full-frame photography with a Pentax camera was that one roll of film they tried to put through that old K1000 they found in a junk shop that time. 

And Pentax moved on. 

In 2003, Pentax created the *ist D, its first APS-C DSLR and in 2005, the company announced that it was leapfrogging full-frame altogether in favor of developing a medium-format DSLR. A couple of years later and with no shipping MF camera in sight, the company was acquired by Hoya. Shortly after the takeover we heard that actually, medium format digital was no longer a priority, but two years after that, in 2010, the 645D – with updated specs in the five years since its development was first announced – was officially unveiled.

In 2011, a full ten years after the original Pentax full-frame DSLR should have shipped, the company was bought again, this time by Ricoh. 

The original 645 model, the 645D, saw Pentax branching out into the medium format digital market. The 645Z, which succeeded the original 645D, has proven very popular. 

And all the while, through the course of two buyouts, Pentax was doing what it did best – creating a string of capable, solid, workman-like DSLRs and compact cameras that attracted a small and loyal customer base but which didn’t do much to bother the fortunes of the bigger players in the camera market. The company’s one and (so far) only large-sensor mirrorless camera, the K-01, was not a success, but the medium format 645D did well and was followed by the excellent 645Z. It seemed for a while that with some solid differentiators in the APS-C and medium format spaces, Pentax didn’t really need to create a full-frame camera.

But now, almost 16 years after that fated Photokina announcement, that’s exactly what Pentax (or rather Ricoh) has done. 

‘So why now, and who is the K-1 for?’

So why now? Ricoh claims that the timing is very deliberate. The company seems to recognize that after the late-2000s its chances of making a meaningful dent in the full-frame market were very slim. After leaving the full-frame space to its competitors for more than a decade, it made more sense for Ricoh to attack the much less competitive medium format digital market, and position the Pentax brand as a serious but affordable player in a marketplace that for years has been dominated by stupendously expensive systems from Hasselblad, Phase One and others. 

Meanwhile, although Ricoh / Pentax never managed to wrest a particularly big share of the APS-C market from its competitors, cameras like the K-3 II quietly introduced a host of impressively innovative features. These days we take image stabilization for granted, but Pentax deserves credit for iterating on the basic principle of in-body stabilization over several generations of DSLRs, ultimately leading to the various imaginative and effective sensor-shift features that grace the K-3/II and, now, the new K-1. 

The K-1 becomes the first conventional DSLR to offer a stabilized full-frame sensor. But as well as image stabilization, the K-1’s sensor can also be shifted by minute degrees for higher color resolution capture, AA filter simulation, and star tracking. 

So after all this time, who is the K-1 for? In conversations with DPReview, Ricoh representatives have never tried to deny the fact that after 15 years of inactivity in the full-frame space, a lot of their customers (especially semi-professional and professional photographers) have defected to Canon, Nikon and Sony. But some of these professionals have rediscovered Pentax – and others have discovered it for the first time – thanks to the 645D and 645Z. 

When I spoke to Kazunobu Saiki, general manager of Ricoh’s Marketing and Communication department last year in Japan, he told me that the company’s forthcoming full-frame DSLR was aimed at ‘our existing customers’. I.e. those new 645D/Z fans and a whole generation of DSLR photographers (especially in Asia) who love Pentax cameras for their features, pricing, and custom color options. Plus of course the ultra loyalists around the world who have stuck with the Pentax brand over the years and refused to switch systems in the hope that one day, a camera like the K-1 would eventually be produced. I know they’re out there. They send me emails. 

‘The K-1 is primarily a camera for Pentax fans, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.’

At this point in time, Mr Saiki’s strategy makes perfect sense. The K-1 is primarily a camera for Pentax fans, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. It seems highly unlikely that anyone who’s been happily using a full-frame camera from another manufacturer for the past few years will suddenly throw it all away and buy a K-1. The K-1 looks like a pretty good camera, and $ 1800 is a pretty good price, but it’s still a considerable chunk of change, and that’s not including lenses. 

And lenses, it seems to me, is where Ricoh has a real battle on its hands, not only in terms of attracting potential system switchers but (probably more importantly) also catering to its existing user base.

It has been 13 years since the last full-frame Pentax camera, and understandably, neither Pentax nor third-parties have had much incentive to release full-frame K-mount lenses in the intervening time.

The existing audience of digital Pentax users may very well have a collection of autofocus lenses for their DSLRs, but most are designed for the APS-C format (and many contain the notoriously troublesome SDM focus motor). They’ve got modern coatings, they’ll fit on the K-1, and some will offer almost a full-frame imaging circle. But like training wheels on a bicycle, I suspect that most self-respecting photographers will be keen to stop using them as soon as possible in favor of a more authentic, grownup experience. Why rumble along at 15MP when you could be enjoying 36?

I suspect that a lot of former Pentax users still have one of these in a closet somewhere – the 50mm F2 was bundled with mid-range Pentax SLRs in the 70s and 80s, and still gives ok-ish, more-or-less-acceptable performance on digital cameras. As long as you don’t look too closely, especially at the edges.

Before you leave an angry comment, I know there are plenty of better manual focus lenses in Pentax’s historical lineup (we just happened to have this one lying around the office), and the K-1 will work with pretty much all of them. 

But what about the legacy manual focus lenses? Ah yes. With decades of compatible K-mount lenses, Pentax users are very well-served. In theory. I have a collection of 70s and 80s-vintage Pentax primes, and I can’t wait to try them out on the K-1. Unfortunately, while putting old glass on high-resolution cameras is a lot of fun, it does tend to show up the defects in that glass pretty glaringly. There are some excellent lenses in Pentax’s historical lineup, but there is a very real risk that a zoom or even a prime that always delivered lovely 6×4 inch prints on film might not quite live up to customer expectations when paired with a 36MP sensor. 

And unfortunately for the proud new K-1 owner, Pentax K-mount lenses are their only option. Like Nikon F, the Pentax K mount is old, and cursed with a particularly long flange-back distance. What this boils down to its that lenses from other mounts cannot be adapted to work on the K-1 (not without the addition of extra corrective elements, at any rate). So unlike the Sony a7R II, for instance, which will accept pretty much any lens you can think of, made by anyone, ever, with the correct adapter, that’s just not possible with the K-1. 

‘Once you’ve bought a couple of lenses to go with your new K-1, that fairly reasonably $ 1800 has turned into a much, much bigger investment.’

Which for a quality-focused enthusiast K-1 owner arguably leaves only one genuinely safe option. Buy a set of new Pentax full-frame zoom lenses. The new 15-30mm and 24-70mm seem to perform well (they should do, since they’re most likely based on proven Tamron lenses with the stabilization mechanics removed and some proprietary coatings) and we enjoyed using the 70-200mm when we shot with the K-1 recently. But once you’ve bought a couple of lenses to go with your new K-1, that fairly reasonably $ 1800 has turned into a much, much bigger investment.

All that being said, I want the K-1 to succeed, and I think it deserves to. It’s truly innovative, bold, and represents a brave move by Ricoh (and one that I suspect was motivated by a certain amount of justifiable pride on the part of the engineers). To an extent, my investment in the K-1 is emotional. My first proper camera was a Pentax MX, and along the way I’ve owned various other Pentax cameras (including for a few brief, glorious weeks, an LX) all of which I have enjoyed. I was genuinely excited when Ricoh told us, some time ago now, that a full-frame Pentax DSLR was once more being prepared for launch. Hopefully this time it will get a little higher off the ground – and hey – at least this time it has a name. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Worth the wait? A look inside the Pentax K-1

18 Feb

Announcing the K-1

Here it is – the long awaited full-frame Pentax. The K-1 is a solidly constructed camera that feels good in the hand, and should appeal to many photographers looking to step up from APS-C Pentax DSLRs, as well as those looking to use older K-mount glass on a full-frame format.

The body of the K-1 is constructed of a lightweight magnesium alloy, and has 87 seals around the body. Ricoh claims that the K-1 is dustproof, weather-resistant and cold-resistant.

Big viewfinder

Although most people are likely to buy a full-frame camera because they tend to offer better image quality than smaller sensor models, full frame DSLRs gain an operational benefit as a side effect. The larger mirror needed to cover the larger sensor means that more light is reflected up into the viewfinder, meaning it’s easier for a full-frame DSLR to have a large, bright viewfinder, compared to a smaller-sensor version.

The K-1’s viewfinder offers a ‘near 100%’ field of view at a pretty substantial 0.7x magnification. This isn’t the very largest available but it’s still very large and very bright, and will be a significant step up for any users of APS-C cameras. By way of comparison, the Pentax K-3 II’s 0.95x viewfinder is equivalent to 0.63x once you take crop factor into account.

Tilting cradle LCD

The K-1 features an unusual rear LCD arrangement. The panel itself is attached to a tilting cradle that itself is mounted on four legs that slide along a cross-shaped series of slots. As the legs slide out towards the outer points of this cross, the screen moves outwards from the back of the camera. Because the legs all move independently, the cradle can tilt slightly up/down and left/right, even before the LCD is tilted up or down.

The ribbon cable extending from the back of the camera to the LCD is enclosed in a rubber sleeve, so that the weather sealing extends to the rear screen.

LED lights

On the back of the LCD cradle are four small LED lamps that can be used to shed light on the camera’s rear controls. Ricoh says that compared to backlit buttons, this is a better way of providing illumination while maintaining the weather sealing of the buttons on the back of the camera. You do, of course, have to position the LCD in such a way that it the light from those LEDs reaches the controls.

Another LED sits below the viewfinder hump and lights up the lens mount to make it easier to swap lenses in the dark. Finally, there’s an LED fixed in the camera’s card bay that lights up both the card slots and the socket for remote control connection. The brightness of each of these lamps can be configured independently, so that only the area of illumination you want to operate have any effect when you press the lamp button on the top of the camera.

Multi Function Dial

One of the main areas on which the K-1’s controls differ from the well-liked K-3 series bodies is the addition of the Multi Function Dial. This adds a third command dial to the camera’s rear corner but one whose function can be changed simply by rotating a labelled dial just next to the viewfinder hump.

This means that an already customizable two-dial camera becomes a three dial camera whose behavior can be altered without digging into the camera’s menus. We suspect most people will leave the third dial set to ISO or Exposure Comp, most of the time, but it’s an interesting way of extending the degree of direct control and we’ll be interested to see how it ends up being used.

Autofocus module

The autofocus sensor, which Ricoh is calling SAFOX 12, has been updated. Thirty-three AF sensors, twenty-five of which are cross-type (and centrally located), cover a relatively small portion of the frame. The center point along with those directly above and below can focus down to -3EV, and are also ‘high precision’ (longer baseline), which means that when a F2.8 or faster lens is attached, focusing using these points leads to higher accuracy. This is particularly important when shoot faster primes with this camera: as we’ve seen on other brands’ DSLRs, 36 megapixels have a way of highlighting any slight focus imprecision. We’d expect users to have to do some focus fine-tuning to get the best from the K-1, and Ricoh offers a rudimentary AF microadjustment feature to do just that.

With the current ecosystem of Pentax lenses, we expect autofocus speeds to vary considerably based on lens (with older screw-driven lenses in particular likely to exhibit slower performance), but the good news is that the newest Pentax zoom lenses we’ve tried do appear to have significantly quicker AF motors.

Metering and continuous AF

Ricoh is also claiming a ‘Real-Time Scene Analysis System’ that utilizes the new PRIME IV engine and an 86,000-pixel RGB metering sensor for scene analysis using color, facial information, and movement to aid the camera’s metering and AF systems. Not only does this promise to increase accuracy of metering, it also allows the camera to automatically select the correct AF point to stay on your subject (subject tracking) when using continuous AF.

This isn’t new to Pentax – nor any recent Nikon or Canon DSLR with 3D tracking and iTR, respectively – but we’ve found performance to be lacking in previous bodies like the K-3. A brief play with a pre-production K-1 and the relatively fast-to-focus 15-30mm F2.8 in a non-test environment indicated that the system, while fairly accurate, was slow at tracking subjects across the frame. The AF points do move to stay on a moving subject, but do so sluggishly, which means it’ll be of limited utility with faster moving subjects. The limited AF coverage also means it’s unlikely fast-paced shooters will experience much success shooting this way, possibly falling back to relying on single point AF.

Pixel-shift to sample all colors

The K-1 includes an updated version of the Pixel-Shift Resolution mode introduced on the K-3 II. Like that camera, the K-1 takes four shots, shifting its sensor by one pixel between each shot. This means it captures red, green and blue information at every capture location, resulting in an image with full color information for every output pixel.

The latest implementation tries to cancel-out the effects of subject movement as its shooting the four images. Ricoh tells us not to expect it to cope with major changes, such as a car driving across the frame but that it should cope with leaves moving in the breeze.

As well as the more accurate color capture, the benefit of capturing four frames is that the noise performance is improved (because noise can be averaged-out between the frames). It should also mean higher dynamic range, which theoretically could improve up to 2 EV from sampling four images, possibly putting it in competition with the 645Z’s industry-leading Raw dynamic range.

AA-filter simulation

The K-1 also offers the anti-aliasing filter simulator feature that first appeared on the K-3. This vibrates the sensor during exposure just enough to blur the light across more than one pixel. This removes the risk of high frequency patterns clashing with the camera’s color filter, which otherwise results in false color and spurious patterns (aliases) appearing in images.

The camera offers two intensities of filter simulation and, because the sensor itself doesn’t have a physical AA filter, it can also offer an ‘Off’ mode. As on the K-3 II there’s also a filter bracketing option that lets you shoot consecutive images with different degrees of AA filter effect applied, so that you can use a filtered version of the shot if the unfiltered version exhibits moiré.

Astrotracer

The K-1 includes built-in GPS and an electromagnetic compass, giving it the kind of location awareness that you’d usually only expect from a smartphone. The camera uses this, in conjunction with its image stabilization system, to offer the Astrotracer feature that Pentax developed back in 2011. This uses the GPS to work out where the camera is and hence how much the Earth’s rotation will affect the apparent position of the stars overhead.

The camera can then shift and rotate its sensor during a long exposure to track the relative movement of the stars so that they appear as points, rather than trails, in the resulting image. Since this inevitably blurs static objects in the scene, it is most useful for creating low noise starscapes. Night time landscape photographers will also find this tool useful if they combine images with the Astrotracer on and off, using appropriate masking techniques. (Image courtesy of Pentax)

Lens-lineup: FA lenses

At the time of launch, Ricoh offers approximately 12 FA and DFA full-frame lenses. This list includes five FA primes, including the 31, 43 and 77mm ‘Limited’ series. On top of these there are five D FA zooms: a 15-30mm F2.8, 24-70mm F2.8 and 70-200mm F2.8, along with the newly-announced 28-150mm F3.5-5.6 and the 150-450mm F4.5-5.6. Finally, there are two D FA macro lenses: a 50mm and a 100mm.

In addition to these, the camera includes lens correction data for 14 out-of-production lenses – making clear how important backwards compatibility is to this camera.

Using crop lenses on K-1

The K-1 can, of course, still use the Pentax DA lenses designed for the company’s APS-C cameras. By default the camera will use a 15MP APS-C-sized crop of the sensor if a DA lens is mounted but can be made to use its full sensor region, if you’d prefer. Ricoh has published a list of those lenses (all of which are primes) that will produce relatively useable results in full frame mode, if the aperture is stopped down.

DA Prime Lens / Utility on K-1
DA 14mm Crop Mode Only DA 50mm F1.8 Stopped-down
DA 21mm Limited Crop Mode Only DA* 55mm F1.4 Stopped-down
DA 15 F4 Limited Crop Mode Only DA 70mm Limited Stopped-down
DA 35mm F2.4 Stopped-down DA* 200mm F2.8 SDM Fully Functional
DA 35mm F2.8 Macro Stopped-down DA* 300mm F4 SDM Fully Functional
DA 40mm Limited Stopped-down DA 560mm F5.6 Fully Functional
DA 40mm XS Stopped-down RC1.4X Crop Mode Only

Summary

It should be apparent to anyone that the K-1 is a very impressive-looking camera. While we doubt it’s going to be cutting-edge in every respect when it comes to performance, it offers a very solid looking set of specifications with some very clever and genuinely useful flourishes in a very solid looking body.

That in itself is likely to be enough to satisfy the patient Pentax lens owners who’ve been wanting a camera like this for so long. For those people not already committed to the system, there’s the appeal of the price. $ 1799 is an aggressive price for a camera of this caliber and should help extend its appeal beyond the system’s existing users.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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First shots: Pentax K-1 pre-production sample gallery

18 Feb

After being introduced to the long-awaited Pentax K-1, staff contributors Jordan Stead and Sam Spencer took a quick stroll with the K-1 and a handful of lenses: the recently announced 15-30mm, the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm. As an added bonus, and to our delight, we found the 70mm F2.4’s image circle covers full-frame, so we snapped some samples with it as well. Take a look to see what this pre-production 36MP contender is capable of.

Take a look at our Pentax K-1 pre-production real-world sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Special K? Pentax K-1 First Impressions Review

18 Feb

After years of promises and months of teasing, Ricoh has finally unveiled the Pentax K-1, a 36.4MP full-frame DSLR built around the K lens mount. It becomes the only conventional DSLR to offer a full frame sensor with image stabilization.

The camera is extensively sealed and features magnesium alloy construction. But despite its range-topping status and high-end build, it has a relatively low list price of $ 1799.

Pentax K-1 Key Specifications

  • 36.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor with no anti-aliasing filter
  • 5-axis image stabilization rated to 5 stops by CIPA standard testing
  • 100% pentaprism viewfinder with 0.7x magnification
  • 33-point AF system (25 cross-type)
  • Extensive weather-sealing
  • 1/200 sec flash sync speed
  • 14-bit Raw recording (DNG or PEF)
  • AA filter simulation
  • Multi-shot Pixel Shift Resolution mode
  • Built-in GPS with electro-magnetic compass and Astrotracer function
  • 4.4 fps continuous shooting (6.5 fps in APS-C crop mode)
  • Wi-Fi
  • 1080/30p video

Sensor-shift cleverness

As this list of spec highlights should make clear, the K-1 makes the most of its moveable sensor. As well as the image stabilization, which is rated to an impressive 5 stops, the camera offers a host of other clever features. These include anti-aliasing filter simulation which vibrates the sensor during exposure to intentionally blur high frequency detail across multiple pixels, to avoid moiré. Then there’s the Pixel Shift Resolution mode that increases color resolution by shooting four consecutive images with the sensor moved by one pixel – effectively canceling the Bayer color filter array and lowering noise by image averaging.

The other sensor-shift modes are also clever: the K-1 includes Horizon Correction, which rotates the sensor if you hold the camera slightly off-level, and the Astrotracer system that uses the sensor’s movement to cancel-out the effect of the Earth’s rotation when taking images of stars (something it can calculate using its GPS).

Upgraded AF and metering

The sensor at the heart of the SAFOX 12 AF module. It gives 33 AF points in all, 25 of which are cross type and three of which offer greater accuracy when paired with bright lenses.

The camera gets a new AF module (called SAFOX 12) which features 33 focus points, 25 of which are cross type. The central three of these offer higher precision when used with F2.8 or faster lenses and they continue to focus down as far as -3EV.

An 86,000-pixel RGB metering sensor acts to offer 77-segment metering but also aids the camera’s autofocus system, enabling scene analysis and subject detection to yield accurate exposures and automatically select the correct AF point to stay on your subject (subject tracking) when using continuous AF.

Core competence

Overall, though, it’s not the clever use of the sensor that most stands out about the K-1, it’s Ricoh’s obvious focus on the core photographic capabilities. There’s a reason we chose to list the viewfinder size so far up the list of specifications – it’s because we think it’s something users coming from existing Pentax cameras will most appreciate. Sure, there are multiple exposure modes and time lapse options, but the things that most jumped out are the high resolution sensor, the well positioned dials, the large viewfinder and image stabilization – the core things that help you to get better images. Speaking of core things: some may bemoan the omission of a dedicated AF point control, though the four way controller can be re-purposed for this.

Which isn’t to say the K-1 is entirely without the occasional flourish. Aside from clever sensor shift modes (that some – particularly landscape – photographers will surely come to love), the most obvious of these is its ‘Cross-Tilt’ LCD. The Cross-Tilt mechanism takes a tilting LCD cradle and mounts it on four legs that slide along a cross-shaped series of slots, allowing the screen to extend outwards and move in a complex manner, before the screen itself is tilted up/down.

The K-1’s Cross-Tilt LCD system has all the elegance of two deck chairs mating, but it provides a useful range of articulation.

Mounted to the back of the LCD are four white LEDs that can be used to shed light on the rear controls. Another LED, whose behavior can be set independently, shines a light on the lens mount for easier alignment when swapping lenses in the dark. The camera’s card bay and remote release port are also illuminated by LEDs.

For the most part, though, the camera’s focus is very much toward a traditional approach to still photography. Video capture tops-out at 1080/30p (which can also be encoded as 60i, if you prefer), which is a long way from cutting edge, but we very much doubt that Ricoh has would-be film makers in mind with this model.

Still shooters are likely to appreciate the camera’s Smart Function system, which adds a third command dial to the top right corner of the camera and a further control to define its function. The three dials give direct control over three of the camera’s parameters with the ability to customize one of them without going anywhere near a menu.

Pricing

And how much does Ricoh want for this twin-dial, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy, image-stabilized full frame camera? The list price is a fiercely competitive $ 1799, body only. To put that in perspective, that’s $ 200 lower than the launch price of Nikon’s more basic D610 and $ 300 less than what Canon originally expected for the EOS 6D, meaning there’s only a $ 100 premium over the list price of Sony’s image-stabilized a7 II.

This is a very similar pattern we’ve seen from Ricoh before, with the company’s models often including higher-end features (twin control dials, prism viewfinders and weather sealing) at a lower price than you’d need to spend to get them from one of the other DSLR makers.

Lens lineup

At present, Pentax offers a mixture of full-frame compatible lenses, including a handful of screw-drive FA prime lenses from the film-era and the much-loved 31, 43 and 77mm FA Limiteds from the late ’90s/early 2000s. However, the company is already starting to flesh-out a range of more modern ‘D FA’ zooms, including a 15-30mm F2.8, a 24-70mm F2.8 (both suspiciously reminiscent of certain current Tamron-branded zooms) a 70-200mm F2.8 and an 150-400mm F4.5-5.6. For now, though, those looking for modern, fast-focusing primes will be disappointed.

But that isn’t the whole story, of course. Part of the reason for all the interest in a full-frame Pentax is the vast collection of K-mount lenses that exist around the world. The K-1 lets you use the aperture rings on these lenses and can give a focus confirmation beep with the central AF point, even with manual focus lenses. When you mount an older, manual lens the K-1 prompts you to manually specify the focal length so that the image stabilization can be tuned appropriately.

 Review History
17 Feb 2016 First Impression Review based on Pre-Production camera running Firmware 0.3

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X, Y, and Z and ideally A, B, and C.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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