Another hands on photos

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/pview/20160224_745041.html

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.

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 6x4 inch prints on film might not quite live up to customer expectations when paired with a 36MP sensor.

http://www.dpreview.com/opinion/4721880615/the-long-difficult-road-to-pentax-full-frame

Quite uninformed and disappointing article.

First, it ignores math, as modern APS-C bodies have same or higher resolution that you get in FF center part.

Second, some Pentax glass is soft wide open. Yet, you can find many cheap FF options with good performance.

Third, any M42 lens is easy to mount.

Last, almost every AF lens will focus and work good on this body. May be not so fast and silent and modern ones, but it will work.

Most people also greatly ignore how much of dedicated FF shooters never actually shoot video or sports.

And small LCD on top

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentax-k-1

http://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/9969263190

• 36.4 MP CMOS sensor
• ISO sensitivity up to 204,800
• 5 axis sensor stab
• anti-aliasing filter simulation
• flexible, tilt-type monitor
• 0.7x 100% pentaprism VF
• $2000 body

K-1 is their first full-frame camera, sporting a 36.4 MP CMOS sensor. The new sensor features ISO sensitivity up to 204,800 and integrates a five-axis image stabilization system that the manufacturer has found all kinds of creative uses for. By moving its sensor in 1 pixel increments, the camera is able to simulate an anti-aliasing filter to fight moiré patterns. To boot, the K-1 can use its built in GPS in tandem with the sensor’s stabilization unit to follow the movement of stars in the night sky – a boon for stellar photographers that Pentax calls its Astro Tracer.

The K-1, launching into a market already well-stocked with full-frame DSLRs incorporates a number of novel features that help it stand out. Many photographers have by now become accustomed to the many ways in which the rear LCD screen on their cameras may be rotated and flipped to assist in shooting under unusual circumstances. One-upping the competition, Pentax has included what they call a “flexible, tilt-type” monitor which is anchored to the body of the camera by four struts. This unique system allows the rear screen to twist and angle in new ways, with up to 44° of vertical and 35° of horizontal adjustment.

Looking to carve a niche for itself, the K-1 has focused many of the physical, as well as digital elements of the camera body. A newly-engineered pentaprism with about 0.7x magnification and almost 100% field of view provides a bright, crisp view through the lens. An array of small LEDs throughout the body, above the lens mount, within the SD card slots and behind the rear LCD screen, should make using the camera in low-light situations a breeze. Heavy-duty shooters will also be interested in an optional battery grip for the K-1 which mirrors many of the right-hand controls on the back of the camera body.

Surprisingly, the K-1 with its many new features, hits the street today at a cool $2000 (body only), significantly cheaper than its closest competitor, Nikon’s D810 which sell for $2800. Launching concurrently with the K-1, Pentax has also announced two new lenses for the body, a 15-30mm f/2.8, and a 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6. Both lenses, for which prices are not yet available, are weather-sealed and incorporate aspherical and low-dispersion elements to fight chromatic aberration and distortion. 10 other lenses for the system will also be available, ensuring a wide range of focal length possibilities for potential Pentax shooters.

http://www.popphoto.com/pentax-debuts-their-first-full-frame-dslr-k-1

The rear screen twists out?? what kind of magic is that!

Rear part of the camera (already shown in previous page of this topic)

PENTAX has always been a unique brand of camera. Never one to imitate other makes, PENTAX has stuck to its pursuit of original value to create high-performance cameras used and loved by pros and amateur photographers alike.

Let’s look back on the history of PENTAX, going back to its origins at Asahi Optical Co., Ltd. The company was established in 1919 as Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha. It manufactured eyeglass lenses and cine lenses. In 1952, the company began camera production with its Asahiflex 1, the first single-lens reflex camera made in Japan. In 1954, this model evolved into Asahiflex IIB with a quick-return mirror. The Asahi Pentax AP, which came out in 1957, was the first camera to come equipped with a pentaprism—a five-side optical glass element—as well as a quick-return mirror. This was the first time the name PENTAX appeared. These models were followed by many other cameras—exclusively SRL [sic] —equipped with unique features that were the first of their kind, both in Japan and in the world. In 1964, the Asahi Pentax SP was the first SRL [sic] with TTL (through-the-lens) metering. Asahi Pentax ES, launched in 1971, was the first with TTL full-aperture metering and automatic exposure control.

Not all PENTAX cameras used 35 mm film. In 1967, the maker put out the first medium-format SRL [sic] with built-in TTL exposure metering that used 6 cm x 7 cm film. The camera was aptly named PENTAX 6 x 7. A medium-format camera using 6 cm x 4.5 cm film, the PENTAX 645 (1984). Not only did PENTAX mobilize the medium-size camera world with 35 mm cameras, but it also launched the first medium-format interchangeable AF lens camera, PENTAX 645NII (1997), achieving both high-quality pictures and mobility. The camera has been used and loved by photography lovers of all kinds.

As for digital SRL [sic] cameras, in 2003, PENTAX *istD was unveiled as the smallest and lightest weight camera in the world. PENTAX K100D (2006) was well-received as the first PENTAX digital SRL to have built-in image stabilization. The same year, PENTAX K10D was released. It had the same functions as K100D as well as the first dustproof and weatherproof structure, and achieving a reputation for overall excellence in an SLR camera. It received 3 major international camera awards: TIPA, Camera of the Year, and EISA. In the years that have followed, the maker has continued to release unique cameras, such as the digital SRL [sic] with the well-known medium-format 645 mount, PENTAX 645D.

Coming up in spring 2016!