It's About Time! My Pentax K-1 Review After Three Years of Use - Affordable Full Frame Camera

What is the camera that just clicks with you?

I haven't had a full-frame camera since I sold my Canon 5D after downsizing to m43 and eventually ending up with my current Panasonic FZ1000 as my only camera for the last 9 years, but there is something about the Pentax K-1 I find very appealing that makes me consider looking out for good second-hand deals on it. I think the FZ1000 is a great camera that actually covers most of my photographic needs really well, but sometimes I miss having a proper DSLR with amazing balance in the hands, a supersharp prime and that lovely full-frame look. Also the great pixel-shift mode in the K-1 just brings it to a whole other level for still life photography

I Have Nikon D50

I'm still using my Nikon D810, which i got september of 2014... close to 9 years...

Fab! Lovely images.
I can't justify the expense but would love to have a K-1. I have Pentax film cameras and k-mount lenses so that explains my interest.
Meanwhile I use what are essentially point and shoot cameras, bought at thrift stores for less than $10 each.

Hi James,
Thanks for this very pleasant video to watch. As others have said, your presentation and style and voice are so easy on the eye and ear.
I have recently bought the Pentax KP (used) and i love it but now looking at the K1 to enjoy FF and have to use my M42 and PK vintage lenses.
I'm a hobbyist stills photographer.
So I need your thoughts here please.
There's now the K1 mark 2 out there on offer (used)
Would i be better off paying the extras for the mark 2
Or rather spend the saving on a good lens?
Your thoughts and anyone's would be much appreciated
Thank you

Hi! Is it possible to adapt canon/nikon glass with autofocus? Thank you!

WOW this is not an affordable camera 2 years later🥲 $1209-$2000😮

The K3 III should have this screen on it!

OK, I am not interested in video, AT ALL! Nicht, nein, neinte, nada! What I do like is wall sized mural still photos. Anyone suggest a camera. And do NOT say "Yeah, but you will want to do some video, too." because I WON'T!

Is Pentax k-1 recommended for these days?
Or any other replacement for this?

I use a Pentax MX and a MZ-S and enjoy both. I hate the cost of film! Have a Mamiya 645 too. Digital? I use an Olympus Pen f….

Camera bodies are expensive, the is true. But the lenses are where you get to have a discussion with your wife explaining your credit card bill.

I've been rocking the K-1 with the DA40mm XS for a little while now, for a very very "compact" full frame set up. It works really well! Otherwise the FA 77mm Limited is my favourite to couple with the K-1.

Whoop.. my K1 Mark ii will be here TOMORROW! Love your channel, and can't wait to see what else you come up with.

Thanks for your videos, very artistic..
I'm poor, but I'd love to try Pentax cameras, should I get a K10D (cheaper) or go directly for the K1 (expensive).. how big is the difference of picture quality ? or maybe in between with the K70 ? :)

Your Pentax videos really have me considering getting into this line someday. Ive had a Nikon D7100 for a few years now as my first "real" camera and I really enjoy it, but these Pentax cameras seem so interesting!

Cheers, Love my K1.

Great review. i am still stuck with my k3 classic and only invested my money in prime lenses... this year i want to save up for a better body, don't know if i should wait for something new from pentax? or just go with the k3 mark iii..
i never used a full frame dslr

Thanks!

The images you've shared in this video are quite good. I've never owned or even used the K-1....but it intrigues me every time it gets mentioned. My go-to camera for vintage full frame is the Canon 5D classic. I can't find anything else that produces those colors. I think the Canon 6D is the runner up. Anyway, the K-1 reminds me of the medium format tanks that Pentax is still famous for--the 67 comes to mind. They look the same to me. They look hefty enough to use in self defense. Good video.

I love the K1-II. I have the silver edition and I just love the retro vibe I get from it. I also have my custom dial always set to ISO, so I everything I need to take a photo is within reach and within a close proximity to my thumb or index fingers. I love the simplicity, yet the the complexity it offers. A perfect balance for purists and tech enthusiasts.

How's the screen for manual focus ? Tried using my Pentax glass on some other DSLRs but the modern viewfinders are hard to focus with

I've been using pentaxes since the early 90s, the first was the SFXn. Then I bought the MZ5n a small and light camera perfect to take with me everywhere but, unfortunately, very fragile. I switched to digital with the K10D, and later the K5II.

Definitely an amazing camera. I recently decided I needed faster burst, better buffer, and good AF, so I bought into Sony. I planned to sell the K-1. Now, I'm not sure that I can. Just too good, not sure I can part with it.

I am still playing with my K3 Gen 1, it's been 8yrs. since I had it and still ticking today, all the buttons and dials became unresponsive and stiff, especially the on/off dial became stiff to move. I wished the K1 had the KP style dial that more easy to turn even when it got stiff in time then I will have no complaint !

The K-1 has excellent ergonomics that add up to an intangible quality that makes it much more fun to use than one would expect. It is a reliable partner that injected a lot of joy into photography for me. There was nothing wrong with the K-5 II I've been using before, it is a great camera in its own right, but in some way the K-1 ups the fun level.

Pentax K-70

Underrated and massively good value for the $

I am a 💩 photographer though 🤗

Just bought one used. Was interested in the Panasonic S5 but the price range and my massive Pentax lens collection won out.

It's nice to see someone who loves Pentax. I don't think the company gets enough love even though, from what I have seen and read, their cameras are awesome. When I was shopping for my first dslr back in 2008, I was upgrading from a Fuji point and shoot. I was driving myself crazy with all the research I was doing because I really wasn't narrowing down my choice. Out of Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus, I though both Pentax and Olympus had camera features that distinguished themselves from the popular Canons and Nikons. I think for Pentax it was great ergonomics and weather sealing and for Olympus it was the smaller size and lighter weight of the 4/3 format. I decided I wanted to buy from a locally owned camera shop and thought that they final test was going to be how the cameras felt when I held them. I went into the camera shop on a Saturday morning and was very disappointed immediately. First, the shop was packed with people and there wasn't enough staff on hand. Second, this camera shop did not sell Pentax cameras. The final disappointment was the clear bias towards Nikon and Canon. They said everything they could to discourage me from considering Olympus. In the end, I bought a Canon and 12 years later I bought another Canon mostly because I had invested in several Canon lenses. However, I always wonder if I should have bought a Pentax. I occasionally run across a Pentax shooter and their passion for their camera really makes me wonder. While I am thoroughly happy with my Canon system, I am far from passionate about it.

Just 2 weeks ago I bought a FF Nikon D800 and very happy with it. Mirrorless is nice, but SLR has special experience.

You do amazing work. Loved all the shots and the feeling they capture. Excellent work!

What about the focusing screen in the camera are there any split image that help you focusing with manual lenses?

Is there a new k1 coming out?

I don’t shoot Pentax, but I do enjoy shooting my “ancient” Nikon D610. Sure, it’s pretty much the most basic full frame DSLR out there, but boy, does it feel just right in my hands.

I shoot with other brands as well — mostly mirrorless these days — but there’s just something about that old, heavy DSLR that keeps me from selling it. The grip, the heft, the image quality, and my favorite part — the clack of the mirror and shutter. None of the mirrorless bodies come anywhere close to providing that visceral photography experience.

Anyway, now you’ve got me hankering to try a K1. Thanks, lol :)

The k 01 have the ability to add a viewfinder of any sorts

What the sound like on the pre amps . heard there was some hissing. I know your not a video guy.

For digital, probably the Canon 5D Classic, just a straight forward, get out of your way shooting experience. The Fujifilm X100V is the other one, straight forward aperture, shutter speed, ISO. I would love to get a K1, kind of a dream camera. Maybe I'll sell off a bunch of gear and dive in at some point.

are the pentax DA* lenses that i use with my k5 compatible with this camera?

same, I am still loving my "clicks" which is Pentax K1 as well

I had been dreaming for years that Pentax would release a full frame DSLR as I had Pentax SLRs from the 80s and 90s so I got the K-1 as soon as it was released. I truly believe it was go down in history as one of the classic DSLRs like the Canon 5D. I have Fuji & Olympus mirrorless cameras as well. They are small and fun and discrete for street but they don’t have the great ergonomics, features or stunning IQ that the K-1 has. It’s also wonderful to use vintage Pentax and Takumar primes. My latest is a mint K 135mm f/2.5.

When I took a two month holiday trekking around villages, cities and countryside in the snow and damp of a deep European winter the K-1 was a rugged, weather sealed flawless companion that I could rely upon everyday. And the built in GPS adds another dimension to organising and searching your images. I hope it lasts at least as long as my original Pentax *istD (purchased in January 2004 and still going strong) as I have no intention of ever parting with the K-1. While I use other cameras for different purposes, none of them are as complete as the K-1 is.

Wow, until this video I'd forgotten the name of the first Pentax dslr I owned (the ist DL). I have a K70 now, so I've yet to step up to full frame. Perhaps soon, my abilities and desire are coming back to me after a long layoff. Thanks for the video 🙂

I have around ten lenses for Pentax that were designed for full frame (Tamron 90/2.8, Pentax 35/2, etc.), but the majority of them were designed a long time ago. From everything I could gather on the Internet, there are really few lens choices that give you really very sharp results from wide open (Sigma 35/1.4, and you need a modification for that, don‘t you?). The DAF 15-30 and 24-70 are designed by Tamron, and used here in Germany you pay still around 900 USD for the Pentax version, whereas you get a Tamron for Nikon mount 15-30 for 500 to 600. As for old manual glass I have (A 28/2.8, K 28/3.5, A 70-210/4, etc.), I would love to try them out on the K-1, but focusing them with confidence would require me to use the camera in live view only. And in that situation I might just as well get a Sony A7 series camera and use them with an adapter. Having said that, should I get a K-1 for 600 USD one day, I might not be able to resist, despite everything I have just said. At the moment, the lowest price here is around 900 USD, though, so it might be another two to three years…

I have a K1. quality is all there, slightly slower to use than My Pentax K-x but Pentax backwards compatibility is green before becoming fashionable. I have SMC Pentax-F 28mm F2.8, SMC Pentax-F 50mm F1.4 and SMC Pentax-F 135mm F2.8 [IF] so of course can take advantage with K1. SMC Pentax-A 20mm F2.8 is again fairly useful with K1.

Pentax K-1.

When you look through the viewfinder directly at a powerful light source (mainly the Sun), you can see that are difficult to see, and even disappear (due to the internal reflections of light in the pentaprism I imagine), the green light diodes of exposure information (speed, aperture, EV, ISO, etc.)

Does anyone know how to solve this problem? Is it possible to adjust the power of the viewfinder's light diodes? Or how?

I have a K-70 and a K-1 Mk 2. I love them for Astrophotography and landscape photography.

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I'm thinking of getting the K1 but I'm a little surprised of the price/value difference between it and the K3....but my biggest hold up has more to do with the availability of lenses.....Pentax doesn't have much to offer on their website and third party manufacturers (sigma) no longer supports K mount. Hm.

I’d have to say my griii has brought back a lot of the joy of shooting. It’s nice to have it in the pocket. Brings me to my next comment, I bought a d810. Great camera. I think I may ditch it for a k-1. The Pentax glass is so juicy. Paired with the k1. 🤤

Thanks for sharing,.