lenticular11 Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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I bought a K-1 in late 2016, for use on an overseas trip that would require a versatile camera able to use telephoto lenses. Until that trip I had been very happy using mostly Leica M9, or at the other extreme, P645D MFD and P67 MF film cameras.
I had sold a Canon 5D Mk III after finding I used it only for two major sports events annually (as an amateur).
Anyway, I was super-impressed by the spec of the K-1 and in particular its combination of in-body stabilisation, GPS and pixel-shift technology. I use the first 2 almost every time and the third one fairly often and I like the performance from each of them.
Knowing the reputation of the FA Limited lenses, I was lucky to pick up good condition version sof the FA31 and FA77.
Where the Pentax falls down, and what also made me leave Pentax when I switched to DSLRs in 2004, was a severe lack of 3rd Party lens availability from Tamron, Sigma etc. That dearth appears even worse than ever now, since it seems that Pentax and Tamron did a deal and badge-engineered many Tamron lenses as Pentax ones.
Two 3rd Party lenses that I have and that are great for me, are the Tamron SP 28-75 f/2.8 XR Di and an early version of the Sigma DG 70-200 f/2.8 EX APO.
Luckily I'm a keen alt-lens guy and so I enjoy using Leica R and Contax-Yashica lenses with Leitax conversions. The excellent focus-confirm visual and shutter-trigger-after-focus aspects of Pentax cameras make using such legacy lenses a breeze.
Compared with the first gen Sony A7R camera that I owned, I find the K-1 RAW files to be much more malleable, particularly in the shadows. Despite shooting to the left of the histogram (say -0.3 or -0.7EV) the weakness of the K-1 remains a tendency to blow highlights.
If interested check out my Flickr albums where the lens details are always included.
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