blackest Loc: Ireland

I have just watched the most surprising video with the Nikon D850 taking identical shots to a Pentax K1.

Nikon users will be pleased to see the much higher Pixel count does give more detail than the K1 however there is a cost to that as the iso rises the noise levels in the D850 are way worse than in the Pentax K1, this I did not expect. But with the raw files unadjusted and side by side in lightroom ...

The video is called

Pentax K1 vs Nikon D850 Image Sensor Quality Test

It was released on youtube on the 4th of December.

Nikon has way more focus points than the K1 and in good light there is much more detail, but is it the best?

blackest Loc: Ireland

tjw47 Loc: Michigan

Thats why I bought a K-1 last July.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I hope he watches his video and sees how it could be improved. "You guys" seems to be a required phrase on YouTube. It should be a prohibited phrase. As for his hand movement, well, "distracting" is too mild a description. He should also be more organized and talk slower. His testing procedure seemed good, though, although I did FF through most of it.

Fortunately, I have the best camera in the world, the D750, so neither of the cameras in the video tempt me.

As for the number of focus points, that's a moot point for me. I use a single center point.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Interesting video. I did a fast forward too. I remember when the Pentax K-1 was released in the Spring of 2016. It was compared then to the Nikon D810, advertised as Pentax's first full frame digital camera, for less money. About $1900. The D810 and the K-1 cameras, both have 36 megapixels. The K-1 has also been endorsed by the MT Shooter on this forum, and stated he has sold several of them. Despite this video, the D850 sales will do just fine. Most D850 buyers already have their FX lenses. Unfortunately, I can't afford a D850. The K-1 is in the same ballpark in price, as the crop sensor Nikon D500. A camera more to my liking.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

For a more objective analysis see https://www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Compare/Side-by-side/Nikon-D850-versus-Pentax-K-1-versus-Nikon-D750___1177_1075_975

DxO comparison of D850 vs K-1 vs D750 for reference - of course you can select your own.

But look at the SNR 18% - all three very close but the K-1 does have a slight edge - not huge. Of these 3 the D850 scores the highest overall.

I did see another review which did say the D850 is really not the first choice for low light photography, so it's better suited for daylight, twilight or with supplemental, studio lighting - D750, D5 or K-1 are probably better choices if you shoot when Dracula comes out. There are several factors to consider when making a choice not just low light ISO shooting. You will still get noise at high ISO (3200++) even with FF, just a little less pronounced.

The K-1 does give more bang for the buck, but considering its specs so does the D850 - all depends on your budget and application. The shipment delays with the D850 has made me look around also at Sony's FF offerings....hmmmm.

blackest Loc: Ireland

$3296 for the nikon D850 (out of stock) v $1896 Pentax K1 in stock - on Amazon.com it is a $1400 price difference too. I wouldn't expect anybody with FF Lenses to switch brands to Pentax but if you don't have a large investment in Nikon or Canon the K1 is well worth considering.

For me already having a lot of lenses that will work with the K1, I need $2000

Besperus Loc: Oregon

I am more impressed by the K1 due to the fact you can mount almost any Pentax lens. Secondly, in spite of the Ricoh situation or because of it. They are now able to complete with the big boys. I don’t need to do all the things Canon, Nikon or Sony suggest their top of the line (expensive) Hardware’s capable of.
Too much is dependent upon computer manipulation and programming. I am old school. Ok, I like film. Manipulating images to me is like fraud. Sorry Ansel. But I draw the line somewhere at creativity and art.
The capability to focus after making an image...should have got it right the first time. Or putting the moon on a horizon in the north sky? You have to be kidding.

Besperus Loc: Oregon

Sorry. Didn’t mean to get on a soap box. Suffice to say. I like the Pentax K1. It may not be the newest piece of technology on the block or be programmed with AI. I shoot in manual on an old Canon T1 and a Mamiya 645. A couple lenses, nothing like many of these folks.
I do have a pile of cheap point and shoot digital cameras. Cheap is good, that way I can switch cameras depending upon each capability. Sure, one nice mirror less camera would be better with good lenses.
Wanna buy me a Leica?