Pentax cameras: I have always had Pentax cameras starting with my old spotmatic using a k 10 love it , it’s not full frame , Pentax came out with a full frame DSLR can you tell me...

Poppy2

I have always had Pentax cameras starting with my old spotmatic using a k 10 love it , it’s not full frame , Pentax came out with a full frame DSLR can you tell me something about it?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Google "Pentax k1 mark ii"

mrpentaxk5ii

Poppy2 wrote:

I have always had Pentax cameras starting with my old spotmatic using a k 10 love it , it’s not full frame , Pentax came out with a full frame DSLR can you tell me something about it?

It's a beast. Like most full frame it's not small or light weight. 36 MP and 16 MP in crop mode so it's like two cameras in one. Full frame glass is not cheap but the limited lens work well and keep the weight down, good event & landscape camera, for wildlife I use the K5 MKII and K3 MK II. on mk K1 MKII I use the Pentax 24-70 F2.8, an older Sigma 24mm F 1.8, Pentax 31mm limited, 77mm 1.8 limited and the 55mm F 1.4 can be used in full frame and crop mode. The extra control dial works really well.

dave_roe Loc: Rome Italy

Since getting the K1MKII I seldom use my K3, K5, K20. It is really a beast but the results are outstanding. There lenses that work well, the 31mm is my favorite, my walk around is the Pentax 28-100 and the Tamron 70-200 is a good fit.

There are several other lenses as well that work on the full frame.... the Pentax 50mm and 100 mm macro lenses are also worth looking into. You can use the Pentax 60-250mm with a modification and without there is a sweet spot that post processing will cure any short comings.

In crop mode it does provide use of the C sensor lens lineup in a pinch.

All in all my only regret was not purchasing it sooner than I did.

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

You will find a great deal of good information on the Pentax Forum: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Poppy2 wrote:

I have always had Pentax cameras . . . . . . Pentax came out with a full frame DSLR can you tell me something about it?

The competitors of the K1 are the Canon 5D and Nikon 850, both very fine DSLRs. But, the Pentax is equally capable of many ways and even ahead of the others in a few ways for a LOT less cost. Pentax lenses are excellent but lack the wide variety of their mass-market competitors. The big problem for Pentax is the lack of even minimal marketing and product promotion by Ricoh, the corporate owner. Pentax has some very fine cameras but no one knows about them. It’s amazing that the brand still exists!

A10 Loc: Southern Indiana

I have the first generation K-1 and am very pleased with it. I do portrait work mostly and use new lenses as well as old manual lenses. The K-1 is a lower cost and the old manual lenses are a steal compared to newer lenses and just as sharp.

digit-up Loc: Flushing, Michigan

Wanderer2 wrote:

You will find a great deal of good information on the Pentax Forum: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/

Since I've been a pentax fan since 68 and a member of the pentax forum for quite some time, I feel informed enough to let you know that<sadly< the pentax forum is nowhere near the quality of the hogg. And even though the hogg is mostly canonikonsony, it is still the most information, and the best organized photo-forum out there...............RJM I have the K-1 and it accommodates WELL almost all pentax lenses. Some of the older lenses are perfect for the K-1

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

digit-up wrote:

Since I've been a pentax fan since 68 and a member of the pentax forum for quite some time, I feel informed enough to let you know that<sadly< the pentax forum is nowhere near the quality of the hogg. And even though the hogg is mostly canonikonsony, it is still the most information, and the best organized photo-forum out there...............RJM I have the K-1 and it accommodates WELL almost all pentax lenses. Some of the older lenses are perfect for the K-1

I believe that Pentax Forums has two comprehensive reviews by Forum staff that might be useful to the OP, the first being of the K-1 not too long after it's introduction, and the second a comparison review of the K-1 and the K-1 II after the latters introduction. And there are also reviews on many Pentax related subjects done by owners, not staff. It is true that overall the HOGG is superior to Pentax Forums but there are few Pentaxians on the Hogg compared to the main brands, and thus fewer well informed opinions. The situation is simple for me as a Pentaxian (since the mid 1960s) - I participate in both.

Poppy2

Is the K1 still available?

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

I'm a Nikon shooter but always liked Pentax cameras, their big on weather sealing their cameras. Yes the K1 series are full frame then theirs the 645 Z medium format.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Poppy2 wrote:

Is the K1 still available?

Not sure if you can buy them new but you can pick up a used one on line.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

digit-up wrote:

Since I've been a pentax fan since 68 and a member of the pentax forum for quite some time, I feel informed enough to let you know that<sadly< the pentax forum is nowhere near the quality of the hogg. And even though the hogg is mostly canonikonsony, it is still the most information, and the best organized photo-forum out there...............RJM I have the K-1 and it accommodates WELL almost all pentax lenses. Some of the older lenses are perfect for the K-1

The Pentax Forum does not allow political talk and is better moderated than this place; from my pov, a comparison of the two depends on when you look and why you are looking.

Gallopingphotog

Nosaj wrote:

...The big problem for Pentax is the lack of even minimal marketing and product promotion by Ricoh, the corporate owner. Pentax has some very fine cameras but no one knows about them. It’s amazing that the brand still exists!

Love Pentax cameras; they stand up well to tough handling. My biggest complaint is, I think, related to their low public profile. Even some genuine camera stores in big cities don't carry the Pentax product line. So you can't just stroll in and check out a new model or inspect a lens, or ask a question.

Poppy2

Gallopingphotog wrote:

Love Pentax cameras; they stand up well to tough handling. My biggest complaint is, I think, related to their low public profile. Even some genuine camera stores in big cities don't carry the Pentax product line. So you can't just stroll in and check out a new model or inspect a lens, or ask a question.

They seem to do better on west coast!