Just want to say thank you to everyone. I'm jumping ship to Pentax.

I wish you well, but I wonder why you haven't been worried about the many freezing problems of this camera when that was your main concern on the X-T2. Even the Pentax shooters I know discuss the firmware problems with this camera. Here is a long history.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/190-pentax-k-1/319873-post-k-1-bugs-issues-feedback-ricoh.html

Either way, good luck. I think the camera, as long as it works, is the least important part of the equation.

dudewithcamera wrote:

Batdude wrote:

jm10 wrote:

Hope it works out for you. Good luck! Just curious if you are satisfied with the selection of native lenses? Any plans of using adapters and non-native lenses?

jacob

I'm a prime shooter, so yes, I am going to have to get used to shooting at f2.8 for now. The lenses that will work for me at this time will be the 24-70 and I'm thinking of getting the sigma 35 1.4.

For now that's it. I don't do landscape so anything wider I really don't need at this point. As I go I will see what else I can my hands on in prime lenses. I do want a 85mm. There is also the 70-200 but that is the least lens I use so I really don't need it. The 24-70 will be my main lens if I get the K1, for now.

What about their older 1990s film era autofocus lenses? There's some other options if you look to that bunch of lenses and some of them are relatively cheap on the Bay...

24/2, 31/1.8, 35/2, 43/1.9, 50/1.4, 50/1.7, 77/1.8, 85/1.4...

The autofocus models are great, but will set you back significantly. A 50mm 1.7 will cost 25-50 bucks depending on its condition. Same with the 28s.

Look for Cosina, Ricoh, and Vivitar branded manuals in these focal lengths too. Even cheaper, and the exact same optical performance.

Get the answers to the many questions you've on just started asking on the Pentax forum.

Don't nail your colours to the mast just yet.

left eye wrote:

Batdude wrote:

left eye wrote:

I was in the same boat at the beginning of the year. Moving from m43 & APS-C systems to FF. My APS-C was Pentax, the bodies are great but the lenses a bit iffy, a lot of CA, soft corners and especially the AF - very hit and miss.

The K-1 was top of the list except for one big issue, lenses.

The limited's are ok, but their old slow noisy AF wasn't tempting. If Pentax had just repackaged the limiteds with modern fast & quiet AF motors, with weather sealing, that would have been enough for me.

As it is, the only lens that had enough scope and quality is the cheaper zoom, actually designed and made by Pentax, the 28-105mm. It's actually a good lens. The rebranded Tamron's just don't cut the mustard for their weight and price, I couldn't recommend them to anyone.

I've been watching if any new actual Pentax-made lenses might emerge, but no. And still no support from Sigma. Unfortunate.

Then I saw the output of the Fuji GFX, and importantly the performance of the GF lenses. Those lenses are possibly the best on the planet, certainly beating most Zeiss primes. Even the GF zoom is better than most primes - which as it turned out was my perfect wish-list zoom range, wide to standard.

I bit the bullet, and went for the adventure of an amazing new system, the GFX. I've never owned such a great camera in all my 30+ years of photography (which has included Hasselblad and Sinar).

I think the K-1 is a great value quality-sensor FF camera, if rather heavy. The lenses are very lacking, and the K-1's AF isn't great. It's such a shame Sigma couldn't have just made their newer crop of lenses in a K mount - I'm sure there would have been a lot of takers! And also me for the K-1, but no, the reality is lack of quality lenses - I couldn't look past that.

Hi left eye.

I completely understand what you are saying. I have been looking at that K1 since it was announced, I just never got the chance to play around with the files. The lenses are also what turned me completely off and I would just turn back and forget about that system, and I too don't like the sound of those old pentax lenses, but man, what that K1 has is really special.

Lots of things have changed for me recently. Both my wife and I shoot together and she is really not into changing lenses and she has always asked for an "all-in-one" lens. Well, pentax has the 24-70 and that lens would solve my problems. I actually have always wanted to own a 24-70 as well. Extremely handy lens on a FF. So that lens alone with one or two primes would make my day.

if you are serious about the K-1 please look at the Pentax designed and made 28-105mm, it's a slower (and cheaper) lens than the Tamron rebranded 24-70mm but in many people's opinion, including mine, a far far better lens optically.

Try the 28-105! It would be my lens of choice on the K-1, it really does the K-1 justice, sharp corners.

Unfortunately I don't use variable aperture lenses so the 28-105 would do me no good, but it is indeed nice.

Plus maybe add a wide angle limited, and you're done for a while - until Pentax gets their act together in terms of FF glass.

The 24-70 and 15-30 are not such great lenses, heavy, expensive and soft corners.

Really??  I've seen a few K1 reviews and that say the 24-70 is SHARP.  Unfortunately if I get the K1 it has to be with the 24-70.

2018 is almost here and more pentax lenses are on the way, so I kind of feel that I might be jumping to pentax at a pretty good time.

dark13star wrote:

I wish you well, but I wonder why you haven't been worried about the many freezing problems of this camera when that was your main concern on the X-T2. Even the Pentax shooters I know discuss the firmware problems with this camera. Here is a long history.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/190-pentax-k-1/319873-post-k-1-bugs-issues-feedback-ricoh.html

Either way, good luck. I think the camera, as long as it works, is the least important part of the equation.

Thanks for the heads up, I wasn't aware of any freezing issues.  I'll look into it to see how the camera freezes.

Alan Brown wrote:

Get the answers to the many questions you've on just started asking on the Pentax forum.

Don't nail your colours to the mast just yet.

Hi Alan.

Okay I will follow your suggestion.  Very wise indeed.  On Monday I'm gonna go test it with the lens I want and should be able to get the feel of the camera's performance.  If it doesn't work it doesn’t work.  But I'm in love with the IQ and I want one.  

Batdude wrote:

dark13star wrote:

I wish you well, but I wonder why you haven't been worried about the many freezing problems of this camera when that was your main concern on the X-T2. Even the Pentax shooters I know discuss the firmware problems with this camera. Here is a long history.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/190-pentax-k-1/319873-post-k-1-bugs-issues-feedback-ricoh.html

Either way, good luck. I think the camera, as long as it works, is the least important part of the equation.

Thanks for the heads up, I wasn't aware of any freezing issues. I'll look into it to see how the camera freezes.

It's not a big deal. Firmware update fixed it a long time ago.

Batdude wrote:

Alan Brown wrote:

Get the answers to the many questions you've on just started asking on the Pentax forum.

Don't nail your colours to the mast just yet.

Hi Alan.

Okay I will follow your suggestion. Very wise indeed. On Monday I'm gonna go test it with the lens I want and should be able to get the feel of the camera's performance. If it doesn't work it doesn’t work. But I'm in love with the IQ and I want one.

I know how you feel...

All of my past cameras have been compromises.. Not a single one did everything I wanted. I just had to set my priorities and work around those that were not, either in design or function.

My X-T1 does most of what I really want... I can put up with the rest; but that's just my thinking. I could put up with the X-T20's even smaller size (which i prefer) if I could get one cheap enough. They have not dropped in price yet and I can wait.

Good luck with it

All I have to say is good luck....before you switch...get a hold of this man first for his advise...he is a heavy pentax user but now switched to Olympus. His name is Edward Thomas.

https://www.dpreview.com/members/9589783025/gearlist

He has a youtube channel called photouniverse.

https://youtu.be/enVDnSr7MzY

Good luck with your new gear.

left eye wrote:

Batdude wrote:

left eye wrote:

if you are serious about the K-1 please look at the Pentax designed and made 28-105mm, it's a slower (and cheaper) lens than the Tamron rebranded 24-70mm but in many people's opinion, including mine, a far far better lens optically.

Try the 28-105! It would be my lens of choice on the K-1, it really does the K-1 justice, sharp corners.

Unfortunately I don't use variable aperture lenses so the 28-105 would do me no good, but it is indeed nice.

The only useful reason to favour a constant aperture lens is for constant brightness while zooming in filming. I doubt you'll be buying the K-1 primarily for filming.

Fast constant aperture zooms require certain compromises in terms of optical quality. To achieve eg. f2.8 at the long end of the zoom, the lens is designed to deliver a stop or more light at the wide end, something around f1.4. Unless of extraordinary quality, this will render very soft results as the glass is being stretched past it's optical limitations. The lens therefore automatically either stops down the iris-diaphragm (usually in 1/3 stop steps) towards the wider end, to, in this example maintain f2.8, or a hollow circular mask is moved smoothly through the barrel while zooming out to reduce light and again maintain f2.8.

To achieve this level of brightness, the glass elements need to be larger, heavy and more expensive. Generally they are at a minimum double the weight and triple the price of a variable aperture zoom, though of lower optical quality. Only when paying around five times the price or more, of a good variable aperture zoom, does a fast constant aperture exceed the quality variable aperture zoom.

In all lens brands the weakest constant aperture zoom range in terms of quality is the wide to tele, the 24-70mm. Canon currently have the best, the newest Nikon 24-70mm is not far behind, nor is Sigma. Tamron can't match them though. That said the Tamron in Canon and Nikon mounts does seem better than the rebranded Pentax version, possibly due to the floating OIS element being fixed (in the Pentax variant) in not absolutely the correct position.

The Pentax made 28-105mm is optically better than the rebranded 24-70mm, due to the above reasons. It has been designed for sharpness across the range and into the corners, without having to pander to being bright/fast or of 'constant aperture'.

Download these samples and compare not only the corners but also the sides...

28-105mm

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/hd-pentax-d-fa-28-105mm-f-3-5-5-6-ed-dc-wr-sample-photos-29281

24-70mm

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-hd-pentax-d-fa-24-70mm-f-2-8-ed-sdm-wr-sample-photos-29278

Plus maybe add a wide angle limited, and you're done for a while - until Pentax gets their act together in terms of FF glass.

The 24-70 and 15-30 are not such great lenses, heavy, expensive and soft corners.

Really?? I've seen a few K1 reviews and that say the 24-70 is SHARP. Unfortunately if I get the K1 it has to be with the 24-70.

It's sharp in the centre, but the sides and corners are soft.

Yeah I've seen youtube comparisons with the 24-70 lenses, not particularly the pentax rebranded one but I understand what you are saying.

If I were to get the K-1 it would definitely be with the highly regarded Pentax 28-105mm.

Mmmmm those extra 4mm towards the wider end would be very helpful to me with the 24-70 since I'm in constant tight spots.  With the variable aperture I'm gonna have to crank up iso and I don't want to do that.  We'll see how it goes and I will consider your proposal.  Thank you very much.

2018 is almost here and more pentax lenses are on the way, so I kind of feel that I might be jumping to pentax at a pretty good time.

No need to be an either-or photographer. I've got the Pentax K-1 with the marvelous Limited primes. Love it. Exquisite detail and lovely lowlight camera. But it's hefty. Often that's okay, especially for landscape and tripod work that is slow and methodical.

Other times, I want a small, simply, and elegantly built camera, so I reach for my Fuji. First it was an x100S and now it will be my x-t20 with the Fuji 35/2. Fuji and Pentax make the finest primes. Nothing beats Fuji for a small grab and go camera with excellent i,age quality. When I take a walk or bike ride, I want my Fuji rather than the big K-1.

Matt

I think you've made a sound decision not to post that sort of stuff on the Nikon forums.