Pentax K-01 Digital Camera Body, 16.3MP CMOS Sensor, 1080p HD Video, 6 FPS Burst Mode - Black

2014-04-21T21:00:00

I bought the Pentax k-01 based on my positive experience with Pentax and Ricoh cameras, both film and digital. I owned Pentax *ist DL and Pentax k2000 and enjoyed the clarity and colors these digital cameras produced and hoped the K-01 would also, and I have been quite pleased. I have many Pentax and Ricoh slr lenses that work very well with the K-01 producing crystal clear photos. I also own a Canon 7d, which is a great camera but I think because of its anti-aliasing filter does not produce the clarity and colors of a Pentax. I hesitated buying the K-01 because it did not have a viewfinder for working in bright sunlight, but the K-01 turns up the brightness on the screen so one can easily frame a photo even with the sun shining on the screen. This surprised me, since my pocket point and shoot screen washes out in bright sunlight. Reviews of the K-01 indicated that the low light functioning is not that great. However, I have taken many photos in dim available light with high ISO and taken remarkable photos. I have digital slr Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Minolta and Sony cameras that could not produce such clear and low noise photos in dim available light. I am favorably impressed with the Pentax K-01 and recommend it highly.

RODNEY M.

2013-04-26T21:00:00

The K-01 is solid, stylish, fun camera that provides impressive image quality. Do not hesitate to buy this camera if you already own Pentax K-mount lenses. Adorama's customers service is excellent.

JIMMY W.

2013-04-22T21:00:00

The use of all Pentax lenses is a plus that cannot be overstated...variety, availability, price, and quality. The inclusion of a detailed instruction book is a consumer friendly move, especially valuable to a newbie. I like the size of the K-01, in spite of the barbs of pro reviewers...IMHO, small is not necessarily equal to 'easily handled'. I miss a viewfinder but am easily adapting to the great 3" LCD screen. Pans about slow autofocus seem to forget that a Manual lens setting of 'infinity' keeps all action beyond 30' in focus. My first DSLR does not disappoint at all. Great camera with a weird look. Kudos to Pentax.

Michael

2013-04-01T21:00:00

I use my K-01 for art, portrait, low-light, and street photography. It has excellent image quality and uses any of the huge library of Pentax lenses made since 1960. Using vintage glass is where this beauty really shines, as focus peaking makes focusing outstanding lenses like the Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 much easier. Plus, all M42 glass works in Av mode, meaning the camera will meter with them and set the shutter speed... this is very handy indoors where you can really see the exceptional high ISO performance of this sensor. This camera is the best value in photography because of the price, and access to all that classic glass... a huge advantage in my opinion.

tdmsu

2013-01-28T19:00:00

I had been looking for a camera to replace my current Pentax digital SLR (burned out pixels on the sensor) but didn't want to spend a lot of money. In addition, I have six k-mount lenses that I wanted to be able to use instead of enshrining as has-beens. This camera was exactly what I was looking for - a low cost body, fully manual, good sensor AND would accommodate all of my old lenses! The jury's still out on the lack of a viewfinder, but I think that's a matter of getting used to it. The LCD display is big enough and provides a clear image, but there is something to be said for feeling more a part of the action by looking through a viewfinder. The image quality is great and I found the access points for the SD card, cable and mic easy to use, unlike some other reviewers of this camera. The primary cons of this camera are the delay when using auto focus and the light sensitivity could be a bit better - but this is offset by fairly low noise when switching to higher ISOs. I'm almost always shooting manual focus anyway, because of the minimal shutter delay in that mode. I have not tried the video function for this camera yet, but shooting video wasn't my primary goal. I've only had this camera for about a month, so here's hoping for no burned pixels. Hopefully the gods of planned obsolescence were on their lunch break when this camera was going through the assembly line. Overall, very satisfied given the price point and lens compatibility.

TIM S.

2012-12-17T19:00:00

If you do not read any further, read this. Buy this camera. At the current low price point (Pentax possibly discontinuing) you cannot get a better camera on the market today for this price. Accepts all legacy K-Mount lenses, the "Focus Peaking" is a great assistant for manual focus lenses. Shares the same sensor as the K-05 which has excellent quality and high ISO handling. I am a current k-07 owner who was blown away. My 40mm pancake focuses better and quicker than on my k-07. I boost ISO to 12k without another thought, and I hesitate to go above 400 on my k-07. Downside: Only 3 exposure bracketing and no use of IR remote for bracketing. My only complaint. (dont quite care for the rubber cover for the SD card area, but what can you do?)

Marcus P.