Pentax / Ricoh K-1 36MPx with 135 Format sized sensor

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I had a reality awakening when I tried to use my Sony A7 with non-native lenses. It simply doesn't work well. Won't fall into that trap again.

[bjornthun]

Adapting Nikon lenses on Pentax won't be worth the hassle, since the two systems have almost identical flange distance, Pentax maybe a milimeter shorter than Nikon. You'll lose all automation.

[Tristin]

Losing automation doesn't bother me.  Looking into it just a bit, it appears the necessary adapters use an element in them, scratch that.

Hopefully Nikon or Canon offer some non-sensor/af innovations in the bodies to come.  I really like what Pentax has done with this one.

[richardHaw]

Did no one notice the LEDs that can be used to light up the back of the camera or the one on the front lighting up the mount for lens changes in the dark?!?

That alone would be insanely handy for me.  I may just do some research on the focus screen options and F mount adapters for this camera, I could probably swap over from my D750 with minimal expenditure.  Will be keeping an eye on this camera for sure.

i noticed that as well, it is all over the body. 
i still think that the D4's implementation is still the best (back-lit buttons) but that would make things expensive 
what if they just put glow in the dark paint instead? i know it sounds dumb but at least it's cheap and is not over bright to annoy anything.

[richardHaw]

Later Pentax APS bodies also have the innovative Astrotracer feature that are meant to replace the equatorial small trackers - works by combining advanced GPS/compass features with sensor shifts. http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/review/pentax-astrotracer-review-astrophotography-made-easier/. I have seen examples/reports that it works quite well, if not at the levels one can get out of the best portable trackers.

that's so smart 

[Tristin]

Yeah, a lot of nifty things in this body Richard.  I wouldn't want glow in the dark pain though.  First, it needs to be exposed to light to charge which won't do any good for cameras in a bag.  Second, I don't want my camera to always be illuminated.  Besides, LEDs are extremely cheap.

[richardHaw]

Yeah, a lot of nifty things in this body Richard.  I wouldn't want glow in the dark pain though.  First, it needs to be exposed to light to charge which won't do any good for cameras in a bag.  Second, I don't want my camera to always be illuminated.  Besides, LEDs are extremely cheap.

i am pretty sure that it is not as powerful as the one on the picture (we will see in CP+, i will cover it). 
if it is we can just put tape to dim it down.

i still think that somebody should at least experiment with the glow in the dark thing. i just do not know if these pigments will last.

the only turn off for me on this camera is the dial for scene modes. it could have been shutter speeds 

this is a step in the right direction by pentax and in the classic pentax way of giving ugly but very capable cameras 

[Tristin]

...the classic pentax way of giving ugly but very capable cameras 

 XD Ha!  Reminds me of the Minolta 7d I switched from the d70 to.  Man was it ugly, but it was nice having IBIS.

[richardHaw]

OK talked to a long time pentax user. yes, the K mount is compatible with older lenses and should perform the same regardless of the body that it was mounted to. he is using older takumars with his APS pentaxes now with no problems so far. 
M42 screw mounts can also be easily adapted but will lose some features (aperture lever?)

[Øivind Tøien]

Many lenses are only supported with stop down metering though; http://www.dpreview.com/news/7158808396/worth-the-wait-a-look-inside-the-pentax-k-1?slide=12.

[richardHaw]

Many lenses are only supported with stop down metering though; http://www.dpreview.com/news/7158808396/worth-the-wait-a-look-inside-the-pentax-k-1?slide=12.

i think it is saying that it is possible for those lenses to produce usable pictures when stopped down a bit 
must be the vignetting issue

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Not "vignetting issue" as such, rather a too small image circle by design. These lenses were never intended to project an image circle large enough for FX/24x36.

From the similar experience of DX Nikkor to FX Nikons, while you get a larger image circle by stopping down (for some of them), image quality outside the designated format coverage tends to be very poor. Again, hardly surprising and nothing one can hold against a given lens.

[abergon]

I think the point of using medium-format lenses is moot. They still are not native in the meaning that basic functions such as AF, aperture automation etc. will work. Why should the past be the hope for the future? It is fun to use exotic lenses on any camera, but for day-to-day bread & butter shooting, you need the seamless integration only native lenses can provide.

If anyone thinks I'm stating the opposite of what I have published for the Nikon Df with older Nikkors, rethink twice. Here the lens behaves exactly as it did when it was launched. The Df behaves like any Nikon SLR, but uses digital capture technology instead of film. Metering and automatic aperture just work like they did in the 'old' days. (If a CPU is added, even more features can be extracted for the benefit of the DSLR age, but these are mainly features of convenience rather than touching the basics. Film had no way of recording EXIF ...).

I hope I will be forgiven for drifting slightly off-topic and qualifying your last point. You cannot record EXIF in film by definition. However, the Nikon F6, the Canon EOS 1v, and a Minolta model do record shooting data and with the right cable and software this data can be extracted, saved on your computer, and linked to the scan of your picture. I do that with my Canon 1V and whilst it is not the most practical of approach, it does the job.

Albert

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I had something similar running on my F5. Extremely impractical by any standards.

[bjornthun]

APS film had a magnetic strip that would carry some EXIF information, but that was APS...