Pentax K1 Pixel-Shift Close-Up Detail

[Akira]

Ah, the night is still young.

 

[Fons Baerken]

Talking about colour, in the studio or in the outdoors there is more than a technical difference.

[Michael Erlewine]

Here we are again. I am not trying to show you the flower or the spider, but just the color and resolution, etc. of the spider. This is the Pentax K1 with the Voigtlander 90mm APO with close-up attachment. This is f/16, which obviously has some diffraction showing. More important, as far as my old eyes can see, the sensor/pixel/shift is out-resolving the lens here. This is a problem with the K1, not being able to get really great lenses that challenge the sensor and the pixel'shift. This for me is a serious problem.

I do have an adapter that I knocked the lousy glass out of that I can mount Nikon-mount lenses, although only good for close-up. That may help somewhat, but will have to wait for another day.

Any thoughts on this particular point, and not (please) about the photo, the flower, the spider, etc. Anyone else out there working with the K1 on this kind of question?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The 100% crop does show a peculiar form of uneven 'grittiness' (for lack of a better word) distributed over parts of the image. Could this result from the pixel shifting technology?

I assume that studio flash lighting is not a viable solution for the k1 due to the short exposure time from these light sources. Thus some kind of continuous illumination probably is required and that introduces potential issues with flickering. Is this assumption correct?

[Michael Erlewine]

The 100% crop does show a peculiar form of uneven 'grittiness' (for lack of a better word) distributed over parts of the image. Could this result from the pixel shifting technology?

I assume that studio flash lighting is not a viable solution for the k1 due to the short exposure time from these light sources. Thus some kind of continuous illumination probably is required and that introduces potential issues with flickering. Is this assumption correct?

This is natural light from outside. Yes, there are a lot of variables that have to be sorted out. To my eyes, the K1 has harsher highlights than I am used to, but I have to learn to tame it, which I will try. I believe, as I mentioned, that the most serious obstacle is the lack of very fine lenses and the difficulty adapting them to the not just the mount, but to the camera controls. I have lots of things to do, and so keep looking for reasons to dismiss this camera, but it keeps getting saved by the bell, so to speak.

[John Geerts]

This is the Pentax K1 with the Voigtlander 90mm APO with close-up attachment.

Did you use the supplied close-up attachment?

[Akira]

The second sample looks pleasingly smooth and not harsh at all.  Perhaps it is more about the lighting (the first image was a bit backlit, I suppose?).  I observe no iridescent-like anomaly.

[Andrea B.]

The K1 should not have overly harsh highlights. The recent Ks have had good dynamic range, right up there within 1/2-1 stops of the good Nikon bodies. So how much headroom are you finding with the K1? The D810 has so much headroom that I could imagine being used to shooting it and then overshooting with the K1 during first tests.

Pentax colours can be a little contrasty & harsh, but I have not looked yet at any K1 raws and do not know if that still holds. However I do see some blockiness as Bjørn mentioned in some of the tones in the crop. The K1 may be a few bits shy of the colour depth of the Nikons, but it should not do that. Is the K1 set to 14-bit (or whatever it has for that setting)?

I wonder if you are encountering some conversion woes?

Temporarily turn off the colour and look at the tone roll-offs in desaturated (B&W) mode. Is there till some blockiness? Set the black and white points appropriately. Set highlights/shadows appropriately with a curve. And then turn the colour back on. What happens? What hits the wall, if anything? Do artifacts appear with the colour on that are not there with the colour off?

(I really apopreciate all your tests with the K1. I still would like to have this camera. And I am really looking forward to the a7R2 tests!!)

[Andrea B.]

Here is a Pentax mount adapter which supposedly permits mounting of Nikon lenses with proper flange focal distance. However, no information yet as to whether it works on the K1. Do be sure to read the product warnings page. "-)

http://adaptist.weebly.com/
http://adaptist.weebly.com/product-warnings.html

Kindly ignore this if you already know about it.

[Michael Erlewine]

Here is a Pentax mount adapter which supposedly permits mounting of Nikon lenses with proper flange focal distance. However, no information yet as to whether it works on the K1. Do be sure to read the product warnings page. "-)

http://adaptist.weebly.com/
http://adaptist.weebly.com/product-warnings.html

Kindly ignore this if you already know about it.

LLoyd Chambers posted about this. Let's wait and see. If it does what it says, it is inexpensive enough. Not sure what it does to the way the Pentax K1 does not like uncoupled lenses. It is interesting.