Pentax K-1 II Comparison Review

The Pentax K-1 II is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in February 2018 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 36.2 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-1 II a good camera? The K-1 II has a Camera Elo of 2569. This rating puts the K-1 II among the top 10 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the K-1 II ranks among the top 50 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Pentax K-1 II vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-1 II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-1 II	137 mm	110 mm	86 mm	1010 g	670	Y	Feb 2018	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	140 mm	97 mm	86 mm	673 g	310	Y	Feb 2018	EUR 1 899	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-5	142 mm	117 mm	75 mm	873 g	750	Y	Sep 2010	EUR 1 499	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic G9	137 mm	97 mm	92 mm	658 g	400	Y	Nov 2017	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic S1R	149 mm	110 mm	97 mm	1016 g	380	Y	Feb 2019	EUR 3 699	amazon.com
7.		Pentax K-1	137 mm	110 mm	86 mm	1010 g	760	Y	Feb 2016	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
8.		Pentax KP	132 mm	101 mm	76 mm	703 g	390	Y	Jan 2017	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
9.		Sony A7R III	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	650	Y	Oct 2017	EUR 3 499	ebay.com
10.		Sony A99 II	143 mm	104 mm	76 mm	849 g	490	Y	Sep 2016	EUR 3 599	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX10 IV	133 mm	94 mm	145 mm	1095 g	400	Y	Sep 2017	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax K-1 II was launched in the US market at a price of $1,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check K-1 II price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Pentax K-1 II features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax K-1 II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-1 II	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60i	25.1	14.0	2698	93
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.0	13.3	1806	82
3.		Olympus E-5	Four Thirds	12.2	4032	3024	720/30p	21.6	10.5	519	56
4.		Panasonic G9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1138	74
5.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
6.		Panasonic S1R	Full Frame	46.7	8368	5584	4K/60p	26.4	14.1	3525	100
7.		Pentax K-1	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60i	25.4	14.6	3280	96
8.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
9.		Sony A7R III	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	4K/30p	26.0	14.7	3523	100
10.		Sony A99 II	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	4K/30p	25.4	13.4	2317	92
11.		Sony RX10 IV	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.0	12.2	408	63
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The K-1 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-1 II can use is 1080/60i.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the K-1 II has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Pentax K-1 II in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax K-1 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	full-flex	n	1/8000s	4.4/s	n	Y
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	3690	Y	3.0 / 1040	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
3.		Olympus E-5	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	Y
4.		Panasonic G9	3680	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
5.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
6.		Panasonic S1R	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	full-flex	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
7.		Pentax K-1	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	full-flex	n	1/8000s	4.4/s	n	Y
8.		Pentax KP	optical	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/6000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Sony A7R III	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
10.		Sony A99 II	2400	Y	3.0 / 1229	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony RX10 IV	2359	Y	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/2000s	24.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Pentax K-1 II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is multi-hinged and can be tilted both vertically and horizontally to enable odd-angle shots in landscape and portrait orientation. The LCD thereby offers a lot of flexibility to adjust and use the rear screen in a diverse set of situations.

One useful feature of the K-1 II is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-1 II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax K-1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
3.		Olympus E-5	Y	stereo / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Panasonic G9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	Y
5.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Panasonic S1R	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
7.		Pentax K-1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Pentax KP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Sony A7R III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
10.		Sony A99 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony RX10 IV	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the K-1 II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the K-1 II can be found in the free online Pentax K-1 II Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the K-1 II handle or perform in practice. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-1 II	..	..	4.5/5	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2018	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
2.		Fujifilm X-H1	..	+	5/5	86/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2018	EUR 1 899	ebay.com
3.		Olympus E-5	4/5	..	..	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	EUR 1 499	ebay.com
4.		Panasonic G9	..	+ +	5/5	85/100	5/5	5/5	Nov 2017	EUR 1 699	ebay.com
5.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
6.		Panasonic S1R	4.5/5	..	4.6/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2019	EUR 3 699	amazon.com
7.		Pentax K-1	5/5	..	..	84/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	EUR 1 999	ebay.com
8.		Pentax KP	4/5	..	3/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	EUR 1 299	ebay.com
9.		Sony A7R III	..	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2017	EUR 3 499	ebay.com
10.		Sony A99 II	..	..	4.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	EUR 3 599	ebay.com
11.		Sony RX10 IV	5/5	+	3.5/5	84/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2017	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check K-1 II price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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