Pentax K-1 Comparison Review

The Pentax K-1 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in February 2016 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 36.2 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-1 a good camera? The K-1 has a Camera Elo of 2406. This rating puts the K-1 among the top 20 percent of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the K-1 ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-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 physical dimensions of the Pentax K-1 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-1 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	137 mm	110 mm	86 mm	1010 g	760	Y	Feb 2016	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
2.		Canon 5D Mark IV	151 mm	116 mm	76 mm	890 g	900	Y	Aug 2016	US$ 3 499	amazon.com
3.		Nikon D500	147 mm	115 mm	81 mm	860 g	1240	Y	Jan 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	134 mm	91 mm	67 mm	574 g	440	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-1 II	137 mm	110 mm	86 mm	1010 g	670	Y	Feb 2018	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
6.		Pentax K-3 II	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	720	Y	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
7.		Sony A7R II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	625 g	290	Y	Jun 2015	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7R III	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	650	Y	Oct 2017	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
9.		Sony A7R IIIA	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	650	Y	Apr 2021	US$ 3 199	amazon.com
10.		Sony A99 II	143 mm	104 mm	76 mm	849 g	490	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
11.		Sony A850	156 mm	117 mm	82 mm	895 g	880	Y	Aug 2009	US$ 1 999	ebay.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 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,799. 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 offers at
ebay.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. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Pentax K-1 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 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). 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	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60i	25.4	14.6	3280	96
2.		Canon 5D Mark IV	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.8	13.6	2995	91
3.		Nikon D500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.0	14.0	1324	83
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
5.		Pentax K-1 II	Full Frame	36.2	7360	4912	1080/60i	25.1	14.0	2698	93
6.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
7.		Sony A7R II	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	4K/30p	26.0	13.9	3434	98
8.		Sony A7R III	Full Frame	42.2	7952	5304	4K/30p	26.0	14.7	3523	100
9.		Sony A7R IIIA	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 A850	Full Frame	24.4	6048	4032	none	23.8	12.2	1415	79
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The K-1 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-1 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 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.70x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Pentax K-1 and comparable 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	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	full-flex	n	1/8000s	4.4/s	n	Y
2.		Canon 5D Mark IV	optical	Y	3.2 / 1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	n
3.		Nikon D500	optical	Y	3.2 / 2359	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	n
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
5.		Pentax K-1 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	full-flex	n	1/8000s	4.4/s	n	Y
6.		Pentax K-3 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	Y
7.		Sony A7R II	2400	n	3.0 / 1229	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
8.		Sony A7R III	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
9.		Sony A7R IIIA	3686	n	3.0 / 2340	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 A850	optical	Y	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Pentax K-1 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 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 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	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Canon 5D Mark IV	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Nikon D500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	Y	Y
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
5.		Pentax K-1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Pentax K-3 II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
7.		Sony A7R II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
8.		Sony A7R III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
9.		Sony A7R IIIA	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	Y	Y
10.		Sony A99 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony A850	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the K-1 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 can be found in the free online Pentax K-1 Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the K-1 in practical situations. 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 adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular 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	5/5	..	..	84/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
2.		Canon 5D Mark IV	4.5/5	+ +	4/5	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2016	US$ 3 499	amazon.com
3.		Nikon D500	5/5	+ +	4.7/5	91/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 II	5/5	+ +	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-1 II	..	..	4.5/5	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2018	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
6.		Pentax K-3 II	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	5/5	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
7.		Sony A7R II	5/5	+ +	5/5	90/100	5/5	5/5	Jun 2015	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
8.		Sony A7R III	..	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Oct 2017	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
9.		Sony A7R IIIA	..	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Apr 2021	US$ 3 199	amazon.com
10.		Sony A99 II	..	..	4.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 3 199	ebay.com
11.		Sony A850	3/5	..	..	75/100	..	4.5/5	Aug 2009	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated 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 comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check K-1 offers at
ebay.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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