Pentax K-1, Technical Image Press Association Full-Frame camera of the year.

<p>Hear it here..</p>

<p>http://www.tipa.com/english/XXVI_tipa_awards_2016.html</p>

 

<p>This is very impressive. Especially since there is plenty of first-class competition. It does get me thinking more about getting one. The latest issue of Pop Photography, May 2016, also has both a back cover ad and a double-page inside front cover ad for the K-1. Looks like success in the making. </p>

<p>It's better than not getting the award, but there are lots of specific categories so there's some sort of award for a significant new product from pretty much each manufacturer. It's almost as if each category was named with a recipient in mind.</p>

<p>given that they also awarded the Nikon D5, Sony A7RII, Leica SL, Canon 5DS and 1DSmkII, i'm not sure this award means all that much. </p>

<p>Yes, they covered all the bases. I never really know who and why they have these awards. Who really is influenced by them? It would never cross my mind to take any notice of them. I think it is a kind of be-nice-to-all-of-the-manufacturers-who-might-sponsor-us award. They seem to have awarded a prize for virtually every significant piece of equipment introduced in 2015.</p>

This is especially amusing since the camera has not yet been released to the public . I guess publishing a spec sheet and

having demo models gets you a participation award so to speak.

 

ME

<p>Of course, it is obvious they are basing their choice in each category on design aspects and an aggregate of features. It could not be otherwise, since the K-1 is yet to be released or tested, and probably likewise so with some of the others named. I think it is impressive that the K-1's features and design are unique and advanced enough to receive this recognition. It has been creating a bit of a stir overall, and I look forward to seeing forthcoming tests and reviews.</p>

<p>the K-1 is not without merit. i think it will be good for landscape photographers, is built well, and it has a few bells and whistles no other camera offers, but... whether those bells and whistles float your boat is a personal thing, as is whether the currently available lenses for it will work for you. if you're an astrophotographer, the on-body LEDs are kind of neat. im not trying to dampen excitement from the Pentax crowd, as i hear the company has been teasing this product for 15 years, but i also dont think this fixes all their problems. just saying that TIPA also awarded virtually every other new camera released this year by major manufacturers, and actually invented a new category this year to fit the K-1 in. certainly the price is appealing if the camera appeals to you. but there werent that many full frame bodies released during the eligibility period, and TIPA awarded almost all of them. which isnt surprising as TIPA is an org of euro photo magazines, whose major source of revenue is ads from the same companies who receive awards. I do think its fair to say the award isnt an indication of a bad product, but it is true that the camera only recently became available for purchase and there have been few extensive reviews of it beyond initial hands-on tests.</p>

<p> "The latest issue of Pop Photography, May 2016, also has both a back cover ad and a double-page inside front cover ad for the K-1. "<br>

<br>

I wonder who paid for those ads? ;)<br>

</p>

<p>Agree with all the above...So funny really. </p>

<p>Obviously, manufacturers always pay for their own ads. However, I have not seen Pentax (now Ricoh/Pentax) get this aggressive in advertising a new DSLR camera in a very long time. An unusually successful product is undoubtedly the expectation.</p>

<p>Didn't Hoya Pentax release a TIPA special edition crop sensor DSLR ?<br>

<br /> I wonder if Ricoh will release a TIPA K-1 camera to commemorate their newest recognition ?<br>

<br /> I remain happy that K Mount will have a full frame sensor option.<br>

I wish K-1 had built in flash like my D700 have. That said I wish my 5DII had built in flash too.<br>

Back in the day I got the 5DII pair at $300 a piece less than 1,799 from B&H.</p>

<p>At $1,500 admission I'd be a fool not to buy a K-1.</p>

<p><br /> I'll wait and read the hands on K-1 reviews including the state of service in USA market in 2015 & 2016. <br /> Using my 300mm 2.8 Adaptall II & Pentax' 1.7x manual lens to autofocus function teleconverter would be my #1 reason to buy K-1 due to it's in camera image stabilization.<br>

<br /> I've got the non stabilized super wides & most everything else I care to afford covered with Canikon' s in lens stabilization. <br /> Lindy</p>

<p>This reminds me of JD Power and Associates giving awards to products they have tied themselves to financially. No doubt they do it because it works when it comes to selling more units.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I have not seen Pentax (now Ricoh/Pentax) get this aggressive in advertising a new DSLR camera in a very long time. An unusually successful product is undoubtedly the expectation.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>well, if you buy into that expectation, then their strategy works. i really dont base my camera-purchasing choices based on how aggressive they are advertising the product, but i do get that this is Big News for the Pentax crowd, since K-mount has never had a full frame body available before. this may seem obvious, but when you arrive this late to market, you've got to trumpet up <em>some</em> fanfare. At that price, and with those specs, they will sell a lot of units, but other than that, there's not really a whole lot more to say here. IMO, the K-1 is aimed primarily at existing Pentax users. i don't see it being a game changer which will achieve parity with Nikon/Canon sales, though some may find the feature set compelling enough to switch. Basically, this keeps Pentax in the game for now as a niche player in a market which is still shrinking. The larger questions are how well the K-1 works with existing lenses, and how soon Pentax can develop new lenses for this body.</p>

<p>After comparing the pixel shifted images from the K1 against the conventional outputs from the Nikon D810, Phase IQ180, Pentax 645Z and other high res bodies from Canon and SONY, it's apparent the K1 will appeal to a vast base of landscape and studio photographers. It clearly outperforms the D810 in both the conventional and pixel shifted modes in terms of noise performance and resolution. It matches the image quality of the Phase IQ 180 80 meg digital medium format system and the Pentax 645Z. At this point, with pixel shift engaged, it has the best S/N and DR of virtually any camera body available, short of the incredibly expensive 100 meg sensored bodies from Phase and Hasselblad.</p>

<p>The pixel shifted images clearly demonstrate how much resolution is thrown away with Bayer filters. The advantage of image stacking in terms of improvement in signal/noise performance and pixel shifting to provide true RGB information at each pixel, is significant. Pentax, using in body image stabilization, has positioned the brand to refine this technology. SONY could jump on board as well in the future. Should that happen, Canon and Nikon will have to react at some point and neither brand is well positioned to do so due to their philosophy of providing image stabilization in lenses.</p>

<p>You can go do DPReview and make the comparisons and judge for yourself.</p>

<p>I'm not really expecting Nikon or Canon to jump on this in any hurry, but it is conceivable if they think marginal sales justify it. Consider that Panasonic began adding sensor-shift stabilization to complement lens-shift stabilization in selected m4/3 bodies. (I don't think Panasonic has adopted pixel-shifting yet, but I think Olympus has).</p>