With a relatively low-noise sensor and great JPEG processing, the camera's midrange ISO sensitivity images -- up to ISO 1600 -- excel for a sub-$1,000 model.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
My normal sample crop didn't work because of some odd depth-of-field issues, but this shows how well the K-01's noise and JPEG processing preserves image detail as high as ISO 1600.
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ISO 100
This is just a sample shot to show the naturalism of the K-01's photos, as long as you change from the default Bright custom image setting to Natural.
(1/160 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, spot metering, AWB, 16-50mm DA* mm lens at 34mm)
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Fringing
Unfortunately, the 40mm kit lens has a serious propensity for fringing.
(1/160 sec, f4, ISO 100, multisegment metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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JPEG, ISO 400
This is very good for distant detail at ISO 400.
(1/60 sec, f2.8, ISO 400, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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JPEG, ISO 800
The camera produces exceptionally clean ISO 800 shots in all illumination.
(1/60 sec, f4, ISO 800, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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Noise, ISO 800
This night sky looks great at ISO 800: No hot pixels, no color noise, and yet no blurring of the foreground image.
(1/100 sec, f2.8, ISO 800, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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ISO 1600 raw vs. JPEG
Image quality at ISO 1600 was excellent. Color differences aside, there's hardly any difference between the JPEG and what I could do with the raw version.
(1/60 sec, f5, ISO 1600, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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ISO 1600, no noise reduction
One reason the K-01 nails the quality at ISO 1600 is because the image comes off the sensor with amazingly little noise, and what there is looks very fine-grained.
(1/60 sec, f10, ISO 1600, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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JPEG, ISO 3200
This is quite good for a camera in its price class at such a high ISO sensitivity, especially for a JPEG.
(1/60 sec, f7.1, ISO 3200, spot metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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Color
On its Natural color setting, the K-01 renders reasonably accurate yet still quite saturated colors.
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Color settings
Pentax has always had poor default color settings; as you can see, it pushes the saturation on blues and purples so much they shift and lose midtone detail, and the pinks look unnatural. The Natural option, though, renders much better, more accurate color.
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Dynamic range
For its class, the K-01's tonal range isn't bad -- a large chunk of highlights are recoverable, but there isn't a lot of data in the really flat, blown-out areas.
(1/160 sec, f4, ISO 100, spot metering, AWB, 16-50mm DA* mm lens at 21mm)
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Dynamic range
The K-01 handles bright, saturated hues well, without completely blowing out detail.
(1/320 sec, f7.1, ISO 100, multisegment metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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Sharpness, 40mm lens
The camera and kit lens produce nicely sharp images that don't look overprocessed.
(1/160 sec, f14, ISO 100, multisegment metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
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Bokeh, 40mm kit lens
The new pancake 40mm prime isn't a great lens. It's sharp, but as we've seen here prone to fringing and its out-of-focus highlights have the look of a cheap consumer lens.
(1/160 sec, f8, ISO 100, multisegment metering, AWB, 40mm lens)
