Recommended models for full-frame models: K-1 Mark II, K-1
 
Recommended models for APS-C format models: KP, K-70
 
With less than 5% of the DSLR market share and the Q system completely abandoned in the mirrorless market, Pentax is now a niche camera brand.
 
Looking back at Pentax's 100-year history, Asahi Optics Co., Ltd., which can be traced back to 1919, is well-known in the field of optics such as cameras, telescopes, and lenses. Pentax has created many world firsts in photography: the first SLR Spotmatic with behind-the-lens metering (TTL), the first SLR ES with automatic exposure, and the first SLR ME-F with autofocus. Pentax was also the first manufacturer in the world to use multi-layer coating technology on lenses, which is still used today. In 1979, Pentax had mass-produced more than 8 million SLRs, making it one of the largest camera manufacturers at the time. In 2011, Pentax was acquired by Japan's Ricoh Group, but the brand was retained.
 
Tough body
 
Although Pentax's market performance is not satisfactory today, and it is basically not welcomed by professional photographers, the maverick of Pentax cameras has captured many photography enthusiasts who love "slow photography", which is not unrelated to the many characteristics of Pentax cameras. The overall design of the Canon and Nikon SLRs is roughly comparable, while Pentax is significantly different from the previous two. The main advantages of Pentax SLR can be described as "four defenses": waterproof, dustproof, low temperature resistance, and anti-shake, while the disadvantage is "slow".
 
From the outside, the body of the Pentax camera is rigorous and solid, even the most entry-level body has the characteristics of "three defenses", which can adapt to the harsh outdoor environment, and the mid-to-high-end models have a strong shell of all-magnesium alloy, "In addition to taking pictures, you can also smash walnuts and pry the bottle cap", Pentax can be described as the "Nokia" of the camera industry. The shape of the Pentax body is also angular and has a retro atmosphere, and you are used to seeing Canon Nikon's rounded and dark SLR, and then you will feel the obvious difference when you look at Pentax's camera.
 
Five-axis stabilization
 
Inside, Pentax is also unconventional, with a five-axis image stabilization, an image sensor that can be driven by a motor to eliminate shake with reverse displacement, while Canon Nikon's DSLR relies entirely on lens stabilization. The advantage of in-body image stabilization is that it does not pick the lens and supports five axes, while lens stabilization is only three axes at most. Pentax's stabilization technology increases shutter speed by up to five stops, and with a little training, handheld shots can be guaranteed to be muddy-free even for a second, which is great for low-light shooting. Pentax has been deeply involved in body stabilization technology for many years, and has creatively developed three functions using stabilization technology.
 
The first is the "high-resolution mode" that uses sensor displacement, commonly known as "pixel jitter". Using the sensor to move each of the four directions by one pixel, take a photo of each of them to combine them into a high-resolution photo. This feature takes 1-2 seconds, so it must be used on a tripod, and it can only be used for still life, so there are limited application scenarios. However, once the photos are properly composed, the photographer will get a high-definition photo with a resolution comparable to that of a medium format camera.
 
The second is "celestial chasing stars", photographers who have photographed the starry sky know that starry sky photography requires a long exposure of up to tens of seconds, but the rotation of the earth causes the displacement of celestial bodies, and the stars photographed are linear, and the camera needs to be set up on the equatorial mount to offset the synchronous displacement. Pentax is worthy of the manufacturer of astronomical telescopes, equipped with GPS modules and gyroscopes on the mid-to-high-end fuselage, which can measure the trajectory of the celestial body in the direction of the camera through latitude and longitude and camera orientation, and its sensor can simulate the displacement effect of the equatorial mount and offset the offset caused by the rotation of the earth.
 
Pentax SLR sensors are mostly from Sony, with excellent imaging quality and high sensitivity performance, and now Pentax has removed the low-pass filter across the line, which has a great effect on the improvement of resolution. The low-pass filter was born to remove the annoying "moiré pattern", most of the models that remove the low-pass filter improve the image resolution, but there is nothing they can do about the "moiré pattern", and Pentax can use the "pixel shake" method to remove moiré grain, which is also the third clever use of anti-shake by Pentax, this function needs to be turned on separately.
 
color
 
Pentax's color expression is often talked about, and has been evaluated such as "good layer", "airy", and "virtuous", and there may be a lot of emotional or metaphysical elements. However, Pentax does have practical technologies in the field of color science, such as the "skin tone correction" function in the camera, which can automatically adjust the skin tone to a more comfortable tone after detecting a portrait, and can also choose the level of beautification, which can retain a lot of skin texture details while beautifying, not a simple and rough dermabrasion, which has a certain practical value for photographers who love to take portraits.
 
Shortcomings
 
Despite the blessing of many trick technologies, it cannot hide the "slow" characteristics of Pentax, slow focusing, no high-speed continuous shooting body, and small lens aperture are all Pentax's fatal flaws. For photographers who like to shoot slowly and create, the quality of the focusing system is harmless, after all, "it is not impossible to use", but if you are accustomed to the focusing speed of today's Canon Nikon's mainstream SLR, you will inevitably be annoyed by the clumsiness of the Pentax system, and Pentax cameras are often forced to be reduced to special machines for still life shooting, which is a major reason why they are not welcomed by professional photographers. Video capabilities aren't Pentax's forte, as even flagship models don't have 4K recording capabilities, don't have the reliable live view focus of Canon, and lack a touchscreen across the lineup, making them not friendly enough for beginners.
 
Product sequence
 
Pentax's product line is nowhere near as large as Canon and Nikon, and only a handful of products are on sale today. The single-digit body often represents the flagship machine, such as K1, K3, K-P, etc., with a strong all-metal body, with a GPS module to achieve "celestial star chasing", while the double-digit model is a mid-range body, such as K-70, K-S2, etc., which also has the ability to defend itself, and the screen can be folded freely to facilitate selfies.
 
It is worth mentioning that the entire Pentax series of SLRs use optical viewfinders with 100% coverage, and what you see is what you get, while Nikon Canon only carries this configuration on professional models, and the coverage is usually only 95%, which is a significant difference. Three-proof shell, body anti-shake, high-resolution mode, no low-pass, flip screen and other features are equipped on Pentax's 2500-3500 yuan-level SLR, which is very cost-effective for photography enthusiasts who love to shoot still life.
 
Full-frame flagship
 
Until the K-1 was introduced in 2016, all Pentax DSLRs were in APS-C format, which is the main reason why Pentax is not treated well by professional photographers. K-1 is Pentax's first full-frame digital SLR, long-awaited and long-awaited, K-1 can be said to be the culmination of Pentax's "black technology", 36 million pixels without a low-pass sensor, the image quality performance is equivalent to the level of Nikon D810, but considering that it has a high resolution mode, K-1 can be said to be the best full-frame camera for still shooting at present.
 
The K-1 Mark II, released in 2018, is a facelift of the K-1, which raises the maximum ISO from 200,000 to 800,000, and innovatively adds a "high-resolution image stabilization mode" to shoot high-resolution photos without relying on a tripod, and can shoot four-in-one high-definition photos handheld, greatly improving practicality. At present, the price of K-1 is less than 10,000 yuan, and the price of K-1 Mark II is about 2000 yuan.
 
Lens group
 
Pentax lenses are as maverick as their bodies, and those who don't like them will dislike the Pentax lenses for their odd focal lengths, small apertures, and slow focusing, while those who prefer them will be impressed by the exquisite workmanship and small size of the Pentax lenses. Pentax rarely has a choice of large-aperture lenses, and even expensive lenses are not known for their apertures, with a maximum of only around F1.8.
 
Pentax's Limited series of lenses is a signature Pentax, with a textured silver and black matte metal housing. Due to the small aperture, the lens is also very lightweight, and the image quality is also at a medium to high level, with a retro depth of field ruler, focusing ring, and aperture ring, and it is hard to imagine that this is an autofocus lens. Among them, the "Three Princesses" are the most prestigious, and they fit well with Pentax's angular fuselage.