2012/05/04

Follow-Up: The K-01 Goes to Events


So can the K-01 as outfitted in the picture above work at an indoor event? In a word, no. Not without some struggle. Some things that I noticed:

- the AF assist light of the Metz does not work on the K-01.

- Face Detect AF is too slow and unreliable in a dynamic environment like a cocktail hour. People can put their SMILE face on for only so long while the camera seeks focus

- AF of the DA*16-50 is too slow in low light with the K-01.I've had much more success with the DA Limited primes, but I prefer zooms for events where.

The K-01 took many nice shots. The problem is that it also missed many. At the end of the evening I resorted to mounting the DA21 to the K-01 and the DA70 to the K-5 and shooting without flash (the podium was lit). I had to push the ISO but that turned out ok. Still, it's nice to have some nice fill flash and to drag the shutter. Ultimately, the K-5 (if the Flash metering can be depended upon) is a much better camera for events.

Don't get me wrong - I've been pushing the K-01 to do things that it probably wasn't designed for. We must remember that it's an entry-level enthusiast camera. I still like it a lot and it will likely find its way into my messenger bag much more often than the K-5.

At the end of the day - and I've said this before - the K-01's IQ at this price point is hard to match, and it works great with my DA Limited primes. I can easily see this camera on the short list of recommendations for people stepping up from a point-and-shoot and really interested in IQ.

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