Is The KP Pentax's Last Good Value Camera?

[@sharonwillen1068]

I am so glad I had just upgraded from the K-50 to the KP and got it for $696 here in the US.

[@SummersSnaps]

Brilliant, don't be shy to reach out if you need help with it in anyway. Enjoy!

[@welshskies]

Interesting chat. I've had a KP for some years and really enjoyed it, the UK version came with the three different grips but I've only ever used the largest. I have an original K3 which feels like it is hewn from stone, bombproof build quality. The mirror less trend is passing me by, I had a play with a Nikon Z50 and didn't get on with the EVF at all. If the rumours about the pricing of the new K3iii are true then it will have to be very special indeed to tempt me to flash the cash.

[@SummersSnaps]

My XT-4 is my first mirrorless and I have to say I think it's fantastic. I do believe not all EVF's are made equal, so care should be given to not group all EVF and mirrorless systems in the same gang because a single experience with one EVF was not too someone's liking. I cannot talk of any other EVF other than the XT4, I did hear it was better than the Sony A7III, so that did sway my decision, maybe it's the same with the Z50, or the Z50 is even better! It's been a curious camera indeed. Things I thought I was going to have issues with (EVF, or expensive for 'only a crop camera' etc) haven't at all been a problem. Things I thought would be fine have turned out to be quite annoying and have taken more troubleshooting and workarounds than I think should be necessary! I shall do a review of it in time and talk about such things in greater detail. Thanks for commenting.

[@jschoonj]

Good stuff, Eddy. Great to hear your thoughts on this legendary Pentax camera. Never knew about aperture bracketing, really neat feature! Looking forward to some of your mentioned vids!

[@SummersSnaps]

Thanks!

[@acanthistius]

Some interesting comments. Thanks. Pricing has always been confusing. I got the KP online from Pentax Australia for $AUD850 and it included the GPS module in the price! That was in June 2019.

[@SummersSnaps]

Yep, exactly. Super value for us Aussies at least. And when you consider the K3iii is a whopping $2k more... what are you really getting to justify that price hike over the KP?! The K3iii doesn't even have ES mode (other than in pixelshift) nor a flip screen, so it's not even a camera that can do all what the KP can and more, it's a case of give and take with the K3iii and I just think that kind of price tag is way off the mark and gives it an overall poor rating. Don't get me wrong, K3iii will still be an EXCELLENT camera, I'm purely talking VALUE here.

[@SummersSnaps]

I should also like to add that the Aperture Bracketing shooting mode was good for event work whereby if I was concerned that an f1.8 shot might be slightly soft (front or back focusing issue/user error etc), then a f2.8 or f4 shot that accompanied it could be a shot that salvaged the moment. And also another turn off for the K-70 was only 3 User Modes and not 5 like the KP has.

[@suhailzubaid9192]

Salute and respect from Ontario, Canada! I watched this excellent video yesterday and liked it immensely. I have recently experimented with a Nikon Z5 and a Canon RP to explore the world of mirrorless at an economical rate. I believe the rugged built and the ergonomics of my Pentax KP, K-5 iis and even K-r are much better. As a hiker, my gear takes a heavy toll against the elements and I believe only a Pentax can take those hits successfully.

[@LeeIveson]

Aperture bracketing mode looks awsome! Never knew about that feature.

[@SummersSnaps]

Yes, quite a fan of it, the K-70 may have it? I wish it was ported across to other cameras. I do wish to iterate that the shot is not a merge, its 3 separate files of differing apertures, it's down to you the user to do what you like with them, I quite liked stacking and merging in PS for the effect shown in the vid.

[@LeeIveson]

@@SummersSnaps Yeah I thought it was down to the person & not some sort of in body merge. I'll have to check to see if the K-70 has the option. 👍

[@TomPop75]

Hi, I like your content. I would like to ask you about the quality of the files coming from the KP over the Pentax K-3 III which I know you had owed for some time. Could you tell me your opinion in that matter. Thank you in advance.

[@SummersSnaps]

Personally I slightly preferred the KP, but marginally so. The K3III has a heavier baked in noise reduction, it actually cannot be successfully denoised with the latest Adobe Lightroom Enhance feature (like I can with other non Pentax files), this is quite annoying and you might have to invest in 3rd party denoise software like Topaz if wanting to squeeze the maximum IQ out of the files. But really the difference between the two cameras is splitting hairs. Depends on your approach I guess, some like to do minimal post processing so the baked in NR can come across as a good thing (from the K3III). I would not really say either are substantially worse or better for IQ, in the end they are both APS-C.

[@michaelacookePDX]

I've really been thinking about the KP since the price cut but I have the K-70 and have had no issues with it. Not sure if it's worth the expense to have two similar cameras.

[@SummersSnaps]

Probably not, in fact you might even prefer your K-70 depending on usage scenario (comfier grip, 3 Custom User modes might be fine for you etc). K3iii will be a different camera altogether offering something quite different to the predecessors.

[@klarion]

Thanks for the vid. Interesting perspective.

[@SummersSnaps]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@CampanelliCMP]

First of all - a great photo of a cat, a rose and a maroon leaf. What great colors. Second thing - as a KP user, after passing a few Pentaxes (recently with the K50), I think that there is no better camera in the system. But you have to be careful. It is not for everyone. As an old system user, I think Pentax KP is a tribute band. Kind of like the Australian Pink Floyd Show - not a ROYAL CLASS full frame, but still rocking. Do you understand what I mean? For KP, it is enough to get a few DA-limiteds + two decent zooms covering the range from wide account to tele and you have a set. FULL. What set? The Greatest Hits. As Kaiman Wong said in his film, it was a great step for Pentax to look at its legacy and to move forward has to look to the future... But in the times of accountants and Excel tables, this patent cannot be played forever and in addition to making existing users happy, you have to look for new ones. That's why I'm glad that K3 mark III is coming out and I count on KP mark II :) I think that the upcoming K3 mark III will be a super-professional camera, not for amateurs. A tank with great features. I will risk saying that compared to the K3 mark III, the K1 will be a camera more for enthusiasts than the K3 mark III.

[@SummersSnaps]

Thanks Tomasz!

[@deanroslynmengel5575]

You would love the K3II - Brilliant camera;.apart from everything else the user mode flexibility is outstanding. Unfortunately most people will not go deep enough into it to realize how good it is.

[@SummersSnaps]

Currently reviewing the K3III, you're welcome to pop across to those vids for a watch if you like :)

[@davidstorm4015]

The KP is an excellent camera. I have a K-5, a K-3 and a K-1 in addition to a silver KP, but there's something I really like about shooting with the KP and the images that come from it. Mine cost only £599 brand new, which I think was a bargain.

[@SummersSnaps]

Yep, definitely a very capable little camera. I have since learned making this video that the price value of the KP does seem to to necessarily match our Australian standards always, so it does seem to vary in value quite a bit around the world.

[@leehaze1]

Nice video. Just got a KP in the mail today. It will be nice to compare it to the K-70.

[@SummersSnaps]

Oh nice! Congrats. I would expect IQ to be almost identical, K-70 more comfortable. You might get a tad cleaner images at 3200 ISO on the KP? Really as I said the defining attributes were the 5 User Modes (vs 3 on the K-70) and the non risk of a aperture block failure (god forbid something like that should happen at a wedding or some other important event :S). The difference in price in Australia between a K-70 and KP right now is just $100AUD, so its just a no brainer to go for the KP imo.

[@Clodrock]

Glad I got the KP B&H special with the OEM battery grip and the fancy Pentax shoulder strap for $749!

[@SummersSnaps]

Indeed, it is a fantastic camera at that price. How could anyone complain!?

[@Gynra]

Good luck with the X-T4. I bought an X-T3 and hated the ergonomics and menu system, so I sold it. As well as my Pentaxes, I find the Nikon Z series body have good ergonomics, though I much prefer the Pentax menus. A K-3 II would make a great back up camera for the K-1.

[@SummersSnaps]

Yeh, there is a learning curve to Fuji Menu for sure. I think I will be ok with it, I especially appreciate the 'My Menu' aspect whereby you can essentially create a short custom menu of only the options you really tweak or change on a regular basis, should help navigate the seas :) I can already see the XT-4 managing to achieve shots and certain work that my Pentax's could not manage (and that's before even getting onto the video aspect of the XT-4, arguably its greatest strength). I'm still looking forward to the K3iii release, I don't think it will steer me away but I really hope it can.

[@Gynra]

@@SummersSnaps Ah yes, video: the Pentax's Achilles heel! I didn't think of that as I never use video.

[@SummersSnaps]

@@Gynra Me neither, but it is clear to me that to reach out to more photographers and talk about photographic issues, good video helps. It's a challenge I look forward to.

[@KobieMC]

I really think the KP is the last value priced camera that we'll see. I've noticed a price increase across the board. I guess the days of Pentax being the value brand are past us if the K-3 III is an indication of where the pricing is headed. Since the KP is discontinued maybe there will be another value camera as a replacement. Or it'll just be K-70, K-3 III, K-1 II, 645z. Huge jump in price between K-70 and K-3 III though. Well, enough ramblings, we'll just have to see what happens in the future. Oh! And I like these spur of the moment vids. It's like reality tv lol

[@SummersSnaps]

Heh, thanks Kobie. I feel some of the pricing is deserving, such as the DFA50 and DFA85, premium prices but the value is there, those are fantastic pieces of glass. I just felt for a time, if you had limited funds you chose Pentax because you knew it had a lot for the price and often was cheaper than the competition. When Pentax starts to equal the price tag of its rivals, that's when you start comparing and asking yourself "am I getting the best deal for putting down $2k?". I can imagine DPReview giving the K3iii the praise it deserves once its out and they have seen the results/files for themselves, but they are going to throw a 'but' in there somewhere when talking about bang for buck and what else you could get instead (for the same coin) etc. If the camera was quite significantly cheaper than the rest of the competition I just think it adds to the value and sets it apart from being a direct competitor with other APS-C flagships and would probably raise its overall review mark. Honestly can't wait to see it, exciting times ahead.

[@sdhute]

Yeppers the KP appears to be at full price everywhere now that it's discontinued. Debating a used KP or a used K1 1 for around the same price

[@JohnJBloomfield]

Aussie pricing is really interesting...price difference between a KP and XT4 in the UK is only 20-30% depending on the deals of the day makes me feel the KP is actually over priced here. At launch the K-1 was only 15% more than a KP. Personally I think currently they're pumping up the K-1 price up so the K-3iii isn't too close to FF as it'll feel to expensive when the reviews come in.

[@SummersSnaps]

I agree, and yes I think pricing is very erratic for Pentax across the world right now.

[@timstevens5178]

Now we know, yes it is !

[@SummersSnaps]

Haha, well... maybe in like 4yrs I can make a similar video for the K3iii once its price becomes hopefully more reasonable.

[@sdhute]

In lieu of making smaller cameras. The consumer suffers with the lack of good ergonomics. I've never had a DSLR or a OVF. The KP is interesting due to the current price 699 USD. Curious if it's worth playing with. Currently a M43 user. Pentax needs to do something to attract people to the brand again. Perhaps a OVF fixed lens street range finder type camera. I don't feel the K3 iii is enough to bring new people.

[@SummersSnaps]

I agree. The K3iii will appeal only to the existing Pentax fanbase and even then only certain kinds of Pentax shooters. Those already heavily invested in tele Pentax lenses will welcome the K3iii, their keeper rate for wildlife shots should be the best they've ever had, and the IQ absolutely stella. But if the pricing is going to be as high as it is suspected to be, for those starting from scratch.. other brands might offer better value (and lens choices). This video here, I just wanted to place a $ figure on value. The IQ from Pentax is never in doubt, the dynamic range of the RAW files are excellent and for the price that the KP runs at, brilliant value. Whether it's the right camera for you or not is a different thing together, only you will know the answers to those questions. If I was into some semi serious landscape shooting, a KP+DA* 11-18 and a compact tripod would make a fantastic heavy duty all weather system at an overall price point that is super competitive to some other APS-C brand offerings with similar lens.

[@alexsarbu3978]

Interesting title - was it intentional?

[@SummersSnaps]

Well... yeh, it's not a scripted talk as you can tell, I just sold the KP, thought about the overall cost and started to assign a value to that process. It then made me think about Pentax as a company and whether all their cameras have that same level of value, will we see this same level of value packed into other Pentax cameras or was the KP kinda unique? It looks likes Pentax is on a price increase path so my guess is this camera marks the end of the high value train that Pentax was on. I don't mean to suggest the K3iii will be a bad camera, I think it will be fantastic! But the difference now is likely to be around $1kAUD between the two cameras, is it worth it (especially for someone keen on landscape work)? Interesting times ahead (for all brands).

[@alexsarbu3978]

@@SummersSnaps You're not addressing the elephant in the room - the title issue - at all.

[@SummersSnaps]

@@alexsarbu3978 Sorry, I don't follow. Can you elaborate?

[@SummersSnaps]

@@alexsarbu3978 Oh! I left 'Value' out of the title! That's my dyslexia, I totally missed that! Thank you! I shall change the title to reflect what I meant. Wow... thank you.

[@snappiness]

Yeah, seems like a really good value for money right now. It's always amazing when these cameras get a few years old and people are on to bigger and better things. Your thoughts about the KP ergonomics seem consistent with the people I've asked so far. That's been a worry of mine, as I don't have a local store that carries them where I could hold it myself. Doesn't look super comfy. So far people acknowledge it's not as good as k3/k1, but say it's not too bad and you get used to it.

[@SummersSnaps]

It's about usage really. Large grip helps immensely, and I think even some say the Battery Grip makes things even better? If you are a landscape shooter however, you'll often have the camera sitting on a tripod anyway so who cares how it feels if its simply coming out of your bag and onto a tripod, or you're walking around with it permanently mounted to the tripod. Some of the rainforests I walk in, with a f2.8, 3.1 or f4 lens, I'd be handholding and getting 3200-6400 ISO shots because it can be that dim (weather dependent), almost makes a tripod mandatory anyway for almost every shot.

[@gebework2933]

nice Ed

[@klarion]

Mirrorless went for "small" size and ergonomics don't work out for average to bigger size hands...

[@coolcat23]

More like "Ramble on the Road"? You are not talking about as to why the KP might be Pentax's "last good camera" before the 11:00 minute mark and even then you are essentially only referencing an alleged (not yet released) price of the K-3 III. Worse, you don't even fully know the K-3 III yet; for all we know it could be worth twice its asking price. Even worse, you seem to be trying to talk about "bargain value" rather than "good". You are not really insinuating that the K-3 III won't be good, are you? Even if we did know that the K-3 III won't be any good (which we absolutely don't) then what would you make that a K-1 III won't be any good?

[@SummersSnaps]

First, thanks for commenting, and I like the 'Ramble on the Road!', or maybe I should call it 'talking pish whilst parked' :) I would like to address your concerns. I would have hoped my ramble was seen as being positive, that with the KP for its price point in combination with feature set and IQ is a fantastic little camera indeed. As I said in the video if someone had a limited budget and wanted to primarily get into landscape photography I would absolutely recommend this camera. I honestly don't quite understand the likes of Mark Denney using a Fuji X for landscape work for example, when we have the KP for half the price, pixelshift and almost certainly more rugged and better weather sealed. But hey there you go... The Fuji X-E4 might be KP's closest rival for APS-C at a similar price point and as I see it they suit different end users. I'd probably choose the Fuji if portrait was my thing (it'll likely have excellent AF, no front or back focusing issues, assisted AF support in ways of advanced Face/Eye tracking), but then the KP needs none of that if you're into landscape and the features listed above such as pixelshift and weather sealing matter more. It's all about user intent as I see it. Cameras are just tools. The K3iii will be an EXCELLENT camera I am sure and I am guessing the prices (based off the official indicated pricing, so its an educated guess). I predicted the DFA85 would be $2.6kAUD and seemed right with that estimation, my guess is the K-1 is raising its price so that there seems a significant difference between its pricing of the APS-C and FF, otherwise if there is only a couple hundred dollars between the two systems the K3iii might get off to a bad start. We do know the specs of the K3iii, and that can tell us a lot, I have no doubt that the K3iii will have the best IQ of ANY APS-C camera on the market (when it is released), but having said that I just don't see that to being enough to validate a 'twice its asking price'. There is more to photography than IQ. It's all about price. The K-70 is only $100 cheaper than the KP right now on Pentax Australia. Only 3 Custom User Modes and the fear of Aperture Block Failure make the KP a no brainer. If the K3iii is selling in the $2k mark I merely mean that shoppers will start looking at other systems to compare features and lens combos. With the absence of the a flip screen, increased fps, slightly better buffer, we can see the emphasis of the K3iii will be towards shooting scenarios that encourage that use (sport, action, wildlife etc). It's not a camera that is screaming 'landscape' to me (but hey... I use a 645D which has no LV and only OVF experience and I quite like it). I guess one could argue the shopper will compare the K3iii with other APS-C fast shooting cameras such as the XT-4 and even possibly some FF bodies like the A7III (price depending). It could be that Pentax's lack of tele lenses will hurt the K3iii more than the K3iii's performance itself. I really hope it is an excellent camera, I think it will be, but its value I think will not be in the same league as the KP, because of its genre and intent, its starting to now compete with other brands that really have already established some strong traits in this regard. Fingers and toes are crossed however. Pentax are strong in landscape photography and the KP is an excellent choice in this regard for those with limited funds, that is all this video is really about.

[@coolcat23]

@@SummersSnaps Hi, thanks for the elaborate reply. I agree with you that you made great points in favour of the KP. I think the only thing wrong with your video is the title. Had you called it "The Pentax KP -- An Underrated Value for Money Deal", I would have commented "Good on ya, mate for recognising for what areas Pentax cameras are good for!". The title is just too "doom and gloom" for me and its sets the wrong expectations, AFAIC. Cheers, mate!

[@SummersSnaps]

@@coolcat23 There's no click bait in that! Hehe. But no seriously, it was a rhetorical question, something I am pondering of late and wanted to see if others felt the same. I really felt with the K-50 it was fantastic value (at the time), punching above its 'budget entry' weight compared with its competitors. When I purchased the K-1 at the time I too felt it was really good value with its price tag, many Canikony FF offerings were a good $1-2k more expensive and lacking some neat features like pixelshift and focus peaking. But the KP seems to have sneaked in and maintained a really good price+feature status that leads me a little perplexed about Pentax as company (going forward). I wanted this video to be a bit more than just KP love thing (there are quite a good few videos already praising its fame), this for me was about Pentax and the $ value we assign to it. As the camera market shrinks it's inevitable that prices on all brands and goods increase. I cannot help shake this feeling that the KP might mark the 'transition camera' whereby at the time and during its availability it maintained brilliant value (and in fact increased in value as other prices surrounding it increased, such as K-1). Will we see this kind of value again? Or are we entering a new phase of pricing (from both Pentax and elsewhere) whereby we get increasingly analytical about our next purchases (as they will be costly). Thanks again for commenting and replying.

[@ianbaxter9209]

Lot of fake news around its still produced

[@SummersSnaps]

I think I saw another youtuber say it was showing as discontinued on USA Pentax site for awhile, then back to being non discontinued, then back to being discontinued... #justpentaxthings. I could understand Pentax's logic in discontinuing the KP to help push the K3iii to the forefront when it gets here, but who knows... maybe it was an omen, maybe mistake. Side note, Pentax Australia has suddenly shown various old stock cameras for sale as being 'back ordered' (ie that they are in the warehouses overseas but you can buy them now and secure the purchase), such models as the K-50 and KS2, strange times indeed.

[@ivanlupi5123]

You used to be such a helpful guy on the Pentaxian world, now you are just an annoying GIF hater for everything you disagree with. Clic bait. Had 2 kp,s but couldn’t stand the ergonomics. Great camera though. If your are going to talk about something, just get to the point.

[@SummersSnaps]

Thanks Ivan, appreciate your lovely thoughts.