Pentax k1 "silent" shutter

[Lou Jost]

Well, now I see why the internet is so confused about whether the Pentax K1 full-frame camera has a true electronic shutter (no moving parts) or an EFCS. After updating the K1 firmware to 1.40, which supposedly introduces what Ricoh calls an "electronic shutter", I have tried it in multiple modes and still can't figure out what to call it. I put it in Live View mode, with "Pixel shift" enabled. The sensor is exposed, shutter open. I press the shutter and there is no visible movement and no sound, and it takes four exposures in perfect silence. Then the shutter closes and the camera indicates that it is processing the images. Then after about six seconds the shutter opens again and the camera is ready to do another set. So it is using a fully electronic shutter for three of the four pictures, but for the last one, there is a second-curtain mechanical shutter. It is crazy!

Maybe there is a setting that can change this behavior. I will explore more.

[rjlittlefield]

Very interesting!

But my guess would be that the last picture is terminated by electronic shutter also, and closing of the mechanical shutter is associated with changing modes to do the processing.

I'd also guess, in sheer skepticism, that closing is not really required, but is just in there because some implementer or low-level designer decided that the shutter should be closed whenever there's no good reason for it to be open, and that person didn't happen to think of "ah, no vibration!" as being a good reason.

If there's no option to leave the shutter open, then I recommend dropping a note to the company to let them know that you'd like to have one. The odds are real good it'll never happen unless people request it.

--Rik

[Macrero]

Thanks for sharing that, Lou! That was what I understood from what I had read, although it seemed weird to me...

What about Live View with E-shutter in "normal" (single exposure) mode?

[Lou Jost]

Rik, I am sure that's right. Unbelievably stupid, though other manufacturers have also made equally stupid (from our perspective) implementations of Live View.

Macrero, the single shots act similarly; silent exposure, shutter closes during file writing, then opens again.

[Lou Jost]

I really want to like this camera. Many of the complaints of Michael Erlewine in the thread Macrero mentioned above are not problematic for me, at least in the updated firmware version (1.40) that I am using. The Live View mode gives a normalized exposure regardless of setting, and I would prefer that it show a true preview of how the set exposure will look. But the green button sets the exposure to give exactly what the Live View shows, and it is easy to adjust it to give the desired degree of under- or over-exposure relative to the metered value, and a test shot can confirm that you are getting what you want. There are no problems shooting with non-native lenses (or with no lenses at all). The settings are easy to learn and the colors are nice.

I am still working to test the pixel-shift function. Ray had seen false detail in his pixel-shift tests of the Pentax K-3. I don't have enough of my equipment here to really test that properly, but I am doing my best, with a Minolta 40mm lens taped to the camera in reverse (I don't have enough rings to mount it properly), with the camera sitting on a dresser, aimed at a butterfly wing taped to the wall. My first pixel-shift image is stunningly sharp at 400% magnification. But is it real? I don't know yet. Will post later. I have to decide today whether to keep this or exchange it for a Sony A7Rii.

[Macrero]

The lack of "real" e-shutter is a pity It's a shame Ricoh did not implement a fully electronic shutter in Live View.

Nice to know though that there is no problem with exposure in LV.

I am looking forward to seeing your tests in PixelShift mode.

[Macrero]

Lou, what did you finally decide? Is the PixelShift really worth it?

[Lou Jost]

I still am in the US, away from my stacking equipment, so I still can't give a definitive answer. Certainly non-stacked images appear sharper when taken with pixel-shifting. But I need to compare the results against a higher-magnification image of the same object, to make sure that the apparent detail is real.I go home on July 5 and will be able to test it carefully then.

One of my intended applications is monochrome imagery using wafer photolithography lenses with blue or violet laser light. Without pixel shifting, the 36Mp sensor will only have 9Mp of real information. WIth pixel-shifting, there will be potentially four times more resolution. This is huge, and currently there are no affordable non-pixel-shifting full-frame cameras that could achieve this, not even astrophotography cameras. So for me, I think pixel-shifting will be worth the trouble.

I also have to replace the Pentax mount with a Nikon one, since all my lenses are Nikon.

[Macrero]

Okay, I will wait to see the results of your tests before deciding between the K1 and the a7R II. I am very busy at work this summer and I have little time for photos, so no hurry.