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Pentax K-S1 was announced in 2014 and is an APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) DSLR camera with 20.12 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 51,200. The camera has a Fixed 3.0" screen with 921k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a built-in Sensor Shift in body image stabilization.
Pentax K-S1 can capture video up to 1920 x 1080 resolution.
In this section we present pros and cons of Pentax K-S1.
And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:
In 2015 Pentax K-S1 was replaced by Pentax K-S2. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Pentax K-S1 and its successor.
| UPGRADES | Pentax K-S2 | vs | Pentax K-S1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timelapse Recording | vs | ||
| Screen Type | Fully Articulated | vs | Fixed |
| Microphone Input | vs | ||
| Built-In Wi-Fi | vs | Eye-Fi connection possible | |
| Environmental Sealing | vs | ||
| Dust Proof | vs |
| DOWNGRADES | Pentax K-S2 | vs | Pentax K-S1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| More Expensive | $799/£649 (with 18-50mm WR lens) | vs | $749 / £549 (body only), $799 / £599 (with 18-55mm lens) |
| Heavier | 678 g (1.49 lb / 23.92 oz) | vs | 558 g (1.23 lb / 19.68 oz) |
For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Pentax K-S1 vs K-S2.
Pentax K-S1 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 921k dot resolution.
Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.
Pentax K-S1 features a 20.12 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 366.6 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200.
Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Pentax K-S1's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:
| Sensor | Dimensions | Area | Aspect Ratio | Crop Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Medium Format | 44 x 33 mm | 1452 mm2 | 4:3 | 0.79x |
 | Full Frame | 36 x 24 mm | 864 mm2 | 3:2 | 1x |
 | APS-H | 27 x 18 mm | 486 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.3x |
 | APS-C | 23.5 x 15.6 mm | 366.6 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.5x |
 0.webp) | APS-C (Canon) | 22.3 x 14.9 mm | 332.3 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.6x |
 | Micro Four Thirds | 17.4 x 13 mm | 226.2 mm2 | 4:3 | 2x |
 | 1-inch | 13.2 x 8.8 mm | 116.2 mm2 | 3:2 | 2.7x |
 | 1/1.7-inch | 7.44 x 5.58 mm | 41.5 mm2 | 4:3 | 4.7x |
 | 1/2.3-inch | 6.17 x 4.55 mm | 28.1 mm2 | 4:3 | 5.6x |
Camera is equipped with PRIME MII processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 4224 x 2816, 3456 x 2304, 3072 x 2448, 1920 x 1080 with 3:2 aspect ratios.
Pentax K-S1 has Pentax KAF2 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.
There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.
The camera has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.
Pentax K-S1 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.
Pentax K-S1 comes with D-LI109 battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.
The camera has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.
Pentax K-S1's shutter speed can go up to 1/6000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 5.4 fps.
Pentax K-S1 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 10.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe.
Pentax K-S1 has dimensions of 121 x 93 x 70 mm (4.76 x 3.66 x 2.76"). It weighs 558 g (1.23 lb / 19.68 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.
121 mm (4.76")
93 mm (3.66")
93 mm (3.66")
70 mm (2.76")
Pentax K-S1 dimensions
We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Pentax K-S1 is suitable for six different types of photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 71 and is GOOD choice for Landscape photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 73 and is GOOD choice for Sports photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 66 and is AVERAGE choice for Wildlife photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 85 and is EXCELLENT choice for Portrait photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 82 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.
Pentax K-S1 gets a score of 79 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.
We evaluate Pentax K-S1 and give score of 69 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 71 for Sensor parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 76 for Photo parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 45 for Video parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 83 for Focusing parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 73 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 65 for Connectivity parameters.
We give Pentax K-S1 a score of 40 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.
For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:
