Pentax K-01 vs Pentax KF

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Pentax K-01 and the Pentax KF, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Pentax K-01 was introduced in May 2012 and Pentax KF was introduced in November 2022. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax K-01 over Pentax KF.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax KF over Pentax K-01.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Pentax K-01 and Pentax KF have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Pentax K-01 has a Fixed screen Pentax KF has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Pentax KF

Pentax KF has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Pentax K-01.

Pentax K-01 features a 16 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.7 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 372.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Pentax KF features a 24.24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 102,400.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	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	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	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

Pentax K-01 can take pictures up to 4928 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4352 x 3264, 4224 x 2816, 4928 x 2776, 4224 x 2376, 3840 x 2880, 3456 x 2304, 3456x1944, 3264 x 3264, 3072 x 2304, 2880 x 2880, 2688 x 1792, 2688 x 1512, 2304 x 2304, 2304 x 1728, 1728 x 1728 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Pentax KF is equipped with PRIME MII processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 3072, 3072 x 2048, 1920 x 1280 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Pentax K_AF2 lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 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.

No Low-Pass Filter on Pentax KF

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Pentax KF. 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.

In-Body Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) (4.5 stops of compensation in Pentax KF). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Pentax KF

Pentax KF has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Pentax K-01 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Pentax KF has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Pentax K-01 comes with D-LI90 battery pack with battery life of 540 shots and Pentax KF comes with D-LI109 battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Pentax KF has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Pentax K-01, and up to 1/6000 sec on Pentax KF. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps.

Focusing

Pentax K-01 has 81 focusing points and Pentax KF has 11 (9 cross-type) focusing points. Pentax KF has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Pentax KF ranges from 0 to +22 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 EV range on Pentax K-01 and ±5 EV range on Pentax KF. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax K-01 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Pentax KF.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100.. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe to Pentax K-01 and via Hot Shoe or Wireless connection to Pentax KF. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on both cameras.

Pentax K-01 body has dimensions of 122 x 79 x 58 mm (4.8 x 3.11 x 2.28") and Pentax KF body has dimensions of 126 x 93 x 74 mm (4.94 x 3.66 x 2.91"). Pentax K-01 weighs 561 g (1.24 lb / 19.79 oz) and Pentax KF weighs 688 g (1.52 lb / 24.27 oz).

Pentax K-01

Pentax KF

122 mm

79 mm

126 mm

93 mm

79 mm

93 mm

58 mm

74 mm