For some this is the most hated mirrorless camera on the face of the earth, possibly the galaxy. Most mirrorless machines are small, compact, light. Not this baby. It's nicknamed the "brick" by many. It was designed by Mark Newson. It's of a futuristic retro design. It's looks requires an acquired taste. Well, I love my "brick" , it reminds me of my old Ricoh KR-10 Super. My very first SLR in the mid 90's. In fact the lenses of that camera are what prompted me to dive into the K-01.
The K-01 in my eyes is the most genius invention coming from Pentax / Ricoh. A camera that can make use of vintage K-mount lenses and current lenses without an adapter? Yes please! Well, to be fair all Pentax DSLR K-mount cameras can do this however, this one is mirrorless. I'm all about that. That means there is a huge amount of lens choices for this little machine. From vintage glass to the most modern offerings.
Can it be used professionally? Well, for what I do, yes. I have shot portraits with it. In the studio and on location with no problems. Well, Ok maybe one. There is no viewfinder, everything is done on the LCD screen. So if your on a location where there happens to be bright sunlight, your going to have to get creative to look at the screen. Fortunately there are tons of after market shades for screens. So not a real big problem.
Another plus is that It's sporting a beautiful 16MP SONY sensor. I have shot bands, portraits, concerts and even took it on vacation with me. I have even shot several music videos with it. I admit. Video is not it's strongest area but, like any other camera out there, if you know it's limitations and you know what it can and can not do, then you can obviously get what you want out of it. It has the ability to help you create something awesome. I love my "brick".
-Vic