KFvs A1
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Landscape & Outdoor — KF (2022): The Pentax KF is a rare thing — a weather-sealed DSLR with in-body stabilisation and an articulating screen at an accessible price. Video is modest at 1080p/60p, but for outdoor and landscape photographers who prefer optical viewfinders and want real weather sealing, the KF delivers in a format that is increasingly hard to find.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
KF (2022)
- Outdoor and landscape photographers who want weather sealing at an accessible price
- DSLR users who want IBIS and an articulating screen without switching systems
- Pentax K-mount lens collectors who want a modern body for their glass
- Photographers who prefer the natural feel of an optical viewfinder
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the kf is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | KF (2022) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £700 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | SAFOX 13 phase-detect AF with 11 points | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | In-body Shake Reduction (SR II), up to 5.5 stops | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 6fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~410 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 643g (body only) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 131.0 × 101.0 × 76.0mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentamirror, 0.95× magnification, ~100% coverage | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Pentax KF-mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | KF | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wedding | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with KF
Camera family history