Pentax K-1 And K-1 Mark II Received Firmware Update Version 2.41

The wait is finally over as it felt like almost an eternity since the last update when models like the Pentax K-1 and K-1 Mark II ran into silly issues, causing stargazers quite a headache, however, the new update might just be the holy grail everyone was so eagerly looking forward to. 

If you aren’t familiar, or simply out of the loop, apparently, the firmware update 2.40 wrought upon a whole host of issues rendering these two Pentax models to end up malfunctioning, especially in the Astro tracer mode, this must have been terrifying for the amateur astronomers who invested in these tools only to find a critical function suddenly unusable. 

Fortunately, to address the issue and rectify it since it has been plaguing the global community, the detailed changelog has taken care of the problems and has marked as “corrected” which includes: 

• The biggest issue that has been plaguing the K-1 and the K-1 Mark II was the inability to record images when using Astro Racer Type 3 mode, especially during interval shooting which caused hurdles during the time lapse mode as the recording usually felt jagged or downright uneven, this issue has been rectified in the new update. 
• On the other hand, the SD issue has been fixed where it would incorrectly show the memory capacity was empty even if it had some memory available, now it would be accurately displayed on the screen.
• Speaking of displaying numbers on the screen, the number of remaining shots has been rectified as previously users would only see inaccurate digit counters, causing quite confusion and frustration.
• The exposure countdown issue has been fixed in the new 2.41 update, make sure you update your models as soon as possible to attain the full potential out of the Astrotracer Type 3 Mode.
• In addition to correcting those pesky problems, the update strives to enhance the overall experience for all Pentax K-1 and K-1 Mark II users. 

The above changelog gives astrophotographers a certain peace of mind especially if you take into account that Pentax has fixed general issues like remaining shot count, so you could easily determine how long you have with your SD card before the storage capacity piles up.

Hats off to Pentax which has been tirelessly working on churning up updates without giving up on their models, unlike other camera manufacturers that often call it quits when years pass by, Pentax has been watching over their customers by providing updates that strive towards stability across the board.

What Is Astrotracer Mode?

The Astrotracer mode is by far one of the most unique and Innovative approaches that solves a whole host of issues swiftly, apparently, it uses the camera’s  5-axis shake reduction system to help counteract the rotation of stars during long exposures. As we know the Earth is constantly rotating which causes stars to appear jagged while leaving trails behind as they move across the sky from our perspective, during long exposure shots, this might not look like a beautiful sight at all.

Once the Astrotracer mode is turned on, the issue related to trails of the stars is easily solved as the 5-axis stabilization slowly shifts the sensor in sync with the night sky’s motion. The image-processing engine also takes into account elements like location, time, focal length, and more. But that’s not all, as landscapes or cityscapes below can be captured sharply during extended durations without any hindrance.

Speaking of which, there are three distinctive astrotracer modes, The first and the most basic mode, Type 1 follows stars at a fixed speed while Type 2 adjusts for star drift in real time. Type 3 is a more advanced setting tailored for astrophotography time-lapses over long periods. Keep in mind the v2.40 update wrought upon errors that correspond to interval shooting that have now been rectified.

Nevertheless, being a Professional astrophotographer, “we are delighted to resume our adventures across the galaxy and explore breathtaking time-lapses of Milky Way archways and satellites trailing across nebulae with the K1 and K1 Mark II, Let’s hope for the best there aren’t any other glitches or bugs lingering by in the future.”