New Pentax K-1 update improves astro photos without GPS!

Ricoh announced a new firmware update for their full-frame Pentax K-1. This includes Astrotracer Type 3, improving its ability to create Milky Way, astrophotography and deep sky photos.

Why is this a big deal?

The Pentax K-1 already had a built-in Astrotracer. This enabled the camera to follow the stars utilizing GPS data to shift its sensor during longer exposures, allowing you to shoot longer exposures without star trailing while reducing noise and increasing details. In other words, the Astrotracer does much of what a tracking mount does, but without the extra cost and weight.

But now, the new Astrotracer Type 3 allows you to track celestial objects without using the camera’s GPS unit. This is considerably easier, allowing you to use its star tracking feature without requiring precision calibration of GPS data! You used to have to do a “GPS dance,” moving the camera along three axes while waiting for it to acquire precise calibration. No longer!

Even better, this firmware update allows you to photograph in areas that have strong magnetic interference, whether natural or human-made.

Wait, didn’t Pentax K-3 already have Astrotracer Type 3?

Yes, yes it did. This came out in 2022, causing waves of excitement among Pentaxians at the Pentax Forum and elsewhere. Not having to initially calibrate and then continually recalibrate when moving to a new location is immensely more appealing. Now, it’s on their full-frame camera.

Breakdown of Astrotracer types

The Ricoh site describes the different kinds of Astrotracer that it includes with this latest firmware update. The original Astrotracer on Pentax K-1 is now referred to as “Type 1”.

Interestingly, Type 2 is like Type 1, only at half the speed. The idea here is to strike a balance between capturing the landscape and the stars.

ASTROTRACER Type1
Conventional ASTROTRACER function. Shift the camera’s image sensor in synchronization with the movements of stars (diurnal motion) to prioritize the celestial bodies and stars to be captured as solid points.

ASTROTRACER Type2
Shift the camera’s image sensor half the speed of Type 1 in synchronization with the movements of stars to prioritize capturing the landscape and stars in a good balance.

ASTROTRACER Type3*
A simplified equatorial function that enables to track and capture celestial bodies without using GPS. Before actual shooting, a preliminary shot is captured automatically, enabling celestial body tracking from star movements. This feature eliminates GPS positioning wait time and able to shoot in locations subject to previously troublesome magnetic fields. As the star movements are being captured on an image, ASTROTRACER’s auto-tracking function may fail when objects other than stars, such as clouds, enter the image field. In such situations, it is recommended that users select the Type 1 or Type 2 mode. When used with interval shooting, it is possible to perform multiple main exposures with a single preliminary shot.

＊Time exposure of the mode dial B (Bulb Exposure) is available (Normal bulb exposure is not possible).
＊Not compatible with fisheye lenses.
＊Only use the zoom lens at the wide or telephoto end. However, the following lenses can be used at any zoom position.
　HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mmF4.5-6.3ED PLM WR RE
　HD PENTAX-DA^★11-18mmF2.8ED DC AW
　HD PENTAX-DA^★16-50mmF2.8ED PLM AW

Ricoh website

See more of Timothy Little’s photography

All Milky Way night photos are by Tim Little, who used a Pentax K-1 with the Astrotracer feature. Catch up with Timothy Little’s photography and workshops on his Cape Night Photography website. I have been teaching night photography workshops with him recently.