[grahame]

The more I look at the picture of Pentax K-S1, the more I feel like it is a smaller mirror less camera inserted in an adapter consists of lens mount (to adjust K lens) + mirror box + flash + OVF.
Maybe you will be offered an option to take the adapter off, put a smaller lens with new mount and use it as compact mirror less came, and put the adapter on, you can use it with K mount lenses as an DSLR!
Maybe that is the "totally new product" pentax was talking about!

Attached Images

 

[Adam]

Looks to me like a perfectly normal K-mount mirror box They just stuck a mirrorless-like grip on there. It actually looks fairly attractive in white!

[Kunzite]

Nope, it's a regular DSLR.
I think Ricoh found out that modular things don't work/sell.

[Joshua A]

In a perfect world, that would be an amazing idea. Unfortunately, as is know, the mirror placement and alignment is critical for both phase detection and visual focusing, and I find it extremely difficult to believe Pentax engineers could develop a foolproof removal-reattachment mechanism.

[grahame]

it extremely difficult to believe Pentax engineers could develop a foolproof removal-reattachment mechanism

Agree!

Maybe the idea could be applied on a new K-01 camera that accept K lenses, and taking the adapter off, you can use smaller primes.

So many times, I wish my camera could be smaller when I have da ltd lenses mounted, and wish my K-01 could have a bigger grip and viewfinder to work with a tele lens or a heavier zoom.

i will not rule out the possibility that this is a mirrorless camera, even though it appears to be a DSLR.

[grahame]

The viewfinder does look like an OVF, so I believe it is more likely a DSLR.
more information will come soon.

[Kunzite]

i will not rule out the possibility that this is a mirrorless camera, even though it appears to be a DSLR.

I would. The cat's out of the bag.

[Na Horuk]

So many times, I wish my camera could be smaller when I have da ltd lenses mounted

:O You think DA 21mm ltd, DA 40mm ltd, and DA 70mm ltd are too big? Pretty sure the DA 40mm XS is the thinnest AF lens for this format ever made for any brand lol

[grahame]

:O You think DA 21mm ltd, DA 40mm ltd, and DA 70mm ltd are too big?

No, I think the camera is too big for these small lenses.
and when I need longer/heavier lenses, I want a bigger camera with bigger grip and viewfinder.

---------- Post added 08-20-14 at 04:40 PM ----------

:O You think DA 21mm ltd, DA 40mm ltd, and DA 70mm ltd are too big?

No, I think the camera is too big for these small lenses.
and when I need longer/heavier lenses, I want a bigger camera with bigger grip and viewfinder.

[Mistral75]

The more I look at the picture of Pentax K-S1, the more I feel like it is a smaller mirror less camera inserted in an adapter consists of lens mount (to adjust K lens) + mirror box + flash + OVF.
Maybe you will be offered an option to take the adapter off, put a smaller lens with new mount and use it as compact mirror less came, and put the adapter on, you can use it with K mount lenses as an DSLR!
Maybe that is the "totally new product" pentax was talking about!

A prototype system close to what you are describing was developed by Pentax Ricoh Imaging R&D department in 2012 and early 2013 under the name of "Pentaflex" and reported back here. This was a modular camera with:

- a mirrorless, viewfinderless body with a new mount, totally electronic, with a large diameter and a short register, then called 'Ace' mount (as being superior to K-King and Q-Queen)
- an electronic viewfinder one could plug on top of the body
- alternatively, the 'Pentaflex' module one could plug on the front and top of the body, comprising a K mount, a mirror box (partly 'penetrating inside' the Ace-mount), its mirror, an optical viewfinder, a dedicated phase-detection autofocus system, an actuator to settle the aperture on K-mount lenses (with full retrocompatibility with K and M lenses) and an AF motor
- two more simple K-to-Ace adapters, both with SDM/DC contacts, one with AF motor, one without (the one without AF motor being targeted to SDM, DC and non-AF lenses), both without optical viewfinder but compatible with the electronic one and including a simple, mechanical aperture coupling (think K-to-Q adapter)
- dedicated Ace-mount lenses with electronic aperture, focus-by-wire and stepper motors.

Then Ricoh people took the power within Pentax Ricoh Imaging, the launch of K50/K500 was slightly postponed to make way for that of the Ricoh GR (which was initially branded Pentax and eventually Ricoh), Pentax Ricoh Imaging was renamed Ricoh Imaging and, from mid-April 2013 on, I never heard of the Pentaflex project any more except, indirectly, in July 2013 from asahi man here:

Not this year.
But it looks like a classic dslr in K-3 Style and K mount and later a mirrorless with a new mount,but compatible with K SDM mount by converter
But it is not sure,the second camera

.
As Kunzite points out,

I think Ricoh found out that modular things don't work/sell.

[grahame]

I heard of "Ace-mount", but didn't know the rest of the story/history.
Maybe like Joshua said, producing such a system allowing perfect alignment is too difficult and expensive.
Thanks for posting!

[Mistral75]

I heard of "Ace-mount", but didn't know the rest of the story/history.
Maybe like Joshua said, producing such a system allowing perfect alignment is too difficult and expensive.
Thanks for posting!

You're welcome.

You don't need a perfect z-axis alignment when the camera's software allows to calibrate the phase-detection autofocus of the Pentaflex module with the assistance of the contrast-detection autofocus of the body, this with an automated routine.

You still need to ensure a perfect parallelism of the two flanges of the Pentaflex module (to avoid any tilt) but the situation is the same with any and all adapters.

[stevebrot]

A prototype system close to what you are describing was developed by Pentax Ricoh Imaging R&D department in 2012 and early 2013 under the name of "Pentaflex" and reported back here.

Oh, yeah. Wasn't it you that posted this originally on the French PentaxOne forum? I read the original and the account sounded a bit fanciful at the time.

http://www.pentaxone.fr/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,28/topic,17597.msg1849956/#msg1849956


Steve

[ruggiex]

WR would be difficult with modular design.