| Honestly I can't fathom some people's propensity to create threads to speculate on a low-end Pentax out of nothing. Isn't the K200D already the entry level camera in Pentax's current line-up?
A smaller camera might be possible but devoid of Shake Reduction, it will not sell. One only needs to look at the fate of the short-lived K110D. The K100D was the volume seller simply because SR works and it offered a demonstrably superior feature despite the slight increase in price.
The reason why there is no pentaprism is simply a cost issue. A pentamirror is way cheaper. Those who point to film cameras like the MX as an example of small form factor camera with a pentaprism forget the fact that one needs to allocate space for electronics, batteries and focus motor.
The K200D is just a tad bigger than the K100D/K100D Super in size but it is still portable enough. A downsized DSLR stripped of established features is surely a commercial non-starter in my opinion and will surely be a flop when it goes on sale. The direction now among camera manufacturers is to offer more features at a lower cost. People who step up to a DSLR from PnS and bridge/prosumer cameras want better performance and better quality as a key criteria for selection, not a small form factor per se. |