| While an 'MX-D' or 'MZ-5D' has certain appeal, the K10D is already on the no-nonsense side of the D-SLR formula. What it isn't is compact/light. I suspect that there are more than a few of us here (me included) who would be interested in a more compact but professional body (like MX) to mount our limited primes on. It should be tough and have the essentials, including a big, bright viewfinder. Kind of like an updated *ist D.
I don't see the aperture ring or support for it coming back, ever. I suppose one could put an e-dial around the lens mount but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.
For the sake of simplicity of operation (you could drop several settings and controls right there), I can see possibly going back to a single AF point but this might be market suicide.
I think many of us have a sense of nostalgia for the classic look & feel but in truth I'm guessing an old-style body would get slammed for ergonomics. The current smaller Oly bodies like E-410 are the closest in styling as they don't have particularly deep hand grips.
I had been thinking about entry-level D-SLRs recently as a couple of family members had been in the market and while initially I was thinking that the K200D is perhaps slightly pricey and that there are good reasons that the Nikon D40 has been a smash hit--but at second glance, the K200D is really a great design (though I wish they had one with a pentaprism viewfinder!). Completely full-featured, barely anything withheld. Yes, it's a little bulkier, but maybe it is the perfect size--the tinier ones are somewhat less comfortable for male hands. |