Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
08-29-2014, 02:10 AM   #1
Administrator
Site Webmaster
Adam's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Arizona
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 51,584
Reflecting on the Pentax K-S1 Launch

The Pentax K-S1 is a bold move: is it a step in the right direction or a misguided concept?

Read more on the PF homepage...

08-30-2014, 01:21 AM   #2
Banned




Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posts: 423
It really depends on whether that 'modular' appearance turns out to be a teaser for a new line of modular cameras (including a FF model) with k-mount adapter, or just another bit of Pentax bling.

I personally believe there's a very good chance it's the former...
08-30-2014, 02:00 AM   #3
Pentaxian
Dartmoor Dave's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dartmoor, UK
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 3,856
I think it's very much a step in the right direction.

The styling is likely to appeal to non-traditional DSLR buyers, bringing new blood into the market. And we all know by now that the lights can be turned off.
The simplified control layout will help make the transition to a DSLR easier for smartphone and compact camera users.
A mirrorless-sized camera with a 100% pentaprism optical viewfinder will be a unique selling point in a crowded market.
The flexibility of the K mount will allow beginners to grow and learn with the camera, experimenting with manual lenses or modern autofocus primes.
The sample shots with the 20MP non-AA sensor look wonderful.

The general impression is that the K-S1 is aimed at beginners, but the results from that sensor look so good that I think it's actually a serious photographer's camera too.
08-30-2014, 04:57 AM   #4
Veteran Member




Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: East Bay Area
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 811
The design is good idea to differentiate itself but they need to make an entry level version that costs around $450 using old parts as well in order to attract new buyers who are unsure about Pentax as brand.

08-30-2014, 07:04 AM - 3 Likes   #5
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
monochrome's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Working From Home
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 26,276
QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
The Pentax K-S1 is a bold move: is it a step in the right direction or a misguided concept?

Read more on the PF homepage...
Excellent. You killed it as far as the USA is concerned before it was even released, just like K-01, but politely.

SUBHEAD:
A fresh take or a misguided concept?
Nobody even has to read the review.

Denver may pay attention to PF but I'd bet a dollar if Ricoh ever cared about us before they'll never care about us again.
09-12-2014, 03:58 AM   #6
Veteran Member
zoolander's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Gold Coast
Photos: Albums
Posts: 351
Why does almost everyone not get it ! Don't look at it as a model, you look at it as a marketing strategy. Whether it works or not is yet to be seen.

I first got into digital photography with a nikon - my friend said nikon is the best, get a nikon. When you are with Nikon, the business model is simple. You buy an entry level crop body camera, and later move up the range to a 35mm DSLR. Plus on the way, make sure you buy plenty of expensive FX lenses till you get to the 35mm DSLR. Thats it ! Thats the business model ! It ends at 35mm DSLR. So when I first bought a Nikon, a 35mm body was an absolute fortune, and simply out of the question ........ and this is where Pentax or Sony and now today Fujifilm comes in.

Pentax, Sony and Fujifilm DO NOT want to copy the Canikon business model. They are trying to create new product line-ups which differentiate their brand from the canikon. Look at how Sony created the NEX system, and now everybody has gotten on the band wagon and is copying Sony. Now fujifilm is trying to corner that market segment.

How can Pentax make a crop bodied camera, which is not just another big black box, appealing to a wider audience. This K-S1 is just like the NEX concept - something different, something stylish and compact, but has an optical viewfinder (EVF's are terrible in low light). The NEX camera system looked so cool and was so futuristic when it came out, it took the market by storm, and it brought over a whole new demographic to interchangeable lens cameras. But the ting in the tail of CSC is the EVF optional, and is useless in low light.

Okay, so what you have in the K-S1 is a stylish compact body with a pentaprism. Compact is always a good thing, and the new UI will appeal to newcomers who are used to a more "in-your-face" android or iphone.

Its a good concept, its staying true to the pentaprism, and the color scheme's are great (I love it when I spot a colorful pentax in a crowd, because I'll try to make my way closer and give a wink or nod to a fellow Pentaxian).

Pentax will see how well the concept is received. I think they will have success, especially with women who feel intimidated by boring black and plastic-ey canikon's. It uses K-mount lenses, and not a new mirrorless mount.

I never forgot the first time I saw a NEX, I thought it looked high-tech and futuristic, but I looked into it but it cost too much, and didn't quite have what I was looking for. I recently looked into Fujifilm cameras, and the one I wanted didn't in the least have an EVF as an optional add-on, so's I can stabilize it against my eyebrow. It also doesn't have sensor stabilization, and the form factor wasn't that much smaller (Nex's are smaller) - so NO SALE !

I personally would like to see another attempt at a mirroless by Pentax, just take a Ricoh GR, put on a new lens mount and socket for an optional EVF. The Ricoh GR is the perfect platform for a mirrorless CSC (Makes me wonder why Sigma doesn't do it to their DP's -they would kill the market).

I like this K-S1, and I can't wait to try it and maybe get it as a second body, after I get a K-3 first though !
09-12-2014, 04:21 AM   #7
Moderator
Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
Sandy Hancock's Avatar

Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 11,254
Well said monochrome.
I am quietly confident the K-S1 will be a winner. I hope it sells by the truckload, partly to stick it up the haters.
It is certainly the upgrade path for my K-01.

09-12-2014, 04:49 AM   #8
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
i_trax's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Perth Western Australia
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 2,621
QuoteOriginally posted by zoolander Quote
Why does almost everyone not get it ! Don't look at it as a model, you look at it as a marketing strategy. Whether it works or not is yet to be seen.

I first got into digital photography with a nikon - my friend said nikon is the best, get a nikon. When you are with Nikon, the business model is simple. You buy an entry level crop body camera, and later move up the range to a 35mm DSLR. Plus on the way, make sure you buy plenty of expensive FX lenses till you get to the 35mm DSLR. Thats it ! Thats the business model ! It ends at 35mm DSLR. So when I first bought a Nikon, a 35mm body was an absolute fortune, and simply out of the question ........ and this is where Pentax or Sony and now today Fujifilm comes in.

Pentax, Sony and Fujifilm DO NOT want to copy the Canikon business model. They are trying to create new product line-ups which differentiate their brand from the canikon. Look at how Sony created the NEX system, and now everybody has gotten on the band wagon and is copying Sony. Now fujifilm is trying to corner that market segment.

How can Pentax make a crop bodied camera, which is not just another big black box, appealing to a wider audience. This K-S1 is just like the NEX concept - something different, something stylish and compact, but has an optical viewfinder (EVF's are terrible in low light). The NEX camera system looked so cool and was so futuristic when it came out, it took the market by storm, and it brought over a whole new demographic to interchangeable lens cameras. But the ting in the tail of CSC is the EVF optional, and is useless in low light.

Okay, so what you have in the K-S1 is a stylish compact body with a pentaprism. Compact is always a good thing, and the new UI will appeal to newcomers who are used to a more "in-your-face" android or iphone.

Its a good concept, its staying true to the pentaprism, and the color scheme's are great (I love it when I spot a colorful pentax in a crowd, because I'll try to make my way closer and give a wink or nod to a fellow Pentaxian).

Pentax will see how well the concept is received. I think they will have success, especially with women who feel intimidated by boring black and plastic-ey canikon's. It uses K-mount lenses, and not a new mirrorless mount.

I never forgot the first time I saw a NEX, I thought it looked high-tech and futuristic, but I looked into it but it cost too much, and didn't quite have what I was looking for. I recently looked into Fujifilm cameras, and the one I wanted didn't in the least have an EVF as an optional add-on, so's I can stabilize it against my eyebrow. It also doesn't have sensor stabilization, and the form factor wasn't that much smaller (Nex's are smaller) - so NO SALE !

I personally would like to see another attempt at a mirroless by Pentax, just take a Ricoh GR, put on a new lens mount and socket for an optional EVF. The Ricoh GR is the perfect platform for a mirrorless CSC (Makes me wonder why Sigma doesn't do it to their DP's -they would kill the market).

I like this K-S1, and I can't wait to try it and maybe get it as a second body, after I get a K-3 first though !
well spoken, I will definitely get K-S1 and will play with it, I like the design, I like small compact size and all its features, it will remind me of my old K-x in a way
and most likely will pass it to my daughter , she will love it
it feels good, looks good and hopefully performances will also be good
09-12-2014, 04:58 AM   #9
Pentaxian




Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Stratford, CT
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 730
Just to be clear, we currently have a thread predicting possible future rumors, and here we have a "look back" at a camera that hasn't been released yet.

Silly season in Pentax land.
09-12-2014, 07:11 PM   #10
Veteran Member
zoolander's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Gold Coast
Photos: Albums
Posts: 351
QuoteOriginally posted by i_trax Quote
well spoken, I will definitely get K-S1 and will play with it, I like the design, I like small compact size and all its features, it will remind me of my old K-x in a way
and most likely will pass it to my daughter , she will love it
it feels good, looks good and hopefully performances will also be good
Thanks !

My hunch is that the K-S1 will become the entry level model once the 16 mega pixel Pentax's are run out. The higher price will make the K-500 and K-50 more appealing - but this is standard stuff in the product cycle. So the K-S1 probably replaces the K-500 IMO, and my hunch is that the K-50 replacement (K-S2 ?) will have weather sealing ........ I know, more future rumors and speculation ! But it looks like an entry to mid-level revamp from Pentax.

So I'm guessing that all the venom, hysteria, lunacy and complaints about the K-S1, might translate into the improvements for the K-50 replacement. To me, the K-S1 looks entry level according to the feature set.

I really like it as an entry level camera, I think it looks great, and a logical competitor to the baby canon DSLR. But I'd wait to get it after the 16mp cameras are run-out.

---------- Post added 09-13-14 at 12:32 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by DennisH Quote
Just to be clear, we currently have a thread predicting possible future rumors, and here we have a "look back" at a camera that hasn't been released yet.

Silly season in Pentax land.
I couldn't agree more !

Hardly anybody has had it through their hands, and already they're writing it off as a piece of junk. I'm really getting fed up with some of these Pentaxians who throw tantrums if its not a 35mm DSLR.

Some of these folks are seasoned veteran Pentaxians, and they fail to identify the product cycle. Pentax needs to revamp its entry level to mid level model line-up to be competitive against the other 3 brands. Pentax already did it to the top tier with the K-3, so why is almost everybody having an embolism as Pentax revamps the entry to mid level line-up.

Seriously, I think Pentax needs to release a 35mm DSLR on compassionate grounds, or give out medication until they do so - may I suggest Ritalin to stop the Pentax forums tantrums !

I bet some of these folks lay in bed at night, muttering incoherently to them selves: "K-S1, what on earth ......... oh K-S1, OH why, why, why ,why ! K-01, EOS-M, P'p'p'p'entax, o'o'o'oil stains, RICOH ! Noooooooooo ! etc etc."
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
35mm, camera, dslr, entry, k-50, k-s1, level, line-up, pentax, pentaxians
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
You own the K-01. Soon the K-S1 will launch... luftfluss Pentax Mirrorless Cameras 54 02-07-2015 11:20 PM
Hands-on with the Pentax K-S1, $749 body only-- from dpreview.com grahame Pentax News and Rumors 235 09-04-2014 12:16 PM
K-S1 on camerasize.com bobdobbs Pentax DSLR Discussion 4 08-28-2014 04:59 AM
Q-S1 and K-S1 New Naming? LaurenOE General Photography 8 08-21-2014 09:36 PM
Black & White Reflecting on the Big Healey . . . . . Sailor Post Your Photos! 11 04-18-2014 05:35 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:46 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top