Fictitious K1000D possible - profitable?

BlueSky · 10-21-2006, 03:39 PM

I always wondered if a totally stripped dSLR could make it in the marketplace - aka a digital version of the K1000?

I was thinking of maybe stripping an *ST DL and making it PASM only, ripping out other costly advanced features, and finally ending up with a very cheap but good quality body - great for learning, dipping your feet into dSLR's, or maybe taking it places where you would never risk it with a K10.

Seems like it would be a great gateway product to nudge fencesitters past the p&s models. Maybe they'd spend more on lenses than trying to get a K10 right up front. Hmmmm....

I guess you can tell I'm not in marketing!

Let the cost-cutting begin:
no top-panel lcd
Flash? Should it just be a hot-shoe?
Software - default image sharpening, saturation, etc with maybe just one hi/lo selection?
DA 18-55 kit lens with no lens hood?
What else?

Jonas B · 10-21-2006, 04:19 PM

Frankly, I always thought of the DS and DL as just that: simple cameras with not a lot of features, but working and working fine as cameras introducing the user to the dSLR world. There really aren't many costly features coming with a DL and the price is also low. I think.

regards,

Jonas

leaton · 10-21-2006, 07:20 PM

I 100% agree. However, based on personal experience, I'm not the typical consumer and a company would go broke if they used my advice to design new products.
I'm the guy that hates automatic transmissions, thinks a DVR should work the same as a VCR, and generally considers bells and whistles to be pollution of a product.
How about a DSLR with an ISO knob, a shutter knob, and an aperture knob. Each knob has all the possibilities and an A and a P.
Set any one knob to A and it becomes the one varible, you set the rest for creative control. Set one to P and it gets priority.
Set 1 or 2 to A and one to P and it gets priority. How about that?
Want speed for action shots - set the shutter knob to P and the
others to A.
Want low noise - set ISO to P and the others to A
Want depth of field maxed out, set to P and the others to A.
Other mixes would have to be worked out, but you could
have a lot of fun with it, and could do just about anything.

Some of the older film SLR's have the ability to do mutiple exposures by allowing another shot without film advance. Does anyone know how you could do this digitally? Is this something you would have to buy post processing software to simulate?

acrbill · 10-21-2006, 08:22 PM

Photoshop could do a bang up job of emulating a multiple exposure shot.

BlueSky · 10-22-2006, 05:41 AM

You guys are right. There's probably not much cost-cutting you could do that would make it worthwhile compared to what's out there right now.

Sandwiching two shots together would be easy in Photoshop or Gimp using layers. Although honestly I've never done it.

leaton · 10-22-2006, 06:56 AM

Well - much of it is about marketing. If you add features to a camera that require hardware, like more knobs and switches, that will drive the cost up. If you add performance, then obviously, that drives the cost up. But if you are only adding menu stuff or software features, that adds no cost to the camera itself. It adds to what is called NRE (non recurring engineering cost) so it becomes almost free if they sell lots of cameras.
The marketing dept prefers to withold some of that to put in the fancier and more costly models though, in order to give customers more of a reason to buy the more expensive model, even though some of the features would work in both. Often features are disabled on purpose on lower end models for this reason.

*barondla* · 10-22-2006, 06:20 PM

Pentax Optio750 does them and so does the great *istD. The D will do 9 on a shot.
thanks
barondla

aekn · 10-22-2006, 08:12 PM

To me, the K110D is about as close to a modern day K1000 as possible, given as common as some of its features are. That's not taking anything away from the camera, but where can you get a very capable, new digital SLR camera WITH a nice 18-55 lens for $477, including shipping?

I think we're already seeing the modern-day K1000...

cyg · 10-24-2006, 08:33 PM

One thing with the K110D is that it is not smaller or lighter than the DL2, although there is apparently no additional hardware (apart from the AF maybe).

OK, there is no reason why it *should* be lighter either, and some people obviously prefer holding larger/heavier cameras.

But personally I would really like some entry-level, basic dslr that would be significantly lighter and smaller than what we have now. Something in the direction of Oly's E-400 -- or think of a MZ-5n form factor, but in digital.

C.

okto · 11-06-2006, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by leaton

How about a DSLR with an ISO knob, a shutter knob, and an aperture knob. Each knob has all the possibilities and an A and a P.
Set any one knob to A and it becomes the one varible, you set the rest for creative control. Set one to P and it gets priority.
Set 1 or 2 to A and one to P and it gets priority. How about that?
Want speed for action shots - set the shutter knob to P and the
others to A.
Want low noise - set ISO to P and the others to A
Want depth of field maxed out, set to P and the others to A.
Other mixes would have to be worked out, but you could
have a lot of fun with it, and could do just about anything.

Panasonic DMC-L1. Leica Digilux 3.

KAFman · 11-07-2006, 02:37 PM

I think the fact that K110D is not available in Japan means that Pentax don't believe in stripped down cameras.

celetron · 09-01-2008, 02:28 AM

Originally Posted by BlueSky

I always wondered if a totally stripped dSLR could make it in the marketplace - aka a digital version of the K1000?

I was thinking of maybe stripping an *ST DL and making it PASM only, ripping out other costly advanced features, and finally ending up with a very cheap but good quality body - great for learning, dipping your feet into dSLR's, or maybe taking it places where you would never risk it with a K10.

Seems like it would be a great gateway product to nudge fencesitters past the p&s models. Maybe they'd spend more on lenses than trying to get a K10 right up front. Hmmmm....

I guess you can tell I'm not in marketing!

Let the cost-cutting begin:
no top-panel lcd
Flash? Should it just be a hot-shoe?
Software - default image sharpening, saturation, etc with maybe just one hi/lo selection?
DA 18-55 kit lens with no lens hood?
What else?

Well, your wish will come true.... can't say more....

soccerjoe5 · 09-01-2008, 03:37 AM

Hmm think of the D40. A pentax version would do great. Just make it cheap and good.

Jasvox · 09-01-2008, 06:48 AM

Marketing-wise, to introduce a camera like this make no sense whatsoever. A cheap DSLR is meant to almost always be marketed to appeal to first time DSLR buyers which is the demographic to which about 80% of the DSLRS today purchased belong. Pentax or any other company isn't going to release such a described basic body just to appeal to those who want a second body or someone with BBA.

Pentax just may introduce a true entry level body this year, but to me, it's a step backwards since the K200D is very reasonably priced in the market place. Unless they bring out a simply re badged K100D, with another name, it doesn't make much sense since the vast majority of sheep who are buying the cheapest DSLR they can afford are woo'd by the marketing giants at the other companies, not Pentax, obviously.

Personally, I'd hope a new improved version of a K20D is released, or even a full frame or greatly improved APS-C model that is a complete step-up from the K20D, but I am not holding my breath anytime soon, maybe in 2009....maybe.

Jas

ftpaddict · 09-01-2008, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by soccerjoe5

Hmm think of the D40. A pentax version would do great. Just make it cheap and good.

The D40x is almost as feature-packed as the K200D. There wouldn't be too much product spec. separation - it would cause confusion among buyers.