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Pentax News and RumorsDiscuss rumored Pentax or photographic news (that upcoming Pentax full-frame) and official Pentax announcements here! This is a discussion on Pentax 645D to be released April 2010, part of the Pentax News and Rumors category, related to 2010, 645, 645d, april, pentax, released: Pentax supplies my company with cctv lenses, so today i have a chance to have dinner with pentax seniro manager. He told me the pentax 645 digital will be released ...
Pentax supplies my company with cctv lenses, so today i have a chance to have dinner with pentax seniro manager. He told me the pentax 645 digital will be released next April! But he admitted there is no ff dslr plan in their road map.
i feel a bit disappointed when heard this. Maybe pentax will focus on the field conon and nikon never involved.
Pentax supplies my company with cctv lenses, so today i have a chance to have dinner with pentax seniro manager. He told me the pentax 645 digital will be released next April! But he admitted there is no ff dslr plan in their road map.
i feel a bit disappointed when heard this. Maybe pentax will focus on the field conon and nikon never involved.
Why do so many ask for successors of these discontinued cameras all the time? The K-7 and K-x are the current successors. Maybe there will be something between them, maybe above them. Who knows.
In my mind, it makes a lot of sense to do medium format instead of full-frame 35mm. It is more different from APS-C, so no cannibalization of current products. They will try to capture potential FF 35mm users from two sides. As some of the advantages of FF 35mm over APS-C start to wash out, the MF camera will start to look more inviting. And there will be those who dream of a Hasselblad but can't say no to the price, convenience and practicality of a Pentax 645.
Is the 645D still a Japan only release? Is Pentax expected to continue the suport of this model? How long will 645D users need to wait between body upgrades? Will they need to wait another 5 years before the 645D mkii appears? What if Sony releases an A950 with 30+ mp (speculation only, there is no souce for this number), how will that compeat with the 645D? Will the image quality of Pentax's 39 mp beat the Sony, and be enough to justify the $5000.00 premium? How will the value of an $8,000.00 MF body look against the FF offerings from Canikon in just two years time?
Obviously I don't understand why Pentax is producing the 645D.
Obviously I don't understand why Pentax is producing the 645D.
Prestige as much as anything else, I think, and history.
While there is a digital medium format marketplace (Hasselblad, Mamiya, Leaf etc), I really don't see how Pentax could produce such a low volume, high end product and expect to make money on it.
Prestige as much as anything else, I think, and history.
While there is a digital medium format marketplace (Hasselblad, Mamiya, Leaf etc), I really don't see how Pentax could produce such a low volume, high end product and expect to make money on it.
Leaf is out of business. There is only Hasselblad, which does not fair well on the market and PhaseOne/Mamiya. Then there are some tiny specialists, like these RED cameras. That's it - and that's it for a reason: The high-end DSLRs by Canon and Nikon cannibalized a large share of the former medium format market, namely weddings and social photographers. This is the reason, why Hasselblad recently began to concentrate on the weddings sector again, after years of complete ignorance. Which wedding photog would have payed 30,000 Euros for a Hasselblad, if he could have a Canon for a fraction of that price?
Hasselblad has just started a massive price dump, because they finally realised, that the medium format market is completely down. You can have the latest Hasselblads for around 12,000 Euros now. I cannot imagine, how Pentax can compete here. The 645D will not have interchangeable backs, the lens choice is fairly limited and generally those people who used Pentax MF in the past, have long given up and switched to either PhaseOne or H'blad - because Pentax is ten years behind!
I think, that Pentax is in even worse a situation than Leica, because Leica has a strong brand name, which Pentax has not anymore. I can see only a small market share for any newcomer to the MF market, and that will go to either Leica or Pentax, and I wouldn't bet on Pentax.
Hasselblad has just started a massive price dump, because they finally realised, that the medium format market is completely down. You can have the latest Hasselblads for around 12,000 Euros now. I cannot imagine, how Pentax can compete here. The 645D will not have interchangeable backs, the lens choice is fairly limited and generally those people who used Pentax MF in the past, have long given up and switched to either PhaseOne or H'blad - because Pentax is ten years behind!
I think, that Pentax is in even worse a situation than Leica, because Leica has a strong brand name, which Pentax has not anymore. I can see only a small market share for any newcomer to the MF market, and that will go to either Leica or Pentax, and I wouldn't bet on Pentax.
Ben
On the contrary. Pentax is in an extremely good position. They are a giant among midgets. The reason the MF digital market is close to non existant is due to the fact that hardly anyone can afford them.
The Pentax 645D will cost considerable less and be within reach of the amateur.
On the contrary. Pentax is in an extremely good position. They are a giant among midgets. The reason the MF digital market is close to non existant is due to the fact that hardly anyone can afford them.
The Pentax 645D will cost considerable less and be within reach of the amateur.
This is eactly what I doubt. If they sell it for 5000 Euros, they will perhaps gain some market share. But the price realistically will be around 10,000 Euros - and then, why would anybody buy a Pentax if he can have a Mamiya/PhaseOne for the same money or a H'blad for only little more? I doubt very much, that Pentax is in a position to make dumping prices on the 645D, just to gain market share - they need to earn money with each single body and that means, that these won't come cheap.
it seems that the K200D successor is coming next spring - weather-sealed, possibly with K-x sensor, priced to fill the gap between the K-7 and the K-x.
all my info is unconfirmed, but it came from local pentax rep, so it should be a bit above the rumor level...
it seems that the K200D successor is coming next spring - weather-sealed, possibly with K-x sensor, priced to fill the gap between the K-7 and the K-x.
all my info is unconfirmed, but it came from local pentax rep, so it should be a bit above the rumor level...
I can't see how a kamera can be squeezed between K-x and K-7. Some people are already hesitating if they will chose cheap high iso camera or more expensive upmarket camera with less high iso capability.
If one more camera is in the pipeline it likely would be placed above K-7 imo. Especially when taking a future price drop of K-7 into account.
- and then, why would anybody buy a Pentax if he can have a Mamiya/PhaseOne for the same money or a H'blad for only little more? Ben
You got it complete wrong. Why would anyone want a Mamiya or Hasseblad if they could buy a Pentax? The Pentax 645D is ultramodern DSLR, not a old relic with an add on back. It is a K-7 with 39mp sensor.
Besides, the 645D will be cheaper than the competition. It is a field camera not a clumsy studio tool. It the same size as a K10D with battery grip; smaller than the pro Nikon and Canon bodies. The lenses are much cheaper and more numerous both is volume and types than the MF competition.
If it cost $10 000 or less, Pentax will have a hard time making enough of them.
You got it complete wrong. Why would anyone want a Mamiya or Hasseblad if they could buy a Pentax? The Pentax 645D is ultramodern DSLR, not a old relic with an add on back. It is a K-7 with 39mp sensor.
Besides, the 645D will be cheaper than the competition. It is a field camera not a clumsy studio tool. It the same size as a K10D with battery grip; smaller than the pro Nikon and Canon bodies. The lenses are much cheaper and more numerous both is volume and types than the MF competition.
If it cost $10 000 or less, Pentax will have a hard time making enough of them.
Exactly, The Lieca S2 is comming on sale at that time, and Lieca said that they cold not keep up with demand...... and thats at wht price was it...... at least double.
No, i did not ask him such a question, it was only a dinner party, not a press conference, and it is a bit difficult to communicate with a Japanese due to their poor pronunciation.
Originally posted by Freevision 
