Originally posted by DaveBlack The K01 is a very good intro-level camera. It will have excellent IQ. It will take a large number of lenses without an adapter. Hopefully it will sell.
For the people that hang out in this forum it will not be a camera for them. I know it is not a camera I will like. Just not enough diret user controls.
The Fuji looks to be a real good camera. The times I have handled the X100 I really liked the optical/digital hydrid viewfinder. Currently there is not enough native lens selection for me to pick this camera for my mirrorless option. Plus it is so expensive. Plus it is not really much smaller than my K-5. It is going after the Leica buyer.
The Olympus OM-D looks to be the camera for me if I want a smaller camera. The high iso might not be as good. I will have to wait until test results come back. It appears to be a good bit smaller than the Fuji and the K-5. I guess this is mainly due to the smaller sensor being used. The native lens selection is getting to be very good Plus the camera is sealed so it will make a good caving camera.
Still I have the feeling there will be a really nice K-5 replacement/upgrade coming our way by the end of the year. The Pentax R&D person hinted at smaller camera bodies and better viewfinders. If I am guessing the K-5 replacement/upgrade will have a Sony 24mp sensor in it and the viewfinder will be a hydbrid optical/digital viewfinder using either the Pentax patent or the Samsun transparent OLED.
So since I own two K-5's and a K-7 I am in no rush to go out and get a new camera. By the time I get to read the reviews of the Pro X1 and the OM-D and those two cameras are in the hands of actual users I will be reading rumors about the upcoming K-5 replacement.
Still if I was picking between the K-01, Pro X 1 and the OM-D right now I will pick the OM-D.
Dave
Nice post that clearly points to the potential flaws/conflation in the OPs initial thesis. Pre-orders at Amazon say nothing about where you specifically are--and I suspect most Pentax shooters.
By that I mean that--if someone is pre-ordering a camera at Amazon--then they probably meet certain needs...like (1) they need a new interchangeable lens camera 'cause they don't already have one. Or (2) they are dissatisfied with their old interchangeable lens camera, and want or need a new one.
It seems to me that if someone has a K-5, or K-7, or K-r/K-x...then this goes a long way towards explaining (at least in part) why a typical Pentax shooter that by-the-way has legacy glass won't necessarily "Pre-order" a new camera---they already might have one AND they are probably not dissatisfied with it. This is where looking at pre-order sale numbers and concluding something based on solely that bit--is quite unsustainable as a cogent argument IMHO.
This brings us to the next question...who would buy an XP-1? My thought (and it's purely conjecture, I freely admit) is someone who previously did not have an interchangeable lens system camera--
Or (and more likely it seems to me since the entering price is closer to 2K)--it is someone who already has an interchangeable lens system, but is somehow dissatisfied with it, or limited by it. Not only that, it's likely that "pre-order" buyers would seem to me to be people who have no problem dropping 2K, which leads me to believe that this is chump change for them.
My honest guess is that many XP-1 "pre-order" buyers are probably Nikon and Canon shooters that have a hole in their lens lineup. They probably yern to shoot the usual suspect Leica lenses, Russian lenses, German lenses, Super Taks, FA and DA little primes. Basically they are looking to add to their color palette, artistic brushes (insert whatever mataphore you prefer here). Lenses with soul and character. Not to say that Canikon doesn't have very fine lenses--they do, but they tend to suffer from lovely efficiency ( I call them wedding lenses somewhat disparagingly). Do everything right especially with controlled light, but without soul or character...
Then you have to consider all the historical and cultural complexities of of Canikon with regards to Pentax. That is a minefield that is not easy to wade through. This is also part of any second system story.
Which brings us to legacy glass, and here I really don't agree that LG is unnecessary for camera system sales. Basically I think much of the high-end mirrorless segment is seeking to co-op somebody else's legacy glass. So while Fuji has none--I think the promise of opening up the LG treasure chest is very appealing to people with a disposable couple of grand in their pocket. Seems to me LG is part of the story here. And ofcourse, Pentax adopters have already been drinking from that treasure chest for many years---
Again, co-mingling arguments and coming to conclusions as to how many #s Amazon pre-sells--XP-1 or K-01 is a conflation in my mind.
-W