[Rondec]

You don't get get. I can put K-mount glass on any other mirror-less system currently on the market. CURRENTLY there is no compelling reason to stick with Pentax. If K-mount is the strength then every other EVIL camera on the market has access to that same strength.

I think it is very simple. I spent quite a bit of money on small lenses that will auto focus. The K-01 body will actually do that and will offer shake reduction for them as well. How many of these thousands of other mirrorless cameras you mention can do that? I thought so.

The target audience for this camera could care less about adapting Leica glass or old Canon lenses. They want auto focus and simple usage. End of story.

It is not the same target as for some of the other cameras mentioned in this thread and that is fine. There are a lot more entry level buyers at there and I think Pentax has a winner on their hands.

[westmill]

Introducing the Olympus OM-D





What an odd pair! New tech trying to look old and old tech trying to look new!

That olympus is stunning though ! Yummy.... No OVF ..... What a waste

[minahasa]

I'm not a professional photographer, not trying to be. I believe there are a lot more of me out there than the professional to be. Pentaxians is a small mass, but I've seen more joining than leaving. This I know why: we care less about market politics, but we do care enough about cost and prices and the results that comes out of a camera. One can outgrow Pentax, yes that means that person is no longer among 'we'. Pentax might not be making selling records no more, it may be a poor company. But hey, I feel more like home. Be it that Pentax is a looser and Pentaxians are losers, yet again we still here, enjoying life as it is, taking pictures and hold dear what should be the essence of photography.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

In an ironic twist, the K-01, panned for being too big for a mirrorless model, looks like it will be roughly the same size or smaller (perhaps a tad thicker) than the Fuji X1-pro and Olympus OM-D that everyone has been waiting for.

Yes, understatements like "a tad thicker" are the great equalizer. I suggest you also add "a tad less appealing", and "lacking a tad of EVF" to your future statements, just so you get all bases covered.

[junyo]

In an ironic twist, the K-01, panned for being too big for a mirrorless model, looks like it will be roughly the same size or smaller (perhaps a tad thicker) than the Fuji X1-pro and Olympus OM-D that everyone has been waiting for. The Fuji is really not portable like other mirrorless cameras have been (it looks like a giant compared to the NEX-7). I'm not sure if this has sunk in with people, yet.

The Fuji is roughly the size of a ZX5n, which is (big) pocketable.

I'm not sure that it's sunk in with K-01 boosters that either of those cameras is massively more functional and attractive as a picture taking tool. Both have far more external controls, an EVF (and an OVF in the case of the Fuji), and the ability to adapt other lens mounts to it. So even if they were the exact same size, one lacks features versus the other two. Honestly, I see either one of those camera's competing against the K-5, not the K-01.

[johnmflores]

The Fuji is roughly the size of a ZX5n, which is (big) pocketable.

I'm not sure that it's sunk in with K-01 boosters that either of those cameras is massively more functional and attractive as a picture taking tool. Both have far more external controls, an EVF (and an OVF in the case of the Fuji), and the ability to adapt other lens mounts to it. So even if they were the exact same size, one lacks features versus the other two. Honestly, I see either one of those camera's competing against the K-5, not the K-01.

That's funny, because the K-01 meets my needs better than the other two. So we've got different opinions and that's ok.

I've got really nice M43 glass (12/2.5, 20/1.7, 45/1.8, 100-300, 14-140). I was planning on getting the Panasonic GX1 this year, but the K-01 took my money instead because I rate the Sony sensor better than anything that M43 has produced to date. Don't get me wrong, M43 is very very good - I've had photos published with it. But my K-5 always had a little bit extra. And Oly's track record with sensors has received mixed reviews. Again, very good, but the Sony sensor in the K-5 and K-01 just that much better. The OM-D will reportedly have a 16Mp sensor. From Panasonic, perhaps? If so, I know that sensor well, at it's close but not quite there.

And the Fuji? I have no first hand experience, but I'm very skeptical that it will be able to walk away from a K-01 with DA or FA Limited primes. At half the price.

And EVF? I'm perfectly fine without it. I've got a Panasonic GF2 as my walkabout and I can count the number of times I wish I had the add-on EVF on one hand. I've also got the K-5, so I've got an OVF if the situation warrants it.

I don't expect each of my cameras to be perfect. They each have a role, and the deficiencies of one are made up by the strengths of the other. That's the way I build my kit.

[Raffwal]

John, what situations do you expect the K-01 to be more suitable for than your K-5? After all, it's not that much smaller. Do you just want a backup body? Or do you have high expectations for its video?

[johnmflores]

John, what situations do you expect the K-01 to be more suitable for than your K-5? After all, it's not that much smaller. Do you just want a backup body? Or do you have high expectations for its video?

Good question, and you have some of the answers...

Backup - I was shooting with the K-5 in a large sandpit (a training ground for construction crews) and the lens release button fell off my K-5. I had my wife's K-x as backup, thankfully. Next time, I'll have the DA* 50-135 on the K-5 and the DA* 16-50 on the K-01. I'm also looking forward bringing the K-5, K-01, and my DA Limiteds (21, 35, 70) on my next motorcycle travel story. My most recently published story was shot with Panasonic M43. It will be interesting to see the difference.

Video - I have a GH2 that I've adapted my Pentax glass too. I'm anxious to see how the K-01 compares. If it works well, it can replace the GH2 or act as a backup, replacing my GH1. I haven't shot video with the K-5 all that much because of the lack of manual controls, but also issues with the sensor overheating. My GH2 can shoot for nearly 2 hours without overheating. We'll see if how the K-01 compares.

Candid and Portraits - One of the little-mentioned advantages of composing with the rear LCD is that you can A) Maintain eye contact and casual conversation with your subjects and B) Compose and shoot without being noticed. In my experience, the thing that draws the most attention to a photographer in a public or street situation is the act of bringing the camera up to your eye. This is more important than size, as it's an instantly recognizable action consisting of moving limbs much larger than any camera. Do that in any public place and people will know that you are about to take a picture. With the K-01 I can be much more discreet. My Panasonic GF2 is pretty discreet at well, as is my GH2 with the flip-twist rear LCD. But their biggest failings as street/candid cameras are the loud shutters. They are nearly invisible until you take the shot, then people look around. The K-01 is supposed to have a quieter shutter than even the K-5 (whose shutter sounds like a kiss IMO), so it should be a great photojournalist camera. With the K-5 I can take a shot 3-4 feet away from someone and they won't hear it. I can't wait to (not) hear the K-01.

The one failing of the K-5 and the K-01 in this regard, when combined with the DA Limiteds, is the AF noise. It will be interesting to see if I can MF and use the K-01 focus peeking in situations that demand near silence.

Everyday - My current everyday camera is the GF2. It's nice and small, but runs out of steam at ISO800. I should be able to throw the K-01 with the DA21 into my messenger bag no problem. Yes the K-5 is not much bigger, but boxy cameras slide into places where cameras with grips and viewfinder humps snag. I did consider the Panasonic GX1 for this role, as it will likely shoot ISO1600 clean and ISO3200 in a pinch. But the shutter is loud.

We'll have to wait and see if any of this pans out. I'll share my thoughts here and on my blog.

[Urkeldaedalus]

Yes, understatements like "a tad thicker" are the great equalizer. I suggest you also add "a tad less appealing", and "lacking a tad of EVF" to your future statements, just so you get all bases covered.

The Fuji is roughly the size of a ZX5n, which is (big) pocketable.

I'm not sure that it's sunk in with K-01 boosters that either of those cameras is massively more functional and attractive as a picture taking tool. Both have far more external controls, an EVF (and an OVF in the case of the Fuji), and the ability to adapt other lens mounts to it. So even if they were the exact same size, one lacks features versus the other two. Honestly, I see either one of those camera's competing against the K-5, not the K-01.

Lol, looks like I hit a nerve with the Fuji fans.

Pocketable? Those would have to be some big pockets. The Fuji is almost as tall and wide at the K-5 if you look at them comparatively. The pocketable cameras (to me) are in a totally different class. My Ricoh GXR camera, for example, is what I would consider pocketable in a coat pocket, but only with certain modules. The Olympus EP3 and Panasonic GF1 cameras are also pocketable, but they are starting to push it.

Also @Junyo, the K-01 is also much cheaper especially for Pentax users than either the OM-D or the Fuji. It wasn't a Pentax K-01 booster who started a thread comparing the K-01 to those two cameras, it was someone who wanted to criticize the K-01 and by extension Pentax.

I agree that the Fuji is a much better all around photographic tool than the K-01 if you have the money to spend on it and if it fits what you're looking for. I also would have liked it if the K-01 had a built in EVF. I was just pointing out that it was a funny double standard when it comes to how people are reacting to the size.

[Raffwal]

Good question, and you have some of the answers...

Well, that was good answers too.

Candid and Portraits - One of the little-mentioned advantages of composing with the rear LCD is that you can A) Maintain eye contact and casual conversation with your subjects and B) Compose and shoot without being noticed.they won't hear it. I can't wait to (not) hear the K-01.

This use I'm not so sure about. A quiet shutter - perhaps. But to compose with a fixed LCD, hmmm... A flippable LCD would be a totally different story.

[pingflood]

This use I'm not so sure about. A quiet shutter - perhaps. But to compose with a fixed LCD, hmmm... A flippable LCD would be a totally different story.

Yeah, doing it with a fixed LCD would be awkward.

But not half as awkward as trying to convince your model you didn't get your "camera" from a cereal box.

[johnmflores]

Well, that was good answers too.



This use I'm not so sure about. A quiet shutter - perhaps. But to compose with a fixed LCD, hmmm... A flippable LCD would be a totally different story.

Photos composed with a rear LCD













It really isn't hard. If you haven't given it a chance, I suggest you do. It is, in many ways, liberating.

[westmill]

Photos composed with a rear LCD













It really isn't hard. If you haven't given it a chance, I suggest you do. It is, in many ways, liberating.

I can see a place for this use in possibly candid photography, but to be honnest it just makes no sense to me.
I guess everyone will shoot in anyway they feel comfy with though.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Pocketable? Those would have to be some big pockets.

None of these cameras are pocketable. Even the Q is borderline pocketable. Pocketable doesn't matter here. What matters is if it is bulky because it holds some useful stuff or just because it is meant to support compatibility with old lenses. SLTs are bulkier too, but they justify that by providing you with PDAF (in addition to backward compatibility with the alpha mount SLR lenses).

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

I can see a place for this use in possibly candid photography, but to be honnest it just makes no sense to me.

Using just the LCD makes sense. Makes quite a lot of sense. I've just got out with my daughter and I had trouble framing images at her level by using the viewfinder. It is literally a pain in the neck.

OTOH, there is a valid criticism you can bring to the K-01 and that is the lack of an accessory EVF. While the LCD is very usable for the shorter focal lengths, it is not that usable with long focal lengths. This takes all my interest out of the K-01. It doesn't really matter if you can mount all K lenses - it is only going to be usable with the shorter focal lengths - or it will require a tripod or monopod for use with longer focal lengths.