The Reaction to the K-01 Reminds me Of

Urkeldaedalus · 02-03-2012, 08:38 AM

The reaction to the K-x launch. Plus the reaction to the appearance on top of that.

Remember how everyone went crazy when the K-x came out without autofocus points? All of the reviews mentioned it, and panned it for it. Nobody could quite understand what Pentax was thinking leaving that out for just a few hundred dollars of price difference. Just like with the lack of an EVF, many people on here swore that they couldn't possibly use a camera without focus points in the viewfinder

Then, it finally occurred to people (through word of mouth, not Pentax marketing, incidentally) that the K-x was a helluva lot of value in an inexpensive package. It became the most consistent seller for Pentax probably in the last five years.

It remains to be seen if the K-01 will be able to capitalize on a similar word of mouth trend against popular opinion. If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason.

One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it.

**monochrome** · 02-03-2012, 08:44 AM

Originally posted by Urkeldaedalus

The reaction to the K-x launch. Plus the reaction to the appearance on top of that.

Remember how everyone went crazy when the K-x came out with autofocus points? All of the reviews mentioned it, and panned it for it. Nobody could quite understand what Pentax was thinking leaving that out for just a few hundred dollars of price difference. Just like with the lack of an EVF, many people on here swore that they couldn't possibly use a camera without focus points in the viewfinder

Then, it finally occurred to people (through word of mouth, not Pentax marketing, incidentally) that the K-x was a helluva lot of value in an inexpensive package. It became the most consistent seller for Pentax probably in the last five years.

It remains to be seen if the K-01 will be able to capitalize on a similar word of mouth trend against popular opinion. If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason.

One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it.

Finally! Its the VIDEO!! Ricoh has a plan. Just wait and watch.

ihasa · 02-03-2012, 08:45 AM

I'm surprised there was that sort of reaction to the K-x - it was nothing new, just a facsimile of the K-m (K2000) with a few new features and a vastly improved sensor.

Urkeldaedalus · 02-03-2012, 08:48 AM

Originally posted by ihasa

I'm surprised there was that sort of reaction to the K-x - it was nothing new, just a facsimile of the K-m (K2000) with a few new features and a vastly improved sensor.

Well, you're right, it wasn't a crazy reaction except for people on this forum. Everyone else, especially reviewers, just kept giving it a frown and wag of the finger as if to say "I can't believe they didn't learn from the K-m."

JinDesu · 02-03-2012, 08:50 AM

I gotta admit though, I can't believe they didn't have those focus points in my k-x. It makes life so much more boring.

...since I use center point focus anyways....

ihasa · 02-03-2012, 08:53 AM

I remember seeing the focus points mentioned in a couple of reviews - but the reviews were generally outstandingly positive! Please let it also be so for the K-01! :wink:

Docrwm · 02-03-2012, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by ihasa

I remember seeing the focus points mentioned in a couple of reviews - but the reviews were generally outstandingly positive! Please let it also be so for the K-01! :wink:

Several of those reviews were incredibly weird. I read all of them I could find because the K-x is what brought me to Pentax and is my first dSLR. Many of them had LOADS of positive technical things to say, great picture output, small, handles well, uses legacy lenses like no other entry level dSLR ever, etc. but then in the conclusion they panned it and said there were better. In several instances I wrote to the authors and asked them if they read their own review except for the last paragraph would they have come to the same conclusion? That's when I really saw the power of the Canon-Nikon fanboi mafia. Bought the K-x and have been incredibly happy with it.

lurchlarson · 02-03-2012, 09:21 AM

Remember when people were all up in arms when the "Big Announcement" was the stormtrooper k-2000? That was a bigger deal on the forums than the k-x I thought.

Urkeldaedalus · 02-03-2012, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by lurchlarson

Remember when people were all up in arms when the "Big Announcement" was the stormtrooper k-2000? That was a bigger deal on the forums than the k-x I thought.

Lol, I think Pentax deserved some grief for that one. Actually that fed into the "Oh Pentax, you're so Frivolous" narrative that has added into people's reactions to the K-01's appearance.

sameagle · 02-03-2012, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by Urkeldaedalus

One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it.

That kind of describes me.

I bought the K-x (after agonizing about the focus points issue).
After using the K-x I realized I don't really need the focus points.

I never upgraded because
a. I didn't really need those focus points after all
b. I don't have the ca$h to upgrade my camera very often
c. To this day I'm still leery of the darned tungsten misfocusing issue

- Sam

joe.penn · 02-03-2012, 11:11 AM

Originally posted by monochrome

If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason.

Well, the video specs are quite fuzzy (real fuzzy as there are conflicting reports floating around about its capabilities everywhere) - does anyone actually have the video capabilities specifications yet?

rawr · 02-03-2012, 03:49 PM

Originally posted by joe.penn

does anyone actually have the video capabilities specifications yet

Format
- MPEG-4
- H.264

Microphone Stereo

Speaker Mono

Resolutions
- 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps),
- 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps),
- 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24 fps)

Full manual control of aperture, shutter, audio etc, it is said.

External mic input

Lots of other details in the K-01 PDF here:

joe.penn · 02-03-2012, 04:34 PM

Originally posted by rawr

Full manual control of aperture, shutter, audio etc, it is said.

That is the issue and why it is fuzzy.

Excerpt from the Pentax press release provided to Dezeen architecture and design magazine

Quote:

High-quality video recording

The PENTAX K-01 comes equipped with a Full HD video-recording function to capture high-quality movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels). The H.264 format offers great images whilst recording at a choice of frame rate (30, 25 or 24 frames per second). It also comes with two new features to facilitate video recording: a video recording button for instant pushbutton start, and a stereo microphone for more realistic sound.

Personal touches can be added to recorded clips using various Custom Functions. Alternatively, the subject can be recorded in a series of video clips using the interval movie shooting mode. The PENTAX K-01 also comes with an HDMI terminal, which allows the user to simultaneously output both Full HD movie clips and stereo sound. It also has an external microphone input terminal. In addition, the K-01 features the new “PRIME M” imaging engine to ensure first-rate movie recording performance.

As you can see, even the press release says "2 new features" and fully manual is not one of them.

Still trying to find out where the info or rumor of full manual video is coming from - problem is one forum member here posted that under the amazon description it specially stated only 2 exposure modes for video and "Hyper Manual" was not one of them, if "M" mode is not available for video than it is not fully manual.

Urkeldaedalus · 02-03-2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Still trying to find out where the info or rumor of full manual video is coming from - problem is one forum member here posted that under the amazon description it specially stated only 2 exposure modes for video and "Hyper Manual" was not one of them, if "M" mode is not available for video than it is not fully manual.

The guy who did the first video review of it said it is fully manual as long as you set it that way in the menu. We'll see if that turns out to be true in the final version of the firmware. I remember the K-7 had autofocus in video in an early version and then they disabled it. Of course that was because there was a performance issue with video AF in the K-7, and I can't imagine that being the case here.

johnmflores · 02-03-2012, 08:08 PM

Let's not forget the reaction to the colors - Oh the colors! Pentax is not a "serious" camera company! They make toys! They aren't a "serious" player! As a "serious" Pentax owner I'm embarassed! I can't show my face at the next camera club meeting! THE SKY IS FALLING!

02-03-2012, 08:38 AM	#1
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369	The Reaction to the K-01 Reminds me Of The reaction to the K-x launch. Plus the reaction to the appearance on top of that. Remember how everyone went crazy when the K-x came out without autofocus points? All of the reviews mentioned it, and panned it for it. Nobody could quite understand what Pentax was thinking leaving that out for just a few hundred dollars of price difference. Just like with the lack of an EVF, many people on here swore that they couldn't possibly use a camera without focus points in the viewfinder Then, it finally occurred to people (through word of mouth, not Pentax marketing, incidentally) that the K-x was a helluva lot of value in an inexpensive package. It became the most consistent seller for Pentax probably in the last five years. It remains to be seen if the K-01 will be able to capitalize on a similar word of mouth trend against popular opinion. If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason. One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it.

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02-03-2012, 08:44 AM	#2
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by Urkeldaedalus The reaction to the K-x launch. Plus the reaction to the appearance on top of that. Remember how everyone went crazy when the K-x came out with autofocus points? All of the reviews mentioned it, and panned it for it. Nobody could quite understand what Pentax was thinking leaving that out for just a few hundred dollars of price difference. Just like with the lack of an EVF, many people on here swore that they couldn't possibly use a camera without focus points in the viewfinder Then, it finally occurred to people (through word of mouth, not Pentax marketing, incidentally) that the K-x was a helluva lot of value in an inexpensive package. It became the most consistent seller for Pentax probably in the last five years. It remains to be seen if the K-01 will be able to capitalize on a similar word of mouth trend against popular opinion. If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason. One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it. Finally! Its the VIDEO!! Ricoh has a plan. Just wait and watch.

02-03-2012, 08:45 AM	#3
ihasa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Midlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,066	I'm surprised there was that sort of reaction to the K-x - it was nothing new, just a facsimile of the K-m (K2000) with a few new features and a vastly improved sensor.

02-03-2012, 08:48 AM	#4
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369 Original Poster	Originally posted by ihasa I'm surprised there was that sort of reaction to the K-x - it was nothing new, just a facsimile of the K-m (K2000) with a few new features and a vastly improved sensor. Well, you're right, it wasn't a crazy reaction except for people on this forum. Everyone else, especially reviewers, just kept giving it a frown and wag of the finger as if to say "I can't believe they didn't learn from the K-m."

02-03-2012, 08:50 AM	#5
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	I gotta admit though, I can't believe they didn't have those focus points in my k-x. It makes life so much more boring. ...since I use center point focus anyways....

02-03-2012, 08:53 AM	#6
ihasa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: West Midlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,066	I remember seeing the focus points mentioned in a couple of reviews - but the reviews were generally outstandingly positive! Please let it also be so for the K-01! :wink:

02-03-2012, 09:07 AM	#7
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by ihasa I remember seeing the focus points mentioned in a couple of reviews - but the reviews were generally outstandingly positive! Please let it also be so for the K-01! :wink: Several of those reviews were incredibly weird. I read all of them I could find because the K-x is what brought me to Pentax and is my first dSLR. Many of them had LOADS of positive technical things to say, great picture output, small, handles well, uses legacy lenses like no other entry level dSLR ever, etc. but then in the conclusion they panned it and said there were better. In several instances I wrote to the authors and asked them if they read their own review except for the last paragraph would they have come to the same conclusion? That's when I really saw the power of the Canon-Nikon fanboi mafia. Bought the K-x and have been incredibly happy with it.

02-03-2012, 09:21 AM	#8
lurchlarson Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Oregon, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 681	Remember when people were all up in arms when the "Big Announcement" was the stormtrooper k-2000? That was a bigger deal on the forums than the k-x I thought.

02-03-2012, 09:24 AM	#9
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369 Original Poster	Originally posted by lurchlarson Remember when people were all up in arms when the "Big Announcement" was the stormtrooper k-2000? That was a bigger deal on the forums than the k-x I thought. Lol, I think Pentax deserved some grief for that one. Actually that fed into the "Oh Pentax, you're so Frivolous" narrative that has added into people's reactions to the K-01's appearance.

02-03-2012, 11:08 AM	#10
sameagle Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery Posts: 323	Originally posted by Urkeldaedalus One more lesson from history: Pentax later came out with the Pentax K-r, replacing everything about the Pentax K-x that people claimed they hated. And...not nearly as many people bought it. That kind of describes me. I bought the K-x (after agonizing about the focus points issue). After using the K-x I realized I don't really need the focus points. I never upgraded because a. I didn't really need those focus points after all b. I don't have the ca$h to upgrade my camera very often c. To this day I'm still leery of the darned tungsten misfocusing issue - Sam

02-03-2012, 11:11 AM	#11
joe.penn Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Maryland (Right Outside Washington DC) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,902	Originally posted by monochrome If it does so, I would think it's excellent video features at an affordable price will be the reason. Well, the video specs are quite fuzzy (real fuzzy as there are conflicting reports floating around about its capabilities everywhere) - does anyone actually have the video capabilities specifications yet?

02-03-2012, 03:49 PM	#12
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by joe.penn does anyone actually have the video capabilities specifications yet Format - MPEG-4 - H.264 Microphone Stereo Speaker Mono Resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), - 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), - 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24 fps) Full manual control of aperture, shutter, audio etc, it is said. External mic input Lots of other details in the K-01 PDF here:

02-03-2012, 04:34 PM	#13
joe.penn Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Maryland (Right Outside Washington DC) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,902	Originally posted by rawr Full manual control of aperture, shutter, audio etc, it is said. That is the issue and why it is fuzzy. Excerpt from the Pentax press release provided to Dezeen architecture and design magazine Quote: High-quality video recording The PENTAX K-01 comes equipped with a Full HD video-recording function to capture high-quality movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels). The H.264 format offers great images whilst recording at a choice of frame rate (30, 25 or 24 frames per second). It also comes with two new features to facilitate video recording: a video recording button for instant pushbutton start, and a stereo microphone for more realistic sound. Personal touches can be added to recorded clips using various Custom Functions. Alternatively, the subject can be recorded in a series of video clips using the interval movie shooting mode. The PENTAX K-01 also comes with an HDMI terminal, which allows the user to simultaneously output both Full HD movie clips and stereo sound. It also has an external microphone input terminal. In addition, the K-01 features the new “PRIME M” imaging engine to ensure first-rate movie recording performance. As you can see, even the press release says "2 new features" and fully manual is not one of them. Still trying to find out where the info or rumor of full manual video is coming from - problem is one forum member here posted that under the amazon description it specially stated only 2 exposure modes for video and "Hyper Manual" was not one of them, if "M" mode is not available for video than it is not fully manual.

02-03-2012, 05:43 PM	#14
Urkeldaedalus Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,369 Original Poster	Quote: Still trying to find out where the info or rumor of full manual video is coming from - problem is one forum member here posted that under the amazon description it specially stated only 2 exposure modes for video and "Hyper Manual" was not one of them, if "M" mode is not available for video than it is not fully manual. The guy who did the first video review of it said it is fully manual as long as you set it that way in the menu. We'll see if that turns out to be true in the final version of the firmware. I remember the K-7 had autofocus in video in an early version and then they disabled it. Of course that was because there was a performance issue with video AF in the K-7, and I can't imagine that being the case here.

02-03-2012, 08:08 PM	#15
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	Let's not forget the reaction to the colors - Oh the colors! Pentax is not a "serious" camera company! They make toys! They aren't a "serious" player! As a "serious" Pentax owner I'm embarassed! I can't show my face at the next camera club meeting! THE SKY IS FALLING!