Originally posted by rparmar Oh look, it's yet another thread in which Laurentiu Cristofor and John Flores try to be reasonable while Pentax cheerleaders snipe from the sidelines! Pentax Forums is really getting predictable, and just to ensure that is true, here's Robin to say the obvious once again...
1. The primary advantage of mirrorless cameras is the compact size.
2. The K-mount ensures the K-01 and successors can never be as compact as the competition.
FAIL
Then explain the GH2, which is nearly the same size as the K-x and K-r? Or the new Olympus OM-D, which pretends to bulk itself up with all manner of grips? Fact is, the smaller M43 cameras like the GF2, GF3, E-PM1, NEX3, and so on struggle with larger zooms. The GF2, for example, is not very comfortable with the 14-140. Others have even claimed that the larger G3 is difficult to handle with a zoom.
And while your at it, look at the Fuji X Pro 1. That body isn't the smallest out there, is it?
Consider also that we live in a zoom world, with primes being a very small segment of the market. With that in mind, it makes sense for Pentax to make a mirrorless that will be more comfortable to hold with a 5-10x zoom. An EVF would have been even better, but most people don't use them anymore anyway, so SR's gotta do the heavy lifting.
So this fact of yours isn't such a fact after all.
Quote: 1. The primary advantage of the K-mount is that one can use K-mount lenses.
2a) The K-01 is designed for designers (bad joke) and those moving up from point'n'shoot cameras (both according to Pentax), none of whom own K-mount lenses.
2b) And neither will they be able to find any in the shops.
FAIL
Ever heard of a shop called Amazon? Or BHPhotovideo.com? Or Adorama.com? Or Etsy.com? Or Zazzle.com? Or Zappos.com Or Ebay.com? It's 2012, Robin. People buy things online all the time. So people who step up the the K-01, either with the 40 or kit zoom, will have plenty of opportunity to buy other lenses.
Looks like this fact has a lot of holes in it too.
Quote: 1. Two of the main Pentax advantages are weather-sealing and ergonomics.
2. The K-01 has given up weather-sealing and, as an entry-level camera, does not have the ergonomics of the K20D, K-5 etc.
FAIL
If Pentax's advantage is weather-sealing, why do they only have 2 cameras with it? Sounds like a product-level feature and not a brand attribute to me.
Regarding ergonomics - have you actually tried to use the K-01 or are you just making up fact from looking at photos? If you are that good, then you better go find employment at Apple or Canon or Pentax or something; you can save them the costly and time consuming step of building mockups and models and just pontificate your FACTS from the comfort of your home.
I actually get paid to design user interfaces and I won't dare judge the usability of the K-01 until I've actually used it.
Quote: 1. In a doomed effort to keep the kit size small, given the large body, Pentax have introduced the thinnest lens possible.
2. I have yet to meet a casual shooter who wants a telephoto as their first lens.
FAIL
Those two statements together make no sense. Literacy FAIL.
Quote: The new Olympus OM-D system in all ways trumps the K-01 for about the same cost. The only exception might be in high ISO and high DR. And even then, the difference is insignificant in real-world shooting. (If it wasn't, then no-one would have been able to take photos before 2010.)
25% more expensive isn't "about the same cost" in any language. And the fact is, while some people buy camera based on detailed analysis of spec sheets, others buy them for other reasons. Like style. Like not wanting to have an old man's camera. Like the color yellow. Is that rational behavior? No. But we're not rational creatures.
Quote: None of these are opinions, but observations from available facts.
Get over yourself, Robin. These are opinions pure and simple. To judge the usability of a physical product without touching it, let alone using it is just laughable. And to wrap it up in this air of pseudo-intellectualism is over the top.
You can be terribly condescending.
Let me take this slowly so you can understand.
We don't need your lectures.