Originally posted by eddie1960 No roadmap is set in stone, and those are lens roadmaps not body plans.
Lens roadmaps is what I had in mind when I mentioned roadmaps. You can figure out what bodies are coming up if you know what lenses are being developed. I.e. DA lenses only => no FF, recessed XS lenses only => no DSLR, etc.
Here are some reasons why K mount is the least appealing mount these days:
- It lacks first party support for classic focal lengths and for budget primes (f/1.8-f/2.8)
- It has less support from Pentax than from Sigma
- It is the only mount I know of that has recently lost support of third party manufacturers: Zeiss and Cosina/Voigtlander
- It only gets partial support from Sigma/Tamron
- It used to get support from Tokina, but that is gone too - I understand they co-designed lenses, but Tokina also has original designs they could market for K mount, but they don't
You can find some of these faults in other mounts, but you're not going to find them all in any other mount. This is also why I don't understand statements making the K-mount the most important asset that Pentax has. It is a pretty eroded asset.
As for body roadmaps, the other manufacturers are pretty clear of where they are going:
Canon/Nikon - their path is pretty much the same
Sony:
- SLTs will be their pro line - they will offer both APS-C and FF, as they did for DSLRs. That's more than Pentax managed to offer
- The E-mount will be their enthusiast line. I agree that the NEX faces some stiff competition, but Pentax doesn't even have an equivalent system
Panasonic - more of the same - GX/GH and GF lines - I think these are pretty well thought out as body styles
Olympus - the E-M5 is more than I expected
Samsung - they seem to follow in Panasonic's steps with flat and SLR styled bodies. If they add SR they'll have a very compelling offering.
None of these guys came out with a yellow camera clad in rubber from a designer that claimed that no one else has figured out how to build a camera properly until he got hired by Pentax. It's erratic behavior that raises eyebrows, not following a consistent path. All other brands are fairly consistent so far. I was surprised by the E-M5, but it was a pleasant surprise. Pentax is all over the place and none of the places is very impressive. Yes, they nailed APS-C DSLR bodies, but are they going to try and do anything more than that?
Originally posted by eddie1960 Pentax after years of not releasing updated theirs andhad new items on it 3 months after being taken over by ricoh.
Like I already said, I am not surprised by Pentax not having a strategy set in stone yet, in view of their acquisition by Ricoh. I understand that they need to work out one and it may take a year or more to do so. It's just that this and releases like the K-01 encourage speculation. The K-01 is such a contradictory product - on one hand it promises compatibility with K mount, on another hand it promises lenses that won't be compatible with DSLR cameras - such contradictions do not produce confidence in the Pentax vision. I'd be happier if they didn't release anything until they had something worth releasing.
Originally posted by eddie1960 If I was Pentax and planning a FF and complimentary lenses the last thing i'd do8 months to a year before i'll have product ready is go out and tell the world I have these several lenses for FF on my roadmap. that would just be stupid
Why? Canon/Nikon/Sony are already producing FF cameras and won't be phased by Pentax. Panasonic/Olympus/Samsung are committed to smaller sensors - they won't care either. Fuji is APS-C too. Pentax can only gain from such announcements - people might actually start paying attention to them.