[eddie1960]

When you have gained something in common with your subjects you will have achieved notoriety. You won't need ice. Whether you want notoriety remains a question for contemplation, to be performed in the company of three fingers of single malt. I recommend contemplation. You won't need ice for that, either.

I shoot a number of acts I have lot's in common with and it's a load of fun, it's more when i get asked by someone to step in a shoot an interview with a boy band or some such ilk, not only do I have little to nothing in common with them i generally can't stand the music either. Sitting down and shooting David Johansen and Syl Sylvain from the New York dolls or Lemmy Or Iggy that's a whole other thing (hardest thing about going to shoot a guy like Lemmy is not allowing myself to end up in another city by accident - with him life is more like 10 fingers of Jack and that's just breakfast)

[eddie1960]

When you have gained something in common with your subjects you will have achieved notoriety. You won't need ice. Whether you want notoriety remains a question for contemplation, to be performed in the company of three fingers of single malt. I recommend contemplation. You won't need ice for that, either.

I shoot a number of acts I have lot's in common with and it's a load of fun, it's more when i get asked by someone to step in a shoot an interview with a boy band or some such ilk, not only do I have little to nothing in common with them i generally can't stand the music either. Sitting down and shooting David Johansen and Syl Sylvain from the New York dolls or Lemmy Or Iggy that's a whole other thing (hardest thing about going to shoot a guy like Lemmy is not allowing myself to end up in another city by accident - with him life is more like 10 fingers of Jack and that's just breakfast)

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

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?

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.

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.

[ramseybuckeye]

Quote:

Buttons, dials and switches on the K-01 are slightly oversize, making the camera feel like a toy for adults, which it ultimately is.

So much for the attempt to instil a sense of "quality" and "value". The "toy" comment crops up a lot more than Marc Newson could be happy about.

I don't think that is meant to be a slam. Adults like toys and spend a lot of money on them, look at video games, some adults even let their kids use them. A lot of people thought the ipad was a toy also, Apple has sold over 55million of them in less than two years. Look at all of the "crap" on a cell phone, people have to have all the bells and whistles so the can play Angry Birds while they ride an elevator.

[riff]

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.

But that doesn't stop you from waxing endlessly about all the things you don't like, don't you think you made your point weeks ago.

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.

Perhaps for you, I have no problem with that, don't see it as a contradiction at all.

I'd be happier if they didn't release anything until they had something worth releasing.

Again this is strictly your opinion if something is worth releasing.
...and this must be about the 100th time you've stated your opinion. Please let it go already.

[Parallax]

I doubt it.

[asw66]

This Ars Technica forum thread is not very different from the chit chat going on here.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

...and this must be about the 100th time you've stated your opinion. Please let it go already.

Actually, including this post, it's the 2089th time I am stating my opinion. This is why I join forums - to state my opinion. This is what you're doing too, for the 598th time. If you don't care about mine, add me to your ignore list, just like I'm doing with you now. Easy!

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

This thread Is hopelessly derailed. Can we put it back on topic?

I tried a bit and the reaction was:

Splendid, all the depth of the runway interviews at the grammy awards with none of the cleavage. Thanks for sharing.

It was way outside the bubble, it seems. Needs to be selectively positive, or it's just not an opinion worth sharing.

Here's another short thread from seriouscompacts:

The new Pentax K-01 mirrorless

My favorite comments:

A balanced opinion before the official announcement:
snkenai: "I don't understand "bashing" what is not even anounced yet, much less tried."

and after:
snkenai: "Now I'll "bash" it. That big and no view finder. Bad."

Interest waned pretty quickly after that.

[pinholecam]

This has really grown from a slightly positive biased attempt to link views from outside the Pentax bubble to become a personal slinging match between a few folks.


I love cameras and though I have some reservations about how/what the K-01 is, I would like to also see the positives of it
(ie. right sized with APS-C lenses; K-mount compatibility for US; peaking function, potential smaller lenses to come, etc)
I believe everyone here like Pentax and cameras in general, which is why everyone is trying to present their case strongly.
But Cmon! Let it rest. Like or No Like, the camera is already made.
Live and let live.
No point throwing a tantrum over the spilled milk., wipe the table and move on.



In fact I tried one today from a fellow Pentaxian.
I off-loaded the 40XS from him too.
Managed to try out the peaking function, V1.00 AF and actually sling it on my neck and shoulder to feel its encumbrance as a system (with 15; 43; 40XS)
I've got to say that I'm pretty happy with the encumbrance with theses small lenses.
Certainly feel much lighter than what I thought it would based on "paper specs" against the K5.

[Rondec]

Laurentiu, I will repeat what I said before: it is too soon to know what Pentax will do under Ricoh's watch. I will guarantee that there will be a K5 sequel with an optical viewfinder. I guarantee that there will be future mirrorless cameras with an EVF. There will be more K mount lenses. All of that is clear.

As to gaps in the lens line up, they are many fewer than what you indicate, they have merely chosen to let their lenses be a little slower in order to make the smaller -- not such a big deal in an age where APS-C cameras can shoot iso 6400.

I am ready for you to add me to your ignore list -- eventually I expect you will find yourself talking to yourself (which is what you are basically doing now, anyway).

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

eventually I expect you will find yourself talking to yourself (which is what you are basically doing now, anyway).

Why are you talking to me then?

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

This link is not outside the bubble in my opinion.

It is from outside the Pentax bubble. Going outside the photography bubble will just get those opinions dismissed as coming from people that don't know what they are talking about, like riff did earlier.

[monochrome]

But that doesn't stop you from waxing endlessly about all the things you don't like, don't you think you made your point weeks ago.


Perhaps for you, I have no problem with that, don't see it as a contradiction at all.


Again this is strictly your opinion if something is worth releasing.
...and this must be about the 100th time you've stated your opinion. Please let it go already.

Use the Ignore feature. I did (but it doesn't work for Quotes).

[riff]

Use the Ignore feature. I did (but it doesn't work for Quotes).

Thanks