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03-21-2013, 12:31 AM   #1
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Pentax K-01 should be more like the Canon EOS 100D

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Why couldn't Pentax make the K-01 more like the Canon EOS 100D? You don't need to pay a "Designer" tons of money to design a "brick" which doesn't sell in the numbers needed to continue it. Just imagine, a Pentax K-01 which is easier to hold and with a good viewfinder. Stuff it with the Pentax innards and it would be a great small SLR with access to all the K mount lenses!

03-21-2013, 01:02 AM - 4 Likes   #2
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It's just another boring black thing. Pentax is being different
03-21-2013, 01:14 AM - 3 Likes   #3
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I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable on this forum, but my two cents..

I love the design of the K-01. Pentax already has small, high quality SLR's down, which is one of the main reasons I haven't even considered jumping. IMO it didn't sell well because it was too expensive when it launched (probably to protect the K-5) and it never recovered, but I JUMPED as soon as it hit $300, and don't regret i for a second. It's fantastic

If it was designed differently then it would've been exactly like a Canikon... a slightly different price for a slightly different camera. I wish it didn't "flop" because I doubt we will see something like the K-01 in the near future. One of the main reason's I love the K-01 is because of it's design. It's so much easier to pull out around people, because people aren't immediately intimidated.

Just my thoughts
03-21-2013, 01:28 AM - 1 Like   #4
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Never liked the Canon aesthetic. Nikon are slightly better, but never seem quite right to my eye.
PENTAX have never had an ugly dslr body (in my view of course).
I'll be surprised if they can better the K-7/K-5 body design - in my view one of the most attractive dslr bodies out there.
The K-01 is **different** but not ugly. It might be a shock to the eyes at first, but it certainly grows on you. Canon or Nikon don't take risks..

Just to add, I also think the PENTAX Q is a handsome design.

03-21-2013, 01:46 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by klchew Quote
Why couldn't Pentax make the K-01 more like the Canon EOS 100D? You don't need to pay a "Designer" tons of money to design a "brick" which doesn't sell in the numbers needed to continue it. Just imagine, a Pentax K-01 which is easier to hold and with a good viewfinder. Stuff it with the Pentax innards and it would be a great small SLR with access to all the K mount lenses!
I hope one of the new cameras rumored is something in this direction, just prettier (inspired by the K-x!). It would make perfect sense for Pentax to introduce a super compact DSLR now. They should sell it in XS40 or DA35 kits in order to emphasize its compactness.
03-21-2013, 02:37 AM   #6
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Yeah - look if you want a small DSLR with the same innards, get a K30.

If you want the space saving and a new design based on the liberation of no mirror and prism/mirror, get a K-01. If you want a camera with no mirror or prism but which still clings to the ugly faux-DSLR styling, get a Panasonic G-series MILC camera or one of the many high-end compacts that ape DSLR styling.
03-21-2013, 02:44 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by klchew Quote
Digital Photography Review

Why couldn't Pentax make the K-01 more like the Canon EOS 100D? You don't need to pay a "Designer" tons of money to design a "brick" which doesn't sell in the numbers needed to continue it. Just imagine, a Pentax K-01 which is easier to hold and with a good viewfinder. Stuff it with the Pentax innards and it would be a great small SLR with access to all the K mount lenses!
Why on earth would they do that? The new Canon mini-DSLR is nothing new, Olympus E-4x0 and even Pentax K-r come to mind. But K-01 is a mirrorless camera with a standard K mount bayonet, and as such the closest comparison would be Samsung NX-10/20. A camera that looks like a typical Canikon DSLR, albeit a wee bit smaller, and acts like a typical mirrorless CSC, albeit with a built-in viewfinder. The Samsung NX-x0 line is not selling much, if any, better than the K-01, even after the price drop. The Samsungs are on sale with massive price drops all over Europe, and still they don't move. Stuffing the K-01 guts inside a boring DSLR replica is not the magic bullet that would make it sell like hotcakes. Even the Pentax logo is not powerful enough to pull that off.
Besides, Pentax already have K-r, so again, why on earth would they do that? I really hope they won't.

The main four problems with the K-01 were as follows:
-no viewfinder
-dodgy, unfinished CAF at launch time
-somewhat awkward button layout
-because of the above, too high a price tag at launch time

Those were the four basic nails in its coffin. The weird looks would be only the fifth nail, not the first.
The sixth would be the contradiction in terms, so to speak, having a standard K mount and thus flange distance identical to a DSLR sort of defeats the purpose of the mirrorless design in the first place, and making it almost as big as the smallest DSLR's.

However, quite a few people would have been ok with that, and even with the eccentric looks, if only the camera had had a decent EVF, or even an option for a separate one, and a fast enough AF, when compared to the other mirrorless cameras. Again, the overall spec sheet was a bit too minimal for that price tag.

If Pentax were to come up with a new version with the same specs in a plastic fake DSLR cover á la Samsung and Panasonic, that would not make it sell any better, if at all. Even Samsung GH2/GH3 is a niche camera, and it's selling moderately not because of the fake DSLR looks, but because it has two killer features, which the K-01 didn't have, namely decent video capabilities, and a decent built-in EVF.

So in case Pentax was ever to come up with a K-02, I really hope they won't make a typical "me too" fake mini-DSLR plastic toy, but rather something more unique. If Pentax were able to come up with the MX-1 design in-house, without the help of an expensive designer outside the company, they already have most of what it takes to make a much better second attempt on the subject. Provided that they remember to add an EVF to it. There would be not much point in coming up with yet another small DSLR, unless it was a normal K-r update.


Last edited by EchoOscar; 03-21-2013 at 01:54 PM.
03-21-2013, 04:55 AM - 1 Like   #8
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But Pentax always has a camera that the EOS 100D is trying to be
K100; K2000; Kx; Kr, K30

Plus Pentax does have the smallish lenses to accompany the camera.

This is Canon's 2nd front against MILCs other than the EOS-M.

Canon is good at selling the Emperor new clothes.
They even succeeded in making many people think that they are the first with a 40mm 'pancake'.
So I'm sure it will sell better than any Pentax.
03-21-2013, 05:04 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by EchoOscar Quote
The main four problems with the K-01 were as follows:
-no viewfinder
-dodgy, unfinished CAF at launch time
-somewhat awkward button layout
-because of the above, too high a price tag at launch time
Yet the Leica mirrorless has three of those same four items and still presently sells for just a tad short of 2k; and also gets near perfect reviews and results all of the time. I'll put this one into Pentax's side of the court...

Just as with a majority of other Pentax items, and getting worse all of the time. Pentax needs marketing.

At this existing pace I can see the company slipping at least two positions in the camera industry - if not to last place entirely.
03-21-2013, 05:05 AM   #10
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K-01 is special

The Kx and Km are getting very close to the size of the canon 100D but they are 5mm wider and the Kr is 8mm wider, not a big deal if you ask me...

K30 is more interesting, 13mm wider but with 100% prism viewfinder and weather sealed.
03-21-2013, 05:39 AM   #11
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I disagree about making the K-01 smaller, in fact you could increase it by a few mm in all directions, slap in a 35mm sensor, boost the fps, image sensor, CDAF, slap on that new K-5II view screen and juice up numerous other specs and sell it for around the $1000 mark.
03-21-2013, 06:16 AM   #12
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Actually, my main gripe with most mirrorless cameras is the lack of a decent viewfinder. The screen tends to totally wash out in bright sunshine and I keep wishing there was a viewfinder that I can use. Pentax is quite an innovative company making decent value for money cameras which works well. I have the Panasonic G3, Pentax K-01, Q and also K-30, and my family takes turn using them. I've come to appreciate Pentax cameras and like using them when I need to bring out a light small camera.

I suppose the long term worry would be how long can Pentax continue to remain a viable "independent" camera company if they continue to have models which they discontinue for lack of sales. All they need is one wrong turn too many and off the cliff they go. I still have in a camera dry cabinet, cameras that I inherited from my dad which I still treasure and use. They are all film cameras and include a Minolta XD-11, Nikon F3Ti, Olympus OM1 and OM2, Contax RTS and 139 quartz.

Of them, Minolta and Contax have dissappered. And these were famous brands too. Minolta more or less invented the autofocus SLRs and Contax was a brillant combination of Yashica electronics in the body with Carl Zeiss lens. Famous names with famous cameras and look where are they now.
03-21-2013, 06:24 AM   #13
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First, I love the K-01 (that's why I own TWO) but I won't get into defending the K-01. That said, since I also shoot with Canon gear and I prefer smaller camera bodies I've been paying attention to the new Rebels. Frankly, the SL1/100D isn't anything revolutionary compared to the K-30.

K-30 dimensions: 130 x 97 x 71 mm (5.12 x 3.82 x 2.8″), 650g (with battery)
SL1 dimensions: 117 x 91 x 69 mm (4.61 x 3.58 x 2.72″), 407g (with battery)

That's NOT a major difference in size. You can argue that the SL1 is MUCH lighter than the K-30, but the K-30 is weather sealed, has front and rear control dials, in-body image stabilization, faster burst rate and faster top shutter speed. The resolution is technically lower, but based on the DXOmark scores of the previous 18mp Canon APS-C sensors I suspect the 16mp sensor in the K-30 will still resolve better detail and have lower noise at high ISO.

Now, there are still many reasons to love Canon cameras, but I'm not too impressed with the SL1 (or the new T5i) compared to my now "outdated" T4i.
03-21-2013, 06:42 AM   #14
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K-01 ergonomics aren't that bad, unless you stick a large lens like the 50-135 or 200 on it (in which case, no mirrorless option is going to be really comfortable to hold). As to appearance, it has been pretty polarizing, but I certainly don't think it looks bad and I like it better than the EOS 100D.

The problems with the K-01 initially were primarily related to cost and performance. The cost portion has been fixed and if it had been released at 450, it would have been a good seller from the get-go. The performance aspect still isn't great, but wouldn't be that hard to to improve to get it to be a decent camera, comparable in specs to a kr.
03-21-2013, 06:45 AM   #15
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The K-m/K-x were only 5mm wider than the EOS 100D five years ago. With a wimpy 360-shot lithium battery instead of four AAs, Pentax could easily make a dSLR as small or smaller than the 100D. Lighter would be harder, as the SR system uses a steel chassis instead of plastic. The hybrid CDAF/PDAF in the EOS 100D is more interesting - that tech would have made a difference for the K-01. But otherwise, they are two different categories of camera. The EOS 100D is a dSLR, and the K-01 is a K-01 (there are no other mirrorless legacy-mount cameras, so it is a category by itself).

Actually, with the exception of visible AF points in the viewfinder, the K-x pretty much covers the OPs requirement for a small K-mount dSLR with good ergonomics. The 12MP sensor was no slouch.

Also, (sorry, too many thoughts at once), there was an interview that indicated that the K-01 was never intended to be more than a one-year production. I don't know if that was true or just corporate-speak, but when the intention from the start was to do something different (per the DigiCam Review interview with the design team), it would make sense to keep the project limited.

Last edited by THoog; 03-21-2013 at 07:04 AM.
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