[VisualDarkness]

Well I may be the oddball but a big selling point of the K-01 for me is the Marc Newson design. Straightforward with just the right amount of buttons and dials, easy for my big ham hands to grip, and so damn cool. I really think it shares the philosophy of Leica with a cooler edge. Flame away!

Probably what differentiate you from me when it comes to ergonomics, I got tiny hands with short fingers.

[ElJamoquio]

Flame away!

Your taste in design reminds me of a 70's sitcom. Your photography looks great at EV-5. Your smell can only be adequately described by those who clean septic systems. Your parents had the sense of two billy goats wandering through the desert. Your remote control is often lost between the cushions in your couch.

---------- Post added 08-17-14 at 05:53 PM ----------

Probably what differentiate you from me when it comes to ergonomics, I got tiny hands with short fingers.

My hands are what I consider normal, but my stubby fingers can not come to terms with Mister Newson's vision of the 60's camera of the future.

[jporos]

Your taste in design reminds me of a 70's sitcom.

Thanks El Jamoquio, that is a badge of honor.

[ZombieArmy]

I find the ergonomics of the camera much more comfortable when you grip it so your thumb is the digit pressing the shutter, easier to hit the other buttons too. Though truth be told I'm not having many issues at all holding it like a normal DSLR.

[luftfluss]

This is just like 2012, only without the rancor. I was immediately drawn to the K-01 and pre-ordered one. I got it in the mail literally the day it was 'released' in USA. I use it, I like it, it does everything I wanted it for and I use a dSLR for the things it cannot (and was not designed to) do.

By the fall of 2012 the criticism was deafening. I felt so personally insulted here that I responded angrily, got a Timeout from a Mod - and went away for six months. See, all these 'rational' assessments are meaningless. I like the camera. I got 12 more months of use from it than the people who bought it on the deals. It was just a first attempt, which was improved with Firmware updates - it wasn't broken. The card door works just fine. The buttons are just fine. It didn't have a noisy sensor. It didn't send Pentax down a Contax hole.

Well, now we have a couple of years to look back things. I'm not contemplating the K-01 as something I "like". I'm looking at how the concept was implemented and marketed and what was accomplished during its short production run.

I think the critical error by Pentax at release day was the very poor AF. "Professional" reviewers were already in a bit of a quandary over the styling, the thick body that somehow had neither an EVF nor a tilty LCD, and had only a vestigial grip. It was available in bright yellow. How could one reasonably expect photographers - a notoriously conservative group - to be welcoming on such a contraption? Yet, with all that said, if the camera had stellar output and performed, the K-01 might ring a few doorbells.

And that's where Pentax really screwed the pooch, IMO. AF with firmware 1.00 was worse-than-cellphone bad. And any fence-stradlers who tried to photograph the cat on a Sunday evening with the TV and one lamp for illumination said, man this sucks.

Imagine if FW 1.03 were on the K-01 at release...

"All in all, this odd brick of a camera is surprisingly capable, a decent performer with class-leading image quality and compatibility with the entire line of current and legacy Pentax K-mount glass. Because of this, we give it our Silver Award and a 76/100 rating. Please help support our site by purchasing the Pentax K-01 through one of our affiliates." - Generic Camera Review

Yet there remains this group-think 'Garbage' opinion supported by people who (mostly - I can't speak for everyone) have never even thought of trying one or sullying their precious camera bags with one (OMG, Newson cooties might rub off) that is just corrosive, unnecessary and not helpful to Pentax.

Does NO ONE associate the pathologically negative K-01 reception with Ricoh's reluctance to invest in mirrorless or video?

I honestly don't think the K-01 means much of anything to Ricoh. I have no idea where along the timeline of K-01 development Ricoh took over.

---------- Post added 08-17-14 at 11:56 PM ----------

...Mister Newson's vision of the 60's camera of the future.

[Rondec]

Well, now we have a couple of years to look back things. I'm not contemplating the K-01 as something I "like". I'm looking at how the concept was implemented and marketed and what was accomplished during its short production run.

I think the critical error by Pentax at release day was the very poor AF. "Professional" reviewers were already in a bit of a quandary over the styling, the thick body that somehow had neither an EVF nor a tilty LCD, and had only a vestigial grip. It was available in bright yellow. How could one reasonably expect photographers - a notoriously conservative group - to be welcoming on such a contraption? Yet, with all that said, if the camera had stellar output and performed, the K-01 might ring a few doorbells.

And that's where Pentax really screwed the pooch, IMO. AF with firmware 1.00 was worse-than-cellphone bad. And any fence-stradlers who tried to photograph the cat on a Sunday evening with the TV and one lamp for illumination said, man this sucks.

Imagine if FW 1.03 were on the K-01 at release...

"All in all, this odd brick of a camera is surprisingly capable, a decent performer with class-leading image quality and compatibility with the entire line of current and legacy Pentax K-mount glass. Because of this, we give it our Silver Award and a 76/100 rating. Please help support our site by purchasing the Pentax K-01 through one of our affiliates." - Generic Camera Review

I honestly don't think the K-01 means much of anything to Ricoh. I have no idea where along the timeline of K-01 development Ricoh took over.

---------- Post added 08-17-14 at 11:56 PM ----------

Well assuming that larger sensored mirrorless is at least part of the future, Pentax/Ricoh is going to have to decide if they will design a camera for that market and if so what it will look like. Could they use the K-01 as a base concept and go from there or, just start over again, maybe even with a new mount?

[hoopsontoast]

As a relatively new user of the K-01 (around 4 months of use), as a camera, its very good.
It takes great photos, very versitle and on the whole, well built/solid. I actually like the design from a aesthetic point of view.

There are only three things that I dont get on with:
- The white colour in Focus Peaking, especially outside when its hard to see the LCD anyway.
- The button placement of the Flash/Delete (I always hit it when trying to hold/move the camera when on a tripod), The +/- EV button and Dial combo, just not comfortable to use together and the Green button, too far in to be easily reached with a finger when shooting.
- The Grip, for me is not big enough, though I found the K-7 to be the right depth and shape, just not tall enough. The one on the Sigma SD15 on the other hand was perfect.

As to its size, as a mirror-less, the fact that it takes K-Mount Lenses is its biggest selling point, and with the Focus Peaking (now available on quite a few DSLR Bodies) is that it could be used with such an array of lenses, that being any K-Mount and Adapted M42 lenses available, again, on MASSIVE plus point for any Pentax K-Mount System.

[PiDicus Rex]

K-01 does just fine thank you very much.
I don't need a viewfinder, or a tiltable screen, I do need HDMI out and Sensor Shift SR and 48kHz sample rate Audio Input and better Codec options,...
Most of all, I need Clean Feed 1080p 4:2:2 HDMI Output.

But I'm quite happy with the photos side of things.

Meet 'Amber Fury',...

[luftfluss]

Well assuming that larger sensored mirrorless is at least part of the future, Pentax/Ricoh is going to have to decide if they will design a camera for that market and if so what it will look like. Could they use the K-01 as a base concept and go from there or, just start over again, maybe even with a new mount?

That's the thing... if Pentax/Ricoh intends to compete within the mirrorless parameters set by other companies, I think a new mount is required.

But I, personally, would prefer to keep the K-mount... and I also think Pentax/Ricoh might be better off going their own way, anyway.

[Na Horuk]

Noo, keep the K-mount, but make more XS lenses! Brick design with DA 21mm, DA 40mm, DA 70mm is smaller than many modern mirrorless mount cameras once you put a lens on them. K-01 has lots of room for improvement, true, but lets stick with K-mount. If Pentax makes a new mirrorless mount, I'm sure a lot of users would instead migrate to one of the already established mirrorless mounts
If you want tiny mirrorless mount cameras, Pentax already has one - the Q!

[ElJamoquio]

Thanks El Jamoquio, that is a badge of honor.

I don't care if you like the camera designs that I like. I don't think you care if I like what you like. We can still be friends.

The real question, though, is whether Ricoh will design their next camera for you or for me (or for neither... or for both).

---------- Post added 08-18-14 at 12:48 PM ----------

Noo, keep the K-mount, but make more XS lenses! Brick design with DA 21mm, DA 40mm, DA 70mm is smaller than many modern mirrorless mount cameras once you put a lens on them. K-01 has lots of room for improvement, true, but lets stick with K-mount. If Pentax makes a new mirrorless mount, I'm sure a lot of users would instead migrate to one of the already established mirrorless mounts
If you want tiny mirrorless mount cameras, Pentax already has one - the Q!

The prototype 15mm or 21mm was going to be interesting, I think. But they killed it, presumably for lack of projected profit.

[magkelly]

The Q gets dismissed, too, and still sells well.

The K-02 isn't here because Pentax deemed it not-a-good-business-decision. That's because it didn't sell well, which was in part because of the rejection of reviewers.

Maybe, a bit but the rejection of a lot of Pentax fans, I think counts more. A lot of Pentax people voted with their wallets on this one, said they weren't keen on it. I think that had a far greater impact. I still would like to see them do more by way of these types of cameras, but I really would like to see them start fresh with a whole new design and not do a K-02.

[RonHendriks1966]

The prototype 15mm or 21mm was going to be interesting, I think. But they killed it, presumably for lack of projected profit.

But most of all it would need a new retracting foldable kitzoomlens.

[ElJamoquio]

But most of all it would need a new retracting foldable kitzoomlens.

That really would've been nice, you're correct.

[jogiba]

How is that so? They tested the K-01, and disliked it. Many other folks - including "Pentaxians" - also had harsh opinions of it.

The Camera Store guys have been complimentary of other Pentax cameras.

DPR did not like it either .