[Rondec]

I’m not sure what will follow the K-70, which is why I’m so careful to say what I will or will not spend my money on. I suspect it will use the new processor, which opens up all kinds of possibilities. I would not pay for the new prism; I might pay for the new focusing system, depending on what is ported and how it is done. So many possible directions!

My guess would be that the K-90 would have similar auto focus to the KP -- remember the K-70 has a pretty ancient 11 point auto focus point module. Add in some improved auto focus alogrithms, touch screen, 4K video, you have the outline of what it could be.

It would be very unlikely if the K-90 would have eye focus through the viewfinder, new pentaprism, or the possibility of using a grip.

[house]

Those who wonder what AF etc performance a Ricoh milc would have can just have a look at the GR. I wouldn't call that an upgrade over the dslrs.

[boriscleto]

Ooh look, a dead horse. Has anyone got a whip that I can flog it with?

[reh321]

The Pentax KP you have is the last camera you'll be buying then IMHO. I don't expect there to ever be another new Pentax camera that comes in at under $1000 new. The market is shrinking by the month and there's no making up low prices with volume.

(Edit: I'll qualify that, under $995.00. Iffy, but possible)

My “limit” was $700 at this time four years ago, but I raised it to $1000 about the same moment that the price of the KP came down - so I actually paid the old limit for the KP. As time went by, I saw more and more uses for “insanely high” graceful ISO values, so this is more of a ‘soft’ expectation. I cannot predict how I will feel about better focusing as time goes by, and exactly how I will feel about particular performance as time goes by. I can say I now have no interest in the K-70, and did not compete for it when Adam gave one away. I did compete for a KP {for ‘insurance’} when Adam gave one away. I did eventually compete for K-1’s when Adam gave them away; once I figured out what I would do with one if I had it, I was willing to spend his money on one, as I would on a K-3iii.

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Last edited by reh321; 11-04-2022 at 10:01 AM.

[StiffLegged]

:deadhorse:

Go large or go home?

[clackers]

It is possible to do without your own cameras, but it makes it more difficult.
How many recent lenses for mirrorless has Tokina developed by their own?

? Here is their lineup.

What is your point?

https://tokinalens.com/catalog/lenses/

Do you think it was by chance that Sigma used Canon EF communication protocol on their DSLRs?

Completely unnecessary.

Only by developing and testing on Canon EF cameras can true compatibility be achieved.

You cannot argue that an original camera type must be developed to make possible a wide number of target platforms.

Samyang have never done this.

[Texdance]

There are many sites that extol the very real advantages of mirrorless over the shuttering DSLR, much of which are because of that flapping shutter at high frame rate, the dark viewfinder at the moment of capture which requires stopping and reviewing to see what the shot actually captured - did some street person make a rude gesture? Did Grandma blink? What other surprises mean holding up everything whilst the photographer reviews their shots on a miniscule screen, zooming around that tiny screen to see if he needs a re-shoot, all because his camera blinks with every shot?
Then there's video, because a camera that can not do great video will not fly in today's world of YouTube Creators making over $100k per year, plus Facebook-Meta, TikTok, and Instagram.
Perhaps the most telling word that got out was Canon's Japan executives being very candid with interviewers in the US, revealing that their DSLR line has reached its end of the life.

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Last edited by Texdance; 11-21-2022 at 02:15 AM. Reason: sp

[StiffLegged]

There are many sites that extol the very real advantages of mirrorless over the shuttering DSLR, much of which are because of that flapping shutter at high frame rate, the dark viewfinder at the moment of capture which requires stopping and reviewing to see what the shot actually captured - did some street person make a rude gesture? Did Grandma blink? What other surprises mean holding up everything whilst the photographer reviews their shots on a miniscule screen, zooming around that tiny screen to see if he needs a re-shoot, all because his camera blinks with every shot?
Then there's video, because a camera that can not do great video will not fly in today's world of YouTube Creators making over $100k per year, plus Facebook-Meta, TikTok, and Instagram.
Perhaps the most telling word that got out was Canon's Japan executives being very candid with interviewers in the US, revealing that their DSLR line has reached its end of the life.

Not all mirrorless cameras have a blackout-free viewfinder. Those that (mostly) do are the flagship models.

Just saying.

[gatorguy]

Perhaps the most telling word that got out was Canon's Japan executives being very candid with interviewers in the US, revealing that their DSLR line has reached its end of the life.

It's not that mirrorless takes better photos than DSLR's or that they're easier to use. They aren't. Or that they're naturally better for landscapes than a DSLR. They're not. Or better in a studio environment. Nope, not at all. There are edge cases where a mirrorless camera MIGHT get slightly improved success rates over a comparable DSLR, but how often are we needing to take photos of a weaving bicyclist? If that's you, and you don't already own a camera, then look at mirrorless bodies, used if there's a good one available.

Here's why there is the rush to mirrorless, paid articles, and proclamations of DSLR's being dinosaurs:
By getting stills photographers to move over to MILC's they can charge more for the bodies, and sell higher-priced new lenses to go with those new mounts. There are simply not many new cameras being sold anymore. It's a well-to-do older demographic that's still enthralled by actual cameras, and there's not enough of us to profit from traditional margins and make profits on volume. For enough revenue to remain viable as a business it's necessary now to sell at minimum two new lenses from that manufacturer when a new body is sold. Canon for instance wants full control over the lenses that can be mounted to their new cameras in order to do so, sending notice of patent infringement to 3rd party suppliers like Sigma to ensure it. There's so many quality used lenses that simply selling you a new camera and maybe one lens if lucky won't allow them to stay in business. A few accessories here or there won't cut it.

If you choose to fall into the marketing trap expect to pay far more for your hobby, even the batteries and memory cards, than had you stayed with DSLR's like many professionals are doing.

[Jonathan Mac]

I have used my K-01 since it had its first price drop.
Recently, following Mike Johnston's Online Photographer, I did a comparison to the Sigma fp series.
It may be "fish and fowl" but a full frame Pentax would surely look competitive.
Sure, I could adapt my K-mount lenses to the cavernous L-mount, but I like auto focus.

Now there is little (absolutely no) hope of Pentax again trying mirrorless, but I wistfully wish they would

There's a big difference between creating a live-view-only camera using an established SLR mount and creating a whole new mirrorless mount and range of lenses.

Pentax won't make another mirrorless I think, and if they did, I hope it wouldn't use a K-mount with the mirror removed.

If they want to expand into mirrorless then they should join the L-mount alliance. They could bring their photographer-focused cameras and their knack for making wonderful small primes.

[normhead]

What I learned was that an EVF can give so much more info in viewer that a DSLR can not. With the Panasonic I learned that it is very useful if you can see in the viewer how much or how far you zoomed, I can not see that happening in a DSLR

.

For those of us who learned to shoot with a couple dials and an aperture ring, all that info is pretty much a distraction. And I'd seriously question why you need to know the focal length of your zoom. It's a distracting info aid, not a useful composition tool. I set my aperture, don't need the display in the viewfinder, I peak at my shutter speed to make sure it doesn't fall too low. Those are practical considerations. I have no idea how the rest of it would help me. It's there, but why? Most controls are set and forget. I find my Lumix ZS100 with all the bells and whistles my least enjoyable camera to use and the hardest to get images with. It's mostly used because it's easy to carry and for 4k video. But compared to the K-3 or K-1, it's a source of frustration more than anything else. Clean and uncluttered is my preference.

The first time I looked through the EV on my ZS 100, and saw all the clutter overlayed on the image, I quickly learned how to turn everything I could off. Everyone's different.

[reh321]

Pentax won't make another mirrorless I think, and if they did, I hope it wouldn't use a K-mount with the mirror removed.

If they want to expand into mirrorless then they should join the L-mount alliance. They could bring their photographer-focused cameras and their knack for making wonderful small primes.

I believe a Pentax-built L-mount camera would be lost amongst the crowd already there; the crowd already there is, well, already there. With the K-01, Pentax showed they could make a K-mount MILC - but they weren’t willing to persist {as Sony and Canon did} and produce a good one. Oh well, their failure is …… our loss. They did persist at it long enough to make the Q-7, which I have two of, and is the camera I take walking with me these days.

[pinholecam]

I have used my K-01 since it had its first price drop.
Recently, following Mike Johnston's Online Photographer, I did a comparison to the Sigma fp series.
It may be "fish and fowl" but a full frame Pentax would surely look competitive.
Sure, I could adapt my K-mount lenses to the cavernous L-mount, but I like auto focus.

Now there is little (absolutely no) hope of Pentax again trying mirrorless, but I wistfully wish they would

Just get a Monster AF adapter and a 2nd hand Sony A7iii and be done with it.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=...MT-ePRIrU6OtPS


I have lost all hope and patience that Pentax will come up with one.

I look at the adapter I have, the size, its general usability and imagine that it could only be better if Pentax even bothered with a MILC and such an adapter.
Surely better AF / lens compatibility and faster AF with more RnD and know how into better adapter AF motor and FW compatible with the system.


The overall size of the Pentax lenses + adapter + camera also shows that it could have been Pentax to be the first to offer a MILC with a good range of small lenses for a smaller FF system.
Sad to say, all these opportunities are squandered off over the years.
There are now many native lenses for MILC systems as well as smallish ones if the user prefers them.
Pentax users fall back on the SR sensor, pixel shift, image stacking, etc and even those have been steadily chipped away by other makers.
I think only astro tracer and horizon correction is left as features unique to Pentax cameras now.

[Jonathan Mac]

I believe a Pentax-built L-mount camera would be lost amongst the crowd already there; the crowd already there is, well, already there. With the K-01, Pentax showed they could make a K-mount MILC - but they weren’t willing to persist {as Sony and Canon did} and produce a good one. Oh well, their failure is …… our loss. They did persist at it long enough to make the Q-7, which I have two of, and is the camera I take walking with me these days.

I wouldn't say there's a crowd at all. From my point of view the cameras available with the L-mount are:

1. Leica. Far too expensive.
2. Sigma. No grip and no shutter make them a poor choice for almost any photography.
3. Panasonic. Proper, capable cameras at a reasonable price.

So essentially L-mount cameras are limited to Panasonic Lumix for the vast majority of users and I'm certain that Panasonic has sold many times the number of L-mount cameras as Leica and Sigma combined. Pentax would really only be competing with Panasonic unless Leica drop their prices (not going to happen) or Sigma up their game and start making cameras that aren't weird and handicapped (highly unlikely).

[Rondec]

I wouldn't say there's a crowd at all. From my point of view the cameras available with the L-mount are:

1. Leica. Far too expensive.
2. Sigma. No grip and no shutter make them a poor choice for almost any photography.
3. Panasonic. Proper, capable cameras at a reasonable price.

So essentially L-mount cameras are limited to Panasonic Lumix for the vast majority of users and I'm certain that Panasonic has sold many times the number of L-mount cameras as Leica and Sigma combined. Pentax would really only be competing with Panasonic unless Leica drop their prices (not going to happen) or Sigma up their game and start making cameras that aren't weird and handicapped (highly unlikely).

Apparently Panasonic doesn't see much growth potential in MILC sales and will be shifting their attention to video as a result. I imagine they'll continue to support the L mount, but not have a fast rate of development of new bodies.

"Akira Toyoshima (photo), President of Panasonic Entertainment & Communications Corporation (PEAC), gave a joint press conference on March 15... The company will shift its revenue source from the existing TV and camera business, which is not expected to grow significantly in the future due to the rapid progress of Chinese and Korean manufacturers and the spread of smartphones. Specific figures were not disclosed.

In addition to new businesses, the company has identified TVs with a high degree of installation flexibility, video mirrorless cameras, headphones, and intercoms as growth business areas.

There have been several speculations about the sale of Panasonic's camera business in newspapers and magazines several times before, but since the president's latest statement lists video mirrorless cameras as a growth business area, it seems likely that the camera business will continue to focus on video mirrorless models. However, since he stated that the existing camera business "cannot be expected to grow," it seems likely that the camera business will be downsized with respect to areas other than video mirror-less cameras.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/210-pentax-k-3-iii/449151-how-well-k-3-iii-selling-2.html#ixzz7lSUuTslf"