[Rondec]

Do you think the next camera from Pentax will feature smile recognition? I sure hope so.

[Asahiflex]

Do you think the next camera from Pentax will feature smile recognition? I sure hope so.

Any new Pentax will certainly make me smile!

[aragondina]

The big news is already out. The 645D clobbers any other camera mentioned here. Go get excited by that. And start saving pennies.

Only in resolution when compared to a standard DSLR, and compared to MF cameras it 's not even the highest in that field either. Since it is untested, and not a single camera has been shipped it is still an unknown. It could be great, it could be a dud.

And I am saving my pennies, till Photokina. If a FF Pentax is announced then that is where my money will be going. If not then on whichever FF that Canon or Nikon announce at the show since both the 5d mkII and D700 are due for replacement.

[rparmar]

Since it is untested, and not a single camera has been shipped it is still an unknown. It could be great, it could be a dud.

It is not an unknown for anyone who has used Pentax film 645 cameras, which rock. It is also not an unknown for anyone who has used a K-7 since this has basically the same interface. And the 645 lenses are unsurpassed. So... I wonder how you think this could be a dud?

Some are ready to get all excited about an unannounced future camera but not about one that actually exists, is shipping and trumps it in all ways (except portability). I find that rather perverse. But then again, I'm a photographer not a gadget hound.

[D4rknezz]

And I am saving my pennies, till Photokina. If a FF Pentax is announced then that is where my money will be going. If not then on whichever FF that Canon or Nikon announce at the show since both the 5d mkII and D700 are due for replacement.

This.

Sniff. You know, it feels like Apple all over again. When they were the small players, with a handful of faithful supporters, churning out quality products. Except Pentax does it at cheaper price, Apple does it at premium .

I hope 645D and k-x does to Pentax what iPhone did to Apple.

[gazonk]

Since it is untested, and not a single camera has been shipped it is still an unknown.

It's been shipping for a week and Chris Willson got his today

[Aristophanes]

Only in resolution when compared to a standard DSLR, and compared to MF cameras it 's not even the highest in that field either. Since it is untested, and not a single camera has been shipped it is still an unknown. It could be great, it could be a dud.

But if it is 90% of a Hasselblad or Mamiya at 40% the price...it's a clear winner, redefining MF as an upper tier of the photo-enthusiast, prosumer ranks in a more affordable package. Or for pros looking for cost and portability advantages given how much revenues from stock photography have fallen.

[pxpaulx]

But if it is 90% of a Hasselblad or Mamiya at 40% the price...it's a clear winner, redefining MF as an upper tier of the photo-enthusiast, prosumer ranks in a more affordable package. Or for pros looking for cost and portability advantages given how much revenues from stock photography have fallen.

Exactly! If they sell so many they can't keep up with demand, well, eventually they will clue in and start making more of them - and we all know what volume does to pricing, right?

[aragondina]

It's been shipping for a week and Chris Willson got his today

I stand corrected.

[aragondina]

This.

Sniff. You know, it feels like Apple all over again. When they were the small players, with a handful of faithful supporters, churning out quality products. Except Pentax does it at cheaper price, Apple does it at premium .

I hope 645D and k-x does to Pentax what iPhone did to Apple.

I hope so too. I'm just saying hype means nothing. The K7 was hyped to be the Canon killer, and while it is a very competent camera it has fallen short of that expectation, meanwhile the K-x was better in some respects than expected.

But if it is 90% of a Hasselblad or Mamiya at 40% the price...it's a clear winner, redefining MF as an upper tier of the photo-enthusiast, prosumer ranks in a more affordable package. Or for pros looking for cost and portability advantages given how much revenues from stock photography have fallen.

The key word there is "IF". It might only be 40% of that Hasselblad, until some full reviews come out we just don't know. Until then it's just specs and hype.

[aragondina]

It is not an unknown for anyone who has used Pentax film 645 cameras, which rock. It is also not an unknown for anyone who has used a K-7 since this has basically the same interface. And the 645 lenses are unsurpassed. So... I wonder how you think this could be a dud?
Some are ready to get all excited about an unannounced future camera but not about one that actually exists, is shipping and trumps it in all ways (except portability). I find that rather perverse. But then again, I'm a photographer not a gadget hound.

The film camera used film, so you could control the output by changing film. The sensor is fixed so you can't change it, with a Hasselblad you just change backs and can shoot either film or digital, 31mp or 50mp. You have options, with the 645 you have one option.
You mean the 2 lenses released for the 645D? The ones that also have not been tested yet either? Yes the 645 lenses of the past were good, but unsurpassed? I don't think so. But I guess if that is all you have handled then that would be all you know.
The only thing the 645d trumps from Canon and Nikon is resolution. In AF speed, frame rate, lens selection, accessories, support it loses hands down. It also loses to my Pentax 6x7 or my Arca 8x10 in image quality as I have yet to come across a digital camera that can match film for DR. They are getting better, but they are not there yet.
But let's face it, talking objectively about anything in this forum is like trying to discuss creationism at a bible thumping convention. Too many of you have drank the Kool-Aid and have blinders on at the same time. Some of us like to have proof about something before believing, while others go on faith alone. Like the mythical god written of in the bible, just because you believe what a promo guy wrote doesn't automatically make it real. It might be, but I need more than faith to go on before I'll believe it.

[rparmar]

Yes the 645 lenses of the past were good, but unsurpassed? I don't think so. But I guess if that is all you have handled then that would be all you know.

Fact: Lenses for the 645 are as good as or better than any other brand for that format. No, I do not need to handle them all or talk to the manufacturer or personally know the designer to know this. Just like I do not need to be an astronomer to have certain beliefs about the solar system. Instead I extrapolate from the facts I do have, the lenses I have used, and add to this information from trusted sources. You do no different no matter how much you pretend otherwise.

Fact: Pentax knows how to make excellent cameras. Unless you have evidence to the contrary I will assume the 645D is another of these. That is not a wild hunch, it is the conservative approach.

The only thing the 645d trumps from Canon and Nikon is resolution. In AF speed, frame rate, lens selection, accessories, support it loses hands down.

So? I only need three good lenses and superior IQ.

It also loses to my Pentax 6x7 or my Arca 8x10 in image quality as I have yet to come across a digital camera that can match film for DR.

Fact: Comparing a 645 format (or mini 645 in this case) with an 8x10 or the Hubble Telescope is useless. My point in the previous post was not about comparing different types of cameras, it was about those who ignore what is before their face for some fantasy camera from the future.

Like the mythical god written of in the bible, just because you believe what a promo guy wrote doesn't automatically make it real.

Fact: Pentax have almost no promotion or hype so claiming that those who disagree with you are in bed with such a mythical creature as the Pentax "promo guy" (but yes, there likely is only one) is ridiculous. It's also a logical fallacy.

It might be, but I need more than faith to go on before I'll believe it.

And yet, without having tested the 645D, you are willing to make unsubstantiated claims like: "The only thing the 645d trumps from Canon and Nikon is resolution" and "It also loses to my Pentax 6x7 or my Arca 8x10 in image quality". You may believe these statements to be true, but there is no way you can know it. And why have you switched to only talking about IQ? Following your own line of critique, the 645D does more shots per second than your Arca, has about 400 more features and hence must be a better camera. (Not!)

Best of luck with your attempt at "objectivity" and faith avoidance. From the looks of it, you need all the luck you can get.

[Blue]

Rhetorical Question ahead:



I wonder who Hasselblad gets their digital sensors from?

[Winder]

I hope so too. I'm just saying hype means nothing. The K7 was hyped to be the Canon killer, and while it is a very competent camera it has fallen short of that expectation, meanwhile the K-x was better in some respects than expected.

Which K-7 was it supposed to kill? At its price range it is the best camera on the market. It beats the 50D which was the Canon body on the market at the time. Did people think it would be a 1D killer?

I think the K-7 has been a huge success, and one of Pentax's best selling cameras.

[GLXLR]

Which K-7 was it supposed to kill? At its price range it is the best camera on the market. It beats the 50D which was the Canon body on the market at the time. Did people think it would be a 1D killer?

I think the K-7 has been a huge success, and one of Pentax's best selling cameras.

Well, they only have two XD