[haycyn]

Works for me

That is awesome! Congratulations!!
I would love to know what lens?

[johnmflores]

That is awesome! Congratulations!!
I would love to know what lens?

Thanks. The cover and inside photos shown were with the DA70mm F2.4 Limited. Additional production notes can be found here:

What Blog is This?: Pentax cameras (K-5, K-01, and Q) used for RoadRUNNER Story

[monochrome]

Brand prejudice seems to be inversely proportional to the actual expertise of the person. Those with cheap entry level Canikon often make a point of telling everyone in sight how great 'their' brand is.

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to shoot with some folks, and of course I was the only Pentax there. Canon 5d MkII's and several D800's so I was a little apprehensive about getting some flak about Pentax and my little k-5. But the only comment was "what made you decide on Pentax?" When I explained why they just said "'cool' lets keep shooting". Real pro's are more concerned about the results than the gear used.

Very true.
Unfortunately the mass-market is "driven" by the first kind of "panurge's followees"

Well I'm not very good either - but I've learned through repeated experience to just smile, say something at least nice about the other person's gear and say, "I like what I have."

I only get defensive now if the other guy doesn't get the message or tries to disparage my decision (as happened twice yesterday). Then I say something like, "Ansel Adams and William Henry Jackson did what they did with a wooden box and glass."

Usually I get something like, Who the H*&% was Ansel Adams?" or "William Henry Who?" and I just leave.

[Winder]

Sony is bleeding...massively:

Which is why they have no choice but to shoot for the stars. They can't afford to be conservative.

The floods hit Asia in late 2011 and production for many Sony products (and other camera companies) was crippled for the 1st qtr of 2012. Does Sony's fiscal year end with the calendar year or does it end in November? I shoot corporate events for several companies the close their books at the end of November.

[Digitalis]

There is no attempt so far by Sony or any camera maker to drive down the FF sensor to commodity levels like what happened with APS-C. Either it's just too costly to do so, or the bulk of the cameras + lens makes it awkward for the price. As sensor size goes up, lens size goes up.

To play the devils advocate - making a camera based on a mirrorless platform should allow for significantly smaller lenses than standard DSLR cameras. Depending on how short the backfocus is they can easily make the lenses as small as most Leica M lenses are. So a Bigger sensor doesn't automatically mean the lenses have to get bigger, there is still some wiggle room for a talented engineer.

As for driving down FF sensor prices to APS-C level - it could be done. It would be a rough start at first, they would probably have to cut back on the complexity of such a sensor but the pay-off would be totally worth it.

[ogl]

The question is: How much of the difference in performance is due to the image processor?

Even when using the same sensor we see noticeably different results between Nikon, Sony, & Pentax.

I see very close results. With tiny difference.

[ogl]

What is going on? Where are magiс toys for a big boys which Kunzite promised? He said that Pentax worked hard...Very hard....
I hope it will be on June. Right?

[Uluru]

Well I'm not very good either - but I've learned through repeated experience to just smile, say something at least nice about the other person's gear and say, "I like what I have."

I only get defensive now if the other guy doesn't get the message or tries to disparage my decision (as happened twice yesterday). Then I say something like, "Ansel Adams and William Henry Jackson did what they did with a wooden box and glass."

Usually I get something like, Who the H*&% was Ansel Adams?" or "William Henry Who?" and I just leave.

Yes, exactly. Ansel Adams was known to chase his kids around with his wooden box, and pull it out of his pocket whenever he wanted a snap.

[bossa]

Yes, exactly. Ansel Adams was known to chase his kids around with his wooden box, and pull it out of his pocket whenever he wanted a snap.

Comments by casual shooters should be easy to keep in perspective if you know what you're about.

Painting studios will never be as portable as cameras and yet I don't read too many comments from artists saying they're using this or that paint brush in this or that room on this or that easel.

The END defines the means and not the reverse.. or does it?

[Aristophanes]

To play the devils advocate - making a camera based on a mirrorless platform should allow for significantly smaller lenses than standard DSLR cameras. Depending on how short the backfocus is they can easily make the lenses as small as most Leica M lenses are. So a Bigger sensor doesn't automatically mean the lenses have to get bigger, there is still some wiggle room for a talented engineer.

As for driving down FF sensor prices to APS-C level - it could be done. It would be a rough start at first, they would probably have to cut back on the complexity of such a sensor but the pay-off would be totally worth it.

Of course mirrorless = smaller...except for zooms. Fuji's X-series zooms are not really that small. Zooms are still dominant by a large margin in sales.

Mirrorless = bye=-bye k-mount save through a kludgy adapter. You now need a very high quality EVF. Both a new mount and new VF system are vey expensive.

And FF will always be larger than APS-C and costlier. Sony RX-1 vs. Ricoh GR. 2 stops more and there is a lens size and cost penalty. I doubt you can go backwards in quality of the sensor to achieve volume.

[falconeye]

As sensor size goes up, lens size goes up.

For the sake of your arguments clarity, let me say that this is technically false.

Two lenses made for different sized image circles but of given equivalent specification (read: rendering the same images and image quality) have equal mechanical spec (size and weight) and its price of production monotonically decreases (rather than increases) with sensor size. Please refrain from argueing about this established fact (should you sense an urge to do so).

Of course, full frame lenses tend to be larger than their equivalent counterparts from the APSC domain, i.e., they tend to be non-equivalent or more specifically, better than equivalent.

Btw, this is where I see an important niche still to occupy for Pentax in a full frame world: Provide "APSC-style" lenses for full frame, small and covering the FF image circle.

[Asahiflex]

Btw, this is where I see an important niche still to occupy for Pentax in a full frame world: Provide "APSC-style" lenses for full frame, small and covering the FF image circle.

That essentially means: slower lenses for a given focal length. So in that case we can forget about Pentax introducing lenses like 85mm f/1.4's (in the last years they systematically refused to come out with fast lenses). Not that I care, but there are people who do.

[Digitalis]

this is where I see an important niche still to occupy for Pentax in a full frame world: Provide "APSC-style" lenses for full frame, small and covering the FF image circle.

I agree - though I don't see pentax taking advantage of it. Years ago Pentax made the M series lenses which were designed with small size in mind. Sadly these slow but small lenses have been pretty much forgotten in favour of the latest and greatest f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses despite the diminishing returns in terms of light gathering power with digital sensors.

[Uluru]

Btw, this is where I see an important niche still to occupy for Pentax in a full frame world: Provide "APSC-style" lenses for full frame, small and covering the FF image circle.

.
.
I can see this happening only in FF mirrorless.

Speaking of that, I think we better shut up; these threads are becoming Nordic epics yet with Beowulf still roaming in the wild, and we are no smarter than — Goodness gracious! — almost 8 months ago during the Photokina, when we also knew nothing.

Pentax, thank you for keeping us in dark. Like that, we need little movement to be kept alive. You gave us sugared water in September 2012 to live on it for the next 12 months and locked us in a closet. You know, in some countries, that level of carelessness and neglect is punishable by law! And kids can be given for adoption to new, better caring parents.

[gazonk]

I agree - though I don't see pentax taking advantage of it. Years ago Pentax made the M series lenses which were designed with small size in mind. Sadly these slow but small lenses have been pretty much forgotten in favour of the latest and greatest f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses despite the diminishing returns in terms of light gathering power with digital sensors.

I don't have the FA43, but IMHO it has the "looks and genes" of the M lenses - the FA77, too. I still think Pentax can find their "FF niche" with a compact sturdy body, not much larger than the K-5 and a nice set of very compact prime lenses. But they probably need the obligatory pair of 2.8 normal and tele zooms too.