Originally posted by johnmflores Do you really think that Pentax will be able to execute any of the above in a big enough way to draw people away from Canon and Nikon with their vastly larger installed base, vastly larger lens lineup, and vastly larger third-party/dealer support?
I don't think the lens lineups are 'vastly' larger. There are some holes in Pentax's lens lineup, but it isn't the end of the world different. Pentax would have to launch a few lenses at the start of FF, though, sure.
Does larger installed base matter for you? It doesn't for me. I'm not trading lenses with anyone else out in the field, and I wouldn't rely on someone else's equipment even if I used Canon/Nikon.
Sigma makes almost everything in Pentax. So does Tamron. I wouldn't call it vastly larger third party support, or else I'm misinterpreting what you're saying.
Does 'larger dealer support' matter for you? For me it's the same support. I don't know what dealer you go to. And hell, I don't go to a dealer very often anyway.
Originally posted by johnmflores Price? They've always been in the same ballpark and sometimes higher (think K-5 vs. D7000)
And sometimes lower, think K-x against whatever.
Originally posted by johnmflores Size? Pentax is typically smaller, but has that really helped them do anything more than maintain a single-digit market share?
MUCH smaller for semipro. If they can carry that through to pro gear then that's a big advantage, to me. I don't think I'm the only one. And having an upgrade path to 'pro' gear is in itself an advantage.
Originally posted by johnmflores Sensor/ISO/DR? Funny that you might claim this as an advantage when Pentax doesn't even make their own sensors.
Of course they don't make their own sensors. #1, I said ISO, not sensor, and look at the performance of the K5 vs the 7D.
Originally posted by johnmflores And these days, ISO advantages are fleeting
Sure
Originally posted by johnmflores and rarely more than a stop between competing products.
I would LOVE to use ISO 6400 like I do ISO 3200 right now. That would be AWESOME. I would buy a new camera just for that. Alternatively I would love to have an iso 10-20 or so, too, that would really help out sometimes.
Originally posted by johnmflores DR? Could you really, in a blind test, tell a K-5 photo from a 7D from a D7000?
I'm not sure what you mean by blind. If you mean using fill light in lightroom in a challenging environment, then yes, I can tell the difference, I've done this test with a friend of mine who has a 7D.
Originally posted by johnmflores Lenses? Pentax is going to match Nikon and Canon's FF lens lineups at launch? Ever?
I don't want them to match Nikon and Canon. Like we've both said, if the systems are the same then there's not much reason for Pentax. I want small, light, with excellent IQ. I just want my Pentax with a bigger sensor.
Originally posted by johnmflores AF? So Pentax will somehow magically jump way ahead of Nikon and Canon in this area after lagging for the entire AF era? Are they smoking unicorns over there?
I sure hope not, unicorns are expensive.
Originally posted by johnmflores So close that you can't tell the difference between them in a blind test.
Huh? My friend with the 7D carries a big bag with him for all his huge-ass zooms, and I put a prime or two in my pocket. It's a different strategy, sure, but I know I can tell the difference out in the field and I know I can tell the difference when I start using the fill light.
Originally posted by johnmflores So close that you can't tell the difference between them in a blind test. Put it another way - put a K-r in the hands of one photographer and a D3/1D/M9 in the hands of another photographer. In most cases, there will be a greater difference in the skill of the photographers than in the capabilities of the cameras they are holding.
A more flexible tool opens up possibilities. I agree with you that the photographer is 95% of 90% of the shots I take, but I value the other 10% high enough that I'm willing to purchase a new camera to take the pictures...
...and I can DEFINITELY tell the difference when I'm lugging the camera on some 20 mile hike somewhere.