[redpigeons]

Sounds amazing !
I hope the designer remember that a camera should look like camera and not like a gadget and that there is something very comforting and practical in old German and Japaneses camera designs , (some on said MX or K-1000 ? )
I do like the look of the Q thou

[bossa]

I highly doubt it. That's definitely a Japanese design esthetic -- not one of a guy who lives in London.

No, it's more a chinese thing..

The Japanese have made brilliant artwork for 100's of years that had exquisite design aesthetics.

If a company wants to attract a large market and it's a tech based company, it makes sense to get the design sorted so that it has some kind of visual identity. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a technical device looking like a work of art if it's also functional. All the better.

[konraDarnok]

comforting and practical in old German and Japaneses camera designs

Indeed, if you have a spool of film in the body.

I doubt this camera is going to break any new ground, but everything about modern SLR design is dictated by having a spool of film in the body. At some point, someone is going to come up with a really really good idea how to take pictures with digital technology that will set the trend for the next 100 years.

Why do lenses focus? Because the film plane couldn't move. Now it can. Same with "image stabilization."

Why do we have retro-focal lens designs? Because the mirror is in the way. Now we don't need it.

etc. etc.

[konraDarnok]

No, it's more a chinese thing..

The Japanese have made brilliant artwork for 100's of years that had exquisite design aesthetics.

If a company wants to attract a large market and it's a tech based company, it makes sense to get the design sorted so that it has some kind of visual identity. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a technical device looking like a work of art if it's also functional. All the better.

I absolutely agree. It's just that particular example has nothing to do with the supposed K-01 designer. At any-rate Korejanai is Japanese "thing."

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Last edited by konraDarnok; 01-19-2012 at 04:43 PM.

[bossa]

I've just replaced my K20D with a K5.

I found the K5 to be uncomfortably small in my not overly large hands. I'd say my hands are average for a man.

Yesterday I received my D-BG4 grip and to say that it has transformed the way the K5 handles would be an gross understatement.

For me, this rumoured K01, plus the 'Q', the NEX and their ilk are just not physically feasible for me.

It seems possible that these new designs are aimed at the fairer sex, and the Asian market.

I hope Pentax don't lose sight of the fact that Caucasian males also take photos.

And please, please, don't look for any racial innuendo in the above sentence because there isn't any.

You should have made your disclaimer BEFORE making the post.. ;-)

[bossa]

Camera & Photography Forum - Camera-Enthusiast.com

Of course.. thanks.

[bossa]

You're entitled to your opinion man. I happen to like modern design, and there is whole market of consumers for these kinds of designs.

And I've said since the white K's came out, Pentax needs to distinguish their brand from the black-bodied Canikons -- which themselves are still hold overs from the days of film. The SLR was a brilliant Japanese refinement of a German concept -- but 35mm is dead. What you're witnessing in this industry is plateau after obsolescence. Pentax is never going to beat Canikon at their own game, because it's the 3rd quarter anyway.

The future of digital imagining is in its infancy. And I hope Pentax comes up with some good designs. But if you want something from Pentax to wave in the face of the Canikon fanbois, I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

Kodak were once the giant of the photographic industry and they've now reduced to begging on street corners for loose change due to no understanding the market - even the digital market they created. Now is a particularly good time for Pentax to get the market right and grow the line. If the new product allows older players to cross over along the way with minimal damage then great.

BTW: Anything can happen in the 3rd Quarter. In AFL (Australian Football League) it isn't called The Premiership Quarter for nothing.

[bossa]

I absolutely agree. It's just that particular example has nothing to do with the supposed K-01 designer. At any-rate Korejanai is Japanese "thing."

I was more referring to the ghastly colours... I'd like a Zen monk to design the next camera.. now THAT would be interesting.

[cali92rs]

Why not the GXR with a K-mount and K-5 sensor?

[mecrox]

I was more referring to the ghastly colours... I'd like a Zen monk to design the next camera.. now THAT would be interesting.

Lol, the zen of the shutterless shutter? I guess the new "XS" lens might mean that's already been done.

[ozlizard]

Definately the Kr replacement. Which is very good news.
If the entry level camera is basically a reworked K5 then the mind boggles at what might be coming for the intermediate and top end bodies!

[drugal]

I really don't see myself buying this (rumored) camera, but hopefully it can bring some more people to the brand.

I'm really interested in new lens designs and this MILC doesn't appear to get in the way of me getting new lenses for my K-5, so I'm all for it.

[bossa]

Lol, the zen of the shutterless shutter? I guess the new "XS" lens might mean that's already been done.

At least single point focus would be of prime importance and when you stop taking pictures with it it'd have a pretty decent singing voice too.

What about ESP cameras? They'd be cool because you could just imagine photographs and they'd appear in the camera automatically. Ones ESPR would end up being the equivalent of ASA or ISO.

[Winder]

You're entitled to your opinion man. I happen to like modern design, and there is whole market of consumers for these kinds of designs.

And I've said since the white K's came out, Pentax needs to distinguish their brand from the black-bodied Canikons -- which themselves are still hold overs from the days of film. The SLR was a brilliant Japanese refinement of a German concept -- but 35mm is dead. What you're witnessing in this industry is plateau after obsolescence. Pentax is never going to beat Canikon at their own game, because it's the 3rd quarter anyway.

The future of digital imagining is in its infancy. And I hope Pentax comes up with some good designs. But if you want something from Pentax to wave in the face of the Canikon fanbois, I think you're barking up the wrong tree.

I have nothing against modern design. Steve Jobs and Apple have set the bar for sleek modern design that is in good taste and appeals to the masses. What I see on that guys' s website is definitely modern, but he missed on the good taste part.

Cameras have changed and digital has changed everything, but people still work the same way. We still use our fingers and hand to operate the camera. There is only so many ways you can change a functional design. Unless the way we use cameras changes we are not going to see a significant change in the form of cameras. There is a reason why people are excited about the Fuji XP1. It is a design that works. Even people who have never used film and have never known RF cameras are attracted to the camera.

Maybe the new Pentax is going to be a home run. I have not seen it yet. After the Q I don't have much faith in Pentax's decision making. I'm scared we are going to get another toy camera that looks like it fell out of a bag of Skittles.

[kswier]

This camera is not what I expected. It makes sense though. By producing a replacement to the k-r, they do not have to build new lenses. Also, there is a minimal amount of risk. If the body is a flop, they can just discontinue it and make a entry level DSLR in its place. From the response on this forum, it sounds like it will do fine, though.

For me personally, the size of the body is a disappointment. When a mirrorless camera comes out that has small prime lenses (that have excellent quality), a small body, and a quiet shutter, I will buy it (weather sealing would be nice as well). Nobody has done this yet. From what I have heard, the Samsung and Sony lenses are not up to snuff (and their shutters are not very quiet). The body of the new fuji is larger than I would prefer, and I am unsure if the micro 4/3 cameras would give me the depth of field I desire.The Ricoh GXR is actually really tempting me. If they had better sensors in their APS-C modules and if they had a 70mm or 85m module, I might purchase it (or at least make the current modules cheaper due to the older sensors). In the meantime, I will keep snapping away with my k200D. The 16x22 print I just got from it shows that it is by no means obsolete.