[DaveBlack]

This looks really promising. The future of Pentax looks good. Time will tell if reality lives up to the promise.

The new camera rumors are really interesting and shows that Pentax still have some corporate life left in it.


I still isn't enough information from the rumors and the leak to form a real opinion on the direction Ricoh is taking Pentax. I am guessing the the new camera had more Hoya in it than Ricoh in it. So it might be this fall before we really know the true direction Rioch is taking Pentax.

Now if the new camera has the right stuff for me I will get it for a back-up to my two K-5's and the K-7. I really don't know what the right stuff will be for me. I do want a little smaller camera to take caving with me. So it would be nice if it is rugged and weather-sealed. A built-in EVF would be nice. Useable AF with my DA and FA lenses would be nice. Otherwise I am set until Pentax comes out with a camera above the K-5.

Until then I really hope to see a K-mount lens longer than 300mm. (Just incase someone from Pentax is looking at this thread.) :-)

Still intersting speculations to follow in this thread. Like previous Pentax cameras most speculations will be wrong.

Dave

[eddie1960]

the description given could also be a variant on the look of the Q (yellow leather was mentioned)

[DaveBlack]

This looks really promising. The future of Pentax looks good. Time will tell if reality lives up to the promise.

If K-01 will have Pentax Optio RZ10/Ricoh G700 like design - what do you think?

Ok designs.


It will be interesting. Without needing a pentaprism this frees up the design of the camera. Pentax even had one that was more cylinder.

What about the Optio WG1 as the camera design that inspires the new camera. One rumor was a rugged camera.

Dave

[fuent104]

Could someone explain me why this is so? Why wouldn't it be possible to implement a sensor-based AF algorithm that is quite fast even with old lenses? Is it because the whole CDAF algorithm is based on tiny lens movements?

I somehow have the feeling that there are still good software solutions to be found here... (but then I'm a software designer and programmer myself )

Can you write us some sort of firmware for full manual control of video for the kx, kr, and k5?

[DaveBlack]

the new lenses won't work on the old bodies, the mirror would hit the rear elements of the lenses, but old lenses could be used on the new k-01...

some info...truth or not...I don't know

Very interesting and a possibility. It will be interesting to see the new lens mount.

Still I can not see a 40mm pancake needing to fit inside the camera body any. It is about the thickness of a body cap.

Still a new lens series made for CDAF and movies is a very good possibility.

Dave

[hinman]

Thanks guys, thats the kind of information i wanted.

Its pointless to look at the body as an isolated subject, if one doesn't also consider the pros and cons of each decision affecting that body.

I think of the NEX as a revolutionary moment in camera design because of the insertion of a typical APS sensor in a compact body. But there have been numerous comments on the "popcan" look of some of the zooms attached to the body. Not that its necessarily a bad thing, but just a reminder its the combination of lens/body that matters. I think the relatively large size of the Sony compact zooms is the inclusion of optical IS in the zoom, something that the Pentax design eliminates by including the body SR.

I can wait till February to find out the whole story. I see the backward compatibility of this camera to be a very positive thing for my lenses, without having necessarily to start a whole new collection.

There's a lot of compact mirrorless cameras being bought now, but there's also starting to be an increased number of compact cameras being sold. My preference is to buy cameras for the longer term. Kudos to Pentax for putting a lot of thought into this camera.

I have just LIKED your post. I recently bought a Sony NEX 5N as a compact and traveling camera and it serves as an equal companion to a dSLR. There are scenarios that a compact camera is preferred over a dSLR for me especially when traveling with kids.

It is very refreshing to see what Sony has done. Camera design comes as compromise and there is NO perfect camera even with the best EVF and best LCD. And I like to focus on the positives and admire at the convenience that each new endeavor in the camera industry has lured us with innovations and bold move.

The NEX has a 18mm flange distance from sensor. Th nex body is very thin but OSS, SR equivalent in Pentax, stay in the lens and hence the more bulk in native E mount lenses. Compromise again but I like the drastic weight reduction factor and the cut in form factor! Instead of the native E mount lens, I sought after pancake in other mounts and I found this russian beauty with Industar-69 28mm f/2.8 in M39/L39 mount and the adapter is very thin and the combination yield a very pocketable combo

Sony NEX 5N with a Industar-69 28mm f/2.8 pancake

And nex with great manual focus feature on peeking focus and manual focus assist with magnification, I use it without its EVF and I have its flash mounted instead

Flash is mounted and I use the LCD to focus

And I am excited to see new development from Pentax. I look forward to the new camera. Small comes with a price in ergonomics. And I sure hope Pentax takes a good compromise approach to keep K-mount and its good ergonomics. I sure hope that the weight is not accurately stated in the leaked rumor.

[falconeye]

It will be interesting. Without needing a pentaprism this frees up the design of the camera. Pentax even had one that was more cylinder.

Dave, correct.

But this isn't the rumor which sees a 90% SLR form factor.

Otherwise, I would have said that a large registration distance w/o a mirror or prism calls for a Lytro-like design where the camera is more like a 50x50x50 mm (2"x2"x2") cube sitting behind the lens. Maybe not very ergonomic in the end (Lytro wil ltell) but a new design

The K01 seems to be rather conventional though.

[eddie1960]

I think the most interesting potential is to develop the lenses that go into the body. the new 40 xs is likely no different than the da 40 in most respects. but with the ability to sink the rear element into the body in the design you could have a 10mm pancake fisheye, or a 14 2.8 pancake. for WA and UWA there is a whole range of possibilities. for longer lenses it makes little difference. you could have a near pancake sized uwa zoom probably - now that would be cool and unique

[falconeye]

I think the most interesting potential is to develop the lenses that go into the body. the new 40 xs is likely no different than the da 40 in most respects.

That's why I think that a DA 21 XS would have been a natural candidate for a kit lens, almost flush with the body when mounted

So, I am sceptical XS stands for protruding lenses. OTOH, ogl's post suggests exactly this ... And again, it's all rumor, it may not be 100% accurate

[mdodrill]

This is great news for me. I had been hoping for a small mirrorless camera that would use the DA primes (which I love).

[rvannatta]

I didn't see this as profoundly new. a year or so ago there was rampant speculation here that Pentax was working on 2 different mirrorless cameras...
a little one and a big one. ---- the little one appeared as a Q., and until now
there has been little news of the big one, or how it might fit in.

The product development path is toward solid state only, with no moving parts
and the departure of the mirror is one step in that direction, with the next step
being an electronic shake reduction (as opposed to mechanical).

This will give Pentax a major advantage in the interchangable lens class
as they have avoided putting the SR in the lens, so they will immediately
get the full benefit of an SR that is solidstate.....

The new camera rumors are really interesting and shows that Pentax still have some corporate life left in it.


I still isn't enough information from the rumors and the leak to form a real opinion on the direction Ricoh is taking Pentax. I am guessing the the new camera had more Hoya in it than Ricoh in it. So it might be this fall before we really know the true direction Rioch is taking Pentax.

....
Until then I really hope to see a K-mount lens longer than 300mm. (Just incase someone from Pentax is looking at this thread.) :-)
......
Dave

[Pål Jensen]

Hear, hear!
Get rid of one major advantage of SLR (optical viewfinder) but without great reductions in size or weight? I say this isn't a K-r replacement, it's an even-lower-tier thing.
Xtra Silly.
If the price is appropriate for a lower-tier, though, it might be good. Good competition for bridge cameras, rather than questionable competiton for SLR/mirrorless...

I don't think mirrorless cameras are replacements of DSLR but an addition....

[DaveBlack]

I didn't see this as profoundly new. a year or so ago there was rampant speculation here that Pentax was working on 2 different mirrorless cameras...
a little one and a big one. ---- the little one appeared as a Q., and until now
there has been little news of the big one, or how it might fit in.

The product development path is toward solid state only, with no moving parts
and the departure of the mirror is one step in that direction, with the next step
being an electronic shake reduction (as opposed to mechanical).

This will give Pentax a major advantage in the interchangable lens class
as they have avoided putting the SR in the lens, so they will immediately
get the full benefit of an SR that is solidstate.....

All true. I would guess this camera is the one that was supposed to be have been released at the end of last year. A four month delay dues to Ricoh purchasing Pentax and two natual disasters.

I was wondering if the traditional sensor moving SR was done away with to save some thickness. In its place is digital shake reduction. Isn't digital stabilizaton used in some digicams?

Dave

[hcarvalhoalves]

I didn't see this as profoundly new. a year or so ago there was rampant speculation here that Pentax was working on 2 different mirrorless cameras...
a little one and a big one. ---- the little one appeared as a Q., and until now
there has been little news of the big one, or how it might fit in.

The product development path is toward solid state only, with no moving parts
and the departure of the mirror is one step in that direction, with the next step
being an electronic shake reduction (as opposed to mechanical).

This will give Pentax a major advantage in the interchangable lens class
as they have avoided putting the SR in the lens, so they will immediately
get the full benefit of an SR that is solidstate.....

Quoted for truth.

For those thinking PENTAX is doomed because they are going to replace their DSLR line with mirrorless line... don't choke just yet.

It's unlikely they will abandon the DSLR line overnight, specially considering the R&D cost is already amortized. It's more likely they will keep releasing their entry-level and pro-level DSLRs with updated specs (sensors, more buffer, small tweaks), but that's it.

DSLR technology doesn't have anymore room to improve, the constraints are all physical (size, weight, calibration and quality assurance of the mechanisms). On the other hand, faster and more energy efficient processors, as well as new screen technologies don't stop improving. The future, then, is obviously in mirrorless designs.

[Clavius]

The product development path is toward solid state only, with no moving parts
and the departure of the mirror is one step in that direction, with the next step
being an electronic shake reduction (as opposed to mechanical).

This will give Pentax a major advantage in the interchangable lens class
as they have avoided putting the SR in the lens, so they will immediately
get the full benefit of an SR that is solidstate.....

Am I missing something here? How can SR ever be without moving parts? It involves a moving sensor! (Please don't start about software SR.)

Same thing with the optics. Focussing and zooming will always involve moving elements.

Some things cannot be solid state, because they simply do not consist fully of electronics. Like cars, electric razors and cameras.