Originally posted by Mareket Better to try and advance a new design rather than stick with old ones though eh? I can see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure putting another retro styled SLR out there would really be any better than this. If Pentax want to go for the rugged style then so be it. I think making a new design is far better than trying to re-hash an old one, like the OM-D or the Fuji cameras. For example, I think Samsungs NX200 is one of the best looking cameras going, but then I think I'm fairly alone in that regard. I also think the K-01 is an amazing piece of kit aesthetically.
Oh absolutely, Pentax already missed the boat. If they released a D-LX now it would immediately be relegated "me-too".
But this K30 seems all too much a transparent attempt at cashing in on the "sporty-rugged" look from the weatherproof compacts. That I don't think they even make (Pentax compacts other than the Q are still outsourced no?).
This 80's walkman, faux-rugged look is annoying to me because it's a clearly a *look* more than it is a utilitarian design. All those grooves on the side and holes in the grip are just going to get clogged with dirt and grime if you really try to take it "outside". Unless you take the thing jogging and argue that they could help with sweaty hands, but I've never heard that complaint about Pentax cameras before.
You know what's really tough? a K-5. and a GRD. These cameras are universally applauded for their design and toughness, in such a similar way that it made these two companies coming together seem like an arranged marriage. A GRD feels like a K-5 in my pocket, why didn't they move forward with this design, where form actually follows function? Pentax/Ricoh could have owned this aesthetic too, extending it from their WR SLRs to compacts.
I've held the newer Samsungs in hand and agree with you, aesthetically they look nice. And while the K-01's design is very subjective, it actually looks tougher to me than the K30, even if its a lot less ergonomic.