Originally posted by starbase218 None of the current Pentax mirrorless models make sense to me.
I think I'd much rather buy a Lumix GX1 than any of these. I think the mirrorless ship has sailed and Pentax is not aboard.
I agree with you first statement but not your last.
I also agree that the ship has sailed on the mirrorless 4/3 sensor cameras. But Olympus may not survive for very much longer and Panasonic lost money last year - not sure what the story is there. The 4/3 hex or something
There's been too many design mistakes and pratfalls with the APS sized mirrorless to consider that ship sailed, IMO. Fuji's XPro1 is priced as high as the rumour'ed D600 FF and lacks good focusing systems, e.g. no focus peaking and AF is slow i think. if one believes everything they read on dpreview
Sony's Nex cameras in general lack a UI that is easy to understand. The UI in their DSLRs and RX100 is reportedly much better. Also, the Nex7 has color casts with some wide angle lenses - not sure exactly what that is all about.
In short, i think Pentax still has a chance to board the APS mirrorless ship prior to the next sailing.
I don't think the Q mount and K01 are going to be around long term and I worry about Pentax's viability with just the K mount. It doesn't seem very amenable to fast focusing design techniques. Here's a chance for Pentax to design a new mount with the kind of features in current demand. A diversified range of products is the best way to ensure survival over the next 10 years.
Post script: Mirrorless is here to stay as a category. Some companies are already working on phase focusing with hardware embedded in the sensor.