[Blue]

A K-02 ff body would knock the socks of folks.

[illdefined]

+1, but 1000 members here would collectively scream, "It's too effin big! Why no new mount?"

I really don't think so. not if it meant a new platform for all the lenses we already have. plus, members here like DSLR sized cameras which is why you see way more screaming for FF than a smaller, new mount mirrorless.

It's funny the K-01 idea gets praised quite a lot here, it's just the design (and lack of EVF) that turns everyone off.

It's awkward seeing the three DSLR companies carefully tiptoeing into mirrorless, they can't go full-bore and risk cannibalizing their bread and butter DSLR. Nikon 1 was an attempt at keeping mirrorless strictly as step-up for compacts (until Sony just blew them up), and Canon's M is as timid a system launch as you can get, also hobbling it without an EVF...

It's honestly too late to enter mirrorless with a new mount, and Pentax cant afford the time. Pentax needs to build something new, tough, electronic and great (and BLACK not yellow) to put all our DAs on, and something new, tough and optical to put our FAs on.

[ogl]

A K-02 ff body would knock the socks of folks.

It's easiest way to make a lot of Pentaxians happy...

[Rondec]

I really don't think so. not if it meant a new platform for all the lenses we already have. plus, members here like DSLR sized cameras which is why you see way more screaming for FF than a smaller, new mount mirrorless.

It's funny the K-01 idea gets praised quite a lot here, it's just the design (and lack of EVF) that turns everyone off.

It's awkward seeing the three DSLR companies carefully tiptoeing into mirrorless, they can't go full-bore and risk cannibalizing their bread and butter DSLR. Nikon 1 was an attempt at keeping mirrorless strictly as step-up for compacts (until Sony just blew them up), and Canon's M is as timid a system launch as you can get, also hobbling it without an EVF...

It's honestly too late to enter mirrorless with a new mount, and Pentax cant afford the time. Pentax needs to build something new, tough, electronic and great (and BLACK not yellow) to put all our DAs on, and something new, tough and optical to put our FAs on.

Well, honestly, the K-01 wasn't targeted at anyone who really wants full frame. It has too slow fps, too slow auto focus, and no view finder. Anyone who like their SLR is going to be at least a little frustrated with such a design.

That said, I would love to have a smaller, decently featured camera that would mount the same lenses as my K5, rather than have a separate mount with separate lenses, or even an adapter that would allow for mounting the same lenses, but losing auto focus in the process. There certainly are situations where I would be likely to use such a camera (what I do now is take the grip off my camera and put a limited on the camera).

[illdefined]

Oh it certainly wasn't. That's why I ask for a mirrorless APS-C (DA) with electronic viewfinder, and a FF DSLR (FA) with an optical one.

I'm still not sure who the K-01 was designed for, besides maybe the industrial design student (who wants an example of what not to do...)

[monochrome]

It's honestly too late to enter mirrorless with a new mount, and Pentax cant afford the time. Pentax needs to build something new, tough, electronic and great (and BLACK not yellow) to put all our DAs on, and something new, tough and optical to put our FAs on.

And something new, tough and classic, like an un-crippled mount to put all our M42, K, M, and A lenses on.

If they reissued all the DA lenses sealed with QuickShift I'd actually consider retiring all my MF gear and starting over. Wouldn't be the first time.

[NickLarsson]

I'm still not sure who the K-01 was designed for, besides maybe the industrial design student (who wants an example of what not to do...)

Yesterday I was in a shop selling design furnitures and fashion stuff from famous designers like Starck, etc... They have only one camera model: the K-01

Don't know if it sells well though...

[illdefined]

Yesterday I was in a shop selling design furnitures and fashion stuff from famous designers like Starck, etc... They have only one camera model: the K-01

Don't know if it sells well though...

Yes it's a design novelty. I can't imagine it sells very well, because other than the 40 XS lens, all the other K-mount lenses it accepts are rather purposefully designed and traditional looking thus clashing rather harshly with the K-01. If you're interested in buying the K-01 that kind of thing probably matters..

[creampuff]

5. Idea of K-unit for GXR is from users which never used GXR body...

This is so TRUE.
I dare say most people on this forum have never even seen a Ricoh GXR up close much less even used one before. They therefore have no inkling whatsoever how capable and easy to use the GXR is. Besides, who wants to use so-so K-mount lenses when there are so many superb M mount lenses that can be used with the GXR Mount A12.

[Blue]

This is so TRUE.
I dare say most people on this forum have never even seen a Ricoh GXR up close much less even used one before. They therefore have no inkling whatsoever how capable and easy to use the GXR is. Besides, who wants to use so-so K-mount lenses when there are so many superb M mount lenses that can be used with the GXR Mount A12.

Its real simple. I have Ltd lenses etc. and I don't have m mount lenses and don't intend to buy any for an aps-c format. Even Leica moved on to ff.

[ogl]

I don't understand why GXR is priority for using manually K-mount lenses with AF, instead of K-mount cameras? It's some kind of absurd logic for me...

To say honest, it's surprise for me that K-01 is one-off camera...
I understand that such camera won't be too small, but I see the possibility to make K-01's replacement smaller even with K-mount.
And produce EVF and fill new camera with better features and make the body more ergonomic.
I don't think that it's very hard. Full compatibility with K-mount.

Let K-01 to be one-off camera in terms of design...But I don't understand why they decided not to continue this line of cameras...

[Blue]

I don't understand why GXR is priority for using manually K-mount lenses with AF, instead of K-mount cameras? It's some kind of absurd logic for me...

To say honest, it's surprise for me that K-01 is one-off camera...
I understand that such camera won't be too small, but I see the possibility to make K-01's replacement smaller even with K-mount.
And produce EVF and fill new camera with better features and make the body more ergonomic.
I don't think that it's very hard. Full compatibility with K-mount.

Let K-01 to be one-off camera in terms of design...But I don't understand why they decided not to continue this line of cameras...

The GXR is a modular system which allows people to pick and choose aspects of their system whether its the M module or one of the lensors.

[mecrox]

I don't understand why GXR is priority for using manually K-mount lenses with AF, instead of K-mount cameras? It's some kind of absurd logic for me...

To say honest, it's surprise for me that K-01 is one-off camera...
I understand that such camera won't be too small, but I see the possibility to make K-01's replacement smaller even with K-mount.
And produce EVF and fill new camera with better features and make the body more ergonomic.
I don't think that it's very hard. Full compatibility with K-mount.

Let K-01 to be one-off camera in terms of design...But I don't understand why they decided not to continue this line of cameras...

Well, I would guess that at the moment trying to bring a full-sized full-frame mount to a market segment dominated by deliberately quite small, snappily designed, fashionable, blah blah cameras just doesn't work. It's like bringing a mastodon to a chihuahua party. It might work if you produced something which was a genuine replacement for a conventional DSLR but it would have to work really really well sans the short cuts all the makers currently use - no wonky, slow AF, no missing EVF, slow RAW, lack of functions for videographers, light stolen by pellicles, plastic construction, etc. In fact, if all that stuff worked well such a camera would be my absolute dream machine. I'm pretty sure someone will make one fairly soon, too, just as soon as EVF and on-sensor AF are gotten to work not just OKish but very well. But of course, in that case your competitors are really in the DSLR market, not the NEX and Pen crowd. Maybe the smaller, mirrorless cams will be left to Ricoh?

Pentax Ricoh need to sell huge amounts of camera equipment to feed that maw of staffing costs and overheads which any company has. They need good, strong, very well worked-out commercial hits, imho. Tinkering around with a GXR and the like just isn't going to do it.

[RonHendriks1966]

In one onlineshop (they also have a store) they have the K-01 now as op=op announced, wich means that they are selling the last stock they can/will get:

Pentax K-01 camera's bij CameraNU.nl

They have everything in stock, even Leica Monochrome, so they don't mind low shelfreplacement. Is this a first sign of either stopping sales in our region or that the K-01 is going out of production?

[top-quark]

Down to £349 in the UK, body only. Even EOL, I suspect they'll be available for a good while yet!

Interestingly, there seem to be very few available used (a quick eBay search turned up 0 current, 0 completed). One possible explanation is that everyone who bought one loves theirs so much that they're holding on to it. The alternative, and likelier, explanation is that no bugger bought one in the first place!

Pentax have succeded in missing the point of a mirrorless - high IQ, low bulk - twice now.

Had the Q been placed as an alternative to a high-end compact (and shipped with something like an F2 - F4 standard zoom), it might have had a point. As a competitor to MFT, it doesn't cut it.

The K-01 is very much worse. All the bulk of a DLSR, none of the handling. It weighs more than a K-r! Given that the only people who would even consider buying the thing in the first place would a be a subset of the few who already owned a Pentax DSLR, its commercial failure was pretty much a given.

I've read lots of posts here saying that people don't bother with their DSLRs since buying an MFT / NEX / RX100 / whatever. Since smaller-bodied cameras are only going to get better, the days of the DSLR are numbered. Since Pentax don't appear to have a valid strategy beyond APS-C, despite new management, I ain't sure what kind of future they have.