[MouLaG Ôfr]

This was exactly how the K-30 was "announced" if I remember correctly. Are french shops the Pentax announcement centrals?

Yes, a sort of...

[ogl]

What is that? I don't understand.

Are you taking about the Philistines or the Philistinism

either way... you think it sucks big time, fine, thats you opinion

Philistinism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't mean you personally.

[bossa]

I'm not dissing this camera but it does seem a tad pedestrian when you think that it is probably the 1st camera designed with Ricoh as owner. The shape does seem like it might be more conducive to a full frame sensor though.. .generic rings a bell. Personally, I'm not enamored with the look and the spec's seem rather more of the same frankly. They should hire the guy who designed the watches in future.

[MouLaG Ôfr]

With the redesign of the seller site today (digit-photo.com), i wonder if it was a mistake or a fake (a joke) ?!

[TOUGEFC]

Not a fan of the new design, the K-30 was a step forward, this K-50 is two steps back.
Specs are more or less exactly the same...Ricoh put a lot of effort into this!!!

[bossa]

Does it come in sRGB gamut of colours?

Maybe they are doing subtle this time.. Pantone?

[hooverfocus]

You're forgetting about cropping. With 23 you have much more freedom with re-composing in PP. You can crop 30% off your pictures and still have 16mp to play with.

Or you can learn to compose before you take the shot and limit the amount of cropping you have to do later.

Sorry, I don't have anything against you personally. It's just that to me all these purported technological improvements are just an excuse to become dumber and take care of things "later" (as well as make us fall into compulsive consumption every time a new model comes out, when in fact the improvements are only marginal).

[bossa]

I have been a Pentaxian since 2010 when I bought my first Pentax - the K-7. Since then, the same exact process has occurred over, and over, and over, and over again without fail. Has it not grown tiresome?

Just the past month there have been complaints about how Pentax is clearly falling behind because the releases expected in March, April, and May never came. "WHERE ARE YOU PENTAX?! WAKE UP!! JUST RELEASE A NEW CAMERA ALREADY!!" And now that they have, we can add another "and over" to the above cycle.

K-30, May 2012:











K-50, June 2013:









I personally don't find it attractive, and would agree with it being very "canon-esque," however we seem to have this incredible proclivity for being completely blind to the forest while we focus on just the trees.

The truth is, even if Pentax put "one too many zero's" on the order form for the 16mpx Sony Sensor, that it is a phenomenal sensor, especially for this demographic of potential consumers targeted - beginners, firsttimers, and casual hobbyists. Does it appeal to me? Absolutely not. But are we unable to appreciate that this is

• a new PENTAX, resulting in new Press Releases (DPR, Photorumors, etc), ensuing in free marketing
• a new PENTAX, resulting in new reviews (DPR, Photozone, Image Resource, The Phoblographer, etc), ensuing in free marketing
• a new PENTAX, resulting in an addition to the lineup that is 100% competitive in this bracket with class-leading features of weather sealing, dual control wheels, 100% OVF, Focus Peaking, Full HD Video, IBIS, etc
• a new PENTAX, resulting in the perception that Pentax covers all (APS-C) tiers to the beginner (K-50, K-30, K-5 II, K-5 IIs - that's pretty damn good from a "looking-in-from-outside perspective"), giving faith into the investment of Pentax, often discouraged as "Pentax is dying, and it's just a matter of time."
• a new PENTAX, resulting in new buyers even if it is just a refresh. How many consumers sprung for the T3i over the T5i despite being the same camera with a couple new tricks and three years newer and over twice the price? Negligible - Canon may be despised for their God-awful, repackaged entry level products, but they aren't dumb. They know how to sell cameras and do it better than anyone. Different market but related - why do chips and cereals change their entire package - "NEW LOOK, SAME GREAT TASTE!" - because "Fresh" and "New" is fundamental to a product's perceived value, even if it's the same exact thing
• a new PENTAX, resulting in more sales, that then provides resources for great lenses and that mythical FF that apparently will be received with the same fervor as the second coming. Canon's and Nikon's 1DX/5DIII/D4/D800's and 300 f/2.8 or 600 f/4's wouldn't exist if it weren't for their ###D/D####'s.
• If the DA L WR rumors prove true, then Pentax has just re-solidified its commitment to industry leading (not just in the quality of it, but both its ubiquitousness to the lens lineup and afffordability compared to the competition)

I could go on, but I would hope that isn't necessary. Regardless, the overwhelming theme is that it is a new PENTAX. And we would all be fools to claim that it is a junk camera even if it didn't appeal to us. I can't think of a DSLR that Pentax made that was utter crap in the past 7 years whereas it's no secret that Canon/Nikon intentionally cripple their own entry levels. With the same exact specs, how many would have killed for this K-50, knowing what that sensor and the K-30 can do, 5 years ago as a premium APS-C DSLR for $2,000, and yet it is Pentax's entry level standard today? Pentax is known for quality, and I am entirely confident that this will push that envelope even further, albeit in the entry level segment. A dark, unnavigable place which I realize is where the majority of us forum dwellers have escaped from eons ago in nothing short of spectacular fashion.

Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees.

-Heie

Pentaxians seem to be the kind of people that would be arguing about the price of gas while their car was going over a cliff. Rats in a sack anyone?

[theperception2008]

Also with Ricoh at the helm, how many cameras have they designed that were looks wise controversial? The GR is a photographers tool, minimalistic in outward appearance, but does everything it's supposed to. I take it the K-50 was designed with that in mind.

[Kobayashi.K]

Several posters have mentioned a contradiction between the K-50 weight and its body being magnesium (K-50 and K-30 are specified with exactly the same weight). So, one of them must be wrong.

Obviously a web designer doesn't create a completely new page when it is nearly identical to another one (for the K-30). So, the practice is to copy and paste the old page and to add the changes by hand. However, it's very easy to make mistakes, especially when the web-designer is no camera expert.

When this procedure is followed indeed, it is plausible that the specification for the body material (magnesium) is only added when it is a real change.
Moreover, the K-50 body is clearly different from the K-30, so it is plausible that they should have different weights, even when they are made from the same materials.

So, my conclusion is that the presented weight is not correct and that the K-50 body could be magnesium.

[VisualDarkness]

Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)

ISO 51 200 - I hope your words are sarcasm...NO. Only 25 600.

No, not sarcasm, I may just remembered it wrong.

[bossa]

Or you can learn to compose before you take the shot and limit the amount of cropping you have to do later.

Sorry, I don't have anything against you personally. It's just that to me all these purported technological improvements are just an excuse to become dumber and take care of things "later" (as well as make us fall into compulsive consumption every time a new model comes out, when in fact the improvements are only marginal).

I find myself cropping as much as I can when I use telephoto lenses and a 24MP APS-C sensor would allow quite a bit more cropping than a 16MP one. My Nikon D800E has an APS-C crop mode of 15MP whereas the 24MP D7100 offers an extra 1.3x crop mode down to 15MP - ostensibly a 2x versus 1.5x crop mode that effectively turns a 300mm lens into a 600mm. My Nikkor AF-S 300 F/4 weighs almost 1/2 a Kilo more than a DA*300 (a cheaper and better lens) and a Pentax body would also offer SR on top of that. If Nikon ever get around to updating the 300/4 with VR it would probably add another $800-$1000 on top of the current price. I'm waiting for Pentax to release an 24MP APS-C so I can sell my Nikon 300mm. I have spinal issues that don't appear to be going away soon and I really would like to reduce the wait (yes a pun).

[mecrox]

Also with Ricoh at the helm, how many cameras have they designed that were looks wise controversial? The GR is a photographers tool, minimalistic in outward appearance, but does everything it's supposed to. I take it the K-50 was designed with that in mind.

Very good point. Ricoh are more than prepared to go out on a limb when they think it's worth it. Look at the GXR. But when it comes to mainstream, bread-and-butter items I guess they are being careful to cover all the bases and steer away from quirky. Besides, the K-50 is like a return to a particular form - to the design notes of the K20 and K200 era - and closure on the trauma of the Hoya years, the insanity of employing airport designers to style key products, et al. Some folks may not like the K-50 and fair enough each to their own, but that shouldn't prevent anyone from trying to understand why this camera is the way it is right down to choosing the 16 mp sensor. For myself I think Pentax Ricoh may have erred too much on the side of caution but that's just me: I'm not the buyer this cam is aimed at.

[Kenntak]

Or you can learn to compose before you take the shot and limit the amount of cropping you have to do later.

Sorry, I don't have anything against you personally. It's just that to me all these purported technological improvements are just an excuse to become dumber and take care of things "later" (as well as make us fall into compulsive consumption every time a new model comes out, when in fact the improvements are only marginal).

That's a good point. At its worst, the computer can become a bit of crutch, encourage laziness, and discourage people from learning good technique. I see that with music recording, where so much time is spent in the computer correcting and modifying audio. Sometimes all of that processing strips the music of its personality, and results in the attitude that if I don't perform well it doesn't matter, it can always be corrected later.

Many people can get overly obsessive in having to have the latest model of a product. I am new to Pentax and one thing I liked when I was researching the various brands was that the newer Pentax models offered modest improvements, but did not render the older models obsolete. The decision as to which one to buy was hard. Unfortunately, many average Joes going to a big box store get caught up in the megapixel stats, as if that spec is the only thing that matters. Salespeople in some of those stores often don't help the situation. For example, whether resistance, a great viewfinder, and solid body often get overlooked. It's sort of like people who just compare 0-60 acceleration when buying a sport scar.

The new Pentax camera seems very solid to me.

[Clavius]

Or you can learn to compose before you take the shot and limit the amount of cropping you have to do later.

Sorry, I don't have anything against you personally. It's just that to me all these purported technological improvements are just an excuse to become dumber and take care of things "later" (as well as make us fall into compulsive consumption every time a new model comes out, when in fact the improvements are only marginal).

You were restricting the advantages of high MPs to printer large only. Which simply is incorrect. And when proven wrong, you act like all these purported technological improvements that are just an excuse to become dumber, have already influenced you? The fact that you can't think of more advantages, does not indicate that there aren't any.

Cropping in PP is just as well a tool for the photografer as composing before taking the shot. During fast pased action photography cropping in PP is usually the best option. But that's an entirely different discussion.

But then the advantages still don't stop. The reason why the AA filter can be left out of the K5IIs is the high pixel density. The higher the pixel density, the less likely is the chance of noticeable moiré. So, a 24mp camera with no AA will have even less problems with moiré then the current K5IIs.

And then there's enlargements. For example for product photography. Ever seen those pictures in webshops that get enlarged an X amount of times when you hoover your mouse over them? Tell that photographer to learn how to compose beforehand, and that 6MP should be enough! I currently use a 5DMKII for such productphotography. But if Pentax marketed a 24mp APS-C, this would open up a new chance for them to be usable for professional photographers.