[Aristophanes]

What adds weight on a Pentax DSLR is probably mostly SR which need a steel frame in the body + weight of the SR mechanism. Pentax smallest and lightest DSLR with SR is K-x, and it weight 580g. Which is about 10% less than K-500.

K-500 is also not much larger than K-x. and about the same size of Nikon D3200.

But if you intend to use the camera with lenses the weight difference will level out as Canikon kit lenses is heavier as they include optical stabilization.

The average Canon and Nikon lens with IS/VR is about 20% heavier than the equivalents Pentax.

One could also argue that the Pentax lenses are often better built, such as the WR on the DA 18-135 vs the equivalent Canon, which is 50g heavier and not WR.

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Last edited by Aristophanes; 06-17-2013 at 05:15 AM.

[Kunzite]

Personally I'd think it'd be a good thing to encode the format into the model number. The only problem is the K-30 was APS-C, otherwise the K-3 and K-30 could've been FF cameras.

If they do FF it will be L-x or LX-x.

I think they should go for:
- S instead of Q
- M, the K-mount APS-C series
- L, the K-mount FF series
- XL, the crop 645D
That leaves room for XXL - a "full frame" 645D, and even for a digital 6x7 - XXXL.

[starbase218]

I think they should go for:
- S instead of Q
- M, the K-mount APS-C series
- L, the K-mount FF series
- XL, the crop 645D
That leaves room for XXL - a "full frame" 645D, and even for a digital 6x7 - XXXL.

Isn't this just so you can convince your girlfriend/wife you will go shopping for clothes, while ending up in a camera store?

[IchabodCrane]

Does anyone know which sensor dust reduction system is used in the K-50?

[froeschle]

Who can identify the parts?
http://www.pentax.jp/english/products/digital/ist-d/image/feature03-08-01.gif
http://www.pentax.jp/english/products/digital/k-7/image/fea4_01.jpg
http://g3.img-dpreview.com/0C5EFB10D6594F7182D432B56BE07D1D.jpg
So, how and where is information (e.g. the illuminated AF points, which the K500 lacks) overlaid in the viewfinder ?

[LamyTax]

Canon 1100D is the best seller. With price 350 USD for body and 430 USD for kit.

If Pentax is so good, why DSLR market share of Pentax is not above 5%.
It means - 95 customers will choose Canon, Nikon or Sony. And only 5 - Pentax.

Your argument is backwards.
Let me ask you: should Pentax not try to compete with the other entry to mid-range cameras that make for >50% of the market share?
What you're really asking for is Pentax to satisfy your personal needs, but that's only a few percent of what the market wants.
So you actually want Pentax's market share to shrink to even lesser numbers than 5%!?

Try making sense.

The K500 is an easy sell. Read the specs, look through the viewfinder...
Pentax could only sell more units by writing "Canon" on it, but I doubt Canon would allow that.
The camera is perfect for the low price sector (~20% of the market, that's still way more than high end).
This camera will pay for the development of further products.

[starbase218]

Your argument is backwards.
Let me ask you: should Pentax not try to compete with the other entry to mid-range cameras that make for >50% of the market share?
What you're really asking for is Pentax to satisfy your personal needs, but that's only a few percent of what the market wants.
So you actually want Pentax's market share to shrink to even lesser numbers than 5%!?

Speaking for myself, I don't care about how much market share Pentax has. I care about Pentax making gear that appeals to me. And if it appeals to me, then maybe it will appeal to others as well. If, for some reason, Pentax no longer appeals to me, then maybe I will jump ship. I'm really not that loyal to the brand. All I want to do is take photos (and, like Sheryl Crow said, "have some fun" ).

[LamyTax]

Speaking for myself, I don't care about how much market share Pentax has. I care about Pentax making gear that appeals to me. And if it appeals to me, then maybe it will appeal to others as well. If, for some reason, Pentax no longer appeals to me, then maybe I will jump ship. I'm really not that loyal to the brand. All I want to do is take photos (and, like Sheryl Crow said, "have some fun" ).

Imagine Pentax goes bankrupt because of not making enough money and nobody cares for PK-lenses anymore.
Unless you've sold all your gear before that, you'll likely use a lot of money. So your interest should also be in the survival of the PK-mount.

Even though you might not be interested in the entry to mid-level market at all -- those sales pay for development of gear that likely suits your needs and ensures that PK lives on.

[starbase218]

Imagine Pentax goes bankrupt because of not making enough money and nobody cares for PK-lenses anymore.
Unless you've sold all your gear before that, you'll likely use a lot of money. So your interest should also be in the survival of the PK-mount.

Even though you might not be interested in the entry to mid-level market at all -- those sales pay for development of gear that likely suits your needs and ensures that PK lives on.

Yes, but I have faith. Photography is about looking at yourself, noticing you own thoughts, feelings etc. that flow through your mind when you are in a place that is of interest to you. It is not about looking at others and wondering about ifs and maybes you have no control over anyway.

[Kunzite]

Not only that (which is a worst case scenario), but a healthier Pentax will be able to better satisfy our needs, making jumping ship less likely. And jumping ship is usually quite costly. Or it might lead you to a system not exactly to your liking.

I agree with starbase218, that it's not something worthy to lose your sleep over it. After all, it's their job to maintain a healthy sales volumes.

[starbase218]

Not only that (which is a worst case scenario), but a healthier Pentax will be able to better satisfy our needs, making jumping ship less likely. And jumping ship is usually quite costly. Or it might lead you to a system not exactly to your liking.

Err.. nope, it's not so costly. True, if I were to buy new gear from Canikon then it would be more expensive. But that's not really a fair comparison, is it? Especially since I bought most of my Pentax gear used anyway. You may say that Canikon is more expensive in general, but then it will also have a higher resale value for me if and when I want to sell that gear. The only thing is that a system switch in a short amount of time would not allow me to hunt down the best deals, so I might lose some money on that. But that's all.

And the whole point was that I might jump ship if another brand appeals more to me. So it's a good bet it will be more to my liking.

[Kunzite]

But you could jump ship because the new system has some feature that you really need, not because it's more to your liking. For example, as a freelancer you might find out your customers demands you to have a FF camera (regardless if it's needed for the job). You could hate it but still have to use it.

[LamyTax]

Yes, but I have faith. Photography is about looking at yourself, noticing you own thoughts, feelings etc. that flow through your mind when you are in a place that is of interest to you. It is not about looking at others and wondering about ifs and maybes you have no control over anyway.

That's all nice but totally unrelated to the business Pentax/Ricoh are running .

[starbase218]

But you could jump ship because the new system has some feature that you really need, not because it's more to your liking. For example, as a freelancer you might find out your customers demands you to have a FF camera (regardless if it's needed for the job). You could hate it but still have to use it.

Yeah, but then photography is a hobby, not my main job. And even if it would be my main job I'm not sure it would be a problem. I mean, if I like photography so much that, at one time, I want to make it my main job, I think I can get over the fact that some customers may demand a FF camera.

That's all nice but totally unrelated to the business Pentax/Ricoh are running .

I understand what you are trying to say but I just don't want to waste my time thinking about it. I don't think it's worth it. If K-mount dies, K-mount dies and I lose some money. But I don't think that's going to happen anyway.

And while it may be unrelated to the Pentax/Ricoh business, it's not unrelated to me. You practically advocate being "average", because then you will fit in to the target consumers of camera brands. But I've never been good at being average. So I think I choose being me, and not caring so much about what others say I should be concerned about.

[Na Horuk]

Mmh, I like the idea of the K-500. A cheaper entry model with the same basic body as the higher end body to make it cheaper still. But the AF illumination was a mistake, I find. People really dislike it when a feature is removed. If they just made the K-500 have fewer AF points or something, people could forgive that. Different Af module, sure. But this seems like a small thing removed only to hook people into upgrading. And consumers usually don't react well to that in the long term.
Sure, the K-x also didn't have it, but I think quite a few K-x users expressed that they really miss it. And the K-x has a lot of other redeeming features, its cute, tiny, had great IQ for its time. The K-500 isn't any smaller than the K-50. Oh well, hope it works out for Pentax. I won't be buying it, but if a lot of other people do, it will help Pentax make cool stuff that I might buy