[rawr]

I'm surprised Ron isn't shooting K-5 II. There seem to be some incremental, but real, improvements in that model, esp re AF and telephoto.

[RonHendriks1966]

I'm surprised Ron isn't shooting K-5 II. There seem to be some incremental, but real, improvements in that model, esp re AF and telephoto.

Well the EC waterfly was pre- K-5 II, so that was no option.

I now have next to K-01 and K-5 Silver Limited Edition also a K-5 II.

The preferred camera for me is still the K-5 Silver Limited Edition since I just love the shiney bling-bling machine.

[asw66]

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Ha! No mention of lenses here, but still pretty funny. I'll pass this on to him.

[Pål Jensen]

Ha! No mention of lenses here, but still pretty funny. I'll pass this on to him.

This is even funnyer...

Compare camera dimensions side by side

[Dan]

This is even funnyer...

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Yes it is, but this is funnier yet:

Compare camera dimensions side by side

[penguinsoda]

Seriously, check out the K-01 -- the screen may not articulate, but it is visible from surprisingly sharp angles. Or spend a few more dollars on the K-30, which functions much like the K-01 in liveview mode, as well as being a very capable SLR.

The K30 is what I was originally looking at to replace my *istD. But when I heard a "rumor" of something new possibly headed out soon I thought I'd wait and see what does show up by the end of the year... if anything. Right now I'm not in a rush. My 10 year old camera still works and I'm still learning digital and getting back into photography beyond P&S. So if nothing new peeks my interest I may still get a K30 (super discount by then!) or K50.

[rawr]

Yes it is, but this is funnier yet:

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Yelp! The D4 makes the 645 D look like a Q. I never realised it was such a behemoth.

[Rorschach]

Yelp! The D4 makes the 645 D look like a Q. I never realised it was such a behemoth.

Me too, I did not realize that D4 is so close in size. The 645D is really deep though. I wonder how much of that body depth could be shaved off by going mirrorless? Also weight would drop probably quite significantly. Body width and height can't be reduced very much, me thinks.

[Uluru]

Me too, I did not realize that D4 is so close in size. The 645D is really deep though. I wonder how much of that body depth could be shaved off by going mirrorless? Also weight would drop probably quite significantly. Body width and height can't be reduced very much, me thinks.

Registration distance in Pentax 645 system is around 71 mm. Plus, the MF lenses are heavier, they need a good counter balance.
It would be a shame to make 645 into a narrower and taller DSLR. Leica's S is like that, but I like handling of 645D much more.
Horses for courses.

[hangman43]

Yelp! The D4 makes the 645 D look like a Q. I never realised it was such a behemoth.

Canon 1DX is even larger than the D4

[MariusCTM]

Canon 1DX is even larger than the D4

i had this in my hands + 85/1.2 )

[TenZ.NL]

i had this in my hands + 85/1.2 )

And now you have backproblems?

[gazonk]

Registration distance in Pentax 645 system is around 71 mm. Plus, the MF lenses are heavier, they need a good counter balance.
It would be a shame to make 645 into a narrower and taller DSLR. Leica's S is like that, but I like handling of 645D much more.
Horses for courses.

They could make it quite a bit less bulky by shaving off a bit on the back, though. There's a lot of space between the sensor and the LCD.

[SideRaptor]

i had this in my hands + 85/1.2 )

Ha, I had one with the new 200-400 f/4 L. THAT was heavy.

[asw66]

Registration distance in Pentax 645 system is around 71 mm. Plus, the MF lenses are heavier, they need a good counter balance.
It would be a shame to make 645 into a narrower and taller DSLR. Leica's S is like that, but I like handling of 645D much more.
Horses for courses.

There has been a lot of crazy talk about doing away with K-mount for a new mount with a shorter registration distance. As I've indicated, I think that this is not going to happen (though I've been wrong before).

Having said that, I do rather like the idea of Pentax adopting this strategy in the MF space. Develop a new, short mount suitable for mirrorless MF, with 645-compatibility via an adaptor. This would allow for the creation of something rather like Leica's S2, ideally at a price that would tempt FF shooters to upgrade.

As for those handling issues you've mentioned, I'm sure that they could be dealt with via some thoughtful design (such as a deep grip and a rearward weight bias in the body).