Originally posted by Winder How "from scratch" does it need to be?
Take the K-5 ergonomics and apply them to a slightly larger body with a FF sensor and VF. Throw in some mature technologies like WiFi and GPS and you have a great camera.
If "from scratch" you mean a new mount for a mirrorless body, then that is a different story.
The technologies we need are all mature and readily available. It is a matter of Pentax putting them together in a well designed package. The K-5 is a pretty well designed package, and I hope they don't go to far from that.
Well, throwing in either or both WiFi and GPS does make a pretty large difference, in a number of functional areas in a product like a camera.
- GPS - It requires power, which will drain the battery faster. It also takes time to sync up with the satellites, which have a very weak signal and does not penetrate inside buildings. So, do you want to wait up to a couple of minutes while you sync up the birds - especially if the last time you took a picture was in New York City, and now that you are in Alaska for dinner, you want to take another. Then, if you are inside a building, how long do you want to wait for the satellite signals that will not be coming?
- WiFi - Again, it needs power. Do you want it to sync up with any network it finds, or just yours? What if it can't find a network?
How large of a battery do you want? Where should we put the GPS antenna - you don't want your hand covering it - bad for signal acquisition. What range do you want on the WiFi, and how are you going to manage the setup, or do you want to be broadcasting your images to every Stabucks in town.
Originally posted by Winder The Canon 6D is not much bigger than a K-5 and the K-5 is actually thicker.
Compare camera dimensions side by side
We need a larger mirror box and VF, but Pentax has made larger. Didn't seem to be an issue with the 645.
The 6D is a lot larger, and the 645 is tremendously larger than the K5/II/IIs. The K mount is already full frame, its a matter of accommodating the larger sensor, and the supporting infrastructure, along with the new power requirements. Then there is the additional processing for the enlarged sensor, along with all of those new "features". The half life of the parts you designed in 6 months ago (or 3 years ago) will all need to be redone, this time for production based on the length of the model run. Then there are the manuals, testing, production tools, and test equipment, along with the manufacturing instructions and training - plus let's not forget about QC.
I would rather have the body not much larger than the K5/II/IIs and certainly no larger than the K20.