[Cambo]

Pentax is doomed...DOOMED!!!

That is all.

Cheers,
Cameron

[LFLee]

new feature in this camera: it also play mp3 songs, the green led light is the speaker volume indicator.

I like the design, it is strange looking for sure, but using PENTAX camera is already strange. so why not.

can't wait to see how this camera works!

[ChristianRock]

I'm surprised by the overall negative response.

This design seems to be seriously compact and has a nice (French inspired?) aesthetics to it. Remove the ugly kit lens and put an FA 43 on it, and I'm sure it will look great.

Hear, hear.

Someone please photoshop an FA 31 or a DA 15 on that body. I'm sure lots of people will have a much different opinion of it

If it has the 24MP sensor from the K-3, I'm sure it willl be considered by a few non-Pentaxians.

[cali92rs]

Well, I've been a member of this forum for a couple of years now. First the K-5 II/S came out and everyone grumbled "Not much of an upgrade from the K-5".... grumble, grumble... Then the K-50/500...... "Not much of an upgrade from the K-30... and it looks too much like a Canon.." grumble, grumble.... Then the K-3... "Not an FF.... what's that funny-looking bulge....video not as good as Canon..." grumble, grumble.... And I won't mention the Q, Q10, Q7 and MX-1.....grumble grumble...

Well...perhaps those grumbles were warranted, because all of those efforts got a collective yawn from non-pentaxians.

[Doundounba]

I think the designer of the original Battlestar Galactica series came out of retirement in order to work on this project.

More seriously, what matters is specs and features. What is the sensor? Does it have Wifi? Social media integration? Touch screen? K-3 level AF? It doesn't look like it has a tilting LCD (or collapsible zoom). If it's just a repackage of the K-500, which was a K-50 without seals, which was a redesign of the K-30, then that's really, really weak.

[jatrax]

I am not that familiar with Pentax's numbering scheme. Does the "S1" used on this camera and the Q-S1 mean entry level?

Actually no one including anyone at Pentax is familiar with the naming scheme. They have a long and proud tradition of not really having a naming convention. Of course most other camera makers are no better.

[JPT]

Has no one else mentioned the lack of a front control wheel?
Everyone lauded the K-500 for being one of the best bang for the buck cameras because, even though it didn't have all the features of the K-50, it was still ergonomically excellent.

For years, people here chided the NEX, now we have a camera that has the same ergonomics as a NEX and they are applauding it as "futuristic"...
LOL. How very predictable.

The challenge with entry-level cameras is to strike a balance between making them easy to use for people who want to have all complexity removed from the process, but at the same time make the settings available to enthusiasts on a budget. I think that's the thinking behind the single control dial. The K-x, K-r and K-01 had only one dial, but were appreciated by enthusiasts nonetheless. In terms of ergonomics, this looks better than my K-01 from the pictures. I don't have a problem with NEX cameras either. If I chide them, it'll be able the lack of good native lenses.

Most members of this forum are almost by definition happy with a traditional DSLR, because that is what Pentax has sold in the past. But the market is full of suitable cameras if you are looking for a traditional DSLR. Lots of cameras chasing a limited and arguably shrinking number of users. The problem for Pentax is how to attract people who have previously rejected the idea of a DSLR, either because of size or perceived difficulty of use. It looks like this is Pentax's latest attempt to do that.

[cali92rs]

The challenge with entry-level cameras is to strike a balance between making them easy to use for people who want to have all complexity removed from the process, but at the same time make the settings available to enthusiasts on a budget. I think that's the thinking behind the single control dial. The K-x, K-r and K-01 had only one dial, but were appreciated by enthusiasts nonetheless. In terms of ergonomics, this looks better than my K-01 from the pictures. I don't have a problem with NEX cameras either. If I chide them, it'll be able the lack of good native lenses.

Most members of this forum are almost by definition happy with a traditional DSLR, because that is what Pentax has sold in the past. But the market is full of suitable cameras if you are looking for a traditional DSLR. Lots of cameras chasing a limited and arguably shrinking number of users. The problem for Pentax is how to attract people who have previously rejected the idea of a DSLR, either because of size or perceived difficulty of use. It looks like this is Pentax's latest attempt to do that.

Fair statements...
Like Doundounba said, I will wait to see what other features this guy offers.

[ruggiex]

Well...perhaps those grumbles were warranted, because all of those efforts got a collective yawn from non-pentaxians.

You could say the same for any Pentax camera. It's not like even K3 is making everyone move to Pentax. Not sure what your point is.

[spinno]

Go on try one... you know you want to....
I was a K-01 hater when it came out but having acquired one I love it.
The same could happen with this... imagine if Ricoh did what Samsung did with the NX 30 and got people to trade in ancient dslrs....

[Kharan]

I think it's a great move! Pentax cameras are great, but so heavy. And that weight completely offsets the advantages of having one of the lightest, most compact and most versatile lens systems in the market. I think it's prime time for Ricoh to abandon the silly steel chassis once and for all. A monocoque construction like the new Nikons would be fantastic, since it can actually reduce weight by 50-60 grams by itself. In Pentax's case, I'd say it'll probably shave a hundred, maybe more. Couple that to the small and lean body, and we're looking hopefully at a camera that's under 500 grams, which would be killer.
Of course, the features are just as important. If it has 24 MPix, touchscreen, the K-5II AF, is weathersealed, and has the K-3's battery, I highly doubt anyone would have a cause for complaints. Of course, I realize it's completely unreasonable to ask for all that stuff in an entry-level camera So the question is, just how many of those items will it have? And if it has a majority of them, what the hell do we care that it has garish LEDs or looks like a techno-mongrel?

BTW, if one looks really closely at the front view photo, the outlines of the AF boxes can barely be made out. Is that an 11-point system, or am I just crazy?

[Doundounba]

imagine if Ricoh did what Samsung did with the NX 30 and got people to trade in ancient dslrs....

You know, that would be an interesting publicity stunt! Give significant mail-in rebates for sending in your old (or not so old!), non-Pentax camera to Pentax after the purchase of a qualifying Pentax camera. Make sure you tie this in with an electronics recycling firm. $75 for P&S upgraders to an entry level DSLR. $150 off to non-Pentax DSLR shooters who get a K-3. You could even offer something like a $400 mail-in rebate off a 645z when you send in your old non-Pentax FF DSLR! Rent some kind of warehouse space to store all the trade-ins temporarily and, if the program is successful, bring in a (Pentax) photographer and make a publicity campaign on social media using a photo of the mountain of trade-ins... I like it anyway...

[ruggiex]

I think it's a great move! Pentax cameras are great, but so heavy. And that weight completely offsets the advantages of having one of the lightest, most compact and most versatile lens systems in the market. I think it's prime time for Ricoh to abandon the silly steel chassis once and for all. A monocoque construction like the new Nikons would be fantastic, since it can actually reduce weight by 50-60 grams by itself. In Pentax's case, I'd say it'll probably shave a hundred, maybe more. Couple that to the small and lean body, and we're looking hopefully at a camera that's under 500 grams, which would be killer.
Of course, the features are just as important. If it has 24 MPix, touchscreen, the K-5II AF, is weathersealed, and has the K-3's battery, I highly doubt anyone would have a cause for complaints. Of course, I realize it's completely unreasonable to ask for all that stuff in an entry-level camera So the question is, just how many of those items will it have? And if it has a majority of them, what the hell do we care that it has garish LEDs or looks like a techno-mongrel?

BTW, if one looks really closely at the front view photo, the outlines of the AF boxes can barely be made out. Is that an 11-point system, or am I just crazy?

K-x was 580ish grams and it's all plastic. 80+ grams isn't going to go away by shaving a few cm here and there. They would have to remove SR to reduce more weight which I don't think anyone in their right mind would think that's a good trade off.

It is 11 focus point system based on the image. I'm guessing this will still be 16Mp sensor with improved metering system and perhaps video and other entry level features compared to K30/K500.

[Kharan]

K-x was 580ish grams and it's all plastic. 80+ grams isn't going to go away by shaving a few cm here and there. They would have to remove SR to reduce more weight which I don't think anyone in their right mind would think that's a good trade off.

It is 11 focus point system based on the image. I'm guessing this will still be 16Mp sensor with improved metering system and perhaps video and other entry level features compared to K30/K500.

Are you sure about that? It's sad news if true. I know the pentaprism is much heavier than a pentamirror, but I'm still hoping for some substantial weight savings. Also, I don't think the 16 MP sensor will be available for long, since even the Fuji X's will start moving to 24, and neither Sony nor Nikon use it anymore.

[mecrox]

... The problem for Pentax is how to attract people who have previously rejected the idea of a DSLR, either because of size or perceived difficulty of use. It looks like this is Pentax's latest attempt to do that. ..

It's not really a problem if you offer them something other than a DSLR in the first place? A bridge camera with a 1" sensor, for example. Between them, Ricoh and Pentax could probably make a very good one indeed. No matter how much it is restyled or disguised, a DSLR is still a DSLR and it comes with all that baggage. The bet being taken here is that the DSLR still has enough legs to carry that load and attract a new audience, including those people for whom these styling cues are designed. And that may be entirely correct. It's not possible to tell from what we have at the mo, but this could be announced as the world's smallest and lightest DSLR. Pentax is, I think, now the only major camera-maker not to offer a mainstream mirrorless system which sits in between compacts and FF - in the 1" to APS-C sphere. Maybe they are doubling down their bets on the DSLR form factor, believing they can show it is superior in both price and performance to all those MILC systems out there. The buyers will decide! They really really need something better than that old honker of a kit lens, though.