[ElJamoquio]

The k5 viewfinder was definitely an upgrade over the kr.

[johnmflores]

I certainly hope so - I have a pentamirror I must confess (pentax kr ) is the difference that noticeable?

My wife has a K-x with a pentamirror as well. It's one of those things that you can get along with and get used to as long as your eyes are ok and you are not using manual focus lenses. But you do notice it when placed side by side.

[Sandy Hancock]

The camera should come with the 40mm pancake

I have already suggested this on Ricoh's facebook page. The DA40XS in matching colours would rock.

[monochrome]

The camera should come with the 40mm pancake

Jeebus - that would be $1,150. You'd have armed rebellion here.

A plastic fantastic or DA50 in colors - yeah!

I have already suggested this on Ricoh's facebook page. The DA40XS in matching colours would rock.

I think Penn Warren said You Can't Go Home Again - I don't think Ricoh will go there.

[mee]

After reading the announcement and looking at the pictures, I've realized this is pretty much the polar opposite of what I want in a new system camera. It's like Pentax could somehow read my mind and make an exactly contrary design decision on every point. I guess the press release explained it, saying they're going for a "new generation" with the K-S1. Thus, the rest of us old hairy-legged guys who learned to shoot on manual film SLRs can just forget about Pentax and go buy a new Fujifilm X-T1 instead.

wow. Or, perhaps, not all cameras in the Pentax brand are designed for YOU in mind. I'm amazed how one/single release by Pentax that goes against your grain can illicit such a response as 'time to dump and run.' Might you be over-reacting a teency bit?

I mean there is the K-3 currently for the serious types... and Photokina is still a month away. Might be more releases announced..

---------- Post added 08-28-14 at 08:55 PM ----------

I have already suggested this on Ricoh's facebook page. The DA40XS in matching colours would rock.

Not a very versatile lens though... I mean how are the 20-somethings going to take selfies with their friends with a 40mm (60mm equiv) lens 2-3 feet from their face?

Matching colors 35mm might be nice.. such as they did back for the K-x or K-r but that still isn't a zoom. I think this camera is going to be used by people expecting a wide focal zoom range.

Perhaps, instead, they could introduce the '3rd wheel' package.. that includes a Ricoh employee to follow you around and take photos of you and your friend(s)/dates.

[old4570]

Hehehehehehe , this thread is getting funny ...

Demographics , there will always be some one interested in a camera ( what ever it is ) , the question is how many some one's ?
Go back to the 1950's , almost everyone owned a camera ( who had income ) , ok the dirt poor have never really been into photography , but lower middle class up from the 50's got into cameras big time ..

This is no longer the case , mobile phones have taken over .. All those young people out there taking pictures and video are doing so with ? Not a DSLR , heck , not even a small pocket D camera , how about video cameras ? I haven't seen one in years .
Yes , about 20 years ago everyone had video cameras , even 10 years ago , but now , I havent seen one for over 3 years . Everywhere I go , JOE and JANE AVERAGE are taking pictures and video with their mobile phones ...

DSLR is for enthusiasts : We have to accept that some people are enthusiastic about photography , but the majority are not ... And they are happy with their mobile phones .
They take a picture , and they can transfer it ( blue tooth ) , SMS it , or email it almost instantly . Same with video .

Trying to target non Photography enthusiasts is a waste of time , targeting enthusiasts should be the primary goal .
That means building a camera enthusiasts would want to own ...

Has this new Pentax ( Ricoh ) done that , honestly I dont think so .
Im old enough not to appreciate frivolous BLING , Im also old enough to appreciate the latest technology , and so I wonder why this camera was not 24MP , if they can jam 32MP cameras into mobile phones , what the parking lot is going on .
Ricoh ( Pentax ) must for some strange reason enjoy being the underdog , to be the last one to the party ,

Please Ricoh , make a camera , for people who buy and use cameras ( DSLR ) , do we need or want frivolous BLING ? ( I dont ) .
I want a camera that's up to date , that works ( QC ) , and takes pictures . I dont need flashy lights , a MP3 player , Blue Tooth , a built in flash light , or personal alarm or anything else not directly related to taking pictures ( But thats just me )

[johnmflores]

LOL, I gotta hand it to the folks that stomp their feet whenever Pentax creates something that's not a traditional black DSLR.

First a red K-x. STOMP!
Then an explosion of colors and special editions. STOMP!
Then a stupid toy Q. STOMP!
Then an abomination to everything sensible in the world (K-01). STOMP!
Then more colors. STOMP!
Then more Qs. STOMP!
And now this, the K-S1. STOMP!

Pentax is the least traditional of the three remaining DSLR brands and have proven that time and time again. Yet you stay, hoping that Pentax will eventually come to their senses and produce the full-frame DSLR of your dreams, instead of doing the sane thing and switching to a brand that could have met your full frame needs years ago. Now that's patience!

[THoog]

We don't want happy crappy plastic cameras - we already have a Canikon and Pentax will never going to beat them at their own game. We need to be different, better, the value isn't in the price it is in the premium features at a good price for better features.

That's the problem. We are consumers, and we DO want happy crappy plastic cameras - big and black and "professional looking", as advertised on TV, with more megapickles or ISOs or whatevers than last year - sold in big box stores at rock-bottom prices. We just want them compatible with the gear we've already got, so we don't have to invest in switching or learning a new system. When those cameras break because they are built as cheaply as humanly possible, we will complain bitterly that things were better in the old days.

And when Ricoh doesn't play that game and stubbornly continues to make products that seem to sell well enough in their primary market, we will howl that this is why PentaxIsDoomed™.

[IchabodCrane]

LOL, I gotta hand it to the folks that stomp their feet whenever Pentax creates something that's not a traditional black DSLR.

First a red K-x. STOMP!
Then an explosion of colors and special editions. STOMP!
Then a stupid toy Q. STOMP!
Then an abomination to everything sensible in the world (K-01). STOMP!
Then more colors. STOMP!
Then more Qs. STOMP!
And now this, the K-S1. STOMP!

Pentax is the least traditional of the three remaining DSLR brands and have proven that time and time again. Yet you stay, hoping that Pentax will eventually come to their senses and produce the full-frame DSLR of your dreams, instead of doing the sane thing and switching to a brand that could have met your full frame needs years ago. Now that's patience!

I sense the protests aren't centered on what Ricoh/Pentax have come out with but rather they spent precious time and resources on these activities instead of doing other things (lenses?).

[mee]

I sense the protests aren't centered on what Ricoh/Pentax have come out with but rather they spent precious time and resources on these activities instead of doing other things (lenses?).

But isn't that the same argument? "They aren't doing what I want them to do.. so they are wrong."

[6BQ5]

I sense the protests aren't centered on what Ricoh/Pentax have come out with but rather they spent precious time and resources on these activities instead of doing other things (lenses?).

Other things ... like, a full frame body?

[mee]

Other things ... like, a full frame body?

FF body with no viewfinder and no LCD panel. you get to see what you got when you load those photos onto your PC.

[Aristophanes]

We don't want happy crappy plastic cameras - we already have a Canikon and Pentax will never going to beat them at their own game.

With tech hardly settling down what we DO want is plastic cameras that depreciate about the same rate as the tech becomes obsolete.

Because we KNOW we will be updating in any case. Or they will simply stop making that type of specialized battery. Shelf life in the digital age is totally different than in the mechanical camera age, regardless of brand. Even Leicaphiles are starting to get this.

Lenses are another issue, which is why the DA kit lens in the K-S1 photos makes for fugly marketing.

[JPT]

Lenses are another issue, which is why the DA kit lens in the K-S1 photos makes for fugly marketing.

A lot of the illustrations on Ricoh's own site show the camera with the DA50. I wonder if they considered using that as the kit at one stage. It looks a lot better. K-S1+DA50+DA35+(imaginary)DA24 would be an incredible idea as a kit.

Follow link and scroll down a bit to the explanation of the features.
K-S1 / ??????? / ?? | RICOH IMAGING

[cfraz]

Lenses are another issue, which is why the DA kit lens in the K-S1 photos makes for fugly marketing.

Has anyone ever made a collapsible zoom in an interchangeable mount? There are some decent examples on non-interchangeable lens cameras like the RX100 series. I think it would be a great fit as a kit lens for the K-S1 if it could be done.