[hsteeves]

I think it is overpriced and should be somewhere about $550. And probably will be in about 9 months.

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Last edited by hsteeves; 08-28-2014 at 06:29 AM. Reason: addition

[ogl]

as for me - K-S1 is careless work...
it's maybe radiation in Japan, but it's weak move from Ricoh.

the camera has nothing new.

strange ergonomics and controls for smaller dimensions are hard to call it new

[IchabodCrane]

I think it is overpriced and should be somewhere about $550. And probably will be in about 9 months.

And therein lies the problem Ricoh has created. The K-S1 is certainly different enough that it can be generating quite a buzz, especially in its target market. But if the K-01 is any example, the buzz won't be generated because the sales won't be strong enough until the price drops and by then the camera will be "old news". Ricoh... set the price correctly now and reap the benefits you're trying to capture.

[Alizarine]

Prime M II hmm I wonder how different it is from the previous Prime M processor. That said, I guess M is always 12-bit. But I was hoping for 1080p 60fps for video... guess I hoped too much

[thibs]

as for me - K-S1 is careless work...
it's maybe radiation in Japan, but it's weak move from Ricoh.

the camera has nothing new.

strange ergonomics and controls for smaller dimensions is hard to call it new

Agree it is quite different but most of the people thought the same about the Q.
And that beast sells. And well at that.

[GibbyTheMole]

By the way I think the mode dial on the back is smart and innovative.

The hands-on review said it was very difficult to use. One user said he was "losing skin cells" using it. Change is all well and good when it's an improvement. When it's change just to be "different" at the expense of function, it's not so hot. Some things are better left alone. Imagine a car with the accelerator in the glovebox.

[Jamey777]

I wish Pentax could have used EVF instead OVF and possibly get rid of flash too. That would have given a serious competition to Sony nex series. I will continue to keep my Pentax AF lenses but will pass on this.

I think it is a 'feature' to not have an EVF... anyone who would consider a mirrorless for the size would love this viewfinder I think. Most folks don't have a clue if something has a mirror or not. They will just see it is much smaller and like the viewfinder more. I can imagine some teens wiring this camera up to their iphones for instant upload to social media. It really seems like a great companion to a smart phone.

---------- Post added 08-28-14 at 10:19 AM ----------

The hands-on review said it was very difficult to use. One user said he was "losing skin cells" using it. Change is all well and good when it's an improvement. When it's change just to be "different" at the expense of function, it's not so hot. Some things are better left alone. Imagine a car with the accelerator in the glovebox.

Yah i think they just don't like pentax in general? If this was a canon they would be gushing over it... sorry but they just seem biased. They actually nitpicked over the *font*???? Seriously? And they state it is a mid level camera and then in the summary say it sucks because it is more expensive than entry level Canikons, washing away the fact that it kills them feature wise.

Very strange, the DPR crew.

---------- Post added 08-28-14 at 10:23 AM ----------

And therein lies the problem Ricoh has created. The K-S1 is certainly different enough that it can be generating quite a buzz, especially in its target market. But if the K-01 is any example, the buzz won't be generated because the sales won't be strong enough until the price drops and by then the camera will be "old news". Ricoh... set the price correctly now and reap the benefits you're trying to capture.

Perhaps they don't want to sell cameras to folks that hang out at DPR and PF.... I have a software business and we conciously target mid 20s to mid 30s. We alienate folks in their late 30s and 40s on purpose because in our product life cycle, we want the new business, not the tail end.

One of the smartest things they could do is to tie this camera into smart phones and social media. One click and it goes from Pentax to FB/Twitter etc and that person (probably early 20s) has photos that kill everyone else's no instagram required. Absolutely agree with you on the pricing, however!

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Last edited by Jamey777; 08-28-2014 at 07:24 AM. Reason: clarity

[grahame]

I think it is a good camera. We don't need each single camera to be WR and fully loaded. A smaller, lighter, maybe cuter camera that can make beautiful picture is a very good addition to the family.
However, it is priced wrong! For $800, I don't see many people would buy it at this price -- there are so many as good cameras around at 60% price tag.
Pentax's pricing strategy is strange: K-01 and Q were so badly overpriced, and they didn't sell well, at least outside Japan. They sold very well only when they came close to the end of production period and price was lowered. Why couldn't they start with a more reasonable price?
The flagship DSLR's starting price is getting much reasonable now.

[IchabodCrane]

....

Yah i think they just don't like pentax in general? If this was a canon they would be gushing over it... sorry but they just seem biased. They actually nitpicked over the *font*???? Seriously? And they state it is a mid level camera and then in the summary say it sucks because it is more expensive than entry level Canikons, washing away the fact that it kills them feature wise.

Very strange, the DPR crew.

....

Here's what they actually wrote (page 1):

"The Pentax K-S1 is an entry-level DSLR with a unique, almost futuristic design with a solid set of features underneath."

And then on page 10:

"Aside from the pulsating lights on the front of the camera, one of the most confounding questions about the K-S1 is why it's priced higher than the K-50, which is superior is nearly all respects."

[Aristophanes]

Yes, the primary advantage of an EVF is reducing overall size, not extended information, etc. I talk to young (i.e. college age) photographers all the time, and they constantly rave about the OVFs on their vintage film cameras (yes, they are buying them like crazy, too), but go for EVFs in mirrorless so they can have a more pocketable or "purseable" serious digital camera as a companion. Small size with OVF is a potentially winning combination. I'd be interested to see a retro-styled version of this reduced-size body, which would hit all the sweet spots with the young artsy hipster crowd.

The KS-1 is Ricoh's attempt to compete with mirrorless by issuing a small DSLR like the Canon SL1 which is selling well I am told precisely because of its competitive form factor. This is what they get very right.

The camera has nice lines keeping more like the smartphone style than the quasi-industrial style of something like the equally maligned Nikon Df. Compared tot he bulky K-50 the K-S1 looks svelte. That's a good thing. It really needs a prime lens to show off its compactness compared the generic kit lens. Right now I'd say Pentax's experiments with aesthetics are all over the map. They are not tying everything together.

Also, the control re-design looks OK as well. Hard to comment without using it but for newcomers or light amateurs to photography the multi-button,lever, switch analog holdovers are not very intuitive to a more P&S and touchscreen sensitive crowd.

No WR is OK but the loss of the front dial is kind of silly. No AA batteries is perhaps the sad future for Pentax. Stock up on your K-50s.

What is terribly wrong with this new product:

- LED adornment with extremely limited functionality
- price
- price
- price
- non-articulating LCD

Without these concerns this is a good camera for the intended market. They over-bling on the LEDs and ignore the very popular articulating rear LCD and then price it in sillyland with a DPR preview based on a kit lens that does not aesthetically pair well.

Sigh.

[Jamey777]

Here's what they actually wrote (page 1):

"The Pentax K-S1 is an entry-level DSLR with a unique, almost futuristic design with a solid set of features underneath."

And then on page 10:

"Aside from the pulsating lights on the front of the camera, one of the most confounding questions about the K-S1 is why it's priced higher than the K-50, which is superior is nearly all respects."

you are correct, I was echoing something I read in the comments I suppose... they do list it as entry level.

[LeeRunge]

This thing is going to be heavily discounted due to lack of sales shortly after launch. It looks like a point and shoot and DSLR got fused together without the benefits of either.

[DennisH]

This thing is going to be heavily discounted due to lack of sales shortly after launch. It looks like a point and shoot and DSLR got fused together without the benefits of either.

Can you tell me this Saturday's Powerball numbers, as long as you're here?

[LeeRunge]

Can you tell me this Saturday's Powerball numbers, as long as you're here?

Nope.

Why would you pick this over say a Sony a6000 or Fuji XE2 if you were in the market for a mirrorless aps-c?

[Aristophanes]

Nope.

Why would you pick this over say a Sony a6000 or Fuji XE2 if you were in the market for a mirrorless aps-c?

The K-S1 not a mirrorless so how does this equate?