[stevebrot]

Then we'll have a Pentax FF with VTVL (Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing) system that activates when the camera is being dropped.

...and incredible battery life too!


Steve

---------- Post added 09-18-14 at 12:06 PM ----------

Canon's had one for years on their G1 PS or whatever it was called.

I bought and still own a Canon G2. One of its big selling points at the time was its camcorder-style articulating rear LCD. Have I used the feature? Absolutely! I am 6' 2" and it made tripod work much easier. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the durability aspect. The screen failed in the first six months of use and had to be replaced on warranty. It may have been the luck of the draw, but it left a lasting impression. To balance the story, the camera is still operational after some twelve years of ownership and is on the charger behind me as I type this message.

I have serious doubts regarding seals on a fully articulating screen.


Steve

---

Last edited by stevebrot; 09-18-2014 at 12:06 PM.

[philbaum]

This was the first for me in that I had never actually attempted to shoot the sky "on tripod". Accurate focus is very important and it is quite difficult to angle around to see the rear LCD when it is underneath and essentially parallel to the ground. I could not maintain the pose long enough Several of the hot-shots of the group were using their tablets as field monitors and managed the task quite comfortably.

Steve

---------- Post added 09-18-14 at 11:53 AM ----------



Steve

Interesting story. On a cold night, one could sit inside their car with their tablet or phone, and shoot when the sky was ideal. I have to admit, to date, i have not used the remote control features of my Nex6 (with only one exception) due to other things going on in my life. But ideas like your story illustrate some usefulness.

[monochrome]

There is an easy way to test it.

I agree with your observation (and stevebrot) for studio monitor use - but I'm not a studio shooter.

The ovf point of view is that liveview can be brought in for that use, which is true on a tripod

Yes, LV is actually essential on a tripod (a Pentax Refconverter-A is no longer satisfactory). However, I NEVER shoot any camera at arms length. I even shoot Q and K-01 and iPhone (my Instagram feed is often landscape ) with my left hand under the base forming a stable platform, and the camera elevated to about level with my chin. I thus look slightly down at the LCD.

When walking about in the evening, EVF in a view finder is probably better than live-view at arm's length.

Probably - but OVF - FOR ME - is better than either.

The message I can never get across in these discussions, no matter how many times I repeat it, is that one need not EVER shoot at arms length.

I truly believe I would be uncomfortable with the kind of EVF eyepiece I have on a VidCam.

[jimr-pdx]

Parsing the phraseology of a non-native English speaker is dangerous - slightly more so that native English speakers!
The FF fans all hear new words that could mean the same as old words, but I agree with many here that's it is encouraging but in a general sense. No concrete, just that they have a messy cement mixer that implies the use of concrete.

Note the silence 'round here about The S stands for “super” or “superior” in their K-s1 comments - does anyone see the K-s1 as a superior product over the K-5iis thanks to its higher pixel count, K-3 features and such? No we see small=cute, LEDs=flashy(tacky?), a non-serious camera with a few good points. I won't knock myself silly to guess what the S means in the USA, but I am not convinced it means what Mr. Kawauchi think it means.

[monochrome]

Pentax experimented with K-01, whcih led to K-30, colors and aggressive body style. You probably remember how we responded to K-01, colors and aggressive body style. They experimented with Q - you probably remember how we responded initially to Q.

It doesn't matter what the 'S' means in words. They're experimenting in a distinct product line now.

What should matter to traditionalists is -- 'S' is a symbol for "Something Else.' Just ignore it and go about your business shooting K-50, K-3, K-(FF) and 645Z.

[boriscleto]

Me for one cannot wait for Ricoh to drop the Pentax brand and have Elon Musk purchase it. Then we'll have a Pentax FF with VTVL (Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing) system that activates when the camera is being dropped.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGimzB5QM1M

Ricoh was way ahead of the curve on alternative energy...from 1981

[fsge]

K-3 is the try to catch Canon 7D (5 years old). But now we can see 7D MkII.
The body of K-7, K-5, K-3 is not body of professional camera.

From what I remember about 7D once I had opportunity to play with, it looks quite similar to K3 quality wise.

[rawr]

it looks quite similar to K3 quality wise.

No. The 7D feels like a plastic toy compared to the K-3. I couldn't believe how flimsy it felt the first time I tried one out in store. It is in fact built tough, with a magnesium body just like the K-3, but it sure didn't feel that way.

Ogl is being cheeky to suggest the K-3 is inferior to the old 7D - as a 'pro' tool, the K-3 far outclasses the 7D on almost every specification you can think of - fps, focus points, EV sensitivity, buffer depth, dynamic range, low-light ISO etc etc - let alone issues of body strength.

[zbrueningsen]

K-3 is the try to catch Canon 7D (5 years old). But now we can see 7D MkII.
The body of K-7, K-5, K-3 is not body of professional camera.

Judging by your previous post it is obvious that you aren't being objective. Of course the K-3 is not the body of a "professional camera" but the 645 series are. Now, if you are even implying that the old 7D is more "professional" of a body than the K7, k5, k3, I think you need a nap. Unless, you determine professional as "huge and terrible button layout". In which I would agree that the 7D is as professional as it gets for an APS-C. My brother is a huge Canon junkie, and he readily admitted that the K5 was superior in every way except focus speed and accuracy. Nobody picks up the Pentax K-3 and thinks that it is an inferior build. I think the 7D is fantastic, but its build quality is on par with the K30, not the K-3.

[aleonx3]

K-3 is the try to catch Canon 7D (5 years old). But now we can see 7D MkII.
The body of K-7, K-5, K-3 is not body of professional camera.

What? I thought you are a pro? Obviously you (using the k-5IIs) are not then.... sorry..

[zbrueningsen]

Yep, I see this getting ugly.

[ChristianRock]

K-3 is the try to catch Canon 7D (5 years old). But now we can see 7D MkII.
The body of K-7, K-5, K-3 is not body of professional camera.

Pentax passed the 7D a looooooooong time ago. Canon 7D vs Pentax K-5 - Our Analysis

And the bodies that came from the K7 on are absolutely of pro quality. Just because they are small it doesn't mean they are not well built. Have you ever even held a 7D?

Don't let your disappointment over FF lead to loss of lucidity...

[Stavri]

More Pentax FF rumors!!! Let the chest-bumping commence.
Confirmed: Ricoh Working on Full-Frame Pentax DSLR, Debuted Two FF Lenses at Photokina

[rawr]

More 'confirmation' from Ricoh, via a Photography Blog interview with Ricoh at Photokina:

In an interview with Photography Blog, Ricoh's European Product Manager Laurence Bouly has confirmed that development of a Pentax full-frame DSLR camera is officially underway. No launch date has yet been set, but she said that the launch itself would be communicated through the usual formal channels, rather than Facebook (as Ricoh France did earlier this week). In addition, the two lens prototypes (high magnification super-telephoto zoom lens and large diameter telephoto zoom lens) on show at Photokina are actually full-frame lenses, rather than APS-C. Exciting news for ever-patient Pentax users...

Development of Pentax Full-Frame DSLR is Officially Underway | PhotographyBLOG

The momentum grows ...

EDIT - oops. I see the Petapixel story linked by Stavri also covers the same PhotographyBlog report.

[Tesla]

This is great news! Glad to see multiple sources confirming FF.