[Marktax]

I don't think Pentax designers were thinking selfies, not even a little. Samsung (or someone) recently produced a compact with a flip UP screen that was marketed to "selfie-shooters," but all of that marketing language is just . . . marketing language. The original marketing language for the K-S1, as we all saw, was ostensibly directed towards helping cell-phone users get into DSLRs. Following that logic, K-S1 would have had a touch screen, but it didn't. So I think the marketing idea they decided to put into ink on paper came after the design. Just like the names of color groupings ("nature" "sweets," "fabric"), it's all arbitrary. It's like calling an off-white interior room paint "misty morning" to have a sales angle. No one is actually going to say that their blue K-S1 is "denim" colored. So the articulated screen of the K-S2 is not there because Pentaxians, or anyone, demanded selfie appurtenances, it's there because of market competition against other articulated/tilt screen competitors, which, more than selfies, is feeding the demand for low-angle/high-angle shooting, which in my view is a very imprecise way to frame a serious shot anyway. It'll do in a pinch, of course, and so has some value. I don't mind it being there, but it is not there because Pentax designers suddenly woke up and said "Dang! We forgot to put a twisty screen on the K-S1 for selfies!" K-S2 was no doubt on the drawing board at the same time as the K-S1, as a K-50 replacement, not a K-S1 upgrade. I don't think for a minute that they threw such a well-specified model as the K-S2 together -- and actually got it into limited production -- after second thoughts and a mere 6 months after release the K-S1. (But they are darned good at rush work if they did.)

[monochrome]

but it is not there because Pentax designers suddenly woke up and said "Dang! We forgot to put a twisty screen on the K-S1 for selfies!"

You might have a hard time convincing Adam of that. He once wrote that when hands-on reviewers saw the K-S1 prototype they pointed out that the LED's on the grip would be covered up by the hand holding the camera. The (outside contract) designers apparently said something like, "Oh. <insert long pause> We didn't think of that."

[reh321]

So the articulated screen of the K-S2 is not there because Pentaxians, or anyone, demanded selfie appurtenances, it's there because of market competition against other articulated/tilt screen competitors, which, more than selfies, is feeding the demand for low-angle/high-angle shooting, which in my view is a very imprecise way to frame a serious shot anyway. It'll do in a pinch, of course, and so has some value.

At a niece's (informal) wedding a few years ago, my brother and I were standing off to the side; he had much less problems that I did in taking pictues, because his Canon has an articulating LCD, and so he used it to take pictures by pointing the LCD down and holding the camera a foot or so over his head. Yes, that is awkward, but it worked for him, and this wasn't a setting where precise composition was essential. He has a fair bit of practice in using the articulation, because he regularly does what is essentially street photography, by pointing the screen up and then hunching over the camera as though he were fiddling with the controls. For this kind of reasoning, I view the articulating LCD as a plus, mostly offsetting the lack of AA battery support.

The camera is what it is, and I can either buy it or save my money and see what they do next year.

[Zygonyx]

IHS - I Hate Selfies ; + don't envy those who are fans, to say the least...
And ILK-S1

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Last edited by Zygonyx; 02-11-2015 at 10:08 AM.

[lytrytyr]

feeding the demand for low-angle/high-angle shooting, which in my view is a very imprecise way to frame a serious shot anyway.

Generations of serious Rolleiflex shooters would surely beg to differ!

[redrockcoulee]

You and me both then, no pics of me in my house!

I am not so fortuante, at the top of the stairs is a huge woodcut print of me, my wife is a printmaker but also a photographer. In my office at work is a photo of the whole family if that counts, me, my wife, 3 cats and 2 dogs.

The only selfies I have taken have been when playing around with my iPod. My friend took one of himself with a 4X5, Sticky shutter and he went to the front of the camera to see when it did not go off and poof a large out of focus selfie

[reh321]

Generations of serious Rolleiflex shooters would surely beg to differ!

My second camera was the Kodak "Duaflex", which my Dad had originally used to take baby pictures of me; it was another dual lens reflex camera. I was never very good at getting level pictures using it, but it was useful when LBJ came to town, and I was able to get a picture of him (again by holding camera over my head) taken from multiple rows back in the crowd - it was not a great picture, but it was the best I had an opportunity to take, and I guess i could improve it if I were to spend some time in GIMP with it.

[Marktax]

Generations of serious Rolleiflex shooters would surely beg to differ!

Yes, I know very well what a Rollieflex is, and frankly, I'd much rather see Pentax return to something much more like it, in particular the removable pentaprism they had on the Pentax LX, which offered a very Rollieflex-like flip-up shade for waist-level viewing of the ground glass. I used that item myself, and it was great. Now THAT would be truly unexpected today, and much better for waist-level viewing than a twisty screen. But it will never happen. The modern LCD has done away with that.

[Not a Number]

reviewers saw the K-S1 prototype they pointed out that the LED's on the grip would be covered up by the hand holding the camera.

They're not covered when using the self-timer or the camera turned around for a "selfie". The primary function of the lights is for the self-timer function and face recognition counts in "selfies".

K-S2 is not a selfie cam

Is it being marketed as a selfie cam? "The camera for the whole family" is the tagline so far - "selfie" friendly features are an additional selling point.

[monochrome]

For purely waist-level (and ground-level) viewing the hinged LCD on the 645Z is actually preferable to me. It stays in the plane of the viewfinder and looks like it is more rigid.

To me it serves the same purpose as a Refconverter.

OTOH, some Refconverters can be turned 180° and you can shoot slightly above your head (with some contortion).

[jpzk]

Beats me. I know what I look like, and if I take a photo of a scene or a group of people, I know I was there. Anyway, with a face like mine, a photograph is definitely better without it.

About selfies ... to me it is a "FAD" : we shall see how long this will last/to be replaced with yet another new FAD.

fad

a thing that becomes very popular in a short amount of time, and then is forgotten at about the same speed.

JP

[robtcorl]

fad
a thing that becomes very popular in a short amount of time, and then is forgotten at about the same speed.

That's what I hoped 'reality' television would be, ain't happened yet.

[Marktax]

Is it being marketed as a selfie cam?

I don't think so (not yet anyway), but other folks have brought the term selfie into the K-S2 discussions. My point is that it doesn't matter what the "marketing language" is, any more than whether I call the green K-S2 "forest green" or "Army drab green." And I agree with someone else above that selfies are faddish anyway. In some demographics, the term selfie will sell nothing, in other demographics, it will pay off. But it doesn't matter with respect to what the camera actually is, and I don't think it was a big wake-up moment for Pentax designers after the K-S1.

[mamethot]

That is more than twice the weight. Carrying a spare li-ion brick isn't too much of an issue, weight wise. AAs are more troublesome.

Anyway, it's nice if they give the AA option, but IMHO I think it is overrated, and giving it USB charging capabilities with a common cable would be, IMHO, a much bigger advantage.

Well if you think that double the juice and versatility is overrated, that's an opinion that I do not share (for what it's worth).

Personally I don't care all that much about AAs but then I don't understand why they are not using D-Li190 instead of D-Li109. Li90 has almost twice the density of the 109...

[kadajawi]

The problem is the USB Battery Charging spec is only for 5V at 0.5-1.5A 2.5-7.5W. The Pentax battery chargers output 8.4V at 700mA.

USB Power Delivery V1.0 was finalized in July 2012 can deliver up to 12V 3.0 A, 60 W 5.0 A, 100 W and requires "PD Aware" Cables (type-A and B connectors) and PD compliant hosts. So you'd have to upgrade your charging devices to be USB PD compliant as well as having the proper cable..

USB Power Delivery V2.0 was not finalized until July 2014 which requires USB 3.1 which uses the new Type-C connector. So you would either have to upgrade your charging devices to USB 3.1 or have a standalone USB 3.1 charger.

I don't know about you but I'd rather take the battery out to charge it. That way you can just swap in a fully charged battery and not wait for hours for the battery to charge. You also don't have to worry about heat issues from the charging battery damaging both the camera and battery.

---------- Post added 02-11-15 at 06:41 AM ----------



As I recall some of the previews and reviews mention the IR port on front and back.

My D-Li90 charger has a USB input, and I charged a battery that was nearly empty in around 6 hours from a 500mA USB port. Maybe with some sources it will take a bit longer, but so what. I'm trying to charge a small battery, not run a desktop computer. It got a bit warm, but nothing bad. Even when I charge it with 1A (the most it will take) it won't heat up too much. And 5V/1A is barely less than 8.4V at 700mA.


The idea is more to be able to charge the camera over night, top up the battery when traveling for example. Or in emergency cases top up a bit while having lunch. If you need to instantly have a full battery you will of course need a spare and just swap it. It won't help you in all situations. Though if you have 2 batteries, you can only charge one at a time. Charging takes a few hours, so doing it over night is a bit of an issue. But not if you can charge one externally and one in the camera.


Also, another use case could be that you plug the camera into a portable USB battery, so that it gets charged while shooting. It would look a bit awkward perhaps, but it's fine. It can also help you take long exposures for star trails, without having to switch the battery or be located near a power socket. i.e. you'd start with a full internal battery, plug in a USB battery and start shooting. It will take the camera much longer to drain the internal battery, and when the USB battery is drained you can plug in another one to continue without interruption or finish the one inside the camera.


Selfies:
I think normal people like to be on their own photos. Of course photographers became that because that way they could avoid being on family photos... Selfies have existed since people started taking photos, it's just the name that's new. Pentax wants to cash in on that... well, if that sells cameras, by all means.


I fully agree Marktax.


Funny story monochrome. I thought it was intentionally that way... the point of the LEDs being to indicate the status of the self timer for example.


As for touchscreen etc... perhaps the K-S1 was released premature? It should have WiFi built in to make (more) sense for who they supposedly aimed it at, yet it doesn't.