[PJ1]

Marsupial possums ... lot bigger, no brighter. :-D

From Fauna of Australia: "




Grey Squirrels [were introduced] to Melbourne, Victoria, about 1880 (Seebeck 1984) and Palm Squirrels to Perth, Western Australia about 1898 (Jenkins 1977). Subsequently, Grey Squirrels were introduced to Ballarat, Victoria, in 1937 and Palm Squirrels to Taronga Zoo, Sydney, New South Wales, perhaps during the 1920s.


The Grey Squirrel is now apparently extinct in Australia (Seebeck 1984). Palm Squirrels are extinct in Sydney, but a flourishing feral colony based on Perth
Zoo still exists. A captive colony has been established (1979) at Melbourne Zoo, Victoria. A similar colony at Adelaide Zoo has died out."


Like most of these things, it seemed like a good idea at the time.


Before someone suggests we are OT, I'd just like to say that a Pentax FF is as rare as a Grey Squirrel in Melbourne.(And then perhaps I should leave.)

[RobA_Oz]

Not to defend him, but maybe the logic is in it that he doesn't know any photographer personal who uses the 645Z. The US market is not the best for Pentax. He probably knows lots of Nikon users, but then again also some with Hasselblad or Phase One for studiowork.

I imagine that's possible, but he does mention the 645D, if only to dismiss it as late. My reading of a lot of his work is that, while he's capable of being objective about Nikon, he is less so about other brands. That's consistent with being sponsored by Nikon, of course, assuming he is, in that he gives them frank and fearless advice, but propagandises against other brands.

[jk333]

I imagine that's possible, but he does mention the 645D, if only to dismiss it as late. My reading of a lot of his work is that, while he's capable of being objective about Nikon, he is less so about other brands. That's consistent with being sponsored by Nikon, of course, assuming he is, in that he gives them frank and fearless advice, but propagandises against other brands.

You think that Pentax hasn't been late to market on most things? He's right. They were late with autofocus, late with digital and now are late with full frame. Pentax ownership hurt it over the past 5 years. If Ricoh had owned it since 2005, there would be a full frame out by now. Probably in the 2011 - 2013 timeframe following the K5.

It doesn't mean that they don't make great cameras or lenses. They've just been hurt by the timing over the years.

[redimp]

Yes, but when was the last time Thom Hogan had anything good to say about Pentax?

I had to Google him and read an interview with him. Not the sort of bloke that I think I would get on with.

[Zygonyx]

Strange, on his site, nothing about sensible Nikon gear prices in Europe as from end of next week

[rullrich]

You think that Pentax hasn't been late to market on most things? He's right. They were late with autofocus, late with digital and now are late with full frame. Pentax ownership hurt it over the past 5 years. If Ricoh had owned it since 2005, there would be a full frame out by now. Probably in the 2011 - 2013 timeframe following the K5.

Yes, that's probably the sad truth. But better late then never, at least for us.

[TaoMaas]

They were late with autofocus, late with digital and now are late with full frame. Pentax ownership hurt it over the past 5 years.

5 years? This has been going on forever! Pentax was late even back in the film days when moving to a bayonet mount for their lenses. But...the K-mount is still kickin', as is Pentax. So maybe being an early-adopter isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[awaldram]

Yes, that's probably the sad truth. But better late then never, at least for us.

Don't believe people know what there talking about just because there bumping their gums

"The Pentax ME-F, which used focus sensors in the camera body coupled with a motorized lens, became the first autofocus 35 mm SLR in 1981. In 1983 Nikon released the F3AF, their first autofocus camera"

Kodak was first to market with a D-slr and look how that worked for them none of Canon, Nikon or Pentax were forrunnners

[Dipsoid]

Don't believe people know what there talking about just because there bumping their gums

"The Pentax ME-F, which used focus sensors in the camera body coupled with a motorized lens, became the first autofocus 35 mm SLR in 1981. In 1983 Nikon released the F3AF, their first autofocus camera"

Kodak was first to market with a D-slr and look how that worked for them none of Canon, Nikon or Pentax were forrunnners

I think when people say that Pentax was late in AF, they implicitly mean late on TTL autofocus and late on in-lens focus motors. Hell, My friend's EOS 3 from 1998 can focus his USM 100mm macro just fine. There are even a couple of generations of Pentax DSLRs that can't communicate with in-lens focus motors. This doesn't bother me personally (I'm rarely in a spot where I require silent focusing), but it's a big hangup for a lot of people.

[D1N0]

I think when people say that Pentax was late in AF, they implicitly mean late on TTL autofocus and late on in-lens focus motors. Hell, My friend's EOS 3 from 1998 can focus his USM 100mm macro just fine. There are even a couple of generations of Pentax DSLRs that can't communicate with in-lens focus motors. This doesn't bother me personally (I'm rarely in a spot where I require silent focusing), but it's a big hangup for a lot of people.

Pentax was too soon with in lens focus motors. Hence all sdm trouble.

[Dipsoid]

Pentax was to soon with in lens focus motors. Hence all sdm trouble.

Haha, too soon for their own engineers I suppose, not for their competitors.

[redpit]

I wonder what would we be discussing right now if Pentax was Canonikon, innovator (which it is) very early adopter etc... Maybe we would like it to make the best APS-C camera packed with wifi, astrotracker, high resolution mode, in body stabilization, vintage lenses support etc and all these in a high quality body with thalf the price of the competition... OOOPS. I believe the FF will offer similar high quality and features to price properties.

Being late doesn't necessary mean that you are worse than others. It surely means that you may loose a big market share from early adopters but this is a marketing talk.

The first brands that developed and introduced the car haven't dominated the world and even those who invented the football (soccer) aren't the best ones in the "market". Sorry my UK friends!

[monochrome]

Meh. At this point what difference does it make?

[Zygonyx]

Communication.
Plus the fact that pentaxians still await their K-1 like christians were sometime looking for the Graal

[D1N0]

Or like Muslims expecting 72 virgins?