Originally posted by BigMackCam As @mee indicates above, it's important to those of us who are invested in, and sticking with, APS-C bodies and glass. There's certainly more than enough interest in these forums alone, so I believe the demand for a high end APS-C camera is there. I'd venture to say more demand than exists for the more specialised medium format digital... but that's just my perception...
Pentax is a way deeper APS-C company than a 24X36 company. Expecting people to toss their crop systems with the release of the K-1 just wasn't going to happen. Especially not with the size disparity between the DA and DFA lens systems.
There's definitely enough interest for APS-C and 24X36 to co-exist, whether there is enough demand for the 645 system remains to be seen. I think if one system needs to go, the 645 is the likely cast-off.
Clearly there is a segment of photographers that feels 24X36 is the holy grail of formats, but there also seems to be a fairly sizable base that feels APS-C is not only good enough, but perhaps ideal.
---------- Post added 03-03-2019 at 09:06 AM ----------
Originally posted by ThorSanchez Pentax has been selling APS-C cameras and lenses for going on 16 years now. For the first 12 or 13 years they didn't offer a FF option, so everyone was buying APS-C stuff. A substantial percentage of their current user base (yes, me included) never had old FF film-era glass. We bought into the system when APS-C was the only thing they were producing. They can't have expected all of the people who invested in APS-C systems since 2003 to just drop everything and go to FF. For the people like me going full frame isn't terribly different than switching brands or mounts, and a mostly bigger and much more expensive switch at that. Most of my frequently used lenses aren't FF, I would have to find replacements for most of my glass along with buying a body that's more than twice as expensive.
I understand higher profit margins and better ISO from larger pixel sites and "proper" field of view for old lenses... but I think it's a very poor decision (if that's what happened) to sell only APS-C stuff for over a decade then suddenly say "hey, if you want a top-of-the-line camera you can just start over with a new FF system!"
That's why there are many of us who want a K-3 replacement.
Exactly what I was thinking and saying.