[BROO]

That will take an expensive image processor, large buffer, and a fast write speed to get all of that on a card.

Ricoh need to invest in this anyhow. If they have plans to increase FF megapixels and to move forward from the K-1 then a leap change has to be made sooner or later. So why not bring the best out of the sensor? They can do it. I suspect the new ASP-C camera and the K-1 replacement will share similar architecture and be tailored to the strengths of the formats.

[photoptimist]

Ricoh need to invest in this anyhow. If they have plans to increase FF megapixels and to move forward from the K-1 then a leap change hast to be made sooner or later. So why not bring the best out of the sensor? They can do it. I suspect the new ASP-C camera and the K-1 replacement will share similar architecture and be tallored to the strengths of the formats.

They will bring "the best" out of the sensor but it will be the Pentax definition of "best", not the Sony one.

Part of the reason Pentax can provide a high-end still-image camera at a lower price is that they don't try to be all things to all people.

[BROO]

Pentax can provide a high-end still-image camera at a lower price

I think the KP covers this definition. The new ASP-C flagship needs to provide for demanding sports and wildlife photographers IMO. Fast AF, high fps and fast write speeds to match. 4K video would be a nice feature. Maybe not needed but useful for some and one less thing for the media critiques to complain about.

[Winder]

Ricoh need to invest in this anyhow. If they have plans to increase FF megapixels and to move forward from the K-1 then a leap change has to be made sooner or later. So why not bring the best out of the sensor? They can do it. I suspect the new ASP-C camera and the K-1 replacement will share similar architecture and be tailored to the strengths of the formats.

The K-1 is an awesome camera. I don't need more MPs. If Ricoh could just improve the AF-C, give me eye-AF, and buffer, it would be my primary camera. The K-1 is a more enjoyable camera to use and the image quality is excellent, but for my needs the AF is not adequate.

---------- Post added 06-14-19 at 08:27 PM ----------

I think the KP covers this definition. The new ASP-C flagship needs to provide for demanding sports and wildlife photographers IMO. Fast AF, high fps and fast write speeds to match. 4K video would be a nice feature. Maybe not needed but useful for some and one less thing for the media critiques to complain about.

Careful. Ned Ludd has a very large and loyal following on this board.

[biz-engineer]

Sensor tech progresses more slowly than it used to be. Two or three years gap doesn't see a lot of change in sensors, but two / three years is enough to save a lot on R&D costs (R&D cost financed by people who want to have the latest tech all the time). Evidence is, when I compare the K1 images to images from FF BSI sensor, I can't tell the difference, improvements on the new sensors are on the frame rate, video, not so much on image quality. On the other hand, a few years of delay on implementing the newest sensors in camera can represent a significant cost savings for the camera maker.

---------- Post added 15-06-19 at 04:28 ----------

When I am looking through a viewfinder, I want to see what I'm looking at, not view a tiny movie of what I'm looking at. OVF all the way man.

For me, in practical terms, I don't pay attention to whether what I see is electronic or optical. There are times where I don't like looking in a viewfinder not matter if it's electronic or optical, I need to see how I operate the camera, on tripod, take a step back and look at the LCD to compose the image, I'd do the same regarless if the camera use an OVF or EVF. And there are times (long lenses) when I want to compose through the viewfinder, it doesn't matter much if electronic or optical. Although with EVF one need to carry 3 to 5 spare batteries because mirrorless is a power hungry, energy inefficient architecture.

[JPT]

I very skeptical about this story.

- We know Ricoh uses Sony sensors and has a need fo APS-C. We know Sony has a 26mp sensor available now. It's the only new APS-C sensor that is confirmed to exist.
- The report does not say what level of camera or when it will be released.
- The admin at Pentax Rumors seems quite happy to fabricate stories to get clicks and get one up on his rival rumor sites.

So I don't think the admin over there has any inside information at all. He's just predicting something that is almost inevitable, so that he can turn around a year from now and say "I told you so".

My opinion is that is not the sensor that would be in a high-end camera. It is more likely for a K-70 or KP replacement. After all it is cheap enough to be in the Fuji XT-30 and when it was put in the XT-3, the price actually went down 100 dollars. A higher resolution sensor is on the way for the real high-end cameras, like the upcoming Pentax APS-C flagship, the Fuji XH-2 and the long-rumored APS-C version of the Sony A9. I guess it will have about 30mp. This has also been rumored extensively, but on another site.

[DeadJohn]

I'm not sure you do get it, I don't need all this fancy EVF rubbish, all I need is a clear OVF, at any given time, I've already decided what exposures I will use, I don't need over lays and other stuff to get in my way.
If it was hybrid, I'd never use it, only OVF.

That sounds like a Luddite approach. DSLRs already have composition lines, focus points, etc. available in the view. If you are happy sticking to 1950s tech just keep what you have, but don't discourage innovation and improvement.

[landofcourtness]

While I think Ricoh comes off as a conservative camera maker - in the sense of providing a traditional DSLR shooting experience - they do seem to have some fairly "cutting edge" stuff going on...

- Theta
- AA simulator
- Astrotracer
- Pixel Shift (only a couple months after Oly) & Dynamic PS

And even things which are not specifically "technology" but are features in the forefront of ILC's, like mainstreaming weather sealing & pentaxprism OVF in lower-tier cameras, Night Vision mode, K-1's "lunar lander" LCD & LED lights for accessing camera controls. I think sometimes this stuff gets taken for granted.

I continue to believe that making 2-scroll wheels standard on even your entry level. Its really hard to use the t7i/d5600 with their take camera off face + hold down button to change settings. I think that Canon/Nikon don't even really compare until you get to the 80d/d7500 (and even then no IBIS, etc), can get a K-3 for $350 now ... and more importantly 'Green Button'. I continue to wonder why there isn't a Green Button on every camera? (or am I wrong?) Pentax is great because it is a company that wants you to actually learn the photography trade, and getting off Auto-features can be difficult. Green Button gives you the freedom to live in manual, with the 'training-wheels' to resort back to if you need it.

The biggest thing that I took away or my initial thought from the rumor, if true... you would only purchase sensor(s) plural if you were in a place to make/manufacture multiple cameras, no? I imagine if you were still in R+D, you would only need whatever amount the dev-team would need. You wouldn't need a large amount unless you were ready to put in cameras to take to market? In truth, I probably still won't purchase a new one, unless the features are game-changing... which is rare for Pentax IMO (I know, that contradicts the above a bit). I find it difficult to find a scenario in which my K-3 (action, more zoom/reach) , K-1 (detail, low-light), or Panasonic G85 (video) can't tackle. I doubt you can improve the IQ. If you could somehow just put the RAW buffer from K-3 in the K-1, that be the ideal (I truthfully think it is in the K-1, but with 36MP files, it just fills up faster). That is seriously the only thing that stops K-1 from being the perfect stills camera IMO.

[luftfluss]

Pentax cameras are packed with a lot of features and technology, but not really cutting edge. They are like Olympus in this regard. I shot with an Olympus E-3 for several years and loved the camera. I picked up Pentax once it became obvious that 4/3 was a dead system. Pentax offers a great value in terms of the features that they do offer, but very few people need features like astrotracer and pixel shift. IF you happen to be one of thew few that can use it, then its an awesome value. The AA simulator is pretty irrelevant at the current pixel density.

Just because you or some people won't leverage a feature does not negate it. Personally, I have no use for fast C-AF or eye-AF or animal-AF or 6k video or any of that stuff, but I recognize those things as achievements and necessary checkbox features for some people. And that's great. Our opinions are colored by what we find useful in our own personal photography.

That is probably true. The technology that Pentax implemented wasn't cutting edge. Features like astrotracer and GPS had been been around and sold as separate modules for several years. Pentax just integrated them into the camera. Sensor based image stabilization first appeared in 2003 and a Minolta camera. Olympus was first to market the pixel-shift. Pentax packs a lot of great features into their cameras and gives the customer a lot of features for the money. Olympus is probably the only company to pack more features into a camera, but a lot of features isn't the same thing as using cutting edge technology.

Olympus introduced PS in the EM5 mkII in February 2015, Pentax in the K-3 II in April.


When you compare the size of typical star-tracking devices to what Pentax was able to accomplish with the built-in Astrotracer (even though it is more limited) it's an impressive accomplishment for Pentax. "Cutting edge" isn't solely about new hardware, it's also about leveraging existing tech in a new way, usually through software. For example, the first vehicular back-up camera was cutting edge, even though the hardware had been in existence previously.


Pentax's so-called accelerator - cutting edge. AFAIK, no other company has done it.


Olympus (since you mentioned them) cutting edge - in-camera focus stacking. It is extremely cool.

I would love to see automatic lens calibration. Nikon put it in the D500..... That should be a standard on DSLRs at this point.

+1



Anyway, my overall point is that even though there is a mostly accurate perception of Pentax as being conservative, they've done enough innovative things in the past that it's reasonable to expect something innovative (or dare I say cutting edge) in their newest APS-C iteration.

[luftfluss]

Am I taking crazy pills?

You might be, but that doesn't mean you're wrong...

[beachgardener]

Then go buy yourself a K1000 and be happy shooting the old fashion way.

I like the old fashion way, new tech apart from manual exposure, I use autofocus, and Av sometimes.
The K1000 doesn't appeal to me, I have a spotmatic f and Z-1, if I had a K series camera maybe it would be a KX, or MX.
The K-3 has enough tech for me with OVF.

---------- Post added 15-06-19 at 01:34 PM ----------

so I never have to chimp again.

well, I reckon if one knows their exposures, no need to chimp at all, confidence in what we do.

---------- Post added 15-06-19 at 01:41 PM ----------

DSLRs already have composition lines, focus points,

I don't mind that as long as it stays OVF.

[monochrome]

I think the KP covers this definition. The new ASP-C flagship needs to provide for demanding sports and wildlife photographers IMO. Fast AF, high fps and fast write speeds to match. 4K video would be a nice feature. Maybe not needed but useful for some and one less thing for the media critiques to complain about.

Actually, no, it doesn’t “need to be” anything. Pentax does not court those customers, and doesn’t need to court those customers. I don’t believe they have the system - the lenses and the accessories necessary to to convert the sports / action world to Pentax flagship - to market to the sports / wildlife market segment, so the camera would be a poor investment..

Pentax makes excellent generalist cameras that do especially well for static subjects and well enough for most other applications. Even video is well enough for casual use.

Pentax doesn’t sell enough cameras to have such a narrowly-focused, comparatively expensive body.

[BROO]

Actually, no, it doesn’t. Pentax does not court those customers, and I don’t want to pay for things I don’t intend to use in a camera.

I guess if you want to sell new products then you might want to court new customers? Otherwise just keep your old camera and old lens and stay in your little old bubble!

[monochrome]

I guess if you want to sell new products then you might want to court new customers? Otherwise just keep your old camera and old lens and stay in your little old bubble!

The question is whether there are enough customers in that segment at that price point to justify Pentax dedicating their ONLY APSc Flagship body, and the additional capital necessary for the rest of the system to competing for those customers, at the expense of not selling as many APSc bodies to their traditional customer base.

Whatever is inside this camera will must also be inside the future FF and 645 bodies for the life of the new camera platforms, perhaps ten years. They’d be betting the entire company on gathering a significant share of a narrow slice of the entire SLR market.

[walgarch]

This might sound like a crazy idea, but if Pentax wanted to go mirrorless, why don't they just make a line of mirrorless cameras using the same flange distance as their DSLRs. Manufacturers are realizing smaller isn't better (Looking at you Panasonic S1R). If/when they develop, the much wanted, hybrid ovf/evf then they can just slap that in. Seems like a win/win for everyone?