[c.a.m]

I read through this thread and watched the video with English subtitles only now, as I was running errands through most of the morning.

That was interesting! I really like these videos.

I picked up a couple of points about the new pentaprism and viewfinder that may not have been mentioned by others:

• Wakashiro-san stated that "[The viewfinder] reproduces the focal point more accurately and clearly, making it easier for you to pinpoint it." To me, this seems to suggest that focusing manually will be easier and more accurate.

• The designers were able "to retain sufficient eye relief, while boosting the viewfinder's magnification to approximately 1.05 times." For wearers of eyeglasses especially, the eye relief is a critical parameter.

The emphasis on ergonomics, the optical viewfinder, and image quality is very apparent throughout the interview. Whether it was scripted or not, the guest Sasaki-san certainly appeared to be excited -- he couldn't resist fondling the camera.

Exciting stuff!

- Craig

[yucafrita]

Whether it was scripted or not, the guest Sasaki-san certainly appeared to be excited -- he couldn't resist fondling the camera.


- Craig

Yeah, he was like cookie monster in a cookie store... Great fun to see.

[normhead]

I wonder, is Pentax the only camera company in the world, interested in introducing new previously unavailable technology into an optical viewfinder?

[c.a.m]

Oh my goodness this. This was a boost of positivity I didn't realize I needed in my day. These guys are a treat to watch. I'm in a technical field, and one of my favourite things is to get into conversations where people go into great (positive) detail about why something is great. This ticked some boxes.

Absolutely. I'm chuffed after watching the presentation.

- Craig

[FozzFoster]

I wonder, is Pentax the only camera company in the world, interested in introducing new previously unavailable technology into an optical viewfinder?

F6 from Nikon

very small changes to the actual viewfinder, I believe... added new AF and some new metering options though.

35mm modern roll film camera from Nikon...

[ThorSanchez]

"most advanced APS-C flagship"

Most advanced how? To me it means "better than the 7D mk II or the D500" so can we truly expect burst performance better than 10FPS, RAW buffer more than 200 frames, RAW+JPEG buffer better than 27 frames? If so, count me in.

What does "most advanced" mean to you?

That's what it means to me. A number of class-leading features along with no big weaknesses. I suppose video is arguable, they could claim most advanced APS-C stills camera with so-so video. But it needs to have something like all the things you mentioned, D500-like tracking autofocus, and other features like the optical viewfinder advancements.

When they say "most advanced" it can't just be incrementally better than a K-3 or a KP.

[luftfluss]

...by designing a new shutter unit and designing a new mirror-driving mechanism which helps minimize the impact caused by the mirror's swing-back action... I hope users will also appreciate the very light, smooth action of this shutter unit.

This is exciting to me, as I appreciate the tactile sensations of using a camera. The K-3 was a bit of a step back from the K-5 in this regard, the K-5 having a wonderfully smooth and precise sound & feel with movements of the shutter and mirror.

[luftfluss]

Did anyone pick up on what Mr Wakashiro said when they were discussing the DA*85? He mentioned that they planned to market the 85 soon. So my take is that this video was finalized several months ago and that would put the K-new in the hands of testers around the world by now. I think the K-new is very close to introduction and sale.

Apologies if this has been mentioned earlier as i have not read all the comments yet as I was starting and stopping the video to completely read and re-read the subtitles.

He was talking about marketing the silver version of the DFA* 85.

[FozzFoster]

would have loved to hear a date for the next update..

[AggieDad]

It's a chuckle to me to read all the comments and excitement about the silver and black camera body. If my memory serves me, it used to be (way back when) that silver/black SLR bodies were for consumers and all-black bodies were for the pros. Guys wanted all-black to "look pro."

Also, why all the dither over the silver and black? Do you care what color your electric drill is? It's a tool. Isn't the camera also just a tool?

What am I missing? Is it just because I'm a grouchy old man? Yeah, probably. Okay, I've answered my own question. You should just ignore all the preceding stuff.

[MMVIII]

It's a chuckle to me to read all the comments and excitement about the silver and black camera body. If my memory serves me, it used to be (way back when) that silver/black SLR bodies were for consumers and all-black bodies were for the pros. Guys wanted all-black to "look pro."

Also, why all the dither over the silver and black? Do you care what color your electric drill is? It's a tool. Isn't the camera also just a tool?

What am I missing? Is it just because I'm a grouchy old man? Yeah, probably. Okay, I've answered my own question. You should just ignore all the preceding stuff.

Beside some individual aesthetic preferences there might be some differences in the thermal qualities of lenses, generally a silver (or white) finish reducing the heating up under direct sunlight. However, this might be a stretch and not a decisive factor for many

[jgnfld]

...What am I missing? Is it just because I'm a grouchy old man? Yeah, probably. Okay, I've answered my own question. You should just ignore all the preceding stuff.

Off topic but I cannot resist!...

Probably too much Aggieness rubbing off!

(Horned Frog doctorate here but they are my real team, also Minnie undergrad,,,interesting the two programs have now gotten together a bit)

[ThorSanchez]

It's a chuckle to me to read all the comments and excitement about the silver and black camera body. If my memory serves me, it used to be (way back when) that silver/black SLR bodies were for consumers and all-black bodies were for the pros. Guys wanted all-black to "look pro."

Also, why all the dither over the silver and black? Do you care what color your electric drill is? It's a tool. Isn't the camera also just a tool?

What am I missing? Is it just because I'm a grouchy old man? Yeah, probably. Okay, I've answered my own question. You should just ignore all the preceding stuff.

If I could get one of those gas powered sawzalls painted with bright orange flames and stuff all over it, I'd totally buy that instead of a black one.

But I did buy a blue K-30, risking people thinking I was a rank amateur (and I was). Remember when a selling point for Pentax was they weren't like Canons, Nikons, Sonys, and Model Ts: you could get them in a color other than black.

[jgnfld]

If I could get one of those gas powered sawzalls painted with bright orange flames and stuff all over it, I'd totally buy that instead of a black one.

But I did buy a blue K-30, risking people thinking I was a rank amateur (and I was). Remember when a selling point for Pentax was they weren't like Canons, Nikons, Sonys, and Model Ts: you could get them in a color other than black.

I really, really liked the look of my storm trooper K50 with storm trooper kit lens. But I guess black is probably a bit more "pro" looking. No problem with black K-70 or KP.

[thibs]

This is exciting to me, as I appreciate the tactile sensations of using a camera. The K-3 was a bit of a step back from the K-5 in this regard, the K-5 having a wonderfully smooth and precise sound & feel with movements of the shutter and mirror.

K7 was even better. YMMV.