[VoiceOfReason]

It would be cool if we could get one that was astro modded from the beginning. Canon and Nikon do it.

[MMVIII]

It would be cool if we could get one that was astro modded from the beginning. Canon and Nikon do it.

I'm not an astro guy, but assume this would be a full spectrum camera? They used to provide such versions of the 645D, KP and, not sure about that, K1.
??????PENTAX KP IR /???????? / ?? | RICOH IMAGING
Unfortunately they always claimed that they were not available to private users, but merely for institutions and companies. Thus I would guess it's unlikely to be announced at launch.

[surfar]

no need for an entry level ILC, mirrored or mirrorless.

So how do the enterERS enter then?Considering the EntLev body plus kit lens is all that a lot who enter ever own.

[Mistral75]

I'm not an astro guy, but assume this would be a full spectrum camera? They used to provide such versions of the 645D, KP and, not sure about that, K1.
??????PENTAX KP IR /???????? / ?? | RICOH IMAGING
Unfortunately they always claimed that they were not available to private users, but merely for institutions and companies. Thus I would guess it's unlikely to be announced at launch.

645D IR (announced in December 2012), 645Z IR (announced in November 2015) and KP IR (announced in July 2019), not K-1.

[reh321]

To those expecting more entry-level Pentax cameras: please consider that they didn't bother to refresh in any way their 4½ year old K-70.

I'm not sure that they will - they may just sell them as long as people will purchase them.
Partly because of price level, partly because they don't seem able to get reliable performance from solenoid operated aperture-control, the K-n0 family may have seen the end of its usefulness/appropriateness.

[texandrews]

So how do the enterERS enter then?Considering the EntLev body plus kit lens is all that a lot who enter ever own.

I think Pentax still has a decent spread of cameras that should appeal to those who want to get "more serious", and I think it's a great option. Are they rock bottom cameras? No, but if they never upgrade from there anyway, as you posit (and now I'm not sure I agree with that projection), what's the real benefit to Pentax?

Remember , it's a small company. Not really in a position to go head to head with Canon for Rebel sales....So, it seems to me that the best path for Pentax is actually the one they appear to be taking: build on your strengths. Where I differ with the corporation is: not taking video a bit more seriously (we'll see what we get with the new camera...), relaxing on the development of the medium format line, and indifferent marketing.

[reh321]

Where I differ with the corporation is: ..... relaxing on the development of the medium format line, and indifferent marketing.

They need to improve on the "645Z" in something that matters to the consumer - a difference that will justify someone's spending the difference in price.

In the day of film, medium format automatically gave more fidelity for the same film emulsion - but the "K-1ii" perhaps has set a level that is not really noticeably different from Medium Format to the average eye.

[VoiceOfReason]

I'm not an astro guy, but assume this would be a full spectrum camera? They used to provide such versions of the 645D, KP and, not sure about that, K1.
??????PENTAX KP IR /???????? / ?? | RICOH IMAGING
Unfortunately they always claimed that they were not available to private users, but merely for institutions and companies. Thus I would guess it's unlikely to be announced at launch.

An astro mod simply cuts off the reds at a point where you can get Ha and Sii light, so a bit above where the stock filter does. With a full spectrum mod you have to have a UV/IR cut filter or you get star bloat.

[SunnyG.]

I agree with you. Smartphones have taken the major share in the Photography market and the music playing gadgets. My kids don't even care much about TV and stereos.
All they care about is their phone and the internet connection. They simply like to have a compact speaker connected to their phones via bluetooth. People these days would like 1 gadget that does it all.


Hell, smartphones have even taken over shopping!!! Now it's not just cameras that are doomed but yes, I think malls with department stores will be doomed through smartphone shopping.

lol I agree with you on that one!

---------- Post added 12-13-20 at 09:11 PM ----------

I wouldn't be surprised if they made it to 1" main sensors in a couple years. Xiaomi and Huawei (do they both use Samsung sensors?) keep pushing the envelope there. Particularly the Xiaomis are ridiculously good for the money when it comes to spec sheet.

I just wish Nokia wasn't such a shadow of its former self... they had amazing ideas with the old 808 Pureview and its 40MP 1/1.2" sensor.

Huawei uses a Sony 50mp sensor. While Xiaomi uses the Samsung 108mp sensor. Xiaomi is good, only when you root it, and clean the phone of CCP malware.

I still have the Nokia pureview 808, 41.5 mp of greatness. Panasonic had a phone with a 1 inch sensor!

---------- Post added 12-13-20 at 09:17 PM ----------

So people seem to be happy with the IQ coming from smartphones. But the Q has a real camera interface, and exchangable lenses over that. I really loved it on travels, with the 50mm equivalent I was able to take stunning photos without messing around with a touchscreen interface. One handed snapshots, turning the camera on while lifting the hand, no one gets intimidated by the cute and small lens, perfect street camera.
With a leaf shutter, built in ND filter, real flash on hotshoe it is a serious photograhing instrument. I still like to bring it with the 8(50eq) and set the mode wheel to high contrast b&w, so much better than any smartphone.

Try and edit the raw files from Huawei p40 pro, and Samsung galaxy s21, in Lightroom! You will see how good these sensors are.

[MMVIII]

lol I agree with you on that one!

---------- Post added 12-13-20 at 09:11 PM ----------


Huawei uses a Sony 50mp sensor. While Xiaomi uses the Samsung 108mp sensor. Xiaomi is good, only when you root it, and clean the phone of CCP malware.

I still have the Nokia pureview 808, 41.5 mp of greatness. Panasonic had a phone with a 1 inch sensor!

---------- Post added 12-13-20 at 09:17 PM ----------


Try and edit the raw files from Huawei p40 pro, and Samsung galaxy s21, in Lightroom! You will see how good these sensors are.

I have no doubt they can be good. But this doesn't change anything in the ergonomy department. A phone with touchscreen might inherit today even three different sensors with three different focal lengths, but it will never reach the ease of use of a dedicated ILC camera. Hell, even a GR III, very specialised and "limited" is such a great photographers tool and a real joy to use. That's why it finds users, despite an capable smartphone market.

My experience with smartphones: they might be good for many things, universalists, but if I really want something done I prefer a dedicated device. My smartphone has a two frequency GNSS, but for professionally recording tracks and locations I use a Garmin. It plays and streams music, but I bought a Cambridge Audio amplifier. For video conferencing and even recording it would be perfect, yet I bought an AKG condensator microphone and a DAC. I can read e-books but I still bought a kindle. I can take notes, but I still prefer the handling of my reMarkable note taking device. It can take impressive photos, but if I take photos for Image based modelling the computational "magic" makes it unusable for serious work (rolling shutter, unrealiable geometry because images are computed and not taken as a single shot...). The Q has (had) a solid sensor for its time, and if it would have one of the newest generation it could still be an attractive system, for those who want a tiny camera with camera qualities. Leaf shutter, real tele and zoom lenses, fisheye lens and flawless one handed operation, I don't see that coming in a "universal" phone.

A camera manufacturer can provide products, despite the undoubted quality of phones cameras, that are still attractive, as can GNSS manufacturers, audio equipment manufacturers, e-reader manufacturers...

---------- Post added 12-14-20 at 08:44 AM ----------

An astro mod simply cuts off the reds at a point where you can get Ha and Sii light, so a bit above where the stock filter does. With a full spectrum mod you have to have a UV/IR cut filter or you get star bloat.

Thanks for the information! Okay, thus, I think it is still unlikely that a dedicated astro cam might be provided at all, if so, from previous examples, you could just hope for a UVIR version. And then it would be doubtful if they would want to sell it to the private market.

[texandrews]

They need to improve on the "645Z" in something that matters to the consumer - a difference that will justify someone's spending the difference in price.

In the day of film, medium format automatically gave more fidelity for the same film emulsion - but the "K-1ii" perhaps has set a level that is not really noticeably different from Medium Format to the average eye.

Well, I feel like the "consumer" is pretty well served by the K1mkII, and I think a vanishingly small group of them could tell the difference between it and a Z, and the average eye never, even if you smacked 'em with a 2x4. But I think of digital medium format, and medium format in general, as something for pros or very exacting enthusiasts/amateurs. So, in that group, we understand that small---but to us significant---differences do matter, and I think most of us are realistic enough to understand that that's going to come at premium prices. And here I think Pentax has done a great job handing us very sophisticated tools at very good prices---I wouldn't even have a Z if that were not so.

[Enrique S Toso]

Fall of 2024!! 4k 60p 10 bit!!

[VoiceOfReason]

---------- Post added 12-14-20 at 08:44 AM ----------


Thanks for the information! Okay, thus, I think it is still unlikely that a dedicated astro cam might be provided at all, if so, from previous examples, you could just hope for a UVIR version. And then it would be doubtful if they would want to sell it to the private market.

If they did a full spectrum mod the UV-IR cut filter is what will save your images. In fact most dedicated astro cameras require the use of one due to being full spectrum.

[SunnyG.]

I have no doubt they can be good. But this doesn't change anything in the ergonomy department. A phone with touchscreen might inherit today even three different sensors with three different focal lengths, but it will never reach the ease of use of a dedicated ILC camera. Hell, even a GR III, very specialised and "limited" is such a great photographers tool and a real joy to use. That's why it finds users, despite an capable smartphone market.

My experience with smartphones: they might be good for many things, universalists, but if I really want something done I prefer a dedicated device. My smartphone has a two frequency GNSS, but for professionally recording tracks and locations I use a Garmin. It plays and streams music, but I bought a Cambridge Audio amplifier. For video conferencing and even recording it would be perfect, yet I bought an AKG condensator microphone and a DAC. I can read e-books but I still bought a kindle. I can take notes, but I still prefer the handling of my reMarkable note taking device. It can take impressive photos, but if I take photos for Image based modelling the computational "magic" makes it unusable for serious work (rolling shutter, unrealiable geometry because images are computed and not taken as a single shot...). The Q has (had) a solid sensor for its time, and if it would have one of the newest generation it could still be an attractive system, for those who want a tiny camera with camera qualities. Leaf shutter, real tele and zoom lenses, fisheye lens and flawless one handed operation, I don't see that coming in a "universal" phone.

A camera manufacturer can provide products, despite the undoubted quality of phones cameras, that are still attractive, as can GNSS manufacturers, audio equipment manufacturers, e-reader manufacturers...

---------- Post added 12-14-20 at 08:44 AM ----------


Thanks for the information! Okay, thus, I think it is still unlikely that a dedicated astro cam might be provided at all, if so, from previous examples, you could just hope for a UVIR version. And then it would be doubtful if they would want to sell it to the private market.

The Q was good no doubt. But it wouldn't have survived. M 4/3, is dead! It uses a bigger sensor

[reh321]

The Q was good no doubt. But it wouldn't have survived. M 4/3, is dead! It uses a bigger sensor

And how does this relate to the new camera????