[archinaut]

Again. The X70 is just a simple me-too product, bougt in china (engeneering included). The lens is exactly the same as the one of the new Nikon and the new Kodak Ultrazoom-Cameras, so is the sensor.

It's just easly generated turnover. That's all.

[AndrewG NY]

advanced P&S camera from Pentax is good.

but as for me I still don't know if I should invest in the DAs. I don't think I will buy any new lenses any time soon.

are they going for FF? or 4/3? or what? its really hard to build a camera bag with Pentax.

no new lenses what does that mean?

can some one please explain or are you all as confuse as I am.

I don't think Pentax has given us much reason to believe they're planning for anything other than APS-C for their interchangeable-lens cameras. It's only difficult to fill a camera bag with Pentax glass if you are attempting to "futureproof" your choices based on non-existent evidence that the future will be different than today. Which isn't to say that there will never be a larger or smaller sensor...but for 99.9994% of the people posting on these forums, it's pure conjecture.

What new lens are you looking for that Pentax doesn't offer? Honestly, their line-up is reasonably comprehensive unless you were seriously pining for a tilt/shift or something longer than 300mm. I think some of us are disappointed that Pentax hasn't released teleconverters yet but there are some third-party solutions for that. Sure, there are a few lenses people would like to see...like DA*30...but Pentax still offers a fast FA31/1.8 so it's not like it's a gaping hole to be filled.

[AndrewG NY]

Yeah -- the Nikon P90, Pentax X70 and Kodak Z980 appear to share the same sensor and lens. It's pretty telling that if you look closely there are three letters missing from the picture of the Pentax X70... That's a "Pentax lens", not an "SMC Pentax lens". So most likely, not a Pentax lens at all (nor a "Nikkor", nor a "Schneider-Kreuznach")

Wow, that Kodak Z980 looks pretty wretched (aesthetics/ergonomics...un-pentax-like buttons, e.g. "share" button), except that it's the only one of the three with a hotshoe. If there was any one feature on the Pentax that would have made me take it more seriously, that would have been it. Detachable portrait/vertical grip is an interesting option. Wonder how the street prices will settle on this trio.

I was noting on another forum earlier today that Pentax compacts have been increasingly spotted without "SMC". The (reasonably nice) Optio A30 and A40 still said SMC. But many of the more reason releases don't. Pentax has been dropping hints for the last few years that compacts would increasingly be outsourced...perhaps these are the fruits of that direction?

[AndrewG NY]

Again. The X70 is just a simple me-too product, bougt in china (engeneering included). The lens is exactly the same as the one of the new Nikon and the new Kodak Ultrazoom-Cameras, so is the sensor.

It's just easly generated turnover. That's all.

The lens is probably related--it has similar specs--but at least so far it sounds like Pentax has sensor-shake SR instead of the OS that the Kodak and Nikon offer. I wonder if there's any chance that Pentax would lie about this on their spec sheet. I would think probably not...?

[vinzer]

The lens is probably related--it has similar specs--but at least so far it sounds like Pentax has sensor-shake SR instead of the OS that the Kodak and Nikon offer. I wonder if there's any chance that Pentax would lie about this on their spec sheet. I would think probably not...?

They probably have sensor-shake SR in there. I guess it's cheaper to include a technology that they already have experience with and patents for as opposed to licensing someone else's lens IS technology.

[Fl_Gulfer]

I think it's a great camera for the kids when they tell you they want a camera like daddys. It has a great 24x zoom and 12mg pix. Justa thought...

[Jonson PL]

This, I didn't understand. What's the connection b'twn Ned & Samsung's new micro-4/3rds plans?

The new Samsung plans are not micro-4/3rds. They are full size APS-C sensor.
The NZ is a mirrorless box, but still a high quality interchangeable lens system.
Here are samples, with different lenses attached :









At the point when Ned bought the Leica; the Pentax and Samsung partnership, did not have anything in the advanced compact segment, or Megazoom “bridge” cams.

As Ned wrote :
“If there was any method to my madness in publishing this post, could it be that I was just throwing a lure out on the calm waters of lake pentax to see if anyone took the bait, or what your interest in this type of product would be?”

This new line from Samsung is more linked to the Pana G1, a camera that generated quite the interest.


Ned also stated, so the internet noise wouldn’t get to the point, where people would blow a gasket :

“As you can see, the D-Lux falls into a category that we do not participate in. Of course when I'm surfing or near the water, I carry and thoroughly enjoy my W60. Like wise, as you all know from my posts here, I'm very active testing and shooting with our SLR's.


For those of you that are old enough to remember film, my fascination with the D-Lux 4 is very analagous to those days when many working photographers, regardless of whether they shot with Canon, Nikon or Pentax SLR's, also owned a Contax T2 or T3 for those times they wanted to travel light yet still have a camera that gave them very high-quality results.


I also realized that my desire for a high-quality compact camera that offered near-SLR quality was probably shared by a few other Pentaxians.”
NED BUNNELL: Tempest in a Teapot?

I guess people were not used to this kind of honesty

[proudtoshootpentax]

If only they would update the firmware to include RAW capture, and wireless flash it could be perfect! (A hotshoe would be better, but I'd settle for wireless)

I've been looking and looking for a camera like this, smaller than a DSLR with lots of zoom range, but haven't found what I want yet. When I first heard about the x70, I hoped it would have these things... but I guess not. Truthfully, I still may buy one, but without flash compatibility I don't see much advantage to Pentax compared to any other brand. Just imagine what could have been...

[Ratmagiclady]

So how is Pentax, with its limited reach at retail outlets (at least in the USA), going to make serious money selling a camera that's much like everyone else's?

I'm holding out a bit of hope for a camera/system that's different (and better) enough that the retailers will turn again to Pentax.

No retailer wants to stock up on slow-selling gear when times are tough and credit to buy inventory is hard to get. That's when the product lines get pruned.

I hear snipping ....

Actually, I think the point of putting out a Pentax bridge is, to an extent that it's a self contained thing similar to everyone else. It'll turn up at Best Buy and Wal-Mart and raise some funds and be a testbed.

'Serious' photo retail pretty much got all bought up or run out of business by McRitz and all went down with the stripmall ship in that way.

Retail is tanking and actually in serious hock to Canon and Nikon for all the promotions those companies fronted. Puttng a competently-made bridge out there for squirrely megastores to sell all self-contained may not be *inspiring,* but it's not the worst move ever.


Frankly, the only thing we *haven't* heard about this X70 would seem to be.. What manner of images it makes.

But your average bridge camera consumer is usually darn impressed with any of em. And themselves, and inspired. It's really not a bad place for a company to have their foot in. Makes people curious. Interested. Seeing the possibilities and getting em once in a while. Enough to ask how to do better.

Some combination of convenient/frustrating to old salts, also, about the first thing I said to my FZ-7, 'I yam sci-fi.'

Fun! Remember fun?

It's like, photographically, if a Canon FT type was my father, maybe the 126 Instamatic with which I produced the first photograph of mine I ever looked twice at... was my mother.

This is the kind of stuff that gets people's attention, too.

[Ratmagiclady]

If only they would update the firmware to include RAW capture, and wireless flash it could be perfect! (A hotshoe would be better, but I'd settle for wireless)

I've been looking and looking for a camera like this, smaller than a DSLR with lots of zoom range, but haven't found what I want yet. When I first heard about the x70, I hoped it would have these things... but I guess not. Truthfully, I still may buy one, but without flash compatibility I don't see much advantage to Pentax compared to any other brand. Just imagine what could have been...

Eh, it's really the first-out. There's occasional times when a shoemount flash would be handy on a bridge, but in all reality, the IQ is such that you're really better off with a splash of popup fill (turned down) than getting too fancy. Fancy flash is just too expensive to really want to stick on a bridge, for the most part, anyway. If you're getting that picky, you may be in the wrong class.

Not that a shoe wouldn't be nice.

it's up for pre-order @ pentax web store: PentaxWebstore PENTAX X70 Megazoom

[Samsungian]

Introducing the New Z980!

it's up for pre-order @ pentax web store: PentaxWebstore PENTAX X70 Megazoom

[PCoelho]

Another super zoom, Pentax missed the chance to make something different, a real aps-c Bridge.

K-m/k2000 body + 14 mp aps-c k20 sensor + mirror less + tamron 18-250 + all in a block without mount (weather/ dust seal would be nice) for 600/700€.

Something like a Fuji 9600 but with SLR performance and without the "complication" of changing lens.

A family camera...

[gazonk]

Another super zoom, Pentax missed the chance to make something different, a real aps-c Bridge.

K-m/k2000 body + 14 mp aps-c k20 sensor + mirror less + tamron 18-250 + all in a block without mount (weather/ dust seal would be nice) for 600/700€.

Something like a Fuji 9600 but with SLR performance and without the "complication" of changing lens.

A family camera...

Why would anyone want to buy that? It would be difficult to keep the weight, price and size much below the K-m+DA18-250 combo.

I think selling the K-m bundled with a more versatile zoom lens (maybe a somewhat more modest range than the 18-250 to keep the price down) could be a good idea. Add some semi-sealing like the 17-70 has, and those who don't want to change lenses don't have to, but still get the bonus of SLR performance wrt. sensor size.

[reeftool]

I seem to remember a thread around a year ago where there was some complaining that Pentax didn't offer a bridge camera. Now there is complaining that they now offer one. I won't get one because I bought a Fuji bridge camera for my college student daughter last year. She loves it by the way. Its small enough to carry everywhere, has lots of zoom range, can shoot in RAW and she gets some amazing shots with it. While we may not think there isn't much of a bridge market, hang around a college campus...they are everywhere.