[Supernaut]

"Nice feature could be showing hyperfocal distance for current lens & aperture somewhere (lcd or viewfinder)"

Why limit it to hyperfocus? My idea on the Dear Pentax thread (slightly modified) is this: Why don't digital cameras have a fully digitalized way of determining depth of field? I'm talking about the camera both figuring out DOF for you digitally, and providing a simple but detailed readout that allows you to "see" DOF and decide how much DOF--all digitally.


Is something like the following scenario possible and feasible? Your autofocus lens sends info about aperture and distance-to-focused-subject (as well as focal length) to the camera. The camera's processor calculates a depth of field range, which shows in the viewfinder.

This effectively moves the depth-of-field scale off of the lens body into the viewfinder (and LCD) digital info. Furthermore, the DOF scale in the viewfinder would be colored, with red at either end, yellow towards the middle, and green in the "middle", corresponding to degrees of sharpness within the DOF. The numbers on the DOF scale would indicate the range in focus (one could set it for inches, mm, cm, m, or ft), and they would change as aperture changed or focused distance changed or focal length changed. So at any focus point with any AF lens at any aperture you could immediately tell DOF. A further possibility would be for the viewfinder (and LCD) to be able constantly to project onto the image a minimal scale corresponding to DOF.

No more looking at charts. No more looking at lens bodies. No more having to see and make judgments about darkened images in a viewfinder.

I'm not aware of any camera manufacturer that has done this. So, if it could be done, and done within the size and price of a typical digital camera, it would be a scoop for that manufacturer. And I submit that it would be highly prized.

Sounds lika an excellent idea. But why stop there? I'm sure it is more information that is handy to have in the VF. Isn't it possible to project a transparent text/image on the focusing screen like the fighter pilots have? Maybe accessable from a set of quick buttons.

To get more "real", I want:

- Better AF-C

- Increased DR. More wanted than less noise at high ISO imo. But I dont think we will se the same leap for the sensor that we saw K10 -> K20.

- Slightly smaller body compared to the K20 (I have small hands and so has the japaneese design team I hope )

- A bigger VF. Maybe 100% and 1.05 magnification. This is to compete with the FF cameras other companies are offering and give us a similar hole to look in.

[KungPOW]

With regard to the depth of field idea...

Canon bodies have an auto depth of field mode. You foucus on two points, and everything between the two point is in focus.

I think Canon can do this because the lens feeds back distance information to the body.

It has been around since at least 1994. Maybe earlier.

[Priyantha Bleeker]

Well Pentax NEEDS to get their act together....to compete with Canon and Nikon, the K20D is just not on-par any more with the competition these days.

The K30D, or how it will be named needs to have the following minimal to compete with the CURRENT offerings from the other manufacturers that doesn't mean it will be competitive enough to compete with the new offerings from the other manufacturers.

- Minimal 6 FPS
- Same sensor resolution but a new design(not only updated...) with much lower noise and with more Dynamic Range.
- New more powerful processor(dual/quad-core ?) to have enough power to process the high resolution and fast FPS and fast AF...
- Minimal 21 AF points(51 is more the way it should though...)
- AF-C tracking which works....
- Low light AF which is FAST and accurate even without Flash AF help light...
- Faster AF in normal lightning....
- Deeper buffer, minimal 30-50 RAW photo's
- Faster flushing buffer
- Faster reviewing of a burst of pictures
- Live-view with fast contrast AF
- HDMI output to connect die camera with TV's and monitors
- HD-video capture like the new introduced Canon 500D
- New grip design, minimal with a AF button, I would like to see a 1-1 copy of ALL buttons on the camera on the grip...
- LCD screen with a higher resolution, bigger isn't needed
- 100% viewfinder with ALL information needed, so please show ALWAYS the iso which you are shooting
- Faster Flash sync, 1/250 or 1/500
- The old Aperture coupler back !

Other things which are necessary to be competitive to the other competitors for the 'system'
- New High-End zooms, also a 'new' version of the 16-50 2.8, a 70-200 2.8
- New High-End Flash

[ionutmar]

very nice Priyantha Bleeker, but what price would that come with? 1500-2000 USD i think.

Would be nice a FF with that features (+more) and a line of new FF lenses.
If wold be K30D i want in the same range price like k20D+improvements.

[Priyantha Bleeker]

Well 1300 a 1600 EURO I think if we compare it with the 50D and the D300 prices
Of course Pentax has to introduce a K300 also then to fill the gap and price it like the K20D introduction price.

[thibs]

With regard to the depth of field idea...

Canon bodies have an auto depth of field mode. You foucus on two points, and everything between the two point is in focus.

I think Canon can do this because the lens feeds back distance information to the body.

Pentax lenses do that as well from, at least FA lenses, maybe even F serie.

[KungPOW]

Pentax lenses do that as well from, at least FA lenses, maybe even F serie.

Are we talking about the same thing here? Do pentax lenses provide the focus distance information?

Pentax certainly does not have the Auto Depth of Field function.

[Pål Jensen]

Are we talking about the same thing here? Do pentax lenses provide the focus distance information?.

Yes. For about 20 years.....

[KungPOW]

Yes. For about 20 years.....

Learnt something new. Thanks.

Ok Pentax, why no DOF tools?

[thibs]

Learnt something new. Thanks.

Ok Pentax, why no DOF tools?

That's an excellent question

Pentax pre-DSLR AFAIK mainly used distace information for Flash range checks. Maybe for Auto "Green" program mode (deciding macro against lanscape etc.) but not exposition or anything else.

Nikon marketing for AF-D lenses was well done but funny from that point of view. As usual Pentax had that already and as usual, Pentax never made noise about it. This typical Pentax. 'I'm ahead but why should people know?'.

[vietlh81]

My wishlist:
+ AF speed and accuracy improved
+ DOF calculation
e.g when the AF red dot confirms, the LCD (through the viewfinder) will display the DOF in m or mm, front and rear limits of depth of field, this calculation is quite easy. I think this will be useful information for portrait or macro photography.

And for K300D
+ TAv mode (I love KxxxD)
+ AF points selection for MF lenses.

[Pål Jensen]

Learnt something new. Thanks.

Ok Pentax, why no DOF tools?

Because sufficient DOF (apart from the definition) is based on the photographers taste in the matter and the intended print size and /or viewing distance.
Eg. Many (most?) photographers stop down one extra stop from the DOF calculation/scale on 35mm film/FF. On the 645 format I stop down two stops from the DOF scale on the lens in order to get acceptable DOF; that means I use the DOF scale for F:8 when I shoot at F:16.

Hence, you probably never see this feature except in gizmo cameras from canon....

[Ratmagiclady]

More 'USER' modes. Also such that you can attach your in camera processing to a specific one.

More high ISO. Focusing screen for fast lenses and more accurate metering with M lenses.

[thibs]

Because sufficient DOF (apart from the definition) is based on the photographers taste in the matter and the intended print size and /or viewing distance.
Eg. Many (most?) photographers stop down one extra stop from the DOF calculation/scale on 35mm film/FF. On the 645 format I stop down two stops from the DOF scale on the lens in order to get acceptable DOF; that means I use the DOF scale for F:8 when I shoot at F:16.

Hence, you probably never see this feature except in gizmo cameras from canon....

Mmm sincerely why not a DOF-priority mode mode which would take Two successive focus points from user and make sure everything between those is in focus ?

Gadget but then there's a lot of less useful things in our cameras IMO (green mode someone?)

[sholtzma]

"Because sufficient DOF (apart from the definition) is based on the photographers taste in the matter and the intended print size and /or viewing distance.
Eg. Many (most?) photographers stop down one extra stop from the DOF calculation/scale on 35mm film/FF. On the 645 format I stop down two stops from the DOF scale on the lens in order to get acceptable DOF; that means I use the DOF scale for F:8 when I shoot at F:16.

Hence, you probably never see this feature except in gizmo cameras from canon...."

--------------------

Then have the DOF system also indicate DOF according to F-stop; have the F-stops indicated along with the range. And allow for user to modify the scale, as you do in your shooting. That is, allow the photographer to decide what sufficient DOF is. Would that be difficult? It sure would be handy. Hardly a gimmick.