1) Build up deniability.
RH could use later this unusual positive posts to criticize at will K-7 like he did before with probably all Pentax dslrs. He will claim that he's impartial but, hey, the new camera just doesn't cut it for him and of course, is a stupid toy next to his vintage C 5D. And he wanted so bad to believe
! Bla, bla, bla ...
2) A sad economical realization.
That C system is too expensive for him and he must fold back to something with a better price/quality ratio such as Pentax. This gut never stroke me as capable of putting money into gear whatever the brand and I bet upgrading the C to 5D II and adding lenses capable of using that resolution will be very hard for him.
And as we all know by know whatever he uses is the best gear so he must pump Pentax like he did with C before.
3) Pentax bought him for this unprecedented (for Pentax) viral marketing campaign.
Very likely and wise from a business point of view (not sure about the morals though). The persistence (obsession, maybe?) of his work of compiling every single anti-Pentax myth proven or not will assure him a certain credibility if he decides to turn 180 degrees, at least for sometime.
Now some facts:
- NB expresses the wish that RH is let to speak freely. Now, Ned maybe a great guy and all (with his results/actions as the President of Pentax USA I have some problems, not with the guy himself) but I don't recall that someone wanting RH banned here lately. And Ned mentioned specifically pforums in his blog simply because this is the last English speaking forum in which RH was neither banned or he left *by his own will* (an elegant translation of *leave or you will be banned!*). If RH were to be banned here his impact will be tremendously reduced in the community.Yes, it will still be on the first page on google with his blog but this applies mostly to those new to the brand. My take is that Pentax needs him to keep the hype up about the new camera. Of course infos can be leaked by new forum users but those are met with suspicion so RH will be not only the best candidate but also the one that people will think last that's in Pentax team.
- Now RH claims that he has access to the camera and only published so far pretty vague features. Today he claims that he actually measured the camera and as incredible as it may seems he doesn't publish any technical data that could be obtain BY TURNING THE DAMN THING ON. Also the claim that he doesn't want to put his *friend under NDA* in jeopardy is phony as well because he could of just posed the camera and claim he got the info via email from a *source*. Not even him I think is capable of putting images with geotagging infos in EXIF to pinpoint the location were the pics were taken!
It's pretty obvious that RH will continue for the English speakers what Jopy tried to do for the Chinese fora.
Of course it can also be the case of him wanting to build traffic for his SEFAB by releasing bits of infos from time to time. In that case we will hace countless posts of the type: "It's confirmed I turn the camera on and it works!"
The conclusion is that whether RH actually saw the camera and/or pictures + datasheet or he does the dirty job for Pentax you won't get too many facts out of him either way. So, don't fed him by visiting his SEFAB.
Radu