Originally posted by juu Can you put a number on that? It can be bigger than in a.
As I said, it's not that easy. Pentax could "never" make an EVIL, if they could find a niche on which to sell their DSLRs.
If you really want a number, well, I'll say 51%.
Originally posted by juu Well, I already said that I think they can still provide replacements for both, just perhaps with slightly less features.
Sacrificing DSLRs for your EVIL?
Pentax needs to keep rolling successful products, so no, cutting corners Sony-style would be a terrible mistake.
Originally posted by juu Much of the R&D effort besides specific camera form/ergonomics and OVF is after all shared with the EVIL platform. So if they procure better sensor and related electronics for the EVIL they can put in in the K-8/K-z as well. Likewise for live-view, CDAF, video, etc.
The effort is in any case not less than for a new DSLR.
Originally posted by juu I would guess the optical engineers on staff are separate from whoever works on SDM/etc.
New EVIL lenses (absolutely needed, let's say at least 3 to start with start) means less K-mount lenses. What you're saying would make sense if we would talk about designing the optics for the EVIL lenses, while not putting them into production - obviously, that's not the case. An EVIL lens would still have a barrel, SDM motor and so on; it would need to work really well with CDAF; it would need testing, production facilities, marketing... things will only
start with the optical design.
In other words, putting an EVIL lens on the market means at least as much effort as putting a K-mount lens on the market.
And about rebadging K-mount lenses instead of having their own designs, bad, bad idea. Why buying Pentax, if you'll have to use disguised Tamrons? I want Limiteds. I want excellent optic, like on the 60-250. Otherwise, why not going Nikon and use Nikkors
and Tamrons?
Originally posted by juu People could see Pentax being late to EVIL as yet another move towards irrelevance. What is worse?
Killing themselves just to have your EVIL.
johnmflores, Panasonic is the competitor to beat, IMO - since they are by far the most successful m4/3 brand (at least in Japan). Pentax is competing just fine, using DSLR products; you're saying they should compete using EVILs, i.e. playing Panasonic's game.
The K-7 and K-x replacement are designed to, well,
replace the K-7/K-x, so there will be no conflict. I'd say K-7 will be replaced by Photokina by a new model, and that I'll buy one (I have no inside info but I still know I want it
).
645D is on a different league, it doesn't make any sense to include it in order to "justify" keeping the K-7 in production.
I don't get you, folks. If you want an EVIL, why not buy a Panasonic? And if you just want Pentax to survive... wait, you don't want that, since you're suggesting they should cancel/delay their current plans (ones with some degree of success) and instead, do something else